All the wounds and scars from earlier were gone, erased by Sacral's healing before he returned underground.
Once the milk warmed, Sacral Clone gently woke the child. With no bottle prepared, he guided the milk with a thin thread of power, letting it float in small, steady sips to the baby's lips. The first taste made the child's eyes snap open. He stared up at Sacral Clone, excitement flickering in his gaze as if to say, *More.*
Sacral Clone's expression softened. "All right," he murmured. "Drink as much as you like." He continued to feed the baby slowly, making sure he didn't choke, watching the dullness in the child's eyes fade into bright, simple contentment.
Outside the kitchen, the family reached the corridor at almost the same time as Solar Clone. "What happened?" Neelam asked, frowning slightly. "Did something go wrong?"
Solar Clone shook his head. "I don't know. He just said it was urgent. Let's see." He had been buried in Vyuha calculations, so he hadn't spread out his senses; if he had, he would already know about the extra heartbeat inside the fortress.
The kitchen door swung open as they arrived, the golem's stone arm pulling it inward with its usual, emotionless precision. The four of them stepped through—then stopped as one.
There, in the warm light of the kitchen, Sacral Clone stood with a baby cradled in one arm, milk gently floating from the pot to the child's mouth in a thin, glowing stream. The baby drank greedily, tiny hands clutching at Sacral Clone's clothes, eyes shining with a trust that had formed in less than an hour.
For a heartbeat, no one spoke. Surprise, confusion, and curiosity collided on their faces as they tried to understand what they were seeing—and why there was suddenly a child in their hidden underground home.
Then Neelam stepped forward, eyes wide. "Ankit, whose child is this? Tell me."
Kamal and Sanya both nodded, turning to Solar Clone. Solar Clone, in turn, looked at Sacral Clone, silently asking the same question.
Sacral Clone calmly recounted everything that had happened on the surface. By the time he finished, the kitchen had fallen into a heavy silence.
Kamal's jaw tightened. "You let that man go?" he demanded. "You should have beaten him half to death. Disgusting bastard."
Inwardly, Sacral Clone thought of the way the man's body had already dissolved into nothing, but he did not voice that part.
He knew his parents would never accept outright execution, no matter the crime, so he simply nodded once and said, "I let him go."
Neelam shook her head, anger and pity twisting together on her face. "To do something like that to a one‑year‑old child… truly monstrous."
Sanya said nothing at first. She only stared at the baby for a long moment, then spoke softly. "Brother, let's take care of him from now on. We'll keep him with us."
Kamal and Neelam exchanged a look, then nodded almost at the same time. "We'll raise him," Kamal agreed. Neelam's gaze softened. "Yes. We can protect him better than the outside world can right now."
Sacral Clone inclined his head. He had already reached the same conclusion. They were strong, hidden, and self‑sufficient. Leaving the child outside in a time of growing unrest would only become a future regret.
Neelam glanced back at the baby. "But Ankit, what is his name? Do you know? If you don't, we should give him one."
Sacral Clone shook his head. "No. He never said it. And from his attitude… I doubt he ever bothered to name the child at all."
They fell into thoughtful silence, each trying to find a name that felt right. In the end, Sanya was the one who spoke up. "Rudra," she suggested. "Let's call him Rudra."
The name settled into the room like a quiet oath. One by one, they nodded in agreement.
Neelam frowned in thought. "Who will look after him while we're training? And we need clothes, baby food, proper milk… everything. We should go today."
Sacral Clone answered at once. "I'll handle the arrangements. For now, Mom, you go buy clothes and food for the baby. Solar Clone will go with you. And Solar Clone, pick up a cow from a nearby farm.
Rudra needs fresh milk, not the packet milk in our storage. Breast milk would be best, but since we don't have that, we'll make do with cow's milk."
"Yes," Neelam and Solar Clone replied in unison. A moment later, they left together for the surface.
As soon as the door closed, Kamal and Sanya moved toward Sacral Clone. Kamal gently lifted the baby out of his arms and cradled him against his chest.
"I'll leave him to you for now," Sacral Clone said. "Dad, Sanya, play with Rudra for a while. I have some things to take care of. I'll be back later."
He turned and walked out, leaving them in the warm light of the kitchen.
Kamal rocked the child carefully while Sanya jingled a spoon and made faces, trying to coax a laugh. Rudra watched them with wide, curious eyes. He did not recognise any of these people, but something in their gazes and their touch felt different—safe, steady, warm.
Bit by bit, the wariness faded from his expression. The tiny hands reached out, and a small, uncertain smile tugged at his lips. Under the stone ceiling of Dark Haven Fortress, the abandoned child began to enjoy, for the first time, the simple act of being played with.