The inner sanctum of the Palace of Ohm. Outside, the crowds are celebrating, but inside, it is quiet and thick with incense.
The air in the Great Hall of Ohm tasted of sandalwood and nervous sweat. King Arya Varma stood before the sacrificial fire, his shadow stretching long against the sandstone pillars. Beside him, his wife rested, pale but triumphant.
Three infants, wrapped in silk, lay silent—a rarity for newborns.
"Indra. Surya. Chandra," the King declared, his voice echoing toward the vaulted ceiling.
The Supreme General stood like a statue at the edge of the firelight, his hand never far from the hilt of his blade. He didn't join the cheering. He only looked up when the High Priest leaned in, the old man's breath smelling of bitter herbs.
"One rules the heavens," the priest whispered, his eyes fixed on the triplets. "One rules the sun. And the last... he rules the moon."
The General's grip tightened on his sword. In a land of one throne, three rulers sounded less like a blessing and more like a declaration of war.
The King and the General go to a private room.
The General is worried. He says, "The Gamma and Theta empires are pushing against our borders. We need to expand and conquer to survive. How can we do that with three healthy princes? They will fight each other for the throne."
The King sits in silence for two hours. He does not tell the Queen. He knows she would be too emotional to make a choice.
Finally, the King stands up. He looks at the General.
"Ohm needs a ruler of heaven," the King says. "Indra will be the heir."
The King makes a cold choice. To ensure Indra becomes the "Ruler of Heaven" without rivals, the other two brothers must disappear.
The King and the General carry out the plan in secret.
Surya is fed cactus poison. It paralyzes him. They take his body to the border and throw him into the river that flows into the Gamma Empire.
Chandra is fed poppy poison. It puts him into a deep, death-like sleep. They take him far away and leave him in the cold mountains of the Theta Empire.
Back in the palace, the secret is buried. Only the King, the General, and the Priest know the truth. The Queen is told very little, but she feels a constant, quiet worry in her heart. To the rest of the world, the other two princes no longer exist.
Indra is now the only heir to Ohm.
The King puts all his focus on Indra.
He hires the best teachers in the world to educate the boy. Indra learns strategy, history, and law. The King also brings in the greatest martial artists and top generals to train him. These generals teach Indra secret techniques that they never show to their own soldiers.
The Empire of Ohm is currently the weakest of the three. It is surrounded by the stronger Gamma and Theta empires. The King believes Ohm will be destroyed if it does not become a superpower soon.
The people do not know the truth about the other two brothers. They believe Indra is a "god-sent" child, born after many long rituals to save the empire. Indra grows up with the weight of the entire nation on his shoulders.
Indra grows up like a weapon, not a boy.
Because of his extreme training, he has no room for normal feelings. He does not know love, joy, or even sadness. He is empty inside. The only thing he understands is victory. To Indra, winning is the only way to exist.
He enters every martial arts tournament and every spar. He never loses. Not once.
By the age of 15, Indra is a legend. When he stands on the battlefield or the city walls, his presence alone changes everything. The soldiers feel stronger just looking at him. Because of Indra's talent and hard work, the Gamma and Theta empires can no longer easily invade. For the first time, the weak Empire of Ohm is fighting back.
The people of Ohm love him. They see a savior, but they do not realize he is a man with no heart.
When Indra turns 16, King Arya Varma dies. He coughs blood onto the palace floors and passes away.
The Supreme General is uneasy. He calls the Priest to a private room. "The King is dead," the General says. "Read the stars. Tell me what the future holds for Indra as our King."
The Priest performs the ritual and looks at the astrological charts. His face goes pale. The General looks at the prediction and is shocked.
The future is not a story of a long reign or a simple defeat. It is a mix of a surprise and pure hatred. But the most terrifying part is the timing. According to the stars, the prophecy for Indra ended a year ago.
Indra was supposed to die at the age of 15.
He is a walking ghost. He is living a life that the stars say he shouldn't have.