Chapter 2: The Rightful Owner

"So, it's a pendant! Impressive!" Aditya's voice was a blend of wonder and excitement. "Is it embedded with an emerald crystal? It looks absolutely stunning, like something straight out of a royal treasury!"

The pendant was unlike anything Aditya had ever seen. Growing up in an orphanage, where every penny was counted and saved, jewels were as alien to him as the stars in the distant sky.

He had seen his classmates, children from rich merchant families, flaunting gold bracelets and necklaces, but this pendant was something different.

It was as if it had a life of its own, whispering secrets of an ancient past. The thought crossed his mind—why would someone spend so much on a mere stone?

For someone who often fought just to secure his next meal, the idea was beyond his understanding. But there it was, glinting and mysterious, stirring a sense of longing within him that he couldn't explain.

The old man, the keeper of this enigmatic trinket, chuckled. His face, weathered like the cracked earth of a summer field, softened as he watched Aditya's awe.

"Hold on, lad! I don't think it's an emerald," he warned, his voice gravelly, as if worn out from years of storytelling by the village well.

"I've examined this crystal many times, but I've never figured out what it truly is. It's a mystery even to me."

Aditya stared at the crystal, the green hue seeming to dance with an inner flame. It was like looking into the heart of a forest just after the monsoon—the kind of green that seemed to hold all the secrets of the earth.

He felt a strange pull toward it, as if it called out to him from across lifetimes.

"Ohh!" Aditya's eyes widened, his curiosity bubbling like the froth of chai on a stove.

"It's becoming more interesting and mysterious as I learn more. But tell me, how do you decide whom to give this pendant to? Surely, it's not meant for just anyone."

The old man sighed, his eyes clouding with memories. "I don't decide, boy. My father once told me that this pendant will find its owner when the time is right.

He left no instructions, only a belief that its destined one would reveal themselves."

Aditya's heart skipped a beat. A thought, a wild, hopeful thought, struck him like the first raindrop on parched soil. "I feel like I am that destined one," he declared, his eyes lighting up like diyas during Diwali.

A grin spread across his face, as if he had just uncovered a secret hidden for centuries.

To anyone else, it might have sounded arrogant. Here was a young man, an orphan without a single coin to his name, claiming to be the chosen one.

Yet Aditya's life had taught him that hope was his most valuable possession. Despite the labels society pinned on him—poor, orphan, unwanted—he never bowed to the weight of those words.

If anything, they only fueled his belief that he was meant for something greater, like a river that cuts through mountains to find its way to the sea.

The old man raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the boy's sheer confidence. "And what if you aren't the one? What then?"

He asked, his tone soft but laced with the weariness of a man who had carried the pendant's burden for too long.

Aditya's face turned serious, a rare sight for those who knew his usual carefree, almost reckless demeanor.

"Then, I will help you find the rightful owner. If you need someone to continue this duty, I promise to put my heart and soul into it. What do you think, Grandpa?"

The old man's eyes softened, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He saw something in Aditya's gaze—determination, perhaps, or maybe the spark of destiny his father had spoken of.

For the first time in years, he felt a strange sense of relief, as if the pendant's long journey might finally be coming to an end.

"Alright," he nodded, his voice barely above a whisper, like the wind rustling through the peepal leaves. "Let's see if this pendant agrees with your words, lad."

As the old man handed the pendant over, a gust of wind swirled around them, sending a shower of yellowing leaves dancing through the air.

Aditya's fingers closed around the crystal, and in that moment, he felt a warmth seep into his skin, like the sun breaking through the morning fog.

He knew, deep in his heart, that this was no ordinary meeting. The strings of fate had woven their paths together like the threads in a weaver's loom, bringing them to this moment.

"Alright then," the old man said, his voice roughened by time, yet carrying the weight of a thousand untold stories. "Let's proceed.

If nothing else, at least in my darkest hour, I can entrust these responsibilities to you and find peace in closing my eyes, knowing I've tried."

He had carried this pendant since he was sixteen—its weight far heavier than its gold and crystal could account for.

The pendant wasn't just a piece of jewelry; it was a relic from another time, handed down by his father. He could still recall the day his father placed it in his hand, telling him of the story behind its intricate design.

It was a tale of duty and destiny, of choices made and consequences endured, like a river carving its path through the hardest stone.

For years, doubt had gnawed at him like termites in old wood, slowly eroding his confidence. He had often wondered if the story his father told was just that—a story, a mere fable woven to give meaning to a meaningless trinket.

There were countless nights when he considered selling it, hoping to rid himself of its looming presence. But every time he tried, fate intervened—coincidences too bizarre to ignore, events that slowly chipped away at his disbelief until he had no choice but to accept the truth.

Now, as his life dwindled like a flickering diya flame in the wind, the urgency to pass on this legacy consumed him. The old man's eyes, once sharp as an eagle's, were now clouded with the mist of age and regret.

He glanced at Aditya, a young man with a fire in his eyes that reminded him of his younger self.

"But how do we test it?" the old man wondered aloud, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I've heard tales—when the destined one is near, the pendant will respond.

We've been here for an hour, yet nothing has happened. Maybe you're not the one."

Aditya's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms, annoyance written all over his face. "Give me that pendant. You're gripping it like I'm about to snatch it away."

"Alright, alright! No need to sulk like a child denied his favorite sweet," the old man grumbled, reluctantly handing it over.

As the pendant landed in Aditya's palm, a shiver ran down his spine like the cold touch of a ghostly hand.

He stared at it, the crystal gleaming with an otherworldly light, its craftsmanship so delicate it looked as though it had been woven from moonlight itself.

The patterns on the chain, tiny serpents intertwining, seemed to whisper secrets from an age long past.

"Did you feel anything, lad?" the old man asked, leaning in with a glint of curiosity in his weathered eyes.

"Absolutely! It's like this thing is alive, brimming with some kind of ancient magic," Aditya breathed, his voice filled with awe as he continued to admire the pendant.

The old man snapped his fingers in front of Aditya's face. "Hey! I don't need you praising its looks. Do you sense any sign or connection?"

"Oh!" Aditya jolted out of his daze. "No, nothing like that. Maybe it's broken or something? Should I try shaking it?"

The old man let out a deep sigh, shaking his head in mild frustration. He had long since abandoned hope of finding the true bearer of the pendant.

Yet, looking at Aditya's sincere expression, he felt a glimmer of something—perhaps a shred of trust he hadn't felt in years. Despite their brief encounter, the old man was certain; this lad wasn't the type to betray.

"Well then, it means only one thing. From now on, you're going to help me carry this responsibility," the old man declared, reaching out to take back the pendant.

Just as his fingers grazed it, a sudden vibration hummed through the pendant. Zzssh!—it shuddered violently, refusing to leave Aditya's hand.

The crystal lit up with a radiant green glow, casting eerie shadows across their faces.

Startled, the old man jerked back as if bitten by a snake. His eyes widened, the shock evident in every wrinkle etched onto his face.

"By the gods! What just happened? Are you truly the chosen one? I've held onto this pendant for over half a century, and it has never done this before."

Aditya, however, remained calm, his gaze fixed on the glowing pendant. It felt as if the entire universe had quieted, the sounds of chirping birds and the rustling leaves fading into the background.

Though he had never seen anything like this before, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him, like a prophecy he had unconsciously prepared for all his life.

"I don't know," Aditya finally murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.