Ch.35: The Forgotten Bloodline

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- Secret Underground Hideout, Calcutta -

- August 3, 1936 -

Aryan stood at the center of the dimly lit chamber, his gaze steady as he looked over the twelve individuals before him. The flickering oil lamps cast long shadows against the stone walls, but none of the recruits flinched. They had already made their choice.

He could see It in their eyes—the hardened resolve, the unspoken promise to stand beside him. They had joined willingly, not out of desperation but because they believed in what he represented.

Maheshvara.

For months, whispers of his name had spread like wildfire through the underground. A force beyond mortal understanding. A man who defied the empire with something far greater than weapons.

They weren't here for a rebellion. They were here for a revolution.

Aryan let the silence settle before speaking, his voice calm but carrying weight.

"You are here because you believe in something greater than yourselves. You've seen what we are up against. You've seen men with power use it to control, to oppress, to destroy. That ends now."

Shakti, standing at his side, unfolded her arms and stepped forward. Her green eyes held a sharp, commanding edge.

"I will train the women," she said. "You will learn to harness your strength, to move with precision, to fight with the kind of power that no one—man or empire—can stand against."

Some of the girls exchanged glances, nodding. They had already seen what she could do. The way she moved, the way she fought—it was like nothing they had ever witnessed before.

Beside Aryan, Karna stood still, his presence alone carrying a quiet authority. His moniker, Surya, was already spoken in hushed tones across the resistance. The warrior who fought like an unshakable force of nature.

"I will train the men," Karna said simply. "If you survive, you will be warriors in truth."

The weight of his words needed no embellishment. Those who trained under him would not merely learn how to fight. They would learn how to dominate the battlefield.

Aryan let the words settle before shifting his gaze to the five standing slightly apart from the others. Unlike the others, they bore no outward signs of power. But Aryan knew better.

"You five, come with me," he said.

The others did not question it as Aryan led the five deeper into the hideout, through a narrow passage that opened into a secluded chamber. Torches lined the walls, casting an amber glow over the cold stone floor.

Aryan watched their expressions closely—uncertainty, curiosity, and the flicker of disbelief. He expected it. What he was about to tell them would challenge everything they knew about themselves.

"You are different from the others," Aryan said. "Not mutants, not enhanced by magic. You carry something older in your blood—something hidden, waiting to be awakened."

One of them, a young man with sharp features, frowned. "Older? What do you mean?"

Aryan met his gaze evenly. "Long before recorded history, before the rise of human civilizations, another race walked this world. The Inhumans."

A scoff came from one of the women. "That sounds like a myth."

Aryan remained unfazed. "Most myths have roots in truth. Beyond the confines of our galaxy in which we are living–The Milky Way Galaxy. There exists some very advanced civilizations, some whose technologies are way beyond our current comprehension. One of them are Kree, an alien intergalactic empire, who came to Earth thousands of years ago. They experimented on early humans, altering their very essence, creating a new bloodline—one with potential far beyond ordinary men. But when their experiments failed to serve their purpose, they abandoned them."

Silence filled the chamber. Their skepticism was clear.

"You expect us to believe we're the result of some alien experiment?" the young man asked.

Aryan nodded. "Your genes are not like others. They have remained dormant for generations, passed down unknowingly through bloodlines, waiting for a catalyst. Terrigen is that catalyst."

The disbelief was still there, but now it wavered. The truth was unsettling, yet something in Aryan's words resonated with them. One of them, a woman who had remained quiet, finally spoke.

"If this is true… why haven't we heard of it before?"

Aryan's expression darkened slightly. "Because those who knew ensured that knowledge was buried. The Inhumans who awakened long ago built hidden cities, separating themselves from humanity. Those who remained among men lived and died without ever realizing what they were. You are their descendants."

The weight of his words settled over them. None of them spoke, but Aryan could see it—the slow realization creeping in, the possibility that everything they knew about themselves was incomplete.

Finally, the young man who had questioned him the most let out a slow breath. "And this Terrigen… it will show us the truth?"

Aryan opened his palm, revealing the glowing blue crystal. "It will awaken what has always been inside you."

The glow of the crystal seemed to resonate with something deep within them, though they did not yet understand why.

"This," Aryan continued, lifting the crystal slightly, "is Terrigen. A catalyst. When it touches you, it will make you undergo a process known as Terriginesis which will awaken what has always been inside you. But the transformation will not be gentle. It will not be painless."

One of them, a young man with sharp features, stepped forward. "What happens if we don't survive?"

Aryan met his gaze. "Then you were never meant to awaken."

A pause. Then, one by one, they nodded. None of them hesitated.

Aryan exhaled slowly and tightened his grip. With a sudden force, he crushed the crystal in his palm.

The chamber filled with a fine, luminous mist. The Terrigen particles swirled around them, sinking into their skin. Their eyes widened in shock as an unnatural sensation coursed through them—something ancient, something beyond their understanding.

Then, their bodies stiffened.

One by one, they collapsed to their knees as their flesh hardened, their forms encased in smooth, stone-like cocoons. The air buzzed with energy as the transformation took hold, the cocooned figures pulsing faintly with an otherworldly glow.

Aryan watched as the last of them was fully encased in their cocoons. He stepped back, waiting, expecting some sign of change. But nothing happened.

Seconds stretched into minutes. The cocoons remained still.

A memory surfaced from his past life—Terrigenesis was unpredictable. Some emerged within minutes, others took hours or even days. And not all survived. The transformation was not just a test of power but of the body's ability to adapt. Some would emerge stronger, others would never emerge at all.

His gaze lingered on the five forms before him. They had accepted the risk, but he wasn't willing to leave their fate entirely to chance. Afterall, they were potential recruits and assets for his future goals.

"System, is there a way to ensure their ideal and swift awakening?"

A familiar screen appeared along with a soft mechanical and female voice sounded in his mind.

| Affirmative. You can create an adaptive enhancement field to stabilize and accelerate the process. Cost: 10 MP per subject. |

Aryan did the math instantly—50 MP. A significant amount, but one he could afford. He exhaled, already making his decision.

"Do it."

The moment Aryan confirmed the command, a faint hum resonated through the chamber. An unseen force pulsed outward, settling over the cocoons like an invisible shroud. The air thickened, charged with energy, and for the first time since their formation, the cocoons reacted.

Cracks appeared—thin at first, then spreading like veins across the surface. A faint glow seeped through. The energy inside each cocoon shifted, fluctuating as if something within was stirring. Aryan remained still, watching closely.

Minutes passed. Then, the first one shattered.

A young man staggered forward, his body steaming as if he had just walked through fire. His skin shimmered briefly before returning to normal. He looked at his hands, then at Aryan, his breathing heavy.

Before he could speak, another cocoon burst apart. Then another. One by one, they emerged—changed.

The woman who had questioned him earlier blinked, her pupils no longer human but slitted like a predator's. Another, a man with an almost unnoticeable shift in his posture, now carried a presence that felt wrong, as if space itself bent subtly around him. One of them flexed his fingers, and the air around him distorted, bending light unnaturally.

They were different. Stronger.

Aryan let them take a moment, adjusting to what they had become. He saw the mixture of awe, fear, and realization in their eyes. They weren't the same people who had stepped into this chamber. They knew it.

Finally, he spoke.

"Welcome to your true selves."

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