Chapter 38 – Moksha vs Nirvana
The air in the palace garden turned heavy.
No one moved.
The guards.
The attendants.
Even the wind seemed to freeze in place.
Sam stood slowly from beside the corpse.
His eyes locked onto the hooded figure standing in the shadows.
"You chose a bold place to appear," Sam said calmly.
The man chuckled.
"And you chose a bold kingdom to walk into."
For a moment, neither moved.
The tension between them was suffocating.
The Presence Revealed
The hooded figure stepped forward.
Each step felt wrong—like the ground itself resisted his existence.
Up close, his aura wasn't overwhelming.
It was… hollow.
Like something that should not exist.
"You heard it, didn't you?" the man said.
Sam didn't respond.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"That last word."
"Moksha."
Sam's voice was cold.
"What are you?"
The man smiled faintly.
"Wrong question."
He pointed toward the dead elf.
"You should be asking—what that was."
Sam's gaze flickered briefly to the body.
Then back to him.
"Explain."
Moksha vs Nirvana
The hooded man raised his hand.
Dark energy pulsed faintly around his fingers.
"This kingdom is dying," he said.
"But not because of war."
"Not because of poison."
"Not even because of me."
Sam's expression didn't change.
"Then speak clearly."
The man's smile widened.
"It's because of desire."
"Two opposing desires."
He raised two fingers.
"Nirvana."
"And Moksha."
Sam narrowed his eyes.
The man continued.
"Nirvana is simple."
"A desire to end."
"To disappear."
"To escape everything."
His voice dropped slightly.
"And it spreads like a disease."
Sam glanced again at the dead elf.
That… matched.
"But Moksha…" the man said softly.
"…is something else entirely."
The temperature dropped.
"Moksha is not escape."
"It is liberation."
"A state where the soul breaks free from everything."
His eyes gleamed.
"And when Nirvana and Moksha collide…"
The man leaned closer.
"…something very interesting is born."
Sam's Realization
Sam's mind moved fast.
Too fast.
"If Nirvana drives them to die…"
"…then Moksha chooses who reaches that state."
The hooded man clapped once.
"Good."
"Very good."
"You're smarter than the stories say."
Sam's gaze sharpened.
"This isn't random."
The man shook his head slowly.
"No."
"It's a selection."
Now the atmosphere truly shifted.
Even the guards felt it.
Something bigger was happening.
The Interruption
Suddenly—
A sharp voice cut through the tension.
"Enough!"
The Elf King stepped into the garden, surrounded by elite guards.
His expression was furious.
"Who are you?"
The hooded man didn't even look at him.
"Ah… the current king."
He sighed.
"You're not important."
The guards instantly raised their weapons.
"Seize him!"
But before anyone could move—
Sam raised his hand slightly.
"Don't."
The guards froze.
The Elf King looked at Sam.
"What are you doing?"
Sam didn't take his eyes off the man.
"…If they move, they die."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
The Elf King slowly lowered his hand.
Even he understood.
This was beyond his level.
The Truth Drops
The hooded man smiled again.
"See?"
"You understand the situation."
He turned slightly toward Sam.
"You came here thinking this was a curse."
"It's not."
Sam's voice was flat.
"Then what is it?"
The man's answer came like a whisper.
"…a ritual."
That single word changed everything.
"A ritual that has already begun."
"And once it completes…"
His eyes gleamed.
"…this entire kingdom will reach Moksha."
The Shift
For the first time—
Sam moved.
Not fast.
Not aggressive.
Just one step forward.
But the pressure in the air exploded.
"You're not finishing that ritual," Sam said.
The man laughed softly.
"You think you can stop it?"
He leaned closer.
"You're already part of it."
Sam's eyes narrowed.
"What did you do?"
The man didn't answer.
Instead—
He turned his head slightly.
Toward the palace.
Toward the guest chambers.
Toward—
Ruhi.
Sam's expression changed instantly.
"…Don't."
The hooded man smiled wider than before.
"Too late."
The Disappearance
Before anyone could react—
The man's body dissolved into black mist.
Gone.
Completely.
The pressure vanished.
The garden returned to normal.
But the silence remained.
Sam stood still for half a second.
Then—
He disappeared.
Back in the Chamber
Meera was inside the room.
Ruhi sat near the window.
Humming softly.
But something was wrong.
The frost on the glass had changed.
Symbols.
Strange.
Unnatural.
Meera frowned.
"Ruhi… did you draw that?"
Ruhi didn't respond.
She was still humming.
Meera stepped closer.
"Ruhi?"
Slowly—
Ruhi turned her head.
Her eyes—
Were glowing faint gold.
And her lips moved.
"Moksha…"
The room felt… wrong.
The air was heavier.
Colder.
Like something invisible had entered and taken control of the space itself.
Meera stood frozen in place.
"Ruhi…"
Her voice trembled.
Ruhi didn't respond.
She sat near the window, her small fingers tracing strange patterns across the frost-covered glass.
Symbols.
Unfamiliar.
Ancient.
Alive.
Her eyes glowed faint gold.
And her lips moved again.
"Moksha…"
Meera's heart dropped.
She rushed forward and grabbed Ruhi's shoulders.
"Ruhi! Look at me!"
For a brief moment—
Ruhi's eyes flickered.
As if she was trying to come back.
"M… mama…"
Hope.
Just for a second.
Then—
Her expression went blank again.
The golden glow intensified.
The Arrival
The door burst open.
Sam appeared instantly inside the room.
His gaze locked onto Ruhi.
And for the first time in a long time—
His expression cracked.
"…Ruhi."
The frost patterns on the walls spread further.
The temperature dropped sharply.
Even the air began to crystallize.
Meera turned to him.
"Sam, something's wrong—she's not responding!"
Sam didn't answer.
He stepped forward slowly.
Every instinct in his body was screaming.
This wasn't just possession.
This wasn't simple magic.
This was something deeper.
Something tied to the ritual.
The Connection
Ruhi stood up.
Slowly.
Mechanically.
Her small hand lifted toward Sam.
"Papa…"
Sam froze.
For a moment—
Everything else disappeared.
The war.
The curse.
The kingdom.
None of it mattered.
Only her.
He stepped closer.
"I'm here."
Ruhi's voice changed.
Layered.
Like two voices speaking at once.
"You came…"
Sam's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…Who are you?"
Ruhi tilted her head.
A soft smile appeared.
Unnatural.
"You already know."
The room trembled.
The frost symbols on the walls began to glow faintly.
Meera stepped back in fear.
"Sam… what is this?"
Sam didn't look away.
"…This is Moksha."
The Pull
Suddenly—
Ruhi's body lifted slightly off the ground.
Golden threads of light began forming around her.
Thin.
Delicate.
But powerful.
They stretched outward—
Beyond the room.
Beyond the palace.
Toward the frozen forest.
Sam felt it instantly.
A connection.
The ritual.
"She's being linked," he muttered.
"To the core of it."
Meera's voice broke.
"Then stop it!"
Sam clenched his fist.
"I can't."
Meera stared at him.
"What do you mean you can't?!"
Sam's voice was low.
"If I break that connection forcefully…"
He looked at Ruhi.
"…she dies."
Silence.
Complete.
Brutal.
The Choice
Ruhi's body trembled slightly.
Her eyes flickered again.
"Papa…"
A tear rolled down her cheek.
This time—
It was her.
"I… don't feel good…"
Meera broke.
She rushed forward but stopped halfway, afraid to touch her.
"Ruhi, it's okay, mama is here…"
Ruhi's fingers curled slightly.
"It's… pulling me…"
Sam closed his eyes for one second.
Just one.
Then he opened them again.
Completely different.
Cold.
Focused.
Decided.
The Countermove
Sam raised his hand.
Dark energy gathered around his palm.
But it wasn't destructive.
It was controlled.
Precise.
"I won't break the connection," he said quietly.
"I'll overwrite it."
Meera didn't understand.
But she didn't interrupt.
Sam stepped forward and placed his hand gently on Ruhi's head.
The moment he did—
The golden threads reacted violently.
The room shook.
The symbols on the walls burned brighter.
From far away—
Something responded.
The hooded man.
The Clash
Deep in the frozen forest—
The hooded figure stopped walking.
His smile faded slightly.
"…So you chose that path."
He raised his hand.
The ritual intensified.
Back in the room—
Ruhi screamed.
"PAIN—!"
Meera cried out.
"STOP IT!"
Sam didn't move.
His hand remained steady.
His voice dropped into something absolute.
"Listen to me, Ruhi."
His presence expanded.
Overwhelming.
Dominant.
"You are not part of this."
The golden light flickered.
"You are not theirs."
The threads began to weaken.
"You are mine."
For a split second—
Everything froze.
The Break
The golden threads shattered.
Like glass.
Ruhi collapsed forward.
Sam caught her instantly.
The glow in her eyes disappeared.
The symbols on the walls faded.
The room returned to normal.
Silence.
Heavy breathing.
Meera rushed forward.
"Ruhi!"
Sam held her carefully.
"She's alive."
Relief hit like a wave.
Meera dropped to her knees beside them, tears falling freely.
The Aftermath
But Sam didn't relax.
Because he felt it.
The connection hadn't fully broken.
It had only been… resisted.
And far away—
The hooded man smiled again.
"Good."
"Very good."
His eyes darkened.
"Now the ritual is truly interesting."
Final Hook
Back in the room—
Ruhi opened her eyes weakly.
"Papa…"
Sam nodded.
"I'm here."
She whispered something faint.
So soft—
Only he heard it.
"There are… more…"
Sam's expression froze.
"…What?"
Ruhi's eyes closed again.
And the frost on the window—
Reformed.
This time—
Not one symbol.
But dozens.