INTRODUCTION
If there was one thing Kya and Neo agreed on, it was that their Paati’s (Grandma’s) history lessons were the longest, most tedious part of summer.
“Come, sit!” Paati had said that afternoon, patting the woven mat on the floor. “Today, I will teach you about the greatest wisdom ever written.”
Neo groaned as he sprawled lazily across a cushion. “Paati, it’s summer. Who studies during the holidays?”
Kya wasn’t paying attention either—she was flipping through a comic book while half-listening.
“You will learn about Thiruvallavar today,” Paati continued, ignoring them. “A great poet and philosopher who wrote the Thirukkural—1330 couplets filled with timeless wisdom.”
Neo yawned dramatically. “I don’t get why we have to learn old poetry.”
Paati’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Because, dear, these words are more powerful than you know.”
“But they’re just words,” Kya said, not looking up from her book. “It’s not like they can do anything.”
Paati smiled knowingly. “That is where you are wrong.”
She picked up an old leather-bound book and ran her fingers over its cover. “The Thirukkural is not just poetry. It is a key—a guide to life. Without understanding it, you may wander in the dark, even with all the knowledge in the world.”
Neo whispered to Kya, “Or… we could just use Google.”
Paati pretended not to hear him and flipped open the book. “Shall we start with the first Kural?”
But at that moment, Neo leapt to his feet. “Actually, I think I left something in the backyard!”
Kya snapped her book shut. “Yeah! Me too!”
And before Paati could stop them, they were already running out the door.
Paati’s house had a huge backyard, which was filled with mango trees, a small well, and an old storage shed that no one ever used.
“Nice save,” Kya muttered, still holding her comic book.
Neo grinned. “We just escaped a history lecture. That’s legendary.”
They wandered toward the old storage shed to hide, mainly to kill time. Neo leaned against the door, which was always locked. They had never been allowed inside the shed. But suddenly, Neo felt the door ease.
And—
It creaked open.
Kya frowned. “Wait… I thought this place was locked?”
Neo stepped inside, dust swirling around him. “Maybe Paati forgot to lock it.”
The inside of the shed was dimly lit and filled with old trunks, rolled-up carpets, and shelves stacked with dusty books.
But something felt off.
There was something unexpected at the far end of the shed, against the stone wall. A tall stone archway covered in ancient carvings stood between the shelves.
Kya’s breath caught. “Neo… what is that?”
Neo ran his hand along the carvings. “It looks ancient.”
Then, right in the centre of the archway, they noticed something even stranger.
A symbol was carved deep into the stone—one they had seen before.
The letter ‘A’, written in Tamil script: அ.
Kya’s mind raced. “This is the same letter Paati was talking about.”
Neo squinted at the archway. “You don’t think it’s… some kind of secret door, do you?”
Kya hesitated. “Secret doors? You’ve been watching too many Indiana Jones movies.”
She reached forward—
And pressed her palm against the carved ‘A’. “See, nothing happened!”
A low humming sound filled the room.
Then—
A golden light flickered across the archway, spreading through the carvings like water, illuminating the stone with an otherworldly glow.
Neo stumbled backwards. “Okay, I was NOT expecting that!”
Before either of them could react—
The golden light expanded, swallowing them whole.
And the next thing they knew—
They were falling.
Kya hit the ground first, her hands sinking into warm, soft sand.
Neo landed a second later, groaning. “Owww…”
Kya pushed herself up, shaking dust off her clothes. “Where are we?”
The landscape looked completely different.
Instead of Paati’s back garden, they were in the middle of a village with stone buildings, their rooftops covered in dried thatch. The sky was a deep shade of orange as if the sun had just begun to set.
People in long robes and simple tunics walked through the streets, carrying baskets of fruits and pots of water.
Neo blinked. “Uh… Kya? Why does everything look like the pictures in Paati’s history book?”
Kya turned, her heart pounding. “Neo, I think we just—”
She didn’t get to finish.
Because at that moment, someone stepped toward them.
A tall man with a calm expression dressed in simple white robes, his long beard moving slightly in the breeze.
His eyes were wise and knowing, like he had seen far more than he spoke of.
Neo gasped. “No way.”
The man smiled slightly.
“You are not from this time,” he said. “And yet, you are here.”
Kya’s breath caught in her throat.
“Are you…” She hesitated.
The man nodded.
“I am Thiruvallavar,” he said. “And you, it seems, have a lesson to learn.”
Neo gaped. “I can’t believe this. We were trying to escape a history lesson—”
Thiruvallavar gestured toward the village.
“Come,” he said. “Let me show you around…”
And just like that—
Their first adventure began.
CHAPTER 1 - A MYSTERY IN THE VILLAGE
Kya and Neo followed Thiruvallavar through the narrow, dusty streets of the ancient village called Thulir, their eyes darting around at the unfamiliar sights and sounds.
In the bustling marketplace, women in simple saris balanced pots of water on their heads, children played games with carved wooden toys, and traders sold fresh mangoes, turmeric, and woven cloths.
“Okay, this is officially the coolest field trip ever,” Neo whispered.
Still trying to wrap her head around everything, Kya whispered back, “This isn’t a field trip, Neo. We’re… in the past.”
Neo shrugged. “Same thing.”
They followed Thiruvallavar toward a large gathering near the village centre, where a group of people stood around a stone tablet, deep in discussion.
At the heart of the group, an elderly scholar with a long white beard was arguing with a much younger man.
“How can you say knowledge begins with a single letter?” the young man challenged. “Knowledge comes from experience, from learning! Not from letters!”
The older scholar sighed heavily. “And yet, all learning begins with a single step, does it not?”
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Some villagers nodded in agreement, while others shook their heads.
Thiruvallavar turned to Kya and Neo. “This is why you are here. Listen carefully.”
Neo scratched his head. “Wait, is this a history debate? Because I did not sign up for this.”
Thiruvallavar chuckled. “It is more than that, young one. The first letter is the foundation of all words. Without a beginning, where would language come from? And without language, where would knowledge be?”
Neo blinked. “Whoa. That’s actually kind of deep.”
Kya, still processing, turned to Thiruvallavar. “But if this is so important, why is it still being debated? Shouldn’t they already know the answer?”
Thiruvallavar’s expression grew thoughtful. “Some things must be experienced to be understood.”
Neo groaned. “That sounds like something Paati would say.”
Thiruvallavar laughed. “OK, let me not keep you here any longer. You should go and explore the ancient ruins of a nearby temple. It’s a great place for you to explore!”“That sounds more like it!” Cheered Neo. Show us the way!
CHAPTER 2 - THE FORGOTTEN TABLET
The air smelled of warm spices and firewood, mingling with the familiar scent of freshly tilled earth from the nearby fields. The rhythmic sounds of the village filled the air—women pounding rice, cattle bells clinking as herders led their animals home, and distant laughter from children playing near the temple pond.
For most of the villagers, this was the time to rest. But Neo and Kya had no intention of stopping.
“Neo!” Kya’s voice rang across the dusty road, frustration laced in her tone. She hurried to catch up with her younger brother, who was already several steps ahead, practically bounding toward the ruins at the edge of the village. “Would you just wait for once?” she huffed.
Neo did not wait. He never did. “Kya, we have to check the ruins!” he called back, barely glancing over his shoulder. “I have a feeling we’ll find something important!”
Kya rolled her eyes. “Neo, you say always say this!”
“Well, didn’t we find this ancient land?” Neo grinned, adjusting the small cloth satchel slung over his shoulder. “Besides, imagine if we find something that could be worth millions?”
Kya sighed. This was the thing about Neo—he wasn’t just looking for adventure. He truly believed that forgotten places held treasure waiting to be uncovered.
And, truth be told, so did she.
Together, they hurried past the last few houses of the village, where the ruins of an ancient temple waited for them.
The temple ruins stood at the northernmost edge of Thulir, beyond the fields and the centuries-old peepal tree that the villagers considered sacred. Long ago, this was a place of knowledge where scholars and seekers gathered to learn. But that was before the temple fell.
Now, cracked stone pillars, some half-buried in the earth, were all that remained. Vines crawled up what was left of the walls, and birds had built tiny nests in the cracks of the temple’s faded carvings. Most villagers thought it useless—just a pile of old rocks. But Neo and Kya saw something different.
“This place always feels… special,” Neo murmured as they stepped into the clearing. He kicked at a loose stone, watching it roll. “Like it’s waiting for us to find something.”
Kya took in their surroundings. The air felt cooler here, and the distant chirping of crickets made it seem like the ruins were whispering secrets from the past.
“Alright,” Neo said, climbing onto a fallen pillar. “Let’s look for anything unusual. A secret door? A hidden staircase?”
Kya smirked. “Or just more broken walls?”
But before she could finish her sentence—
CLINK.
Neo’s feet had landed on something different. Something hollow.
Kya froze. “Neo, what was that?”
Neo’s eyes widened. “I… I don’t know.”
Without another word, he dropped to his knees and began scraping away the dirt with his hands. The ground was soft from years of neglect, and soon, something smooth and solid began to emerge beneath the dust.
A flat stone slab.
Kya knelt beside him, her heart pounding. “This isn’t just any rock.”
The more they cleared away, the more intricate carvings appeared on the stone’s surface—loops, lines, and symbols they didn’t recognise.
Neo ran his fingers over them. “It’s writing.” Kya’s breath caught. The symbols were old—but precise. Someone had carved them carefully, meaning them to be remembered. And at the very centre of the stone, a single, deeply carved letter stood out.
The letter ‘A’. Just like they had seen on the arch back at Paati’s house!
Neo frowned. “What’s so important about this letter?”
Kya hesitated. “Maybe… it’s the beginning of something.”
Neo’s eyes lit up. “A secret message! A lost language! A treasure map leading to the greatest discovery ever!”
Kya smirked. “Or it could be a sign that says, ‘Please do not touch unless you want trouble!’”
Neo grinned. “Too late for that.” But deep inside, they both felt it—this tablet was different. It meant something.
“We have to take this to Thiruvallavar,” Kya said.
Neo nodded. “If anyone can read this, it’s him.”
The tablet was heavy.
Even with both of them lifting together, it took all their strength to hoist it onto Neo’s shawl, making a makeshift sling.
“I still say I could’ve carried it alone,” Neo panted.
Kya shot him a look. “You almost dropped it on your foot—twice.”
As they dragged it toward the village, people started to notice. Muthu, the village potter, paused from shaping a clay bowl. “What in the world are you two dragging through the streets?”
“A rock,” Neo said.
Kya sighed. “An important rock. We’re taking it to Thiruvallavar.”
The villagers whispered among themselves…
Most villagers thought history was just that—history.
But Neo and Kya knew better. The past still had stories to tell.
The library was small yet rich in knowledge. Its walls were adorned with scrolls and palm-leaf manuscripts, and the scent of aged paper and sandalwood lingered in the air. At the centre of the room, under the dim glow of an oil lamp, Thiruvallavar sat, his white robes neatly folded, his hands gently rolling a fresh scroll.
Neo and Kya dragged the tablet before him with a loud thud. Thiruvallavar raised an eyebrow.
Neo wiped his forehead. “We found something.”
Kya stepped forward. “An inscription. We think it’s important.”
Thiruvallavar leaned closer, his wise eyes scanning the carvings.
His fingers traced the letter ‘A’, lingering over its edges.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, finally, he murmured, “This… is no ordinary tablet.”
Neo and Kya exchanged a glance.
Something inside them shifted as if the world they knew had just changed.
For the first time, they weren’t just playing at adventure. They had discovered something real.
CHAPTER 3 - THE HIDDEN CLUE
Neo and Kya stood silently inside the dimly lit library as Thiruvallavar examined the stone tablet on the wooden table before him. The flickering oil lamp cast long shadows across his face, deepening the lines of wisdom that etched his forehead.
Neo shifted on his feet, eyes darting between Thiruvallavar and the engraved letter ‘A’ on the stone. The room felt heavier than usual as if the air carried the weight of history itself.
Thiruvallavar finally spoke.
“This,” he murmured, “is the beginning of something much greater.”
Kya leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
The old sage exhaled slowly, his fingers grazing the ancient carvings. “This is not just a marking—it is a message left behind by those who came before us.”
Neo’s excitement surged. “So, it’s a treasure map? A lost prophecy?”
Thiruvallavar chuckled, shaking his head. “Patience, Neo. Wisdom is not found by rushing ahead—it is uncovered step by step.”
Neo crossed his arms. “Did you and Paati go to the same school?”
Kya, ignoring her brother’s impatience, studied the tablet closely. “Have you seen symbols like these before?”
Thiruvallavar nodded. “Once… long ago. These markings belonged to an ancient script, one that predates even our village.” He paused. “This tablet was not meant to be buried—it was meant to be found.”
Neo’s eyes widened. “Found by who?”
Thiruvallavar’s gaze settled on them both, his deep brown eyes gleaming in the lamplight. “Perhaps… by you.”
The words sent a shiver down Kya’s spine.
Neo straightened. “Well, how do we figure out what it says?”
Thiruvallavar tapped a finger on the stone, thinking. “There is one person who may know more. Master Arivu.”
Kya perked up. “Who’s that?”“The scholar you saw debating in the village.” Replied Thiruvallavar.
Neo groaned loudly. “Ugh! I don’t think he’ll give us a straight answer! Last time, he answered a question with another question!”
Thiruvallavar chuckled. “Some knowledge must be earned, Neo. Go to him. He understands the old ways of writing. But listen carefully—not all wisdom is given directly.”
Neo sighed but grabbed the cloth sling holding the heavy tablet. “Fine. But if he starts talking about the meaning of the wind or something that like, I’m leaving.”
Kya smirked. “I’ll hold you to that.”
