Chapter 1: Born of the MountainsVikram was born in a small, forgotten village in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Nestled among ancient deodar trees and surrounded by misty peaks, his world was one of quiet beauty. The village was untouched by modernity, where people still believed in spirits residing in rivers and trees, and where survival was dictated by the rhythm of nature. From an early age, Vikram was different. He asked questions that made elders uncomfortable. "Why do we live? Why do we work so hard if, in the end, we all vanish like the mist?" His father, a