The night sky stretched endlessly above the valley, its silence broken only by the faint hiss of burning embers left behind from the battle. Blood still stained the ground, soaking into the blackened soil like offerings to some unseen god. The once vibrant Valley of Annihilation was now a graveyard of shadows.
Ratan, barely more than an infant, lay within the protective arms of Elder Vairaj. His tiny body radiated a warmth far beyond mortal flesh. The golden hue that had appeared on his chest hours ago pulsed faintly with a rhythm that was not unlike a heartbeat, yet it did not belong to the boy alone—it echoed through the heavens themselves.
Vairaj, his face lined with exhaustion, stared at the child in awe and dread. *Three gates… three chakras… before even the age of one. What manner of Sovereign has been born beneath our clan's starless sky?*
But his thoughts were interrupted.
A voice, soft as a serpent's hiss and ancient as mountains, slithered into the air.
> *"The Root has awakened. The Sacral has stirred. The Solar Gate trembles on the edge of birth… The Sovereign's path is not of choice, but of destiny."*
The words did not come from any man. They came from everywhere, and nowhere. The surviving disciples turned pale, clutching their blades in trembling hands.
"Elder… did you hear that?" one asked.
Vairaj only nodded grimly. He knew this voice. He had heard it once before, in the forbidden records of the clan. It was the whisper of the **Serpent of Origins**, the one that haunted every Sovereign in history.
Ratan stirred. His tiny fingers curled, and from his palm, a spark of flame flickered to life. Not red… not orange… but golden-white, a flame so pure it burned the night around it brighter than the moon.
The survivors stumbled back.
"That… that is not fire," one gasped, voice breaking.
"It is the fire of the heavens!" another cried.
Vairaj clenched his jaw. His duty was clear: protect the child, no matter what terror he brought. But within his heart, fear gnawed at him. He had witnessed the Root and Sacral chakra awaken, but now the **Solar Plexus Chakra—the Third Gate—was stirring** far too early.
"Ratan," he whispered, his tone a mixture of reverence and dread, "what are you becoming?"
The child's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, Vairaj saw no innocence in them—only the abyss of time and the glimmer of something that should not belong to one so young.
And then, without warning—
A beam of golden light shot upward from the infant's chest, piercing the heavens. The earth trembled. The stars themselves seemed to vanish as if swallowed by the radiance.
The valley erupted in terrified screams. "The sky! Look at the sky!"
Above them, the night was no longer starless. A single golden sun, artificial and blinding, had appeared where the void once hung. Its light fell not just upon the valley, but upon the entire region. Every cultivator within miles turned their gaze toward it, feeling their souls quake.
In faraway mountains, sect leaders stirred from meditation. In shadowed cities, assassins froze mid-step. In hidden ruins, ancient beasts raised their heads. The world had felt it: the awakening of the Third Gate.
The Serpent's whisper returned, curling through the minds of all who beheld the false sun.
> *"The Third Gate awakens… and with it, the Sovereign's enemies will march."*
Vairaj's heart sank. He knew what this meant. The boy's very existence was now revealed to the world. No valley, no clan, no hidden cave would be safe.
He clutched the infant closer, gritting his teeth as sweat poured down his brow.
And then—
From the golden sun above, **a shadow descended**.
It was not beast, not man, but a silhouette of pure darkness, draped in flowing robes, its face obscured by the void. Its presence crushed the survivors to their knees, their bones creaking under pressure.
The shadow extended a hand toward the child.
"Come," the figure's voice thundered, deeper than the earth, colder than the void, "for you are mine to claim."
The chapter ended in silence, the false sun flickering like a dying torch.
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⚡ **Suspense Ending:** A terrifying figure has descended from the light of Ratan's awakening, reaching out to claim him.
👉 **Next Chapter (11: The First Fire Within)** will reveal if the infant's Solar Flame can resist this mysterious enemy—or if Elder Vairaj must make the ultimate sacrifice.
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