The night passed quietly in the outer district of Ujjaini.
Most of the city slept peacefully beneath the soft glow of lanterns and moonlight. Even the Rakshak patrols had grown quieter, moving through the streets with slow, careful vigilance.
Inside the small house near the market street, Aarav sat on the floor again.
His legs were crossed.
His breathing was steady.
His eyes were closed.
The room was silent.
But inside his mind—
Arivaan was observing carefully.
The faint system panel flickered beside his thoughts.
System Recovery: 38%
Host Training Protocol – Active
Arivaan leaned closer to the interface.
"…Interesting."
Aarav whispered sleepily inside the shared mind.
"What now?"
"You're improving."
The boy sighed.
"That's because you made me do push-ups."
Arivaan chuckled.
"That too."
But something else had caught his attention.
During the breathing exercises earlier—
Aarav's mind had stabilized unusually fast.
Most people took days to reach that level of focus.
This boy had done it in minutes.
The system panel flickered again.
Host Mental Stability: Above Average
Arivaan raised an eyebrow.
"…Well."
"That's unexpected."
Aarav opened one eye.
"What is?"
Arivaan considered the information carefully.
"You might actually be useful."
The boy frowned.
"That's not comforting."
Arivaan ignored the complaint.
Instead he focused on the system interface again.
A new message appeared.
Potential Host Trait Detected
Mental Aptitude: High
Arivaan leaned back mentally.
"…Now that's interesting."
Aarav sat up slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"It means your brain is unusual."
The boy blinked.
"Unusual how?"
Arivaan explained calmly.
"Your mental structure adapts faster than normal."
Aarav frowned.
"I don't understand."
Arivaan sighed.
"Your mind is… flexible."
The boy tilted his head.
"Is that good?"
Arivaan smiled faintly.
"For me?"
"Yes."
Aarav groaned.
"I knew it."
Testing the Theory
Arivaan studied the system panel again.
If Aarav truly had strong mental adaptability—
Then training him would accelerate the system's recovery.
Which meant more abilities unlocking sooner.
Arivaan leaned forward slightly.
"…Let's test something."
Aarav immediately looked suspicious.
"I don't like that sentence."
"Too bad."
Arivaan continued calmly.
"Close your eyes again."
The boy hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because this part requires focus."
Reluctantly—
Aarav obeyed.
His breathing slowed again.
The system panel flickered.
Host Meditation Mode – Active
Arivaan spoke softly.
"Imagine a flame."
Aarav frowned.
"…A flame?"
"Yes."
"Small."
"Steady."
"Not burning anything."
Just a simple mental image.
A small fire floating in darkness.
Aarav concentrated.
Inside his mind—
A tiny flicker of light appeared.
Arivaan blinked.
"…Already?"
Most beginners struggled to maintain visualizations.
But Aarav's flame remained stable.
Bright.
Clear.
The system panel flickered again.
Mental Visualization: Successful
Arivaan leaned closer.
"Now expand it."
The flame grew slightly.
The boy's concentration deepened.
The mental image strengthened.
Arivaan watched carefully.
"…Impressive."
Aarav opened his eyes slightly.
"Is that good?"
Arivaan nodded.
"Yes."
The boy smiled a little.
"Really?"
Arivaan leaned back mentally.
"Very."
Because visualization was the foundation of mental influence techniques.
If Aarav could control mental imagery easily—
Then learning system abilities would become much easier.
The panel flickered again.
Host Mental Aptitude: Confirmed
Training Efficiency Increased
Arivaan smiled faintly.
"Well."
"That solves a lot of problems."
Aarav frowned.
"What problems?"
Arivaan chuckled.
"The ones involving survival."
A Dangerous Discovery
But as the system panel stabilized—
Another line of information appeared.
Something unexpected.
Host Compatibility: Exceptional
Arivaan paused.
"…Wait."
Aarav blinked.
"What?"
Arivaan studied the message carefully.
This wasn't normal.
Most hosts had moderate compatibility with mental abilities.
Devika had been strong.
Varun had been disciplined.
But Aarav—
Was something else entirely.
The panel flickered again.
Potential Growth: Extremely High
Arivaan's smile slowly widened.
"Well."
"That's… interesting."
Aarav grew nervous.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Arivaan answered honestly.
"Because you might become very powerful."
The boy froze.
"…What?"
Arivaan leaned mentally closer.
"With the right training."
Aarav immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Yes."
"I don't want that!"
Arivaan chuckled quietly.
"That's not really your decision anymore."
Aarav glared internally.
"You're the worst."
Arivaan shrugged mentally.
"I've been called worse."
The system panel flickered one more time.
System Recovery: 40%
Arivaan nodded slowly.
"Good."
Because the fragment of his system had just discovered something incredibly valuable.
His new host wasn't just a hiding place.
Aarav had the potential to become something far more dangerous.
And if trained properly—
The Brainwashing Villain might return stronger than ever.