The morning sun broke across the white marble towers of the Bharatha palace, illuminating the fragrant steam rising from the royal treasury pavilion.
True to Maharaja Pratap Singh's late-night boast, four royal attendants filed into the nursery bearing polished bronze basins and jade containers. Queen Anita presided over the display, her golden Howan aura shimmering gently around her fingertips as she inspected the medicinal roots and shimmering liquid extracts.
"These are refined from the thousand-year fire lotus and snow ginseng harvested near the borders of Surya Mahal," Anita explained with a gentle smile, carefully ladling a spoonful of the luminescent elixir. "Drink slowly, my little pearl. It will strengthen your inner channels."
Allia sat upright on her cushion, keeping her expression innocent and docile while calculating frantically in her head.
Ordinary toddlers in this world would dissolve into ashes if they swallowed raw fire lotus juice, she thought wryly. Even a child at Level 1 of the Vidhayarti stage would take three weeks under an elder's supervision to assimilate half a drop without rupturing their meridians. Lucky for me, my marrow is backed by an ancient monster's soul.
The spoon met her lips. The moment the fiery broth entered her throat, a blistering heat exploded, threatening to scald her internal organs.
Allia did not hesitate. Deep inside her chest, she initiated the rhythmic cycle of the Annanth Atmaha Mantra combined with her extreme body control technique.
Instead of letting the intense medicinal power rampage through her small veins, her consciousness clamped down like a vise. Every drop of solar flame was shattered into microscopic specks of pure essence and sucked straight into her cellular walls. Her skin flushed a radiant crimson, matching the old hue of her former life, before settling back into a healthy, rosy glow.
Swallow. Refine. Absorb.
"More," Allia blurted, her baby voice coming out surprisingly clear.
Queen Anita blinked in shock. "Did... did you just say 'more'?"
"Abaa... mo-re!" Allia babbled immediately afterward to camouflage her slip, clapping her hands and pointing eagerly at the jade bowl.
Anita's face melted into pure delight. "Good heavens, she loves it! Pratap! Bheem! Come look, our daughter can drink medicinal nectar like a true warrior!"
Within moments, heavy footsteps thundered outside the hall. Prince Bheem shoved his way through the silk drapes, grinning from ear to ear, with Arjun trailing closely behind, a broad quiver slung over his shoulder.
"Did little Allia finish the lotus broth?" Bheem roared, scooping her up by her underarms and hoisting her toward the ceiling like a trophy. "Hahaha! That's my little sister! Immeasurable strength in the blood! Soon she'll be tossing stone lions across the courtyard!"
Put me down, you giant oaf, before I use your skull as an anvil, Allia cursed internally, her little feet kicking in the air.
"Careful, brother, you'll upset her stomach," Arjun cautioned, stepping up and gently retrieving her from Bheem's clutches. He leaned down, studying her clear, sparkling eyes. "Strange... when I drank that elixir at age four, I ran a burning fever for two straight days. Her skin is barely warm."
That's because your meridians were like clogged water pipes, Second Brother, Allia sneered internally, though she leaned her head against Arjun's shoulder to avoid further interrogation.
Taking advantage of the brothers' distracted chatter, Allia quietly focused her intent inward.
Status Check:
Name: Allia Singh[span_54](start_span)[span_54](end_span)[span_55](start_span)[span_55](end_span)
Level: 1 (Breakthrough to Vidhayarti Stage 1)[span_56](start_span)[span_56](end_span)[span_57](start_span)[span_57](end_span)
Soul Vessel Harmony: 31%[span_58](start_span)[span_58](end_span)[span_59](start_span)[span_59](end_span)
Marrow Density: Superior Grade[span_60](start_span)[span_60](end_span)
Skills: Body Control (Basic Mastery)[span_61](start_span)[span_61](end_span)[span_62](start_span)[span_62](end_span)
Locked Inventory: Spatial Vault [Resonance: 0.8%][span_63](start_span)[span_63](end_span)
Finally, Level 1. The seal on my soul is beginning to crack.
Yet beneath the warm celebration in the room, a chilling vibration tugged at the edge of her senses. Far to the west, beyond the shimmering waters of the Bharamraja empire, that foul, ancient spark of Asura maliciousness pulsed once more. It was a faint, venomous needle prick against her awakened soul.
Allia looked through the open balcony toward the western sea. The island of Lankexd lay hidden beneath the curve of the ocean, but she knew what lurked in its depths.
Eat, grow, and conquer, she thought, her eyes flashing an undetectable crimson. Gather all your nightmares, demon. The day you set foot on this shore will be the day you learn why Rakshaa's sky fell in blood.