The smoke had barely cleared from the temple ruins when Satya, now resembling a fried momo that rolled through Holi and Diwali at once, stood wobbling in the center of the flaming sigil.
His clothes were 20% holy cloth, 80% burnt curtain.
His face looked like he had seen Brahma, fought a microwave, and lost to a pressure cooker.
And his body… well, it was definitely experiencing several simultaneous emotions: shock, regret, betrayal, and the effects of ancient ghee burns.
Satya (wheezing): "I think... my bones melted. Are bones supposed to sizzle?"
Oorja (hovering with a literal 'RIP' sign): "You look like a rejected offering from a failed temple ritual."
Aagneyi (arms crossed, unimpressed): "If stupidity had a form... this would be it. Behold, the walking flame-boiled potato."
Karna (nodding solemnly): "He has survived... but at what cost?"
The mystical circle beneath Satya shimmered again, resonating with heat and divine pulses. A loud hum spread across the ruins.
?? System Alert: Backup Flame Awakening… Initiated.
?? Gene Sequence Syncing…
?? Divine Prototype Found: Garud Flame - Rogue Sun Variant
The ground beneath him split slightly — not from power, but because he accidentally stepped on a sacred banana leaf.
Satya (panicking): "Am I exploding?! Is this enlightenment or indigestion?!"
Oorja: "Neither. It’s you being painfully average while your DNA accidentally flexes."
?? Divine Trial Begins: The Backup Sun Protocol
Aagneyi (annoyed): "We don’t have time for your existential drama. You survived the flame. Barely. Time to test if you’re not just luckier than a cursed lizard."
Karna: "As promised... your real test begins now."
?? Trial of the Backup Sun: 4 Rounds — Initiated
Oorja: "And no, there’s no skipping. Not unless your fat spirit can fly."
?? Round 1: The Fireball Sangeet
Objective: Dodge 108 enchanted fireballs.
Bonus condition: Must dance.
Satya (horrified): “Dance?! What is this? Fire Nach Baliye?!”
The statues around the temple lit up, shooting fireballs to the rhythm of a Bhojpuri remix version of “Tip Tip Barsa Paani.”
Satya screamed. He twirled. He did bhangra. He did a crying moonwalk. He accidentally flossed. Then, out of panic, he twerked.
Fireball 17: Hit his left cheek.
Fireball 36: Burned his dignity.
Fireball 72: Singed his navel and soul.
Fireball 100: He caught and tried to return to sender.
Oorja: “Is this dancing or demonic possession?”
Aagneyi: “Somewhere in the heavens, Natraj is suing.”
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System Status: Survived
Notes: Lost rhythm, found shame.
Title Unlocked: Dancing Disaster of Doom
??? Round 2: Divine Ghee Slide of Shame
Objective: Slide down a sacred ghee-coated ramp avoiding flaming tridents.
Before he could protest, Aagneyi used one toe to shove him onto the ramp.
Satya (screaming while sliding): “I didn’t sign up for Amusement Park of Agony!”
He flew past:
A trishul that insulted his posture
A flaming loop that yelled “LOSER!”
A holy cow that mooed in disappointment
Karna (whispering): “He almost made the cow cry.”
Oorja: “That ghee has more IQ than him.”
At the end, he crashed into a sanctified mango tree. The tree dropped a mango. He offered it back like a tribute.
?? System Status: Passed
?? Health: 38%. Pride: Vaporized.
?? Reward: Divine Mango of Mercy
?? Round 3: Lava Quiz – Mind vs Molten Rock
Objective: Sit on a glowing seat of lava. Answer divine trivia.
Oorja: “Time to test if your brain isn’t just chapati dough.”
Satya (sitting, sizzling): “I feel… enlightenment. And third-degree burns.”
Q1: “Name the ancient fireborn city that fell to the Skybreaker?”
Satya: “Chudnagar?”
System: Incorrect. Seat temperature rising.
Q2: “Garud Flame’s primary weakness?”
Satya: “Me?”
System: Correct. Also tragic.
Q3: “How many sigils does a Skyborn host have?”
Satya: “Twelve and a half. One’s still buffering.”
System: Accepted.
Karna (surprised): “He’s... guessing correctly?”
Aagneyi (annoyed): “No, he’s divinely dumb. The universe is pitying him.”
System Status: Passed
?? IQ Level: Slightly toasted
?? Round 4: Emotional Roast – The Final Burn
Objective: Sit silently while being roasted by everyone present.
Condition: If you cry, trial fails.
Aagneyi (smirking): “Let’s begin.”
Aagneyi: “You run like you’re being chased by your own responsibilities.”
Karna: “Even the demons think you're ‘too unserious’ to possess.”
Oorja: “You’re not the Backup Sun. You're the Buffering Candle.”
Sky Voice: “Garud Flame has never been this embarrassed.”
Temple Echo: “Even your slipper abandoned you mid-battle.”
Satya's lip trembled.
A single tear formed.
Then... he laughed.
Not a glorious laugh. A wheezing, awkward donkey snort of rebellion.
Satya (standing): “Roast me all you want! But I’m still here! Still burning! Still dumb, but alive!”
Aagneyi (raising a brow): “You dare stand during a roast?”
Satya (raising a finger): “I may be the weakest... the dumbest... the fattest flaming flan in history... BUT I. AM. STILL. HERE.”
?? Suddenly, the circle lit up.
His body glowed faintly. His chest sigil shimmered.
From behind him, a translucent pair of wings — one golden, one blackened — formed for a second.
System Alert: Garud Heart – Sync Rate: 1%
Title Unlocked: Trial Version: Backup Sun
Everyone stared.
Karna (smiling): “...There it is. The spark.”
Oorja (mock whisper): “He still looks like a roasted momo, but at least now he's a glowing roasted momo.”
System: All 4 Trials – COMPLETED
Final Result: PASS
Hidden Trait Detected: Kindness under Chaos
?? End Scene: No Time to Nap
Satya collapsed. Again.
Satya (gasping): “I’m gonna sleep forever…”
Oorja (throwing a sandal): “Nope. Wake up, you sleepy sack of regrets.”
Aagneyi (coldly): “You think the world gives you time to rest after one fluke?”
She pointed to the east — dawn was already creeping in.
Aagneyi: “Tomorrow... the Guild Selection Test begins. No flaming mangoes. No mercy. Just monsters, traps, and real enemies.”
Karna: “If you fail there, you die. Not metaphorically. Literally.”
Satya (moaning): “...I miss my bed. And non-burning food.”
Oorja: “You’ll miss more than that soon.”
System Alert:
?? Mission Incoming: Guild Selection Begins in 12 hours
??? Prepare or Perish
?? Closing Narration:
Thus ends Satya’s divine roast session. He danced like an idiot, slid through cholesterol hell, failed trivia, survived emotional damage… but still stood up. Even as a joke, even as a plan B… he stood.
Tomorrow, the true test begins.
No jokes. No second takes. No ghee.
Just flames, fights, and the fate of guildhood.