The shadows of the cavern flickered as torchlight danced against the walls. The scent of sweat, dirt, and blood filled the air as a dozen warriors entered the sacred space, their weapons crude but deadly stone tipped spears, sharpened bones, and primitive blades carved from obsidian. Their eyes locked onto the small figure lying at the heart of the chamber, their expressions shifting from awe to suspicion.
At the forefront stood a man unlike the others. His body was scarred, his muscles thick with the weight of countless battles. His fur-lined cloak swayed as he stepped forward, gripping a massive axe chipped with the remnants of past kills. His gaze bore into the newborn Emperor with the hardened instincts of a predator.
"A child?" the warrior muttered in the ancient tongue, his voice filled with scorn. "No. Not a child. The air hums with power here. The spirits scream. This thing... it is unnatural."
The others hesitated, their primitive minds sensing something beyond their understanding. But the leader was not a man of patience. He raised his axe, muscles tensing as he prepared to bring it down upon the supposed abomination.
Alex the Emperor felt no fear. He had no reason to. These men, with their primitive weapons and hardened bodies, were less than insects before him. He willed it, and the world obeyed.
A pulse of golden light erupted from his small frame, a tidal wave of psychic might that shattered the cavern's stillness. The leader's movements froze mid-swing, his limbs trembling as an invisible force seized his body. His eyes widened, the first true taste of terror creeping into his soul.
"You dare raise your hand against me?" Alex's voice echoed, though his lips had not moved. His words did not belong to the infant form he inhabited, nor to the language of men, it was a voice of command, of absolute dominion.
The warrior's axe slipped from his grasp. He fell to his knees, choking, his body contorting as if unseen hands were tearing at his very essence. Then, with a mere thought, Alex ended him.
The leader's body convulsed, his bones snapping as if crushed by the weight of the heavens. His eyes burned with golden fire for a brief, agonizing moment then, silence. His corpse slumped forward, smoke rising from his lifeless flesh.
The remaining warriors and women gasped in horror. Some screamed, others stumbled back. But not a single one ran. They had witnessed the impossible, and their primitive minds could not comprehend it.
Then, as if moved by an unseen force, the first of them dropped to his knees. Then another. And another.
"A god…" one of the women whispered, eyes wide with reverence.
"A child of the sky… a spirit of the old world…" another muttered, his voice shaking.
The realization spread like wildfire through the gathered crowd. This was not an ordinary child. This was something greater, something divine. They had come expecting to slay a demon, but instead, they had found a god.
Alex watched them bow, his golden eyes flickering with amusement and contemplation. These people had just proven their weakness before him, and now they groveled at his feet, seeking purpose, seeking guidance.
And he would give it to them.
"Take me to your village," he commanded, his voice neither harsh nor kind, but absolute.
The tribesmen wasted no time. The strongest among them carefully lifted his small body, cradling him with the same reverence they would a holy artifact. The procession moved quickly, their torches illuminating the path ahead as they departed from the sacred cavern. Their murmurs filled the air words of devotion, of worship, of newfound faith.
As they stepped out into the vast, untouched wilderness, Alex Carter the Emperor looked upon the world with new eyes.
He was no longer just a man from 2020. No longer merely a displaced soul in an infant's body. He was the beginning of something far greater. The dawn of a legend.
And mankind's future would be forged by his will alone.