It’s 3033, and the world has fallen into chaos, plunging it into an era of Anarchy. The streets were filled with debris, and endless crumbled buildings created unease. Yet, amidst the turmoil arises the only hope for humanity, an ancient scroll lost in the last millennium. Only a chosen one possesses the potential to unearth this elusive parchment. Will it be found? Venture on a thrilling journey to discover what the future holds.
“Kamavritta!”
“Kamavritta!”
“What happened, Mom?” asked Kamavritta, a young teenager, entering a room resembling a disheveled storeroom for clothes with a musty smell. One could observe dust particles dancing in the air forming their unique musical note.
“Why do I feel this place has been robbed?” Mrs. Vishrant exclaimed with disdain.
“Mommmm, Yantrik will clean it in a second,” replied Kamavritta calmly.
“Yantrik is getting serviced, and won’t return for a few days, so boy, you better get your things in place,” stated Mrs. Vishrant, storming out of the cluttered and dusty room.
Kamavritta sighed, placing his palm on his forehead; after a few seconds, he got his act together.
Kamavritta sorted through the piles of clothes, folded them neatly, and tidied his room.
“Cough! Cough!”
A cloud of dust existed through the newly installed window, and at the end of two hours, he had achieved his goal. Exhaustion washed over him, and he collapsed on the freshly made crisp bedsheet. Kamavritta’s weight of efforts rocked him to sleep, and he started to mumble.
“It–is he–re.”
“It–is he–re.”
Kamavritta’s eyes snapped open when he heard a voice calling him. Confused, he replied, “Huh! Where am I?”
“In your spic and span room,” replied Mrs. Vishrant, “Did you see the same dream again?” she inquired.
“Hmm,” Kamavritta nodded, as his eyes widened while his eyebrows shot up in alarm. “But this time, I saw an orange-colored hardbound book,” he added.
“What was the book about? Did you see the book’s name or something?”
“No, I could only make out the first alphabet, ‘B.’”
“Did you see where the book was?”
“I am not sure; it seemed like a Cave; the atmosphere was cool and damp, and I heard echoes of water dripping in the background.”
“Cave?”
“Yes, Cave, and it felt like I had been there before,” replied Kamavritta. “If only Yantrik were here, he would have helped me decipher the exact location,” he added in melancholy.
“He’ll be back soon; until then, why don’t you jot down whatever you remember,” suggested Mrs. Vishrant.
Kamavritta diligently followed his mother’s advice; first, he swiped his right hand, and up came a thin green screen out of nowhere. Then, he started dictating, and the NanoSlate started noting down everything. In the end, Kamavritta closed his right fist, and the green light disappeared in the ChronGauge, adorning his hand. By the time he completed his task, it was nearing nightfall.
“Eeeeek!”
“Shrieek!”
“Tinkle, Shatter!”
“Kamavritta, we need to go into lockdown mode; NeoRaiders are on the prowl and just a couple of miles from our house,” warned Mrs. Vishrant urgently. NeoRaiders, the largest gang of outlaws, had wreaked havoc over the years, and only homes protected by OmniShield survived.
Kamavritta jumped out of his bed and ran towards the corner of the room to press a large red button.
“Rumble, Rumble!!”
The ground beneath started shaking, and the trees rose through the glass windows as the house became an underground shelter providing a sense of safety and isolation.
“Haha, those scoundrels won’t even know we lived here!” exclaimed Mrs. Vishrant, with a mix of joy and relief.
The leaves and trees surrounding the house had invisible sensors powered by sunlight, detecting movements and recording continuously for months. The Vishrants stayed underground for a few days till a semblance of normalcy returned. Meanwhile, Yantrik had returned from the service center.
“Yantrik, buddy, you are back,” Kamavritta greeted Yantrik, giving him a high-five.
“Slapp!!”
“How was your trip to the service center?” inquired Kamavritta as Yantrik stretched his life like mechanical muscles.
“Well, I was under the ocean most of the time as I upgraded my systems and downloaded data from the servers placed on the moon,” explained Yantrik. As they continued chatting, Yantrik mentioned, “Mom said you had that dream again.”
“Yes, I have noted everything I could remember. Let me show you,” said Kamavritta swiping up to show the unique green screen.
Yantrik summarized the data by saying, “A place where the walls are engraved with Sanskrit scriptures, an underground spring, natural rock formations with altars for meditation, but limited light reaching this place.”
“Do you know where this place could be?”
“I might have an idea.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Patience, my young friend; I am doing some calculations, just to be sure.”
“Hmm.”
Yantrik took a few minutes before he suggested, “This might be the Elysian Hollow.”
“How are you so sure?”
“In the 2040s, there was a clash between the Top World Powers, destroying most caves and various ancient artifacts.”
“I don’t think I have studied the same yet.”
Yantrik nodded and continued, “Ten years after the war, a cavern sprung from the crumbling infrastructure and debris. Additionally, the Sanskrit you describe is not ancient; it’s a version generated by AI in the 2030s.”
“How do we get there?”
“I need to think, but you need sleep as it’s already late; else Mom will scold me,” suggested Yatrik.
“Ahhhh-hhaaaaaa, alright, buddy, see you in the morning,” agreed Kamavritta yawning and drifting into slumber.
The night was still young when the Vishrants slept, but Kamavritta’s screams broke their peaceful slumber.
“Mommmmmm!!” shouted Kamavritta, “I know the book’s name,” he added as Mrs. Vishrant rushed to his room. “I saw myself holding the book and could easily see the pristine orange cover which read –Bhagwat Puran.”
“Gongggg!!”