Night had fallen over the Forgotten Isle.
A silver moon hung above the sea, casting pale light across the cliffs and ancient forests. Waves crashed endlessly against the black rocks below, while the wind carried the scent of pine and salt through the mountain paths.
Inside the Ironwood Forest, Rudra slowly opened his eyes.
He was back.
The towering darkness of the Sovereign Tower was gone.
The stone arena had vanished.
Once again, he stood beneath the ancient trees, his small body trembling.
For a moment, he wondered if it had all been a dream.
Then a warm pulse came from the black pendant resting against his chest.
It was real.
Very real.
The knowledge from the first floor remained in his mind.
The Body Tempering Art – First Layer.
Ancient words and symbols floated through his thoughts like stars in a dark sky.
Breathing cycles.
Meridian pathways.
Bone refinement.
Muscle strengthening.
It was unlike anything a two-year-old child should understand.
Yet the knowledge felt natural.
As if it had always belonged to him.
Rudra slowly looked down at his small hands.
He could still feel the warmth left behind by the tower's reward.
His body felt stronger than before.
Lighter.
Sharper.
Even the cut on his arm from the spirit wolf had nearly closed.
A soft crunch of leaves echoed behind him.
Rudra turned quickly.
From the shadows stepped Lord Vajra Sen.
The Iron Warlord's sharp eyes fell first upon the pendant, then on the boy.
"So it has begun."
Rudra blinked.
"Master?"
Vajra Sen walked closer and knelt before him.
"What did you see?"
Rudra hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly.
"A tower."
The warlord's expression did not change, but his eyes sharpened.
"A tower with many floors."
The night wind howled through the trees.
For a long moment, Vajra Sen remained silent.
Then he placed a hand on Rudra's shoulder.
"Come."
Back in the island's central courtyard, all ten ancient lords had gathered.
Moonlight bathed the stone platform in silver.
Grandmaster Azrael stood at the centre, hands folded behind his back.
Lady Nivara's silver eyes fell upon the pendant.
"The ancient inheritance has awakened sooner than expected."
Sage Orion looked toward the stars.
"The heavens are moving."
Lord Veyr crossed his arms.
"Then the boy's fate will no longer remain hidden."
Rudra stood in the middle of them, feeling very small beneath their overwhelming presence.
Grandmaster Azrael stepped forward.
"Rudra."
His voice was calm yet carried the weight of an era.
"The pendant you carry is no ordinary heirloom."
He paused.
"It is an ancient sovereign inheritance."
Rudra looked down at the black stone.
"This pendant contains a path that may one day surpass even us."
His breath caught.
Even surpass the ten masters?
Vajra Sen's voice cut through the silence.
"But first, you must survive the first cultivation."
He motioned toward the stone courtyard.
A circular formation array had already been drawn across the floor.
Ancient symbols glowed faintly in moonlight.
"This is where your cultivation begins."
Rudra stepped into the centre.
His heart raced.
This moment felt different.
Bigger.
The true beginning.
Vajra Sen spoke in a commanding tone.
"Sit."
Rudra obeyed.
"Close your eyes."
He did.
"Now remember the technique."
The body-tempering art surfaced in his mind.
Golden words.
Ancient breathing patterns.
Energy circulation routes.
"Follow your breath."
Rudra inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
Again.
Again.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
A faint warmth gathered in his lower abdomen.
His eyes widened.
He could feel it.
A tiny thread of spiritual energy.
Lady Elyra gasped softly.
"He sensed spiritual qi on his first attempt?"
Even Lord Veyr's cold expression shifted.
Grandmaster Azrael's gaze deepened.
"His talent is extraordinary."
Vajra Sen remained silent, but inwardly, even he was surprised.
Rudra followed the technique exactly.
He guided the warm thread through his body.
First to his arms.
Then his chest.
Then his legs.
Pain suddenly erupted.
His bones felt as though they were being crushed.
His muscles burnt.
Sweat poured down his face.
Rudra gritted his teeth.
He wanted to cry out.
But he endured.
The Iron Warlord's voice thundered in his mind.
"Strength is forged in pain."
Rudra clenched his fists.
No.
He would not stop.
The warmth grew stronger.
The pain intensified.
Then—
A loud crack echoed from within his body.
A wave of spiritual energy burst outward.
The runes beneath him lit up.
The surrounding masters all looked on with surprise.
Vajra Sen slowly nodded.
"He has entered the first layer of body tempering."
The words struck Rudra like thunder.
He had done it.
At only two years old.
A smile slowly formed on his face.
For the first time since the river carried him away—
He felt hope.
Real hope.
Far beneath his robes, the pendant glowed once more.
Deep within the Sovereign Tower—
The second floor's gate trembled.
As if waiting for him.
His cultivation path had officially begun.
The