The air outside the Stitched Wall hummed with a new frequency.
Before Vyan could even steady his breath, a shimmer of golden dust coalesced in front of him.
The Grotto Spirit appeared, its form more solid than it had been in the vision.
It bowed its head deeply, its voice echoing like the ringing of a silver bell.
“Greetings, little one,” the Spirit spoke, its tone filled with an ancient, weary joy.
“I welcome the new Master of the Gilded Horizon. How long it has been since these halls felt the pulse of a true owner. My heart is glad; though you are but a sapling, your potential touches the roof of the heavens.”
Ansh stood a few feet away, his body as rigid as the basalt behind him.
Outwardly, his face was a mask of serene, scholarly calm, but internally, his mind was a furnace of screaming rage.
He got it.
The brat actually got it.
He forced his heart rate to slow, his eyes narrowing.
Calm yourself.
I prepared for this.
The boy is still a child.
He is still mine.
Before Ansh could utter a word of “congratulation,” the Spirit gestured.
“Come, Master. Let us show you your throne.”
In a blink of light, Vyan was gone.
Ansh was left standing alone in the cooling mountain air, his hand still reaching out for a boy who wasn’t there. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Vyan reappeared in the center of the Main Pavilion.
The space had been transformed; the cold stone was now draped in soft silks of green and pink, creating a warm, ethereal ambience that felt like a permanent spring.
“Spirit,” Vyan whispered, spinning around in awe.
“Can you… can you take me anywhere in this place? Just by thinking it?”
“I am the Grotto, and the Grotto is you, Master,” the Spirit replied.
“Your will is the law here.”
Vyan’s mind flashed back to the parchment in the cave.
“Spirit… the mystery man. The one who left the ‘toy.’ Who was he? Was he the one who took the Queen’s original inheritance?”
The Spirit’s form flickered.
“I do not know his name. He did not offer it. He came as a wanderer, passed the Queen’s trial as if it were child’s play, and became the owner. He was… a mystery. He had a face of haunting beauty, and his skin… it carried a hue of deep, celestial blue.”
Vyan let out a short, disbelief-filled laugh.
“Stop lying! How can a person be blue?”
“A Spirit does not lie, Master,” the entity replied gravely.
“We are remnants of will; we see only what is true. He came, placed his own ‘inheritance’ upon the pedestal, and left. He told me only that he was an Architect.”
Vyan tilted his head.
“Architect?”
“Architects are the elite,” the Spirit explained.
“Those rare Yogis gifted with the talent to design and manifest an Astra and refine them.”
Vyan’s hand went to his chest, feeling the cold tingle of the needle.
“VYAN!”
The shout echoed through the pavilion as Ansh came stumbling into the light, his face drenched in sweat, his chest heaving.
He had scrambled across the Grotto in a panic, terrified that the boy would learn too much.
Does the Spirit suspect me?
Why did it leave me behind?
I cannot let him ask more questions.
Vyan turned, his eyes wide.
“Old humble sir! I am so sorry, I totally forgot! You don’t have to walk anymore. I am the Master now! I can make the Spirit teleport you anywh—”
Ansh didn’t let him finish.
He stepped into Vyan’s space, his shadow falling over the boy, his voice dropping into a low, commanding vibration that triggered every month of “submission” he had drilled into Vyan’s head.
“My child,” Ansh interrupted, his eyes boring into Vyan’s.
“You are too young for such a burden. For your safety, and for the sake of your mother… transfer the ownership to me.”
Author’s Note: “Namaste everyone, welcome to the journey!
Just a quick heads-up before you dive in: Main charcater’s ascent isn’t rushed.
The early thirty chapters focus heavily on atmospheric world-building and character depth.
It is a slow, steady climb—but once the descent into the madness of the Kaliyuga begins, the narrative pace accelerates rapidly.
Your patience will be richly rewarded.
Happy reading!