Allia jolted upright in her royal crib, tiny lungs gasping for air as her miniature fingers clawed instinctively into the soft silk bedsheets. The echoes of that manic, blood-freezing laughter and the horrifying sight of her family perishing in dark flames still clawed at her psyche. For a moment, her vision blurred between two lives—the charred ruins of the Rakshaa World and the gentle, marble-carved walls of the Bharatha royal pavilion.
It was just a dream... a demon's illusion, she thought, pressing a small hand over her chest to steady her racing heartbeat.
Yet the encounter that followed was undeniably real. The flute's heavenly resonance, the rain of peacock feathers, and the cosmic entity cloaked in starry night... That same presence had caught her drifting soul in the void and cast her into this second life.
Demon ancestor born of inner sins... Desires, Greed, Lust, she recited silently. An immortal existence feeding on the rot of living beings. And now, it's stirring in the western island of Lankexd.
A chilling smirk crept onto her infant face. In her past life, she had shattered the supreme ancestors, slaughtered divine beasts, and brandished her middle finger at fate itself before tearing open the third eye of annihilation. An immortal parasite feeding on nightmares was far from enough to make the former Berserk Queen tremble.
If you dare target this family, I don't care if you're born of mortal sins or cosmic evil—I'll carve you into pieces until there's nothing left to reincarnate.
Calming her violent killing intent so as not to wake the royal guards stationed outside, Allia closed her eyes and focused on her dantian.
The second step of the Annanth Atmaha Mantra had settled deeply into her core, linking her conscious mind directly to the vast sea of her ancient soul. Now, she needed her vessel to keep pace. The supreme divine body-control art she had selected before the banquet was the key.
Concentrating on the rhythmic flow of her breath, she began the minute alignment of her bones, tendons, and blood vessels. Tiny pops resounded under her skin like bursting bubbles as she purged the impurities lingering in her one-year-old body. Unlike ordinary children of the Aryavrath planet who could only begin cultivating after reaching six or seven years of age, Allia was quietly unlocking absolute mastery over every muscle fiber and meridian.
Status Check:
Name: Allia Singh[span_40](start_span)[span_40](end_span)[span_41](start_span)[span_41](end_span)
Age: 1 Year[span_42](start_span)[span_42](end_span)
Realm: Vidhayarti (Step 3: Harmonizing Body, Soul, and Mind)[span_43](start_span)[span_43](end_span)
Physical Control: 15% -> 22%
Hidden Status: Sealed[span_44](start_span)[span_44](end_span)
Still too slow, she grumbled inwardly, furrowing her small brows. At this rate, if that thing from Lankexd makes its move, I won't even be strong enough to wield a butter knife, let alone my twin blades.
At that moment, the ornate double doors of her chamber creaked open.
A soft, golden luminescence illuminated the room as Queen Anita entered, wrapped in graceful saffron robes. Beside her walked King Pratap Singh, his towering frame casting a protective shadow, the golden solar aura faintly radiating from his skin as he moved.
"She's awake," Anita whispered with a tender smile, gliding over to the crib. "Did the thunder from the western horizon frighten our little princess?"
She scooped Allia into her arms, pressing her cheek against the toddler's forehead. The warm, maternal scent of sacred herbs and calming incense washed over Allia.
Instinctively, the thousand-year-old battle monster froze, her internal alarms flaring in embarrassment.
Hey, hey! Woman, watch the cheeks! I'm doing serious internal cultivation here! Put me down! Allia protested frantically, flailing her stubby arms.
Of course, what actually came out was: "Abaa... yaa... ma-ma! Uuuu-baaa!"
"Look at her, Pratap," Anita giggled softly, rocking her back and forth. "She's trying so hard to talk. She missed her mother."
Maharaja Pratap chuckled, stepping forward and extending a massive, calloused finger for Allia to grab. "A daughter of the Sun is not easily frightened. But the spiritual fluctuations from the sea tonight are indeed abnormal. The observatory atop the Surya Mahal reported deep malicious ripples originating from the outer reefs."
Anita's expression sobered slightly as she gently patted Allia's back. "Could it be the Asura remnants stirring again?"
"Perhaps," Pratap replied, his deep voice carrying the unshakeable weight of a Level 61 Raja realm ruler. "They have remained in the shadows since the Great Alliance subdued their warlords centuries ago. But whatever crawls out of the western abyss, Bharatha stands prepared. Our sons Bheem and Arjun grow stronger by the day, and the royal guard is vigilant. Nothing will harm our family."
Hearing her father's firm, unwavering words, Allia stopped squirming.
She stared into Pratap's earnest, weathered eyes, then looked up at Anita's gentle face. In the Rakshaa World, her imperial family had been wiped out by scheming allies and poisoned wine before she could ever raise a hand to stop it. Her husband and child had been sold out for petty coin, slaughtered while she lay helpless.
Her little hand slowly closed around Pratap's rough finger, gripping it with surprising firmness.
Old man... don't speak so boastfully, she thought, a quiet warmth blooming against the cold fury inside her soul. The entity lurking in Lankexd feeds on the very pride and righteous confidence you carry. If your sun flames can't burn it out, then my crimson destruction will finish the job.
"Look, Pratap," Anita beamed with delighted tears glistening in her eyes. "She is holding your hand! She understands you!"
"Ha ha ha!" The mighty king laughed from the bottom of his chest, gently lifting Allia high into the air. "Of course she does! She is my princess! Tomorrow, I shall order the treasury to bring the finest spiritual elixirs to nourish her foundation!"
Elixirs? Now you're talking, Allia's eyes sparkled greedily beneath her toddler disguise. Bring on the celestial herbs, Father. Your little Berserk Queen has a lot of levels to grind.