Author’s Note: First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I am new to writing novels and want to create something that introduces Indian mythology into the cultivation genre of web novels. Please feel free to comment with your suggestions and tips to make this experience more wonderful for everyone. Thanks!
The world was dark, as there had never been any light to begin with. Thunder rumbled as if it wanted to shake the very foundation of the world itself. The atmosphere was filled with an ominous feeling of uncertainty, as if whatever was happening would decide the fate of all—everything that is, and everything that will be.
A ray of light cut through the sky, leaving a scar in the air. In that ray of light, one could see a man, short of breath and holding something close to his chest. He was covered in wounds all over his body, indicating his involvement in a bitter fight. One particular wound, which stretched from his upper back to his lower back, was especially eye-catching. It had been constantly dripping blood and would have resulted in instant death, were it not for the unyielding will of the man.
The man looked at the object in his hand and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes seemed to pierce the dark of night, and a few faint dots could be seen on the distant horizon. The man sighed and once again looked down at the object clenched tightly to his chest. He murmured to himself, “Even after all the sacrifices we made, it seems we won’t be able to leave unscathed. No matter where we hide, it's not possible to completely erase the signs, and they can always track us down. I must come up with something, or I won’t be able to fulfill my mission.”
Having come to this conclusion, the man’s eyes, now shining with determination, waved his hand, and a black dagger appeared out of thin air. The dagger was adorned with a beautiful pattern of a tiger-like creature, whose claw perfectly aligned with the tip of the weapon. It radiated an aura of nobility and ferocity.
The man was fully focused, drawing on every bit of power left in his body. He glanced at the thing clutched to his chest. At that moment, the heavens sent a massive thunder, and the entire world seemed to be illuminated by a hundred suns. In that brief moment, one could see that it was a child, stained by the blood dripping from the man’s wounds, that the man was carrying.
Having made his decision, he glanced to see his pursuers closing in. Sighing in his heart and making his final preparations, he whispered to the child, “I’m sorry, but this is the only way. I was supposed to take care of you, preventing any harm from coming your way. But the heavens have left me no choice but to be the one to hurt you.”
Without wasting any more time, he motioned with his hand toward the dagger and made a slight slashing motion with his hand. The dagger came slashing down but didn’t actually touch the baby. It made a slicing motion in the air, inches away from the child, but at that very moment, a thunderous sound rang out from the child’s body, hidden among the thunder above. The man coughed up a handful of blood, his aura growing sluggish, but he didn’t stop. Drawing on everything he had, he made seals with one hand and sent a huge ball of light toward his pursuers.
There were over twenty people chasing him. When they saw him attack, they sneered and attacked simultaneously. The ball of light instantly collapsed, and the attacks continued toward the man. He stopped and turned around in a swift motion, summoning a shield to block the attacks. After a brief moment of protection, the shield crumbled, and the man was hit with a barrage of attacks. Having lost the protection of his shield and spent all his energy completing his plan, the man was sent flying like a meteor, crashing into a mountain, where he lay, barely conscious, amidst the rubble.
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Seeing the man’s severe injuries, a hint of surprise appeared in the eyes of one of the pursuers. He motioned for the others to surround the mountaintop and flew toward the man himself, moving cautiously.
The man on the mountain top, struggling to get to his feet, showed unwavering determination and maddening ferocity in his eyes. Seeing this, the other pursuer laughed and made a grasping motion with his hand, causing the man to stop as if an invisible hand had gripped him.
“If only you had agreed to my suggestion, we could have avoided this whole situation, and you wouldn’t be in this pathetic state. I pity you, elder brother, but there is still a way to put all this behind us. Just hand over the boy and follow the commands of His Majesty, and everything will be as it was.”
Hearing this, the man started to laugh loudly, as if trying to bury all the madness in his laughter. After spitting some more blood, he looked at his pursuer with venomous hatred in his eyes. “Even an animal knows to repay kindness with loyalty. But you, my little brother, are worse than them. That family gave us everything we have, and yet you betrayed them. If I could, I would tear you apart myself.”
The man’s face turned grim, and he took a step forward. “I’m unable to sense the child anymore. Have you found a way to hide him, brother?”
Closing his eyes, the man replied, “The elders say that a person’s karma is affected by every interaction they make in this world, from how they were born to how they die. I would never let him fall into your hands, not if he lives a life filled with grief and evil, nor from the death of a traitor like you. Hence, I relieved him of the world’s ties myself.” Saying this, the man’s voice trembled as tears started to flow from his eyes, as if he had lost something that was a part of him.
The surrounding pursuers were shocked to hear this. One of them flew toward Kundan, holding an instrument in his hand. Bowing, he transmitted his voice to Kundan. “Elder Kundan, there seem to be no fluctuations from the soul power of that child, as if he never existed in the first place. Is it possible that Elder Sampoorn really killed the child?”
Kundan thought for a moment, then transmitted his voice to all his subordinates. “Spread out in a 500 km radius and search for the child. I don’t believe my righteous brother is capable of doing what he…”
Before his sentence could be completed, a sense of danger surrounded him. Sensing the intense chaotic energy, he blurred into motion, preparing to counterattack. But when he looked at Sampoorn, he saw a mix of disappointment, anxiety, and determination on his face, and a blinding light surrounded him.
After sensing the energy more carefully, Kundan rushed toward Sampoorn, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Stop him! He’s not self-exploding—he’s using it to mask the teleportation!” All the surrounding men were shocked and rushed at the same time, but before they could reach him, the blinding light disappeared, taking Sampoorn with it.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO……” Kundan shouted, his eyes bloodshot. He barked at his followers, “Move out and search the whole area. I need to see both of them, dead or alive.” Having said this, he rushed in the direction where the energy fluctuations had been strongest. The rest of the members exchanged glances and spread out to conduct the search.
As the chaos subsided, silence prevailed once again, lasting for some time. Then, a figure appeared high in the sky. He looked toward the mountaintop and murmured to himself, “Something is not right. The child was destined to die, but I never expected things to turn out this way.” After observing for a while, he was about to leave when something caught his eye. With a wave of his hand, something flew from the rubble and landed in his palm.
“A soul? A child’s soul… Did he really kill the child himself?” The man narrowed his eyes. “The soul seems to have lost consciousness and is also incomplete. Was it the result of previous attacks, or was it done intentionally?”
After thinking for a moment, the man put away the soul and vanished, leaving behind a voice: “Whatever the cause... I have a very good idea of how to use this broken soul. I will be the biggest winner of this whole war.”
After enough time had passed and it was close to sunrise, the air distorted again, and Sampoorna appeared, looking very weak. He darted toward the rubble, anxiously scanning his surroundings. After searching for a while, his heart trembled when he failed to find what he was looking for.
“Don’t tell me they found the fragmented soul. Dammit, there was no other way for me to save the child. With such a level of soul power, no one could hide it completely. That’s why I split the soul, leaving the consciousness in one part and sending it away, hiding the teleportation within my earlier attack. I hid the remaining fragment well enough. It shouldn’t be possible for Kundan to find it. Then who took it? Were there others hiding in the shadows? I need to find both parts of the soul… only then can the child fulfil its destiny.”
He clenched his fists and disappeared, leaving behind the aftermath of the night.