This chapter will show:
* After his **first blood and father's resilience lesson**, Ratan begins to display **natural brilliance**.
* His instinctive understanding of chakra circulation & combat basics shocks even Mahadev.
* First **village conflicts with human peers** → jealousy, mockery, bullying escalates.
* His **Sacral Chakra stirs faintly**, foreshadowing creativity, fluidity, and adaptability.
* End with Ratan's quiet but defiant **spark of genius**, proving he's no ordinary child.
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# **Chapter 6 – Spark of Genius**
The carcass of the Fang-Tusk Boar had barely cooled before Ratan began to change. Something had shifted in him since the first taste of blood, the first battle where his life and death balanced on the edge of a crude wooden dagger.
Mahadev noticed it immediately. The boy no longer looked at the forest with childish curiosity alone. His eyes traced paths, shadows, movement—like a hunter already mapping prey. His tiny hands fidgeted constantly, not in nervousness, but as though he was replaying that single moment, refining his grip, his strike, his reaction.
It was as if his body remembered what his mind had not yet fully learned.
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### **Training Beside His Father**
At dawn, Mahadev often swung his axe in silence, chopping logs into even pieces. That morning, Ratan picked up a stick and mimicked the motion. His swings were clumsy at first, but instead of giving up, he repeated them again and again, each one slightly smoother.
Mahadev watched silently. By the time the sun rose high, the boy had already learned to balance his stance better, planting his feet as if rooted in the earth. His Root Chakra pulsed faintly in rhythm with each swing.
Finally, Mahadev spoke. "Why do you keep swinging, Ratan?"
The boy's forehead was damp with sweat, his tiny chest heaving, but his eyes burned steadily.
"Because… Father fought the boar without falling. I… also don't want to fall. If I swing enough… maybe one day I'll be strong like you."
Mahadev's eyes softened, though his face remained stern. "Strength is not in the arm, Ratan. It begins here." He tapped his son's chest. "Your will, your breath, your spirit. Remember this."
Ratan nodded earnestly.
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### **The Whisper of the Second Chakra**
That night, while he sat cross-legged in meditation as the Snake Spirit had taught him, Ratan felt something different. The Root Chakra still pulsed steadily, grounding him, but a faint warmth stirred lower in his belly, near his navel. It was not steady like the Root; it flickered, like a spark yearning for flame.
The serpent appeared, its scales shimmering faintly. "Ah… so soon? Interesting."
Ratan looked up. "What is it?"
"The Swadhisthana," the serpent hissed softly. "The Sacral Chakra. The second gate of energy. Where the Root teaches you to endure, the Sacral teaches you to flow. Creativity, instinct, adaptability… it stirs within you already. Most children your age cannot even sense their Root, yet yours awakens without effort. This is genius born of suffering."
The warmth grew faint again, but the seed was planted.
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### **Clash with Clan Peers**
A few days later, in the village square, children gathered to play. Ratan approached, clutching the wooden dagger his father had reforged after the hunt. He wanted only to join.
But the others sneered. "There he is—the snake's brat."
"He thinks killing a little boar makes him special."
"Let's test him, then. If he's so strong, he should fight!"
One boy, older and sturdier, shoved Ratan hard. He stumbled but did not fall. The Root Chakra flared subtly, steadying his stance.
"Come on, beggar," the boy jeered, raising a stick. "Defend yourself!"
Ratan's fingers tightened around his dagger. He did not swing wildly. Instead, his eyes traced the boy's shoulders, his weight, the slight gap in his stance. When the stick swung down, Ratan sidestepped—awkward but effective—and jabbed the dagger toward the gap.
*Crack!* The stick flew from the boy's hands as the wooden dagger struck his wrist.
Gasps erupted.
The boy cried out, clutching his hand. "You… you little snake!"
But Ratan did not grin or gloat. His face was calm, serious, too old for his years. "I don't want to fight. But if you push me… I won't fall."
His words, simple yet resolute, silenced the crowd.
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### **The Father's Test**
That evening, Mahadev returned from the forest to hear whispers of the clash. He said nothing until Ratan came to sit beside him by the fire.
"Is it true?" Mahadev asked. "You fought the other children?"
Ratan lowered his head. "They… pushed me first. I only defended."
Mahadev was silent for a long time. Then he said, "Good. Never raise your hand in arrogance. But never let yourself be broken either. A man must protect his dignity as much as his family."
He then handed Ratan a small, polished stone. "Strike this with your dagger."
Ratan obeyed, thrusting forward. The dagger slipped and only scraped the stone.
"Again," Mahadev ordered.
Again and again, Ratan struck. His arms ached, his palms blistered, but he did not stop. Sweat poured down his brow as his Root Chakra throbbed in rhythm with his effort, while the faint flicker of the Sacral Chakra stirred with every adjustment he made—changing grip, adjusting angle, seeking the most effective strike.
By the time night fell, the dagger finally chipped the stone. Mahadev's eyes gleamed faintly in the firelight. *This boy… he learns too fast.*
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### **The Spark of Genius**
Later, when Suhani tucked Ratan into his mat, she noticed his small hands twitching even in sleep—as though he still practiced his strikes in dreams.
Outside, Mahadev leaned against the doorway, gazing at the night sky. "He is no ordinary child," he murmured.
The Snake Spirit's hiss slithered through the air. "You finally see? The boy does not only endure—he adapts. His body remembers, his spirit refines. This spark of genius cannot be taught; it is born. The world will tremble before it."
Mahadev's eyes hardened. "Then the world will also seek to crush him."
The serpent's tongue flicked. "Yes. And that is why your silent strength must hold until his brilliance can defend itself."
Inside, Ratan stirred, his Root Chakra steady as earth, his Sacral Chakra flickering like a new flame. In his sleep, he whispered words only the night heard:
"I will grow stronger."
And so the spark was lit—one that would one day blaze across worlds.
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### **Chapter Highlights**
1. **Training Brilliance:** Ratan mimics Mahadev's axe swings, showing instinctive learning.
2. **Chakra Development:** Sacral Chakra (Swadhisthana) stirs faintly → adaptability, creativity, natural genius.
3. **Clan Conflict:** Ratan defends himself from peers using instinctive observation and timing.
4. **Father's Test:** Striking stone with dagger → persistence + adaptability sharpen his skill.
5. **Spark of Genius:** Both Mahadev and the Snake Spirit recognize his extraordinary talent.
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expand Chapter 6 further with more daily training + deeper Sacral Chakra insight before moving into the monster raid?