The scent of blood and burning sandalwood filled the moonlit courtyard.
King Veerendra of Shivpura collapsed to his knees, his ivory armor split by his own brother's spiked mace. Around him, the corpses of loyal guards lay in pools of crimson, their fingers still curled around broken swords.
"Brother...why?" Veerendra choked out, watching as Prince Viraj wiped blood from his forehead with a silk sleeve—the same sleeve Veerendra had gifted him last Diwali.
Viraj smiled, twirling the mace. "The throne was never yours. Father knew it. The priests knew it." He leaned close. "Even your queen knows it."
Behind the colonnade, heavily pregnant Rani Vasumati stifled a sob. Her hands trembled against her swollen belly as she counted the assassins—twelve in total, all wearing the blue turbans of Viraj's personal guard.
As Viraj raised the mace for the final blow, the queen turned and fled through the secret passage behind the Shiva lingam—the one only the royal couple knew.
---
The Birth in Exile
Present - Abandoned Hunter's Hut
Lightning split the sky as Vasumati bit down on a leather strap, her screams muffled by the howling storm. The elderly midwife from the nearby village worked frantically, her hands slick with blood.
"Push, my queen! Just once more!"
With a final agonized cry, the child came into the world—silent at first, until the midwife slapped his back. Then, a wail that shook the very hut, so powerful the rain outside seemed to pause for a breath.
The midwife gasped. "My queen...look!"
In the flickering oil lamp light, two marks glowed on the newborn:
1. A perfect ॐ on his right palm, pulsing like a heartbeat
2. A circle of nine interlocked flames over his tiny chest
Vasumati wept as she traced the marks. "The gods have claimed him," she whispered. Then her head snapped up at the sound of distant horns. "They're coming."
---
Chapter 2: The Divine Journey Begins
Ganga's Intervention
Riverbank - Pre-Dawn
The queen ran barefoot through the thorny underbrush, her torn silks snagging on branches. Behind her, torchlights flickered through the trees—Viraj's hunters, closer with each passing moment.
Stumbling to the raging river's edge, Vasumati fell to her knees. "Maa Ganga!" she cried, voice raw. "Save him! Take him far from here!"
The waters suddenly stilled. From the depths rose a feminine figure formed entirely of liquid—Ganga Devi, her hair made of white foam, eyes like the deepest whirlpools.
"Your son's path will be written in blood and fire," the goddess intoned, voice echoing like rushing water. "He will either save this land...or drown it in war."
Vasumati kissed the baby's forehead. "Then let it be war." She placed him in the golden cradle—its surface inscribed with ancient Surya mantras that began glowing upon contact with the child.
As the cradle floated away, the hunters burst from the trees. Their leader raised his bow—only for the river to erupt in a wall of water that swallowed them whole.
---
The Divine Journey
Ganga River - Throughout the Night
The cradle moved against all natural currents, guided by unseen hands:
At Midnight: A trio of nagins (serpent maidens) rose from the depths, singing lullabies in a tongue not heard since the Satya Yuga. Their venomous fangs could not pierce the cradle's protective aura.
During the Hour of the Wolf: The silver-winged swan descended, transforming momentarily into a young girl with eyes like molten gold—Aryan's lost sister. She pressed a ghostly kiss to his forehead before the dawn's first light forced her back into avian form.
At Sunrise: The river parted around a submerged Shiva lingam, from which a single rudraksha bead floated up to rest beside the baby—a gift from Mahadev himself.
---
Discovery in Champapuri
Village Outskirts - Dawn
Radha, the charioteer's wife, paused while gathering watercress. The morning mist had turned golden near the riverbank—a phenomenon she'd never seen in her forty years.
"Adhirath! Come see this!"
Her husband came running, his leather apron still stained from yesterday's chariot repairs. There, caught in the reeds, floated a cradle fit for kings. Inside, the baby stared up with eyes that held the depth of oceans—and the fire of a thousand suns.
As Adhirath reached out, three miracles occurred simultaneously:
1. The rudraksha bead levitated to form a protective circle around the child
2. Every cow in the nearby field bowed
3. The village's ancient banyan tree bloomed out of season
Radha needed no further signs. She gathered the child to her breast. "This is no orphan," she whispered. "This is a prince of the gods."
---
Karna's Premonition
Champapuri Well - Same Morning
Sixteen-year-old Karna paused mid-motion, his water jug suspended over the well. A strange heat spread through his chest—the same sensation he'd felt when Surya appeared to him in a dream.
Across the fields, though too far to see with mortal eyes, he somehow knew something momentous had occurred. The golden armor beneath his humble clothes grew warm against his skin.
For the first time in his life of rejection, Karna smiled.
---
System Initialization
[✦ COSMIC ARCHIVIST SYSTEM ONLINE ✦]
Core Functions:
Sanctified Multiplier (×1000):
1 hour meditation = 1000 hours of spiritual progress
1 arrow fired = 1000 arrows' worth of muscle memory
Exception: Does not apply to raw divine energy (must still earn boons)
Subsystems Unlocked:
1. Dharma Lens: See the karmic weight of actions (enemies glow red, allies blue)
2. Vedic Database: Instant recall of all scriptures heard (even once)
3. Soulforge Interface: Later allows divine weapon crafting
Warning:
Overuse attracts Celestial Auditors (deific observers who maintain cosmic balance)
On Aryan's chest, the nine-flamed circle pulsed—waiting for its first true bond.