Third Person POV
In one corner of the world, in India, in one of its small villages, a middle-class boy was walking away from the bus stop.
He was of average height, around five feet eleven inches, with a lightly trimmed beard and a simple haircut. His physique leaned toward skinny, but not excessively so. His appearance was ordinary, neither striking nor forgettable. He looked to be in his early twenties. He wore a light blue T-shirt and black cargo pants, with a cap resting on his head. A backpack hung from one shoulder, suggesting maybe he was returning home from college.
As he walked, his eyes remained fixed on his smartphone. He was reading a novel, his mind wandering between the lines and his own thoughts.
'When will my life ever become this interesting?'
He had no idea how wrong he was. Or perhaps, how wrong he would soon be.
....
As he was scrolling through novels to read, he got a notification on his smartphone. About scientific phenomena and planet alignment. But he ignored it.
The very next day, for reasons unknown, a series of strange events unfolded.
News channels across the country reported a rare astronomical phenomenon. Several planets aligned themselves into a spiral formation, with Earth positioned close to the centre. For a brief moment, less than a tenth of a second, gravity and space around Earth fluctuated. It caused no visible destruction and was soon dismissed as a harmless anomaly.
Around the same time, a meteorite passed through Earth's upper atmosphere.
At five different locations across the planet, unusual changes occurred. Light behaved unnaturally. Reflection twisted. Refraction bent in impossible ways. Separately they weren't that important and noticeable but when these five points were connected on a map, they formed a perfect five-pointed star.
And for some reason, at the exact centre of that formation, sat the same boy, casually scrolling through his phone and searching for his next novel to read.
Cliche, isn't it.
Well what happened next was anything but ordinary.
Space distorted.
The boy was violently pulled into the anomaly. By all known logic, he should have died instantly.
But something intervened.
A translucent shield formed around him, glowing faintly. Upon it shimmered the symbol of OM. Whispers echoed around him, words from a sacred hymn he had read as a child, one he remembered even now because he had believed in it with his whole heart.
'Shiv Kavacham.'
Whether it was faith, fate, or divine intervention, something answered him.
With a sudden violent jerk, space snapped back into place.
The boy lost consciousness.
A blinding flash of light engulfed everything, illuminating the surroundings beyond comprehension.
Then, he opened his eyes.
....
Boy's POV
When I opened my eyes, I found myself on a mountain covered in snow.
Towering trees surrounded me. Animals stood silently at a distance. Strange, ghostlike entities drifted between shadows. Everything felt ancient, aware, and alive. If it was a normal day, I would have been scared but I didn't feel awake at the moment and couldn't form coherent thoughts. Then I looked ahead and…
In front of me stood a massive Shiv Ling. I tried looking at its top but…
I could not comprehend its size. I could not find its beginning, nor its end. It stretched endlessly, disappearing beyond sight.
Without knowing why, I knelt before it.
It felt natural.
As I bowed and prostrated myself in worship, the beasts lowered themselves. The ghostlike beings stilled. Even nature itself seemed to respond. The atmosphere felt surreal, as if the world acknowledged and appreciated my act of devotion.
Then I heard a voice.
It did not come from any direction. It felt as if it was spoken directly inside my mind.
"Child, welcome to the land of dreams and calm rivers. I am called Shiv, Shankar, or whatever name you choose. I am not bound by names."
Hearing the name of the God I had idolized since childhood, my heart began to race. Nervousness overtook me. Words spilled out clumsily.
"Umm… sir, I… I am… my name is Rudra Rajput and I…"