Far away, millions of miles, there was a group of people dressed in black. Powerful energy radiated from their bodies in huge amounts. They were riding their mystical beasts, moving through the skies at a tremendous speed.
The astonishing thing was that their mystical creatures had no wings. Yet, they were flying in the air effortlessly—a feat only possible for rank five or higher mystical beasts.
The creatures were unique: their head resembled a dragon, while the lower body was like that of a horse, entirely covered in dragon scales. Ancient texts described such creatures, and it was believed that they carried traces of the blood of a divine, mythical being. Every step they took made all airborne creatures around them tremble in fear and scatter. Behind them followed a chariot drawn by four white horses.
Inside the chariot, a man lay unconscious. It was none other than King Amber, who had suddenly vanished into the dark whirlwind.
At that moment, the person leading the group, with golden hair, slowed his mystical beast and said to another riding a nearby creature,
"Vilash brother, calm your anger a little."
The person with blue eyes and golden hair responded,
"Vikrant brother, what else can I do but be angry? Today, only because of you, I didn't act. Otherwise, I would have put that person in a state they would never forget. Moreover, the task Father sent us for, we failed to accomplish properly. And if Uncle finds out about his current condition… we would be in immense trouble."
Vikrant replied,
"Forget it, brother. If Father or Middle Uncle finds out by mistake, who knows what would happen? You know what happened ten years ago. You heard how they were ousted from the Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth elders of the Pallav clan. And because of that, Uncle ended up in this state. You must know this. If not, I can remind you—he fought alone against those elders, even tried to kill the Seventh elder, but was saved only by the intervention of the senior elders."
The soldiers listening to this trembled, realizing how powerful the elders of the Pallav clan were.
Vilash, in a nervous voice, said,
"Brother, you just reminded me of the Yamdoot. Don't you know I barely escaped from their clutches a few days ago?"
Vikrant burst into loud laughter,
"Ha ha ha! But brother, I heard you were having a lot of fun with Middle Uncle there!"
Hearing this, many around started laughing as well.
Vilash, seeing his own predicament being joked about, angrily said,
"Vikrant brother, laugh as much as you want now. When Father and Grandfather scold you later, I want to see who will help you out of that trouble."
Vikrant's face suddenly turned serious, then with a false smile he said,
"Vilash, my brother, would you really let your brother face punishment alone? I was only trying to calm the atmosphere, not make fun of you. If you help me out of this trouble, I'll help you speak to Mayra."
Vilash replied,
"Do you think I can't express my feelings to Mayra on my own?"
After thinking for a while, Vikrant said,
"Fine, I'll give you one weapon from my high-tier arsenal."
Vilash's eyes sparkled as he said,
"Alright."
Vikrant exhaled in relief and said,
"But first, you'll help me avoid punishment from Father and Middle Uncle."
Vilash nodded in agreement.
Then Vilash started thinking deeply. Vikrant noticed and asked,
"Brother, what are you thinking?"
Vilash came back to himself and said,
"Nothing. I was just thinking, soon the ancient ruins will open. All clans will send their most talented warriors there. Only those who gained power equivalent to a War Hero rank 25 years ago can participate."
Vikrant, excited, said,
"Oh yes! I forgot about that. Good thing you reminded me. I've wanted to go to those ruins with Utkarsh brother for so long. And this opportunity comes only once every three years. You should be happy about it."
Vilash replied,
"I'm not happy for myself, but for you. You know if I fail, how humiliating it would be. Besides, I recently achieved the War Hero rank."
Seeing Vilash worried, Vikrant said,
"You don't need to stress. There are still four months before the competition. If you train well during this time, maybe the Twelfth elder will allow you to participate."
Vilash felt a bit relieved.
Both were talking when they reached a huge mountain with no visible path forward. At that moment, Vikrant took out a square-shaped stone from his collection ring, engraved with a lotus with nine red petals. The moment it emerged, the lotus blazed with bright red light. Immediately, the mountain shifted, and a dimensional portal opened. They entered the portal, which vanished as soon as they stepped inside.
---
Meanwhile, in Jabajpur town, in a village among the mountains, a child stood in front of a house in a blood-stained field. The child had silver hair and blue eyes. This was Nivyansh.
People passed by, and many children tried to pick him up. Nivyansh mingled easily with everyone. Days passed like this.
---
Elsewhere, in Shauryagadh palace, in the court, a man sat on the throne. His left hand was cut off. This was Somnath, looking furious. A man in green stood before him.
The man said,
"Your Majesty, we searched every corner of the kingdom, but could not find Amber."
Somnath, enraged, said,
"What kind of incompetent army do I have? You still haven't found Amber? I could have torn you apart before even touching him!"
He tried to calm himself, about to ask the general something, when a soldier arrived with a message. Somnath read it and a sinister smile appeared on his face.
---
Back in Jabajpur, Raktab held Nivyansh lovingly in his arms. People were bustling around, children playing, when suddenly a group on horseback arrived at high speed. Panic ensued. These were no ordinary people—they were thieves.
Raktab, still holding Nivyansh, became angry but didn't want to put him in danger. As he headed inside the house, two of the thieves moved toward him, but their leader stopped them.
"Stop! You don't need to go there. We have enough loot for ourselves."
One man protested,
"Leader, what happened to you all of a sudden?"
The leader, furious, said,
"I already warned you—none of you should approach this man."
The thieves reluctantly obeyed, sensing an unsettling power in Raktab—they realized he was of higher rank.
A girl being kidnapped saw this and hid behind Raktab, pleading,
"Please protect me from them. I am ready to serve you."
Raktab remained still, like a statue.
Seeing her run, the thieves' leader fumed, but Raktab's calmness unnerved them. One thug tried to take the girl by force. Raktab, recalling Shauryagadh, struck, severing his head with a single blow. Blood splattered everywhere.
The leader shouted,
"You've put yourself in huge danger! I'm letting you go without force, but now your life is at stake!"
Raktab, unaffected, handed Nivyansh to the girl, ensuring his safety. Soon after, the screams ended, and calm returned.
---
What will happen next? Will Somnath discover Raktab and Nivyansh's identities? Who are the people taking King Amber, and why do they call him Uncle? Will Raktab's actions put him and Nivyansh in danger?
To find out, read the next chapters…