In a world where power was absolute and only the strong were worthy of respect, India had risen as one of the great lands of martial dominance. Among its greatest clans stood the Varma Clan, an ancient family whose bloodline produced some of the deadliest martial artists in existence. To be born a Varma was to be born great… unless you were him.
Shiv Varma — the youngest son — was a name that had become synonymous with shame.
"You're an embarrassment to the Varma name!" his elder brother Arjun roared, his fist slamming into Shiv's gut.
Thud!
Shiv hit the courtyard floor, coughing blood. The other disciples and cousins of the clan stood watching, some smirking, others indifferent.
"Can't even stand after one punch?" Arjun sneered. "No talent. No technique. No power. Why don't you just leave and save us the disgrace?"
Shiv's body trembled, not from fear, but from rage and humiliation. He gritted his teeth as blood dripped from his mouth.
"I… won't give up…"
Arjun laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "Then keep crawling like a worm. That's all you'll ever be."
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That night, Shiv limped into his small, dimly-lit room at the edge of the Varma estate. The walls were cracked. The single window overlooked the dense and shadowy forest that had long been declared forbidden.
He sat down, clutching his ribs.
"Why…? Why did the heavens make me like this?" he muttered, tears mixing with dried blood. "Why give me the heart of a warrior but no strength to match it?"
Rustle…
Suddenly, he felt something. A strange pull… a resonance coming from the forest beyond.
Thump... thump...
His heart began to beat in rhythm with a low, ancient hum that echoed in his soul. The wind whispered through the trees as if calling his name.
"Shiv…"
He stood up slowly, eyes wide. "That voice…?"
He pushed open the creaking wooden door and stepped into the night. The cold air bit into his skin, but something pulled him forward — something ancient.
The moon hung low as he crossed the boundary stone that marked the entrance to the Abandoned Forest of Pralay — a place feared even by the strongest warriors of the Varma Clan.
"Whatever this is… even if it kills me…" Shiv whispered, stepping into the darkness, "I'll find my strength — or I'll die trying."
The forest welcomed him with silence.
But deep within… something woke up.
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