"They say... swans cannot live without their mate...
"Perhaps that is why... they are the most loyal.
"But humans are different…In this world, the one who becomes the strongest is the one who walks their own path..."
The academy cafeteria was loud and chaotic. Students were aggressively talking about the upcoming Aether Hunt, forming alliances, and sizing each other up.
In the corner of the massive dining hall, Kanha and Sambhab were already sitting at a table. True to his nature, Kanha was doing his nonsence. He had stacked fifteen empty juice boxes into a wobbly tower and was trying to balance a spoon on top of it.
"Kanha, you are embarrassing me," Sambhab muttered, hiding his face behind a thick textbook. "People are staring."
"Let them stare, Sammy!" Kanha laughed, sticking his tongue out in concentration. "This requires ultimate focus"
"Hey."
The tower of juice boxes collapsed as Karma and Daizy walked up to their table. Kanha groaned at the mess, but his face lit up when he saw them.
"Ah! The lovebirds!" Kanha grinned, kicking two chairs out for them. "Come, sit! Have you guys figured out your team for the Hunt yet?"
Karma sat down, his expression serious. Daizy sat gracefully beside him. "That's exactly why we are here," Karma said. "Professor Agni said we need a team of four. You two are the strongest guys I know. Let's team up."
Sambhab slowly lowered his textbook. His sharp eyes scanned Karma. "A team is only as strong as its weakest link," Sambhab said coldly, entirely focused on logic. "Kanha and I have battle experience. Daizy is a high-level healer every team needs one. But you, Karma... your 1st Chakra is unstable. In the Mirror Dimension, you will be a liability."
Daizy frowned, her eyes flashing with anger. "Sambhab, don't talk to him like…"
"No, Daizy. He's right," Karma interrupted quietly, looking down at his own bruised hands. He remembered Sera's terrifying purple illusion in the hallway. He remembered feeling completely helpless. "I am weak right now."
"Abe, shut up both of you!" Kanha slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone. His goofy smile was gone, replaced by a confident, absolute smirk.
He looked at Sambhab. "Sammy, you saw him dodge that old monster in the library. He has instincts. And as for firepower? Don't worry. Your bro has enough firepower for the whole team."
Karma looked at Kanha. "I wanted to ask about that. In the Mirror Dimension... you touched a massive stone pillar, and it just shrank into a stick. How did you do that?"
Kanha's smirk widened. He picked up a small metal spoon from the table.
"I didn't want to show off on the first day," Kanha whispered, leaning in so only the four of them could hear. "But since we are officially a team now... I have already awakened my 3rd Chakra. I have my Signature Skill."
Sambhab sighed, though he looked secretly impressed. Daizy's eyes widened in shock. Most students didn't unlock their 3rd Chakra until their second or third year.
"My ability is Matter Manipulation," Kanha explained. His orange Pran energy briefly flared around his fingers. He tapped the metal spoon.
Instantly, the spoon expanded, growing into a massive, heavy iron ladle the size of a baseball bat. Karma jumped back in his chair. Then, Kanha tapped it again, and it shrank down to the size of a tiny toothpick.
"I can alter the size of any object," Kanha grinned, tossing the tiny toothpick spoon into the air and catching it. "I can make things huge or incredibly small. But there are rules. First, it doesn't work on living things—I can't shrink humans or beasts. Second, I have to physically touch the object. And third, there is a limit. I can't make a pebble the size of a mountain, otherwise my Chakra core will crack. But a falling pillar? Easy."
Karma stared at the tiny spoon in Kanha's hand.
He is a monster, Karma thought, a heavy feeling settling in his chest. Kanha has a 3rd Chakra ability. Sera has her Illusions. Sambhab can shatter beasts with a single kick. Daizy can heal fatal wounds.
And what am I? Just a boy with a leaking aura and a broken martial art.
"We are a team," Kanha declared, breaking Karma out of his thoughts. "The Core Four. We are going to dominate that Hunt."
Karma forced a smile and nodded. But deep inside, a fire of frustration and determination had been ignited.
The Midnight Hell
The academy clock tower struck midnight. The halls of Vedas Heritage were pitch black and completely silent.
Karma slipped out of his dorm room, wearing loose training clothes. Every step he took sent a dull ache through his bruised ribs, but he ignored it. He navigated the shadows, sneaking past the night guards until he reached the grand doors of the library.
He pushed the heavy oak doors open.
Inside, the library was dark, illuminated only by the pale moonlight streaming through the tall windows. Sitting in the center of the room, on a simple wooden chair, was Lord Rudra.
The Ultimate King was not reading a magazine this time. He was sitting with his eyes closed, his breathing slow and rhythmic.
"You are exactly four minutes late, boy," Rudra's deep, echoing voice broke the silence. He didn't even open his eyes.
Karma stopped walking. "You knew I would come?"
"I saw the look in your eyes this afternoon," Rudra said, slowly opening his eyes. They glowed with a faint, terrifying Pran Energy. "You met your friends. You realized the massive gap in power between you and them. You realized that if you go into the Mirror Dimension as you are... you will die. Or worse, you will get the healer girl killed trying to protect you."
Karma flinched. The old man's words hit him right in the heart. He clenched his fists and bowed deeply.
"Teach me, Lord Rudra," Karma pleaded, his voice thick with emotion. "Please. My 1st Chakra is leaking. My father's Storm Hand Style is too fast for my body to handle. If I don't get stronger... Sera will take my mind, or the beasts will take my life. I don't want to be protected anymore."
Lord Rudra stood up. He walked slowly toward Karma, his massive presence making the air in the library feel incredibly heavy.
"The Storm Hand Style is a cursed technique, Karma," Rudra warned, his tone deadly serious. "It forces your body to move faster than your muscles can physically bear. If you use it with an unstable Chakra corem, your bones will snap under the pressure. To master it, I have to break your physical limits. The pain will be beyond anything you have ever felt. You will beg me to stop."
Karma looked up, his eyes burning with absolute resolve. The teal aura of his unstable 1st Chakra flickered wildly around his body, fighting to be controlled.
"Then break my bones," Karma said without a single trace of hesitation. "Break them, and teach me how to put them back together. I am ready."
Lord Rudra stared at the boy for a long moment. Then, a terrifying, wide grin spread across the Ultimate King's face.
"Good," Rudra whispered.
SNAP.
Rudra snapped his fingers. The heavy wooden tables and chairs in the library were instantly thrown against the walls by an invisible force, clearing a massive empty space in the center of the room.
Rudra took off his oversized sweater, revealing arms covered in ancient, glowing Pran tattoos. He took a battle stance, and the entire library shook.
"Let the hell begin. Attack me, Karma. Do not stop until you pass out!"
With a roar of raw emotion, Karma lunged forward, his fists glowing teal, launching himself straight into the storm.
The center of the grand library was completely cleared, the heavy wooden tables pushed against the walls by Lord Rudra's invisible force. The moonlight streaming through the windows illuminated the dust floating in the air.
Karma stood breathing heavily, his teal aura flickering wildly like a dying candle. Without a word, he lunged.
Using the explosive speed of his father's Storm Hand Style, Karma vanished from his spot. In a fraction of a second, he reappeared directly behind Lord Rudra. Karma had picked up a thick, broken piece of wood from one of the shattered chairs. He swung it with all his might, aiming straight for the old man's shoulder.
CRACK!
Lord Rudra didn't even turn around. He simply raised one hand backward and caught the thick wooden stick in his bare palm. With a casual flick of his wrist, Rudra snapped the solid wood in half as if it were a dry twig.
"Too slow," Rudra said, his voice echoing in the silent room.
Karma's eyes widened, but the fear was quickly swallowed by a burning, blinding rage. He thought of Sera's terrifying purple illusion. He thought of Kanha's massive power, and Daizy stepping in front of him to protect him. I am tired of being weak! Karma's mind screamed.
Like a madman, Karma attacked again. He abandoned all defense. He grabbed the two broken halves of the wood, gripping them tightly. He thrust one jagged, sharp end directly toward Lord Rudra's neck in a desperate stabbing motion.
Rudra sighed. He slightly tilted his head. The sharp wood missed his neck by a mere millimeter.
Before Karma could pull his arm back, Rudra tapped the underside of Karma's wrist. Karma gasped as his hand went completely numb, dropping the wood.
But Karma refused to stop. He grabbed a longer, heavier piece of debris from the floor. He gripped it with both hands, changing his stance. This time, he didn't attack like a street brawler. He held the wood like a traditional sword, channeling a hidden blade technique from the Storm Hand Style.
He leaped into the air, bringing the makeshift sword down with crushing force, his teal Pran energy wrapping around the wood.
"Better," Rudra muttered. "But still foolish."
Rudra didn't dodge this time. He raised his index finger. Just one finger.
The heavy, energy-infused wooden sword slammed into Rudra's fingertip. It didn't cut him. It didn't even push his finger down. Instead, the sheer, dense pressure of Rudra's hidden Pran Energy caused the wood to violently shatter into a hundred splinters.
Karma was left holding nothing but empty air.
Before Karma could even blink, Rudra moved. It wasn't fast; it was instant. Rudra's palm struck the center of Karma's chest. It wasn't a hard punch, but the impact felt like a cannonball.
Karma choked on his own breath. His legs gave out instantly, and he crashed heavily to his knees on the cold marble floor. He coughed violently, clutching his chest, completely defeated.
Rudra stood over him, looking down with cold, calculating eyes.
"Do you know why you lost, boy?" Rudra asked, his voice sharp and demanding. "You have speed. You have a dangerous martial art. But your attacks were as predictable as a ticking clock."
Karma looked up, panting, sweat dripping from his chin. "I... I tried to hit you..."
"You fought with blind rage!" Rudra barked, his voice booming. "You let your fear of being weak control your fists. Anger makes a fighter sloppy. The Storm Hand Style requires the calm precision of the eye of a hurricane. If you attack like a madman, any decent Pranist will read your movements and kill you in seconds."
Karma lowered his head, his fists trembling against the floor. He knew the old man was right.
"Enough physical fighting," Rudra commanded, taking a step back. "Sit cross-legged. Keep your back completely straight. Close your eyes and shut your mouth. It is time to look inward."
Karma wiped the sweat from his face and slowly forced his aching body into a meditative position. He closed his eyes, taking deep, shaky breaths.
"Listen to my voice," Rudra instructed, stepping into the role of a true master. "Right now, your Pran Energy is leaking out of your body like water from a broken cup. That is why you have that weak teal glow around you. To control it, you must look inside your own soul."
The library grew dead silent. Karma focused entirely on the darkness behind his closed eyelids.
"Deep inside your chest," Rudra's voice drifted through the air, "you will see a sphere. A glowing blue circle. That is your 1st Chakra Core. Once you find it, you must mentally grab the raw Pran Energy flowing randomly in your veins, pull it toward that circle, and force it to revolve around the core like rings around a planet."
Rudra crossed his arms, looking at the boy. "Do not get frustrated. Finding the internal core is the hardest step for a beginner. Even average students from elite Pranist families take one to two full days of non-stop meditation just to catch a glimpse of that blue circle. Take your time…."
"I see it," Karma interrupted. His voice was incredibly quiet, almost a whisper, but it cut through the room clearly.
Rudra froze. His eyes widened in genuine shock. Impossible, old man rudra thought. It hasn't even been sixty seconds.
Karma kept his eyes tightly shut. In the darkness of his mind, he wasn't looking at a perfect, beautiful blue sphere.
"I see it... but it's not a normal circle," Karma murmured, his eyebrows twitching in concentration and a little bit of pain. "It's glowing teal, not blue. And... it's broken. It looks like a cracked glass marble. Half of it is shattered, and the energy is bleeding out through the cracks."
Lord Rudra took a sharp breath, stepping closer to the meditating boy. Rudra had seen many things in his long life, but a student visualizing their own Chakra core in under a minute was unheard of. Furthermore, Karma's description was horrifyingly accurate. His core was literally cracked from the trauma of his past and the sudden forced awakening.
If that core shattered completely, Karma would die.
Rudra's expression turned dead serious. He knelt down in front of Karma, his voice dropping to a low, intense whisper.
"Listen to me very carefully, Karma. If that core breaks, you will not survive the night. We are skipping the basics. I am going to teach you the next step right now. You are going to forge a bandage out of your life force.
Karma took a deep, shaky breath and gripped his knees. In his mind's eye, he reached out and grabbed the wild, leaking teal energy.
The moment he pulled it toward the cracked core, his entire body convulsed.
"AGH!" Karma screamed, his eyes flying open, but he saw nothing but blinding white pain.
Rudra was right. It felt like a thousand burning needles were piercing his chest all at once. Every muscle in his body tightened until they felt like snapping cables. He wanted to collapse. He wanted to curl up on the floor and pass out.
"I am tired of being weak," Karma's own voice echoed in his mind. He remembered Daizy stepping in front of Sera to protect him. He remembered Kanha fighting the Giant Beast alone.
Karma squeezed his eyes shut again. He forced himself to ignore the excruciating pain. I will not be a burden!
With a roar of pure willpower, Karma grabbed the bleeding teal energy and wrapped it violently around the shattered core. It burned, it tore, but he kept weaving it. Round and round, binding the broken pieces together. The sick, flickering teal light slowly began to compress. The cracks sealed under the pressure of his own determination.
Suddenly, the unbearable pain vanished.
A deep, powerful thrum echoed in Karma's chest, like the beating of a second heart.
Karma slowly opened his eyes. The wild, leaking aura that had surrounded him all day was completely gone. Instead, a calm, incredibly dense, and beautiful teal glow radiated a few inches from his skin.
He took a breath. The air felt different. He felt different.
Karma slowly stood up from the marble floor. He looked down at his hands. The heavy, bruised, and exhausted feeling that had weighed him down since the morning was entirely erased. His body felt impossibly light, as if gravity had lost its grip on him.
"My body..." Karma whispered, clenching his fists. "It feels like a feather. But there is so much power inside..."
"Your 1st Chakra is finally stabilized," Lord Rudra said, standing up and crossing his arms. He looked at the boy with a hidden glimmer of pride. "The 1st Chakra enhances basic energy flow. Your muscles, your bones, and your senses have evolved past human limits."
Karma looked at the solid stone wall of the library. He wanted to test it. He took a deep breath, slipping naturally into his father's Storm Hand Style stance. But this time, he wasn't driven by blind rage. He was perfectly calm.
Whoosh!
Karma launched a Taekwondo roundhouse kick. He didn't even put his full effort into it. His leg moved so fast it created a sharp whistling sound in the air.
BOOM!
His heel struck the solid stone wall. The impact echoed like a gunshot.
Karma pulled his leg back and gasped. A massive, spiderweb-like crack had spread across the thick stone surface. Dust crumbled from the ceiling. Just hours ago, hitting that wall would have shattered his leg. Now, the wall broke first.
"Whoa..." Karma breathed, staring at the destruction. "Did I just do that?"
Suddenly, a sharp, deadly whistling sound cut through the air behind him.
Lord Rudra had silently picked up a sharp, metal letter opener from his desk. Without any warning, he threw it with terrifying speed directly at Karma's right eye.
Karma's back was turned. He couldn't see it coming.
But his newly awakened 1st Chakra didn't need eyes. His enhanced senses felt the shift in the air pressure. Before Karma's conscious mind even registered the danger, his body moved entirely on its own.
Karma casually tilted his head to the left.
Thwack!
The sharp metal letter opener missed his eye by a millimeter and buried itself deep into the stone wall right beside his head.
Karma froze, looking at the vibrating metal blade next to his face. He slowly turned around, his heart pounding.
Lord Rudra stood there, a genuine, wide smile on his wrinkled face. He began to clap slowly.
"Excellent," Rudra praised, his voice echoing in the quiet library. "Your instincts are fully awakened. Your body will now react to danger faster than your brain can process it. You have officially stepped into the world of Pranists, Karma. Now you are a pranist.
Karma let out a shaky breath, a massive smile of relief and excitement finally breaking across his face. He had done it. He was no longer defenseless.
Rudra turned around, picking up his oversized sweater and throwing it over his shoulders. "Your training for today is complete, boy. Go back to your dorm and rest. Your body needs to adjust to the stabilized core."
As Rudra walked toward the grand doors, he stopped for a moment, his back turned to Karma. The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy and serious.
"Listen to me, Karma," Rudra said softly, his tone carrying an ominous weight. "The path you have chosen is covered in blood and shadows. Swear to me... never skip your training. Practice the Storm Hand Style every single night. Even if I am not here to teach you."
Karma frowned, sensing the strange sadness in the old man's voice. "What do you mean? Are you going somewhere, sir….?"
The heavy tension lingered for a second... and then completely vanished.
Rudra glanced over his shoulder, his lazy, annoying librarian persona returning instantly. He pointed a finger at the heavily cracked stone wall.
"Because if you don't train, you'll be too weak to do part-time jobs!" Rudra yelled, waving his hands dramatically. "Look at what you did to my beautiful library! You broke a heritage wall! The repair bill is going straight to your student account, you reckless brat!"
Karma's jaw dropped. The epic, heroic feeling instantly evaporated. "Wait! What?! You were the one who told me to attack you! And you threw a knife at my face!"
"I am an old, fragile man!" Rudra fake-cried, rushing out the doors. "I know nothing! Pay the bill, or I'm telling Principal Vardhan!"
The heavy oak doors slammed shut, leaving Karma alone in the dusty library.
Karma stared at the massive crack in the wall, then looked down at his empty pockets. He was a first-year student. He didn't even have enough money to buy extra canteen food, let alone repair ancient stonework.
"I'm bankrupt," Karma groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I finally get superpowers, and I'm instantly bankrupt.
The morning sun beat down harshly on the grand outdoor training arena of Vedas Heritage. The entire first-year class stood in their newly formed teams, looking nervous.
Standing in the center of the arena was Professor Agni. He didn't have a textbook today. Instead, his dark military uniform fluttered as a wave of intense, suffocating heat rolled off his body.
"Listen carefully!" Professor Agni's deep voice boomed over the whispers. "The Aether Hunt is not a game. To survive the Mirror Dimension, you need teamwork. Today, we will have a practice fight. But we won't be using dull training dummies."
Professor Agni raised his hands. A blinding, fiery-orange aura exploded from his body.
"I am a 5th Chakra Awakener," Agni announced, his eyes glowing like hot coals. "My Signature Skill allows me to manipulate and create pure elemental fire. Survive this, and maybe you'll survive the Hunt."
He slammed his hands onto the dirt. FWOOSH! Pillars of flame erupted from the ground all around the arena. The fire twisted and morphed, solidifying into terrifying, roaring Fire Beasts—flaming wolves, burning tigers, and massive, fiery bears. The heat was unbearable.
"Begin!" Agni roared.
Panic erupted. Teams scattered, desperately trying to defend themselves.
In the corner of the arena, Kanha was frantically looking around, totally ignoring the flaming wolf charging at him.
"Sirrrrrrrrrrrr...(dramatically)!" Kanha yelled, waving his hands. "Wait a minute! Time out! My best friend Karma hasn't arrived yet! He probably overslept! Just pause the beasts for five minutes!"
"In a real hunt, beasts don't wait for latecomers, fool!" Agni shouted back, not stopping the attack.
A Fire Wolf lunged straight for Kanha's face.
Before it could hit him, Sambhab moved. His legs glowed with a sharp, brilliant blue Pran energy. With a swift, flawless high kick, Sambhab struck the side of the Fire Wolf's head. The force of the blow shattered the beast into harmless sparks.
"Stop complaining and fight, Kanha!" Sambhab scolded, landing gracefully. "If he's late, we fight without him!"
Behind them, Daizy stood with her hands clasped together. A soft, pale-green Pran barrier surrounded her body. She was breathing heavily, the heat making her sweat.
Daizy watched Sambhab and Kanha fight, feeling a deep knot of frustration in her chest. I am only a 2nd Chakra Awakener, she thought, her eyes tracking the dangerous beasts. Currently,My healing isn't absolute yet. If someone gets cut, I can stop the bleeding. If a muscle tears, I can repair it. But if one of these beasts crushes my bones or burns off a limb... I can't regenerate it. I have no combat ability.
She felt helpless. She just had to stay alive and wait to heal her teammates.
"Oh, you want to play rough, Professor?" Kanha laughed, his battle-thirst waking up.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny, thin wooden toothpick. His chaotic orange Chakra flared. He tapped the toothpick, and his Matter Manipulation activated.
In the blink of an eye, the tiny toothpick expanded into a massive, heavy wooden log the size of a telephone pole! Kanha grabbed it with both hands, swinging it like a giant baseball bat.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Kanha completely flattened three Fire Tigers in a single, sweeping strike.
"Take that!" Kanha cheered.
But Professor Agni just smirked. He snapped his fingers, and from the ashes of the crushed tigers, six more Fire Beasts instantly spawned.
"Oh, come on!" Kanha groaned.
Suddenly, a massive, twelve-foot-tall Fire Bear materialized right behind Kanha and Sambhab. It didn't look at them. Its burning, hollow eyes locked directly onto the weakest target: Daizy.
The Fire Bear let out a deafening roar and charged straight at her, its massive flaming claws raised high.
Daizy's eyes widened in terror. She raised her glowing green hands, but she knew her weak barrier wouldn't stop a beast of that size. If that hits me, I'm dead, she realized, her heart stopping.
Kanha turned his head and saw the danger. He was too far away, and his heavy log was too slow to swing in time.
"Sammy! Save her!" Kanha screamed in panic. "You're closer!"
Sambhab spun around, his eyes widening. He pushed Pran energy into his legs, but even with his speed, he was a split second too late. The flaming claws were already coming down on Daizy.
Daizy squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the burning agony.
WHOOSH!
A fierce, high-speed gust of wind blew through the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Daizy didn't feel any fire. She didn't feel any pain.
She slowly opened her eyes. Standing directly in front of her, with his back turned, was a boy with messy hair. A dense, perfectly stable, and beautiful teal aura wrapped around his body like a calm storm.
It was Karma.
In his right hand, he held a dark, polished wooden sword (bokken).
With a single, lightning-fast swing fueled by the Storm Hand Style, Karma hadn't just blocked the massive Fire Bear. He had sliced completely through it. The twelve-foot beast was cut perfectly in half, its fiery body splitting down the middle before dissolving into harmless smoke.
The entire arena seemed to freeze. Students from other teams stopped fighting just to stare.
Professor Agni raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by the clean, perfectly executed strike.
Sambhab skidded to a halt, his jaw slightly open. "His aura... it's not leaking anymore. It's incredibly dense!"
My brother has arrived!" Kanha yelled, throwing his giant log to the ground and cheering like a fanboy. "Look at that badash entry!"
Karma lowered his stance, letting out a calm breath. The panic and fear he used to carry were completely gone. He turned his head slightly, giving Daizy a gentle, reassuring smile.
"Sorry I'm late," Karma said softly. "Are you hurt?"
Daizy stared at him, her heart skipping a beat. The boy who was terrified yesterday was now standing in front of her like an unbreakable shield. She shook her head, a warm smile spreading across her face. "No. You were right on time."
Kanha ran over, looking at the dark wooden sword in Karma's hand. "Bro, where did you get that awesome sword? I thought you fought with your bare hands!"
Karma sweatdropped, a slight blush of embarrassment on his face.
(Flashback to earlier that morning: Karma was almost crying in the library, holding the massive repair bill for the broken wall. Lord Rudra had rolled his eyes, muttered something about "broke, annoying kids," and threw a high-quality, Pran-conductive wooden training sword at Karma's head out of pure pity, telling him to use it to channel his power safely.)
"Uh... a kind old man gave it to me," Karma lied smoothly, gripping the hilt. He looked past his team, his teal eyes locking directly onto Professor Agni.
Karma raised the wooden sword, his perfectly stabilized 1st Chakra flaring to life.
"Kanha, Sambhab, Daizy," Karma said, his voice ringing with newfound leadership. "Let's clear this arena.
The training arena was a battlefield of smoke and scattered embers. For the first five minutes, the Core Four dominated. Sambhab's lightning-fast blue kicks shattered the Fire Wolves. Kanha's enlarged wooden log flattened the Fire Tigers. And Karma, moving with the fluid, calm speed of his stabilized Storm Hand weapon style, sliced through any beast that dared to get close to Daizy.
They were a perfect, balanced unit.
Standing on the elevated VIP balcony overlooking the arena, Professor Agni crossed his muscular arms. A slow, impressed smirk spread across his scarred face.
"Not bad for first-years," Agni muttered. His fiery orange Pran energy began to flare violently around him again. "But let's see how they handle a real nightmare."
Agni slammed his boot into the ground. The scattered flames and ashes across the entire arena suddenly dragged themselves to the center. The remaining Fire Beasts melted together, spiraling upward into a massive, blinding tornado of fire.
When the flames settled, a colossal Fire Titan stood in the center of the arena. It was thirty feet tall, radiating a heat so intense that the ground beneath its feet turned to black glass.
Down in the arena, Kanha dropped his heavy log, his jaw hitting the dirt.
"bastard Professor..." Kanha cursed, his eyes wide with absolute horror. What did you do?! That's not a test, that's a boss fight!"
Sambhab immediately stepped forward, his analytical mind racing. He wiped sweat from his forehead, his blue aura flaring to its maximum limit.
"Stop complaining, Kanha. Our target is incredibly huge," Sambhab ordered, taking charge as the tactician. He looked back at the team. "Daizy, stay strictly behind me. Do not step forward. If Kanha or I get hit, you heal us instantly."
Sambhab then looked at Karma, his sharp eyes locking onto the calm boy with the wooden sword. "Karma, your speed is our absolute defense. Your only job is to protect Daizy. Do not let a single spark touch her. Kanha and I will take the vanguard and attack!"
Karma gripped his dark wooden bokken tightly, his dense teal aura glowing steadily. He nodded, stepping backward until he was standing right in front of Daizy, acting as an unbreakable shield.
"Let's go, Sammy!" Kanha roared.
Kanha pulled out another toothpick. His chaotic orange Chakra surged into it. As he sprinted toward the towering Fire Titan, he tapped the wood. It instantly expanded into a massive, heavy battering ram. Sambhab ran right beside him, his legs trailing bright blue light.
High up on the VIP balcony, Professor Agni watched them charge. He gave a small, evil smile.
Standing quietly in the shadows right next to the Professor was Sera. She looked down at the arena, her purple eyes completely fixated on Karma and Daizy. She saw how Karma stood protectively in front of her step-sister. A dark, bitter jealousy twisted in Sera's chest.
"They think brute force is enough," Sera whispered, her voice dripping with venom "It won't end this quickly".
Down below, Kanha leaped high into the air. With a massive scream of effort, he swung his giant wooden ram directly into the chest of the Fire Titan. Sambhab followed up instantly, delivering a devastating Pran-infused kick to the beast's knee.
BOOM!
A massive explosion of fire and shockwaves rocked the arena. The other students cheered wildly, thinking the giant beast was defeated.
But from the smoke, Professor Agni's evil smile widened.
Kanha's eyes widened in shock. His massive wooden weapon hadn't crushed the beast. The intense, concentrated heat of the 5th Chakra Fire Titan was too much. The giant wooden ram caught fire and instantly burned to black ash in Kanha's hands.
The Fire Titan roared, swatting Kanha and Sambhab away with a massive wave of heat. But the real danger was the weapon. The burning, heavy pieces of Kanha's destroyed log were launched high into the air like flaming meteors.
And they were raining down directly toward Daizy.
Daizy looked up at the sky. A massive, burning chunk of wood the size of a car was falling straight toward her.
Karma, be careful!" Daizy cried out, her voice trembling.
Karma didn't look back. He didn't flinch. He planted his feet firmly into the dirt. His teal Pran Energy exploded, wrapping not just around his body, but surging directly into the dark wooden sword Lord Rudra had given him.
"don't worry!" Karma replied, his voice incredibly smooth, calm, and filled with absolute confidence. He tilted his head slightly, looking at Daizy over his shoulder. " I WILL BE YOUR SWORD"
Karma faced the falling fire. He unleashed the true speed of the Storm Hand Style. He didn't just swing once; his arm became a blur.
Swish! Slash! Snik!
Ten high-speed strikes cut through the air. The massive, burning chunk of wood was sliced into tiny, harmless pieces of ash before it could even get within five feet of Daizy. Karma's defense was absolute.
But the Fire Titan was preparing another massive attack. Karma knew Sambhab and Kanha couldn't get close without their weapons burning up.
Karma looked at his dark wooden sword. It wasn't normal wood. It was infused with Lord Rudra's ancient energy. It didn't burn.
"Kanha!" Karma roared at the top of his lungs.
He spun around and did something completely unexpected. Karma threw his only weapon, the Pran-infused bokken, spinning through the air straight toward Kanha.
Everyone in the arena gasped. Giving up your weapon in front of a monster was suicide!
But Kanha saw it coming. A wild, crazy grin spread across his face. "Oh, you absolute genius!"
Kanha jumped up and caught the hilt of Karma's sword mid-air. The moment his hands touched it, Kanha activated his 3rd Chakra.
"Matter Manipulation: Maximum Expansion!" Kanha yelled.
Because the sword was already infused with Karma's dense teal Pran Energy, it didn't just grow—it evolved. The normal-sized wooden sword instantly expanded into a colossal, fifty-foot-long Greatsword, glowing with a mixture of Kanha's orange and Karma's teal Chakra.
The Fire Titan raised its burning fists, but it was too late.
With a roar that shook the entire academy, Kanha swung the giant, glowing Greatsword downward. The blade cleaved cleanly through the Fire Titan's head, down its chest, and straight into the dirt.
The flames flickered, sputtered, and then violently exploded into a beautiful shower of harmless, glowing embers.
The giant beast was dead.
The arena was dead silent for three whole seconds. Then, the entire first-year class erupted into deafening cheers.
Kanha landed on the ground, shrinking the sword back to its normal size and tossing it back to Karma. Sambhab dusted off his uniform, a rare, proud smile on his face. Karma caught his sword, turning to look at Daizy. She was completely unharmed, looking at him with wide, awe-struck eyes.
Up on the balcony, Professor Agni chuckled, clapping his hands slowly. "They passed. The Hunt is going to be very interesting this year."
But Sera wasn't clapping. She gripped the metal railing of the balcony so hard it began to bend. Her purple eyes glared daggers at Daizy and Karma. The bond forming between them was strong, unbreakable, and infuriating.
Sera turned around, her long hair whipping behind her.
"Enjoy your little victory, Karma," she whispered into the wind, walking away into the shadows. "Because once you step into the Mirror Dimension... I will personally shatter your new sword to pieces."
The night sky over Vedas Heritage International was crystal clear, filled with a million glittering stars. The cool midnight breeze blew across the open rooftop of the first-year dormitory.
Tomorrow was the Aether Hunt. The deadliest exam in the academy's history. But right now, on the quiet rooftop, the Core Four were just trying to be normal teenagers.
"Kanha, I swear to God, if you put one more packet of spicy chips into that survival bag, I will kick you off this roof," Sambhab growled. He was sitting cross-legged, meticulously polishing his combat boots, his blue Pran aura flickering with sheer annoyance.
Kanha, who was sitting on a sleeping bag, hugged three large packets of chips protectively.
"OYE Sammy, You don't understand!" Kanha argued, looking deeply offended. "Survival is ninety percent morale! If we are stuck in the Mirror Dimension and a Giant Shadow Beast corners us, what are we going to do? Cry? No! We sit down, eat some chips, and accept our fate like men!"
Sambhab pressed his fingers against his temples, letting out a heavy sigh of pure exhaustion. "You are an idiot. A complete, unbelievable idiot. Daizy, please tell him he can't bring a family-sized pack of Kurkure into a warzone."
Daizy was sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs dangling over the side. She let out a soft, melodic laugh that sounded like silver bells in the quiet night. "I don't know, Sambhab. Maybe the Shadow Beasts like spicy food?"
"See! Daizy gets it!" Kanha cheered, immediately tossing a packet into his already overflowing backpack.
Sitting a few feet away, leaning his back against the cold brick chimney, was Karma. He held the dark wooden sword Lord Rudra had given him, resting it gently across his knees. He watched Kanha and Sambhab bicker, a warm, genuine smile spreading across his face.
I finally belong somewhere, Karma thought. I have a team. I have friends who trust me with their lives.
Sambhab finally stood up, grabbing Kanha by the collar of his jacket. "Come on, idiot. We need to go downstairs and check our actual combat gear. If your size-manipulation fails tomorrow because you ate too much junk food, I will personally feed you to the beasts."
"Oye! Stop pulling my jacket, it's expensive!" Kanha complained as Sambhab literally dragged him toward the rooftop door. Kanha looked back at Karma and Daizy, winking dramatically. "Goodnight, lovebirds! Don't stay up too late, we have monsters to kill tomorrow!"
The heavy metal door clicked shut, leaving Karma and Daizy completely alone under the moonlight.
The loud, chaotic energy of the rooftop instantly vanished, replaced by a soft, intimate silence.
Daizy shifted slightly, patting the empty space beside her on the edge of the roof. Karma stood up, holding his wooden sword, and walked over. He sat down next to her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They just looked out over the massive academy grounds, the silver moonlight reflecting off the perfectly still waters of the Swan Lake in the distance.
"Are you scared about tomorrow?" Daizy asked softly, breaking the silence. Her dark eyes reflected the starlight.
Karma thought about it. He thought about the terrifying Mirror Dimension, the mutated beasts, and the heavy burden of keeping his team alive.
"A little bit," Karma admitted, his voice quiet but steady. "But I'm not terrified anymore. Not like I was on the first day."
Daizy turned her head to look at him. She noticed a small, red burn mark on his cheek a lingering scratch from the intense heat of Professor Agni's Fire Titan earlier that morning.
Without saying a word, Daizy reached her hand out. Her fingers glowed with a beautiful, warm, pale-green Pran energy. She gently pressed her fingertips against Karma's cheek.
Karma's breath hitched. The moment her skin touched his, a wave of absolute peace washed over his mind. The stinging pain of the burn vanished instantly, but he didn't pull away. He didn't want the moment to end.
"You were incredibly reckless today, you know," Daizy whispered, her eyes locking deeply onto his. "Throwing away your only weapon in front of a thirty-foot monster just to protect me. What if Kanha hadn't caught it? What if the beast had attacked you while you were unarmed?"
Karma looked back into her eyes. He saw the genuine fear and care hidden behind her calm expression.
"I wasn't reckless," Karma replied softly, his teal aura subconsciously flickering, reacting to her green energy. "I trusted Kanha to catch it. And more importantly... I made a promise."
Daizy's hand slowly dropped from his cheek, but she didn't look away. "A promise?"
"I told you I would be your sword," Karma said, his voice completely serious, stripped of all hesitation. "You are a healer, Daizy. Your job is to save lives. My job is to make sure nothing in this world ever gets the chance to hurt you. If I have to throw away my weapon, or break my bones, or stand in front of a thousand beasts... I will do it."
A profound silence fell between them. It wasn't just a teenage crush.
Daizy's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She slowly reached out and placed her small hand over Karma's, completely covering his knuckles as he gripped his wooden sword.
"You don't have to carry the storm all by yourself, Karma," Daizy whispered, leaning her head gently against his shoulder. "If you are my sword... then I will be your shield. If you fight, I fight. If you bleed, I bleed. We survive tomorrow... together."
Karma closed his eyes, leaning his head against hers. The chaotic, violent storm of his 1st Chakra completely settled down, entering a state of perfect harmony under her touch.
"Together," Karma agreed.
They sat there under the stars, drawing strength from each other. Tomorrow, the gates of the Aether Mirror would open, and hell would be unleashed upon the first-year students. Sera's trap was waiting. The mutated shadow beasts were hungry.
But as Karma held Daizy's hand, he knew one thing for certain: he was ready for war.