His body had long since turned to grey ash, held together only by will. His eyes were two black voids, for he had absorbed the blindness of a million futures. His ears were sealed with wax from the weeping of unborn children. He could not taste, could not smell, could not feel the wind. All he could do was hold .
“Rudra,” the whisper cooed, sliding through the cracks in reality. “You have given enough. Three centuries of silence. Three centuries of pain. The world out there has forgotten you. They celebrate festivals. They make love. They die of old age. And you? You are a statue. Let go.”
He remembered the rishis’ words: “When the Shadow asks you why you endure, show it the one thing it cannot mimic.”