Chapter 7: The Stone that Breathes Fire

The Dragon Cemetery was deathly silent.

Shiv walked carefully across scorched soil, past cracked skeletons of beasts so ancient their bones were fused to the earth. Each step into this place made the strange power in his chest stir — like a caged animal recognizing its den.

Then he saw it.

A towering monolith half-buried in stone, shaped like a coiled dragon rising skyward. Runes shimmered faintly along its surface — not in firelight, but something older, deeper.

He approached.

There was no wind. No birds. No movement.

Just the monument, pulsing faintly with an eerie rhythm.

Suddenly, the runes lit up — golden, red, and black intertwining like veins. The air grew heavy.

Shiv stopped in his tracks.

Then — a voice boomed from nowhere, deep and laced with cruel amusement.

"So… the little lizardling returns."

A wave of energy exploded from the monument. Shiv staggered back as the ground trembled. From its base, the light coalesced, twisting into the form of a man — no, a being. Twice Shiv's height, clad in cracked dragon-scale armor, skin like molten rock and serpentine eyes gleaming with malice.

He grinned, fangs visible.

"You have the scent of the Nāga-Tejas. The same power that once lit the sky with fire and ash. But you are unworthy. Pathetic."

Shiv stood firm. "Who… are you?"

The spirit laughed, voice like thunder cracking stone.

"I am no 'who,' mortal. I am what remains of the Guardian Flame — the will of the ancient Nāga-Master who forged this monument with blood and madness."

He extended a clawed hand toward the stone.

"Here lies the Serpent Sutra, the technique to bind your feeble Shakti Chakra to the eternal flame of Nāga-Tejas."

Shiv's eyes widened. "So it exists..."

"It does. But do not salivate just yet." The Guardian leaned forward, mocking. "You have two hours. Read. Memorize. Despair. Then, you fight me."

Shiv narrowed his eyes. "Why fight at all?"

The guardian bared his teeth.

"Because only pain makes truth real."

"Because knowledge stolen is worthless. It must be earned, through fire and ruin."

He turned, allowing Shiv to approach the monument.

"Impress me, child of a forgotten bloodline. If you do not, I will grind your bones into the ash this land feeds upon."

---

Shiv approached the monument.

Lines of script spiraled in ancient Sanskrit-like etchings, flowing across the stone like living veins. He began to study it, absorbing the logic of the technique.

It was more than a technique — it was philosophy and chaos bound together.

The Serpent Sutra described a way to redirect chakra flow not vertically, but inward, coiling it like a serpent — forcing it to spiral and clash with the Nāga-Tejas until harmony was born from violence. A method meant not to calm power… but to wrestle it into submission.

Shiv clenched his jaw.

"This isn't just training… it's a war inside the soul."

---

[Two Hours Later]

The Guardian stirred, molten energy swirling in his arms.

"Time's up, hatchling."

Shiv stood up from the base of the monument, eyes sharper.

"I'm ready."

"You're not. But it will be delightful to watch you break trying."

With a roar, the Guardian surged forward, claws tearing through the air, breath erupting in gouts of spectral flame.

Shiv rolled to the side, barely dodging.

He could feel it — the Nāga-Tejas inside him pulsing wildly, begging to be released.

"This is it," he thought. "Now or never."

He planted his feet.

He remembered the Sutra: Coil the energy. Let it bite. Let it burn. Until it listens.

He drew in a deep breath, rooted himself to the earth — and summoned the Nāga-Tejas.

At first, the power fought him — thrashing, wild. His veins felt like they were igniting.

But Shiv gritted his teeth.

"I am the will. You are the weapon."

He forced the chakra to spiral inward, letting it collide with the dragon energy — pain spiked through his nerves, but something clicked.

A surge of power exploded from his core.

The ground cracked beneath him.

The Muladhara — his Root Chakra — blazed open in a spiral of dark crimson light.

The Guardian stopped mid-charge.

"…You've done it?" he hissed.

"You've opened the gate?"

Shiv raised his hands — now pulsing with controlled Nāga-Tejas, coiled like a serpent around his arms.

He met the spirit's glare.

"Let's see if you still think I'm unworthy."

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