Bharat had no emperors in those days,
only forests older than memory
and spirits older than law.
Among them,
one youth grew like a storm no one dared name.
Amod.
Child of the mangroves.
Raised by fishermen, feared by beasts,
loved by none except the forests themselves.
He was no longer the curious boy who once hugged Banesh in the flood.
Now fifteen, almost sixteen,
he carried himself with an unease,
as if his bones remembered a crown
too heavy for a mortal body.
His eyes burned too bright.
His strength surged too suddenly.
His instincts sharpened too fast.
And whenever the moon rose,
his blood stirred like a caged tiger pacing in a skull.
Villagers whispered,
"He is not… ordinary."
"Perhaps blessed."
"Perhaps cursed."
Amod ignored all of it.
But the wilderness did not ignore him.
---
The Night the Forest Bowed
One night, as he walked alone through the swamp,
the wind suddenly halted.
Leaves stilled mid-rustle.
Frogs went silent.
Birds dipped their heads.
The forest… lowered itself.
Amod's breath hitched.
"...Why are you doing this?" he whispered.
But the trees remained bowing,
as if greeting a king returning after a long exile.
Amod placed a trembling hand on a trunk.
The bark pulsed beneath his palm — warm, alive, reverent.
"Whose… power is this?" he murmured.
There was no answer.
Only the wind, which curled around him like a loyal beast.
Far above, hidden in a cloud of moon-mist,
a pair of ancient eyes watched silently.
Banesh.
Gahana-Dev.
The god who once held the Tiger King in his arms.
He hid his presence completely,
but his fingers dug into his palm hard enough to bleed divine ichor.
Amod… my Amod…
You grow so fast in this life.
He dared not descend.
Dared not speak.
Dared not even whisper his old husband's name.
Because Amod was not ready.
Because Amod had forgotten him.
Because gods were not meant to interfere.
But mostly…
because if Amod saw him now,
Amod would see a broken thing —
a god who failed to protect him once.
So Banesh swallowed that longing
like poison.
And watched from afar.
---
Amod's Doubt
Days passed.
Amod's strength only grew.
He could lift a boat alone.
He could walk barefoot over thorns without bleeding.
Animals followed him like shadows.
It terrified him.
"What am I?" he muttered every night.
He did not pray.
He did not beg.
He did not seek blessings.
But something ancient answered him anyway.
A fire-trail in the sky —
not lightning, but memory.
A brief flash of gold and black,
like a giant tiger leaping across heaven.
Amod's heart pounded.
"Why… does that feel like mine?"
His hand rose toward the streak instinctively—
And in that moment
Banesh, watching from the distance, stiffened.
He's awakening too early.
The world shuddered.
The animals screamed.
The sky flickered.
Amod dropped to one knee, clutching his chest.
Images.
Flashes.
Shadows.
A hand touching his cheek.
A voice calling him Beloved…
A river of blood.
A sky opening.
Heaven in flames.
Amod gasped, choking.
"Who… who is calling me?"
And from afar, Banesh's fingers trembled.
He whispered to himself, voice breaking—
"Not yet… not yet, Hemketu…
You must not remember me now."
---
The First Move of the Mindplay
When Amod woke the next morning,
the forest had returned to normal.
His mind felt blank,
like someone wiped away something important.
He frowned.
"If you won't come out," he muttered to the air,
"then I will make you."
Banesh froze where he hid between the shifting mists.
Amod continued:
"I can feel someone watching me.
If you want to test me…
Go ahead."
A faint smirk tugged at Amod's lips — predatory, confident, sharp.
A spark of the old Tiger King peeking through.
"I'll hunt you down sooner or later, you know."
His voice turned mockingly gentle.
"Or you can come willingly.
Up to you, mystery-spirit."
Banesh's spine tingled.
He had forgotten how terrifyingly charming Hemketu could be.
---
Banesh Retreats
Banesh turned away, hiding his trembling hands.
He whispered to the wind,
"Chasing me…?
You, who once made the heavens kneel with a glance…"
His voice cracked softly.
"You are not ready.
And I am not strong enough to protect you again."
He stepped back into the mists,
heart aching.
The moment he vanished,
a gust of wind rushed past Amod.
Amod's eyes widened.
"…There you are."
He looked in the direction Banesh had disappeared,
his expression darkening with curiosity and heat.
"This will be interesting."
And far away,
Banesh pressed a hand to his chest,
trying to calm the storm in it.
---