Jeevan, with faint eyes and a weak voice, said, "Enough already. It's like a never-ending nightmare!"
He heard the footsteps slowly increasing behind his back, the armor's metal plates beating against one another. He turned his head while remaining in the kneeling position. It was Spade running towards him with a spear in her hand. The spear was about seven feet long, and its blade was covered in a grey flame-like coating.
Within a second, she pierced the flesh of Jeevan's back. The blade penetrated through to the front. Blood filled his mouth as he looked down at the blade. It had engraved letters saying,
"Deeds are the only measurable quantity in the entire universe."
His vision became blurry, and he closed his eyes.
He felt a black void at the center of his chest. A slow and dull-moving flame was all he saw. It was grey in color. He heard voices, the words he had spoken, and the words he would speak in the future. Time had no meaning now, and the sound of the burning flame was faint and dull. The grey flame was the only thing he saw.
To his surprise, he wanted to touch it.
"Why am I feeling the urge to touch a burning flame? Why is it a different color? I have never seen something like this!"
Speaking to himself, he moved forward to touch the flame. His right hand slowly tried to reach it. He was cautious, but at the same time, he was eager, filled with desire, and obsessed with touching the flame.
"Wait... I can only see my right hand. What about my body?"
He tried to look at his torso, but there was nothing. It was all black inside the void. Only his hand was visible.
He imagined his legs, and when he looked down, they appeared.
He imagined a sword, and to his surprise, it appeared as well.
Slowly marching forward, he came very close to the flame. Its warmth and heat relaxed Jeevan.
"The mere experience of being near it is nice. What about touching it? I'm eager."
When he tried to touch it, his body could not move any further. He felt something tied around his torso. Looking down, he was surprised to see a rope.
He tried to break it, but it was no use.
At that instant, he heard the echoed chant,
"Deeds are the only measurable quantity in the entire universe."
The next second, he came back to consciousness. He was still kneeling before the Keeper.
Looking at his chest, there was no sign of blood or the spear. To his right, Spade stood holding her spear.
"Jeevan, get up. The examination is over."
He slowly stood before the tremendous being in front of him.
The Keeper placed his hands on his cheeks and started to laugh. The laughter continued for a couple of minutes.
Jeevan was confused.
Spade, with tears in her eyes, said,
"After a long time, I see Master's laugh."
She wiped away her tears with a happy smile on her face.
"Jeevan, haha... I have a good thing and a bad thing for you. Which do you want first?"
Jeevan, with a confused face, replied,
"Tell me the bad. I'm ready for anything."
The Keeper smiled from the corner of his lips and said,
"I have seen Karma Flames all my life. They come in only two colors. One is white, and the other is black. But you... you are totally different."
Jeevan asked with an unsettled expression,
"What do you mean?"
The Keeper nodded his head.
"Yes, my dear Jeevan. Your Karma Flame is grey."
Jeevan was shocked, but at the same time, he connected it with the vision he had seen inside the black void.
Jeevan asked,
"And the good thing?"
The Keeper laughed.
"You are indeed smart. The good thing is that your astral form is tied to the machine, and the time has come for you to return."
Jeevan sighed. His mind became tranquil. He was satisfied because he was finally going back.
"But wait, Jeevan. Don't be delusional, my dear. As my sacred weapon touched your astral body and your Karma Flame, it is now almost dangerous."
Jeevan listened carefully to the Keeper's words.
"Jeevan, your Karma Flame is grey, which means white mixed with black. White deeds and black deeds combined. You tried to kill yourself, and that was a black deed. That is why it mixed with your white deeds, forming a grey flame."
Jeevan became tense.
"So what?"
The Keeper smiled at Jeevan's innocence.
"I, the Keeper, must confront the Karma Flame, judge the deeds, and pass judgment upon the soul. But I cannot judge a deed that is right and wrong at the same time."
Jeevan bowed his head and punched the ground beneath his knees.
"One more thing, Jeevan. Your body inside the machine will be destroyed, as it is only a prototype."
Jeevan screamed with anger, tears filling his eyes.
"You are confusing me! And the worst part is you are slowly destroying my mind. It is far worse than all these days of surviving on this planet. Just kill me! It's my final wish."
"What about your grandpa? Don't you want to know about him? Haha... Poor Jeevan. All I am doing is helping you, not hurting you, so listen carefully. I need revenge. They made me a prisoner in my own place. They killed my star. They destroyed my world. They took everything from me. You don't have time. I can save you!"
"Be my sword, Jeevan! You are special. The moment my sacred weapon touched you, the flames inside you awakened through me. Embrace the power of a divine being. Be my sword!"
The entire place trembled. Some mountains even crumbled into powder from the force of his voice alone.
Jeevan's body felt the same warmth from the flame. His body became lighter. His muscles tightened. His eyes sharpened. His senses became clearer. Blood rushed throughout his body, and every nerve overflowed with power.
His eyes moved rapidly.
His body started levitating.
His hair stood on end.
Grey flames surrounded his entire body.
A giant weighing scale appeared before him. White occupied one side, and an equal weight of black occupied the other, perfectly balancing his deeds.
The Keeper stood with his spear in his right hand.
He drove the spear into the ground.
The next second, Jeevan's astral form started to rift and tear apart, preparing to return to his body.
Jeevan was not ready to become the Keeper's sword, nor was he given any time to make a decision.
He was made into the true sword.
"Embrace it, Jeevan. Your Karma Flame has experienced the Divine. Only experience can intensify your Karma Flame. My dear sword... wake up... wake up!"