NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 85: Surrounded by countless problems
Something about that morning felt incomplete.
When Parth opened his eyes, he knew before checking — Anant was gone.
Not a sign. Not a footprint. It felt like he had never been there.
But a letter lay neatly folded under Parth's pillow, its paper coarse and strangely warm to the touch.
Parth opened it with trembling fingers.
> "This time, I will not be the charioteer.
But I will be the destroyer.
Save the ones who are deserving.
This yug is coming to an end sooner than you think, Parth.
Kaliyug will also be shortened like Treta and Dwapar — not by fate, but by mankind's own hands."
Parth stared at it.
His hands felt cold, despite the heat already rising in the air outside.
---
By evening, they were back in college.
Or what was left of it.
The campus looked the same, but something had shifted — in the air, in the faces, in the very walls of the buildings. Classes were still going on, but the tension was palpable.
By nightfall, all students were asked to return to their homes immediately.
Indefinite closure.
Government orders.
No explanation.
But Parth, Aarav, Neel, Sia, Meera, and Avni already knew. They had felt it.
Another wave of unexplained deaths.
More bodies.
Torn. Ripped apart. Some half-eaten.
It wasn't even happening in the dark anymore.
And the police didn't say a word. Just hushes, barricades, and files marked confidential.
---
The next morning, the world changed.
TVs, phones, radios, every news outlet screamed the same thing.
> ⚠️ GRAIN SCARCITY ALERT
India's national reserves have dropped to 38% — further decline expected.
Public rationing starts immediately.
And as if that wasn't enough—
> ⚠️ USA officially announces war against China.
Talks failed.
Tensions rise in Europe, Russia, and West Asia.
Trade bans on essential goods activated.
Everyone was choosing sides.
The Third World War had begun. Just the official confirmation was not there yet.
---
Parth sat on the roof of his house, eyes hollow.
He thought back to Krishna's words.
This yug is coming to an end sooner than you think…
What if the war was just the beginning?
What if it didn't even matter who won?
Because this wasn't just about politics. Or nations.
This was something much, much older.
Something that would consume both winners and losers alike.
---
Inside the house, things weren't calm either.
Parth's mother stood by the kitchen door, yelling.
> "You're not going! That man said someone tried to eat him alive— Avir, are you mad?"
> "He's my patient!" Dr. Avir Vardhan snapped back. "If I don't go, who will?"
> "Then at least give them a notice that you will not go to the hospital for some days."
>"Let him go ma. Trust me. No one is safe in the home either. Saving as many people as possible should be the only goal right now."
His father looked at him. Something flickered in his eyes — confusion, maybe fear — but he didn't ask.
Some truths were too big now to explain.
---
Author's Note:
If you're feeling confused, overwhelmed, or scared…
That's exactly what the end feels like.
You won't see it coming in one direction.
You'll be surrounded.
Everywhere you look — chaos. Grief. Shadows. War. Hunger.
And beneath it all… something darker, older, waiting to rise.
— Your author🥺