Chapter 2 – The Eternal Darkness and the Divine Voice
A vast, endless void. A darkness so pure, so absolute, that it consumed everything. There was no sky, no earth, no light—only an infinite abyss stretching beyond comprehension.
In this abyss drifted a single soul.
Umesh Kumar had faced countless challenges in life. He had fought against injustice, stood firm against corruption, and endured betrayals that could break even the strongest of men. He had built an iron will through years of struggles, but none of it had prepared him for this.
He was alone.
He couldn't feel his body. No arms, no legs, not even the faintest sensation of existence. He was conscious, yet he was nothing.
"What... what is this? Where am I?"
For the first time in his life, a wave of fear crept into his mind. A lawyer who had stared death in the eye of criminals, who had faced threats and intimidation without flinching, was now trembling—not in body, for he had none—but in soul.
How could one endure this?
A place where he could not move, could not breathe, could not even scream? Even his voice did not exist in this place.
This was beyond death. This was oblivion.
Time held no meaning here. Seconds, minutes, hours, days? He could not tell.
His once sharp, disciplined mind began to falter. Was this eternity? Would he be stuck here forever?
"No!" he forced himself to focus. "I am Umesh! The man who never bent, never surrendered! I am still here! As long as I think, I exist!"
He clung to that thought like a drowning man clutching a piece of driftwood. He needed something, anything, to keep himself from going mad.
Then, deep within his soul, an old memory surfaced.
A memory of peace.
A memory of sound.
"Om…"
He recalled a sacred chant, one his grandfather, Vijay Raj Singh, had often spoken about. A chant said to connect the soul with the universe, with the divine.
"Om…"
It was the only thing he had left. So, he chanted.
At first, it was just a thought, a whisper within his mind. But as he repeated it, it became something more.
The darkness pushed back against him. Memories, visions, and voices he had long buried surfaced—painful trials, betrayals, the harsh realities of his past.
Yet, he held firm.
"Om…"
The illusions intensified, playing every painful moment of his life like a film, forcing him to relive his worst experiences.
But he did not stop.
He endured.
Time passed—perhaps centuries, perhaps mere moments.
Then—
BOOM!
A soundless explosion erupted within his mind.
The darkness trembled.
For the first time since arriving in this void, Umesh heard something besides his own thoughts.
"Om…"
It was his own voice—resonating, echoing across the endless abyss.
It wasn't just a chant anymore. It was power.
It spread outward, rippling through the void, creating something new in this timeless space. A presence. A warmth. A peace he had never felt before.
Then, for the first time in what felt like eternity, he heard something else.
A voice.
"Beta Umesh, are you alright?"
A woman's voice.
It was gentle, yet immense, carrying a power that shook the very essence of his soul. A voice so familiar and yet so beyond mortal understanding.
His very existence trembled in its presence.
"Who... who are you?" he whispered, overwhelmed by the sensation.
Then, suddenly, he saw her.
A divine figure stood before him, draped in an ethereal red saree, her golden ornaments glowing softly in the endless void. She was breathtakingly beautiful, yet more than that, she radiated an aura of boundless love and power.
Tears shimmered in her eyes as she gazed at him, as if she had waited for this moment for an eternity.
"I... have seen you before," Umesh said, his voice trembling. "Are you... a Goddess?"
The woman smiled—a smile that felt like the embrace of a mother, a smile that melted every last trace of fear within him.
"Yes, Putra," she said softly. "I am Adi Parashakti, the primordial source, the Divine Mother of all creation. And I am also... your mother."
---