This chapter will:
Show Ratan's harsh village life (poverty, bullying, clan discrimination).
Highlight his innate resilience and early chakra instinct training.
Deepen his bond with the Snake Spirit Master.
End with the spark of defiance, foreshadowing his rise beyond everyone's imagination.
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# **Chapter 4 – Harsh Village Life**
The storm had passed, but the weight of poverty still clung to Mahadev's family like an unshakable shadow. Prithvi Gaon was not a prosperous village; its fields were rocky, its soil thin. Every winter, hunger gnawed at stomachs before spring's first sprouts could emerge. For Mahadev, Suhani, and little Ratan, life was a constant struggle for survival.
Inside their small hut, patched with straw and mud, the family survived on coarse grains and wild roots Mahadev dug from the mountain slopes. Suhani's once delicate hands had grown rough from years of washing clothes in freezing streams. Still, despite the hardship, her eyes softened every time they rested on Ratan, who was now a little older—barely two years old, yet sharper than children thrice his age.
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### **The Village's Scorn**
Yet, the villagers did not treat the boy kindly. Rumors spread like wildfire since the night of his birth—whispers of the storm, the serpent spirit's appearance, and the faint golden glow in his eyes. To some, Ratan was an omen of greatness. To others, he was a curse.
"Stay away from him," one mother hissed, pulling her child close as Ratan toddled past.
"They say monsters are drawn to his aura," another muttered.
"His family is cursed with poverty. The heavens gave him strange powers, but can such a child bring anything but disaster?"
The children of the clan treated him even worse. While their families had fields, livestock, or connections to merchants, Ratan had nothing but rags and a weak hut to call home. When he tried to join their games, they mocked him.
"Look, the snake's child wants to play with us!"
"Careful, if he touches you, he'll curse your spirit!"
"Go back to your mud hut, beggar!"
They shoved him into the dirt, stole the little wooden toys Mahadev had carved, and left him bruised and humiliated.
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### **Ratan's Silent Resilience**
But Ratan did not cry. His dark eyes, faintly shimmering, simply stared back at them with quiet defiance. Deep inside, the Root Chakra pulsed, grounding him, reminding him of the serpent's words: *"Feel the earth. Its strength is your strength. Stand firm."*
Every time he was pushed down, he rose again. When mocked, he remained silent, his small fists clenching as if gripping invisible strength. Even Suhani noticed it. "He endures too much for a child his age," she whispered to Mahadev one evening.
Mahadev only nodded, his expression grim. "Perhaps hardship will forge him. The world will never be kind to him. Better he learns young."
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### **The Snake Spirit's Training**
That night, when the village slept, the Snake Spirit coiled in the hut, its scales glowing faintly in the moonlight.
"Child," it hissed, gazing at Ratan, "today you stood your ground against cruelty. This is good. A cultivator must be rooted, unmoved by the winds of scorn."
Ratan, though small, nodded. "They… push me. Call me names. But I feel… the earth. It tells me not to fall."
The serpent's tongue flickered in approval. "Yes. Hold to that. You must not fight with fists yet—your body is too weak. But here…" The serpent pressed its head lightly against Ratan's chest. "Your spirit grows strong. Each insult, each blow, each hunger you endure—it feeds the fire of your Muladhara Chakra. In time, that fire will burn so fiercely that no storm, no clan, no monster will break you."
Then the serpent guided him into a simple exercise: sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, feeling the pulse of the earth beneath him. Even at two years old, Ratan's concentration was extraordinary. He sat longer than many adults could bear, ignoring the ache in his legs. The chakra within him pulsed stronger each night.
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### **A Cruel Winter**
The winter that year was particularly harsh. Food grew scarce. Children of wealthy families still had dried meat and grains, but Mahadev's family lived on thin gruel. Suhani often gave her portion to Ratan, though she grew thinner by the day.
When Ratan went to the village square, his hunger was met with ridicule. Some children flaunted roasted yams before his face, only to throw them into the dirt and laugh as he bent to pick them up.
But instead of crying, Ratan picked the yam from the snow, wiped it clean, and ate silently. His eyes burned with something cold, something the other children could not understand.
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### **First Spark of Defiance**
One afternoon, a group of older boys cornered him near the riverbank. "Snake's child," one sneered, "why don't you call your spirit beast? Let's see if it saves you now!"
They shoved him into the icy water. The shock of the freezing current stabbed at his chest, but as he gasped, something within him stirred. His Root Chakra throbbed fiercely, as though the earth itself refused to let him drown. His tiny body clung to a rock, refusing to be swept away.
The boys laughed, but then something strange happened. The water around Ratan vibrated, faint ripples moving against the current. A faint, invisible force pushed outward, making the boys stumble back in surprise.
They fled, whispering of curses.
Ratan pulled himself from the river, shivering but standing tall. His lips were blue, his body trembling, but in his chest burned a warmth that would not die. For the first time, he whispered words to himself, words that would one day echo across worlds:
"I will not bow."
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### **Chapter Highlights (Cultivation + Story)**
1. **Village Scorn:** Ratan grows up bullied, mocked, and scorned for his poverty and unusual aura.
2. **Silent Strength:** He endures without complaint, strengthening his Root Chakra unconsciously.
3. **Snake Spirit Training:** Early meditation practices deepen his foundation.
4. **Hunger & Hardship:** Harsh winter forges his willpower.
5. **First Defiance:** Near-drowning awakens a stronger pulse of his chakra—instinctive survival becomes his **first true act of defiance against fate**.
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expand Chapter 4 with even more scenes (daily life, hunger, bullying, training exercises)