Three years passed quietly.
The Varien Tribe gradually returned to its usual rhythm.
Warriors trained.
Merchants traded.
Children laughed in the streets.
Life continued.
But for Rajiv...
Time seemed to move differently.
The cheerful child who had once run through Vera's streets had disappeared.
In his place remained a quiet boy who rarely spoke unless spoken to.
He never cried.
Never complained.
Never threw tantrums.
He followed every lesson perfectly.
He trained when asked.
He read whenever he was left alone.
And every night before sleeping...
He carefully wiped the mysterious white egg with a soft cloth before placing it beside his bed.
Wake.
Read.
Train.
Read again.
Care for the egg.
Sleep.
Day after day.
Year after year.
Until even the servants began whispering that the young master no longer behaved like a child.
Rajiv never noticed.
Or perhaps...
He simply didn't care.
His eighth birthday arrived without celebration.
Not because the Varien Tribe had forgotten.
But because no one knew how to celebrate it.
The last birthday Rajiv remembered...
Had ended with Vera's destruction.
So Lord Cris ordered only a quiet meal.
No music.
No grand feast.
No gathering.
Just family.
Late that night, long after everyone had gone to sleep, Rajiv sat alone beside his bed.
The white egg rested in his lap.
His fingers gently traced the mysterious silver patterns across its shell.
His father had once said...
The egg would likely hatch when he turned eight.
So he waited.
Patiently.
Silently.
The room remained still.
Moonlight poured through the window, bathing the egg in pale silver light.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Rajiv did not move.
Then—
Crack.
A tiny sound echoed through the room.
Rajiv's eyes widened.
The egg trembled.
Crack.
Another line appeared on the shell.
Then another.
The silver patterns suddenly lit up.
Soft light flowed across the egg like moonlit water.
The room grew strangely quiet.
Even the wind outside seemed to stop.
Rajiv held his breath.
The cracks spread.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As though the creature inside was taking its time.
Then—
A tiny white head pushed through the broken shell.
Two golden eyes blinked sleepily.
The little creature looked around.
Then its gaze landed on Rajiv.
For several moments...
Boy and beast simply stared at one another.
Something invisible formed between them.
Not spoken.
Not forced.
A bond.
The tiny white snake slowly crawled out from the shell.
Its scales were as white as fresh snow.
Elegant silver patterns flowed across its small body like streams of moonlight.
It looked beautiful.
Ancient.
Mysterious.
Then it opened its mouth.
"Hiss!"
Rajiv blinked.
The snake stared at him.
"Hiss!"
This time, it sounded more urgent.
Rajiv hesitated.
"...Are you hungry?"
The tiny snake nodded enthusiastically.
Rajiv became silent.
"...You can understand me?"
Another energetic nod.
For the first time in years...
Surprise appeared on Rajiv's face.
After several seconds, he quietly looked toward the door.
"Someone..."
"...bring meat."
A few sleepy maids rushed into the room moments later.
"Young Master?"
One of them rubbed her eyes.
"Did something happen?"
Rajiv pointed toward the bed.
The maids followed his gaze.
Then froze.
The tiny white snake sat proudly among the broken eggshells.
It raised its head.
"Hiss!"
One maid nearly dropped the tray she was carrying.
"The egg..."
"...hatched?"
Rajiv nodded.
"It wants food."
The maids looked at the snake.
Then at Rajiv.
Then back at the snake.
"...It told you that?"
The little snake puffed up proudly.
"Hiss!"
That was apparently answer enough.
The maids hurried away and returned with trays of cooked meat.
The tiny snake moved immediately.
Despite being barely longer than Rajiv's forearm, it ate with terrifying speed.
One plate vanished.
Then another.
Then another.
The maids watched in disbelief.
"Young Master..."
"Where is it putting all that food?"
Rajiv silently observed the snake devouring enough meat to feed several grown warriors.
After a long pause, he answered honestly.
"I don't know."
The snake ignored them completely.
Only after the final piece of meat disappeared did it finally look satisfied.
It gave a soft little hiss.
Then lazily slithered toward Rajiv.
Climbed onto his wrist.
Wrapped itself comfortably around his arm.
Closed its golden eyes.
And fell asleep.
Just like that.
Rajiv stared at the tiny creature for a long time.
Then...
A small smile appeared on his face.
Soft.
Brief.
Almost unnoticeable.
But real.
The maids saw it.
Every one of them froze.
For three years...
They had served the young master.
They had watched him read.
Train.
Eat.
Sleep.
But none of them had seen that expression.
Not once.
One maid quietly covered her mouth.
Another lowered her head to hide her tears.
Because for the first time in years...
Rajiv Vera had smiled.
The next morning...
Lord Cris stood outside Rajiv's room.
He had come after hearing the news that the egg had hatched.
But just as he was about to enter...
He stopped.
Inside the room, Rajiv sat beside the window.
The tiny white snake slept peacefully around his wrist.
Moonlight had faded.
Morning sunlight now touched the boy's face.
And there...
Almost invisible...
Was the faintest trace of warmth.
Lord Cris remained silent.
His aged eyes slowly grew moist.
He did not enter.
He did not speak.
He simply stood there for a long time.
Then he looked toward the sky.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Varinder..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Looks like your final gift..."
"...has finally arrived."