The fire that consumed the Malhan estate, the embers that lit the black night like a pyre for a fallen house.
The empire was swift in its narrative. News spread like wildfire: The noble House of Malhan, once the guardians of knowledge and magic, was no more. The remnants found in the palace ruins, were enough for the Holy Empire of Valgris to confirm the tale. The Royal Family of Solmaria held a moment of silence, but none questioned too deeply. After all, silence kept kingdoms intact.
A Hidden Village
Far away from the politics and peril, nestled between verdant hills and whispering pines, lay the village of Devkahar, a peaceful hamlet shrouded in mist and memory. The head of this village, Bhairav Nanda, was an old friend of Ashvik Malhan from their youthful campaigns. With kindness in his heart and a past wrapped in secrets, Bhairav welcomed the broken family as his own kin.
Their new home was modest yet comforting—a wooden cottage with five cozy rooms, set near the forest's edge, where birds sang louder than rumors and the wind never carried whispers of betrayal.
Shaurya helped with farm chores, fetched water, fed the animals, and read from the books salvaged from their past life. His father, Ashvik, though still recovering from his injuries, began training him in self-discipline, philosophy, and survival skills. Isha, his mother, spent her days gardening and preparing herbal medicines for villagers, slowly regaining her smile.
Kanak watched over him like an elder sister—though she carried her own guilt for having seen him grow amidst flames and run with him into the unknown.
A New Face in Shaurya's World
And then… there was Raveena Nanda.
Daughter of the village head, Raveena was a bright girl, equal in age to Shaurya. Her skin bore the bronze warmth of the earth, and her laughter echoed like wind chimes. She had a way of asking questions that made even elders pause.
She was the first to approach him in the village.
"You're not from around here," she said.
Shaurya looked away, "I am now."
That was the beginning of their strange friendship. She would pull him to watch the sky, to explore the riverside, and to chase fireflies at dusk. She gave him something he didn't even know he was missing—a childhood friend.
Little did she know, her admiration of him was slowly growing into a tender, innocent crush.
And though the world had written off the House of Malhan as ash blown away by fate…
Its true heir now walked barefoot through the fields, quietly growing…