Chapter 1: The Bitter Vati

Guruji pressed the small, strange vati into my hand, his gaze unwavering. “Swallow, beta.”

His eyes shone with a certainty only the truly devout could possess. The scent of incense from the morning aarti still lingered on his saffron shawl. “This is not just any medicine, beta—it’s an elixir. Once you swallow, your journey as a sadhak will take a leap. You’ll be reborn, and your sadhana will enter the next stage.”

But what I saw horrified me:

In the nabhi of my senior brothers at the advanced stage, something was wriggling—

a fierce, clawed, sticky worm.

A cold shiver ran down my back, like when you step on something slimy outside the temple on a rainy day. I wanted to scream, but my voice stuck in my throat, trapped like a prayer never uttered.