SWNOVELXO Chapter 43: Secret Caretaker?
Far above the mortal realms, beyond the reach of even the highest mountains and the brightest stars, lies Vaikuntha—a place of eternal serenity and divinity.
It was there, in the vast celestial gardens of this divine realm, that Lord Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe, reclined gracefully on his celestial serpent Shesha, the coils forming a throne fit only for the divine.
By his side sat his eternal consort, Goddess Lakshmi, radiant and serene, her beauty rivaling the most vibrant blossoms in all the realms.
Standing beside them, arms folded, was the ever-watchful and loyal Lord Hanuman, eyes fixed on the divine screen shimmering before them—a living window into the mortal world.
And right now, all of them were watching Adrian.
The scene on the divine screen played out with vibrant energy—Adrian, surrounded by a storm of powers, standing regal, proud, and otherworldly, holding Gandiva, the celestial bow once wielded by Arjuna himself.
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Lord Vishnu chuckled softly, a glint of recognition and nostalgia shimmering in his lotus eyes.
"Ah… that bow…" he said, voice warm and melodic, laced with fondness. "It feels like I'm watching Arjuna again."
Hanuman tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "You still remember all that? I thought it's been… I don't know—a few eons?"
Vishnu smirked. "Oh yeah, vividly. How could I forget that firebrand? That man could shoot an arrow with his eyes closed and still strike divine targets… unless I deliberately made him miss."
Hanuman laughed. "I remember that! The one time he missed and blamed it on me—'Why didn't you shout JAI SHREE RAM?!'"
Lakshmi giggled, hiding her smile behind her fingers. "You're all too much."
Vishnu leaned back, his eyes locked onto Adrian again. "It's fascinating… Karna had his unyielding will, but Arjuna had his sharp focus, This boy—Adrian—he… has all of it. But there's something even more..."
"Childishness, maybe?" Hanuman joked, stroking his chin. "The way he carries all that power and still looks like he just wants to go play with mud."
Vishnu laughed heartily. "Exactly! The world doesn't know it yet, but it's about to be flipped on its head."
Hanuman nodded slowly, his eyes glowing. "He is no ordinary mortal indeed."
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Lakshmi looked dreamy-eyed, watching Adrian pose dramatically with Gandiva. "Look at him… so adorable. That face… those eyelashes… that aura. " she pouted, nudging Vishnu. "Can we go meet him?"
Without skipping a beat, Vishnu raised an eyebrow. "Dear, you've been observing him since the moment he was born."
Lakshmi blinked. "Nooo, I wasn't—"
Vishnu grinned. "You watch him more often than you watch those TV serials and heavenly court dramas. Don't even try to pretend. You've visited him disguised at least—what—fourteen ..... fourteen hundred times?"
Hanuman coughed and looked away, trying to stifle his laughter.
Vishnu continued, voice teasing, "You've practically watched him grow from a one-day-old baby to the five-year-old boy he is now. Honestly, you know more about him than he knows about himself."
Lakshmi turned red, scratching her neck sheepishly.
Vishnu leaned closer, whispering with mock suspicion, "And didn't you sneak into his cradle too many times to count just to cuddle him to sleep? If you weren't, you know, a Goddess, we might've had to file a celestial-level kidnapping report."
Lakshmi gasped in faux outrage. "I did NOT kidnap him! I was simply… observing from an affectionate distance!"
Hanuman shook his head, muttering, "Sure, 'affectionate distance' where your arms were literally around the child."
Lakshmi crossed her arms. "So can we go meet him now?"
Vishnu smiled warmly, leaning back again, eyes glowing with ancient joy.
"Yeah , sure in a while we can go visit him ."
_ _ _ _ _ _
As Lord Vishnu and Lord Hanuman laughed and teased her, Goddess Lakshmi smiled along with them—but her gaze lingered on the boy on the divine screen.
Her fingers gently traced the air, following the curve of Adrian's cheeks, as if she could feel them from afar. A soft sigh left her lips, and her mind drifted away…
Into a memory buried deep within her divine heart.
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Flashback Begins
Eons ago, in a quiet corner of the heavens where no duties or divine responsibilities followed her, Goddess Lakshmi had found herself yearning.
She wanted… something of her own. Something pure. Something made from her own hands.
So, she sculpted.
Day after day, she poured her love into a simple project—a baby. A sculpture carved not from divine gold or stardust, but from clay and enchanted mud, gathered from the most sacred lakes across all realms.
With each curve of the cheek, each dimple, each lash and tiny toe, she crafted with precision and care.
Every inch of the sculpture was alive with her love.
Her friends—Parvati and Saraswati—had often visited.
Sometimes to tease, sometimes to help.
They brought garlands of flowers, soft cloths, and sometimes they just sat beside her, laughing and working like sisters.
"This nose looks like a rasgulla!" Parvati had laughed once.
Saraswati had adjusted the eyelids gently. "He'll look like a dream when you're done."
Lakshmi would just smile, humming lullabies that never reached the mortal world.
And after eons, the sculpture was perfect. A celestial child not born, but created from devotion and a quiet longing.
She would hold it close, tell it stories, imagine how his laughter would sound…
But one day—she returned to find it gone.
The sculpture had been dissolved by a mysterious wave of water.
No trace remained.
Only the soft puddle of wet mud.
She stood there, unmoving, the ache in her chest unbearable. Her fingers trembled as they brushed through the remains. Her tears almost fell—but she knew… her tears carried consequences.
So she buried the pain in silence.
Even Vishnu never knew.
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Flashback Shifts to 5 Years Ago
She was absentmindedly gazing into the mortal world, watching little children playing in villages and cities, trying to ease the ache in her heart.
Then she saw him.
A small baby, sleeping peacefully under the stars. His cheeks… his eyes… the shape of his lips…
It was the same.
Exactly the same.
The same features she had sculpted with her hands eons ago.
At that moment, something inside her cracked open and overflowed.
It couldn't be a coincidence. Or maybe it was… but she didn't care.
From that day on, she began observing him. Quietly. Lovingly.
She kept him safe during his naps, brought warm winds to shield him in the cold, summoned soft rain to lull him to sleep.
She watched him grow.
From one day old to five years old, she watched every giggle, every stumble, every spark of power that awakened within him.
And in her heart, she loved him.
Not like a Goddess watching a mortal.
But like a mother watching her child.
She never told anyone. Not even her beloved Vishnu.
Not even Saraswati or Parvati.
It was her secret. A hidden piece of joy and longing she clutched to her chest.
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Flashback Ends
Back in Vaikuntha, her gaze stayed soft and faraway as she looked at Adrian.
"He's so adorable…" she whispered in her thoughts.
"I love him like he's my own. Watching him gives me peace… It feels like… like home when I see him happy."
Her eyes wandered to Seraphina on the screen, who was currently patting Adrian's head and laughing with him.
Lakshmi's lips pouted slightly.
"She gets to hug him... squeeze his cheeks… pamper him every day… I'm really jealous."
She folded her arms, sighing dramatically in her mind.
"I want to do that too… but he doesn't even know me…"
---
The screen continued to show Adrian, glowing with divinity, radiance, and untapped love.
And behind her soft smile, Goddess Lakshmi made a silent promise:
One day, I'll hold him again. Even if he never remembers the mud and clay. Even if he never knows why.
He's mine.
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End of Chapter.