Location: Inside the Portal

  As the trio stepped into the glowing spiral, light twisted around them like silk. But instead of instant travel, a slow, natural shift occurred — like being pulled by a gentle river through time.

  Neel suddenly stumbled, coughing.

  He dropped to one knee — and vomited.

  Neel (gasping):

  “Wh-Why is this one so different? The last portal… it was instant. This feels like time itself is moving…”

  Mahabir (calmly):

  “Because this isn’t just teleportation. You’re passing through a living force — a sacred pathway only the worthy can survive.”

  Location: Tapoban – The Forest of Sheel

  The light faded.

  They were standing in a forest… but not on Earth. Trees glowed with blue bioluminescence. The air shimmered. The ground felt strangely curved beneath their feet — like a massive, slow breath.

  Niki (softly):

  “We’re here. This is… Tapoban.”

  Neel (looking down):

  “Wait… the ground is moving…”

  Mahabir (smiling):

  “You’re not standing on Earth. You’re standing on Sheel.”

  Neel stared in awe as the camera panned to a cosmic tortoise, vast as a mountain, whose back carried the entire forest. Trees, ponds, and ancient ashrams moved gently with each breath of this celestial being.

  Location: Arch of Vines and Bells

  As they walked under a sacred arch of vines and hanging bells, Neel finally spoke:

  Neel:

  “Back then… with Vahak… I almost died. You two didn’t help. Why?”

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  Mahabir paused. A long silence followed.

  Then, he smirked — not cruelly, but with deep understanding.

  Mahabir:

  “Because fighting is easy. Listening is rare.”

  He walked ahead.

  Location: Spiritual Space Between Panels

  A warm glow appeared. The Chibi Author popped into the corner — but this time, hands folded, standing on a lotus, his voice calm and reverent.

  Chibi Author (calm voice):

  “You’ve heard of the Kurma Avatar, right? When Bhagwan Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to hold the Mandara mountain during Samudra Manthan?”

  A visual scroll opens: Kurma beneath the churning mountain, devas and asuras pouring milk from the ocean of creation.

  Chibi Author:

  “When that task was complete, Bhagwan left the form — but the body did not vanish.”

  A new panel shows: Sheel’s cosmic shell, forests growing atop it, stars twinkling above.

  Chibi Author (softly):

  “That body… became Sheel, a sacred guardian. A divine presence who now carries Tapoban — a spiritual refuge across dimensions.”

  Chibi Author (bowing):

  “Not just a tortoise. A silent protector. A piece of God that chose to remain.”

  Location: Glowing Paths of Tapoban

  Back in the story — Neel and Niki walk through luminous woods, leaves pulsing with subtle mantras.

  Neel (awed):

  “So… Sheel is not just alive. He’s… divine.”

  Niki (nods):

  “Yes. Tapoban is hidden in this world, but it passes through our dimension like a floating thought. Sacred, unseen.”

  Location: Heart of the Forest

  They pass ancient sadhus floating mid-air in meditation. Trees chant silently. Birds speak mantras. The air feels thick with timeless wisdom.

  A voice echoes — not from any one place, but from everywhere at once:

  Voice (echoing):

  “You walk the back of the eternal. Step with silence, or be forgotten.”

  Location: Beneath the Tree of Truth

  Mahabir:

  “This is why we let you face Vahak alone, Neel. You didn’t just fight… you understood him.”

  Neel (quietly):

  “I didn’t kill him… I listened to his pain.”

  Mahabir (smiling):

  “And that’s why Tapoban accepted you.

  This sanctuary only opens to those who seek more than victory — those who seek truth.”

  Location: Horizon of Sheel

  As the sun set across the glowing horizon of the forest, Sheel took a deep breath — the entire land shifted slightly, moving across layers of reality.

  Tapoban continued its sacred journey — a divine island carried by the memory of God Himself.

  Neel (voiceover):

  “Sometimes, the strongest warrior isn’t the one who strikes first…

  It’s the one who listens.”

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  fully written by me, not AI. From here on, Aagami again continues straight from my own thoughts and heart like before. No shortcuts. No filters.

  Tapoban not as some fantasy forest, but as a living spiritual being, carried by Sheel, who was born from the divine Kurma Avatar. This chapter is about stillness, reflection, and recognizing that sometimes, the quietest moments carry the most meaning.

  willing to grow.

  Aagami. Bigger things are coming — and I’m writing it all, word by word.