The night sky over the Ro Khile Valley was unusually dark. No stars dared pierce the thick, swirling clouds, and even the moon hid its face behind a shroud of shadow. In the poorest branch of the once-mighty Ratan Clan, a child was born—a child whose destiny would one day shake the heavens themselves.
His cries were feeble at first, barely audible over the wind whistling through the cracked wooden walls of the hut. The midwives exchanged uneasy glances. "No stars in the sky… the heavens frown upon him," one whispered, her voice trembling.
The father, a sturdy yet weary man who practiced the Immortal Path, stood silently by the doorway. His expression was unreadable, though a cold knot of concern twisted in his chest. The mother, though frail and weak, held her newborn close, warmth radiating from her despite the icy night.
"You must survive, little one," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "The heavens may have turned their eyes away, but I will protect you. Your path… your path is greater than anyone can imagine."
The child, Ratan, black-haired and fragile, opened his eyes. In that instant, the world seemed to hush. Even the wind stopped. It was as if the universe itself had paused to witness him.
Yet, at that moment, no one knew the truth. The child bore within him something extraordinary—a spark, faint and almost imperceptible, yet powerful beyond comprehension. A **dream, unseen by mortals, had marked him.**
That night, as the village slept, Ratan's soul drifted into the world of dreams. He found himself in a vast, endless void, illuminated only by seven faintly glowing lights that hovered in perfect alignment above him. Before him, a serpent with seven shimmering heads emerged from the darkness, each head representing a force beyond mortal understanding.
"You… are born under the starless night," the serpent spoke, its voice both a whisper and a roar. "Your body carries the Seven Gates. One day, you will awaken them and walk a path that not even the gods dare to tread. But beware… the path is fraught with suffering, betrayal, and death. Only the one who endures all can rise."
Ratan, even as an infant, felt the truth of these words resonate deep within his bones. A strange warmth spread from his chest to the tips of his fingers. Unseen to any human eye, the **Root Chakra, the very foundation of life and survival, awakened.**
Outside, in the hut, the midwives gasped as the child's tiny body shimmered faintly. The parents, though unable to understand what had just occurred, exchanged glances heavy with awe and fear.
"He… he is different," his mother breathed. "Not just different… destined."
But as the night deepened, so did the shadows. From the outer forests, dark shapes stirred—figures who had long watched the Ratan Clan, waiting for the weak to perish. And though the child had just begun his journey, the first whispers of danger had already arrived.
A figure cloaked in black moved silently through the trees, eyes glinting with cruel anticipation. "So, the starless child has arrived at last…" it muttered. "Let's see if the heavens really favored him… or if he will die like all the others."
Ratan stirred in his sleep, unaware of the peril approaching. Yet the faint pulse from his Root Chakra sent a ripple through the air, a subtle vibration that even the darkness could not ignore.
And in that instant, the world itself seemed to hold its breath.
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**Cliffhanger Ending:**
As the first light of dawn tried to pierce the horizon, the figure in black raised a hand, a shadowy dagger materializing between his fingers. The child in the hut, fragile and newborn, sensed something but could not yet awaken.
*Who is this shadow? What threat has come for the child born under the starless night?*