Chapter 8 – New Rule
As soon as those girls left, Saloni and Priya let out a relieved breath together.
"Let's go, Priya," Saloni said softly, but something tangled lingered in her eyes.
One thought kept circling in her mind—*"My punch... she didn't even feel it. At least 70% of my strength was in that hit... maybe even more, but it had no effect on her. And... she didn't even use her element."*
She stayed lost in thought for a few moments, then Priya's voice came—
"Saloni, let's go!"
She pulled herself back, and the two slowly moved forward. After walking a bit, Saloni turned and asked—
"Priya, do you know who those senior girls were? I've never seen them here before..."
Priya walked a few steps in silence, then stopped and spoke—
"Honestly! We got lucky today! Thank god their time ran out... otherwise, we would've been beaten badly."
Saloni raised her eyebrows, "Why? How would we get beaten that badly?"
Priya took a long breath, then began explaining—
"Look, actually this academy has five floors. The first floor is where new girls like us live. You must be wondering where the boys are, right?"
Saloni nodded immediately.
"Yes! That question's been spinning in my head since the day we got here."
Priya smiled—
"So listen... the 5th floor is where new boys live—just like us, except they're boys and we're girls. Being new students, we're allowed to have bodyguards. But those on the 2nd, 4th, and 3rd floors... they don't need bodyguards, nor are they allowed to have them."
Saloni was surprised—
"Why?"
Priya stopped, then spoke in a low voice—
"Because they become so strong that they don't need anyone's help. They're forced to fight on their own. If they have a bodyguard, they'll never become truly strong. So the rule here is—to move up, you first need to learn to fight alone."
A mix of fear and wonder filled Saloni's eyes,
"So they're all... stronger than us?"
Priya nodded seriously—
"Yes. And not just in element knowledge, but... they're also masters of martial arts. They have very old, powerful technique books that people like us never get. I've heard that the library there has secrets we can't even imagine."
A new curiosity sparked in Saloni's mind—
"So can we ever go there?"
Priya thought for a moment, then said,
"We can go... but it's very difficult to get there. But I don't even know how to get there."
The two stayed quiet for a bit longer. A light, cold breeze was blowing, and the distant sound of footsteps echoed faintly through the corridor.
Priya let out a long breath.
"Come on, we should head to our rooms. It's getting late."
Saloni nodded lightly.
"Yeah, alright."
They split at different paths. Priya toward her room, Saloni toward her small, simple quarter.
As soon as she entered the room, Saloni closed the door and stood by the window. The moon was peeking faintly outside, the night deepening.
That same question was still echoing in her mind—
*"I hit with my full strength... yet nothing happened to her. Why?"*
She opened her fist, then closed it. Her palm still ached slightly.
"Maybe... I need to work even harder," she said to herself.
Saloni sat on her small mat and opened the book—the one Priya had given her. She began turning the pages, reading each technique over and over.
Slowly, her eyes grew heavy, and after that, she fell asleep.
***
Morning sunlight filtered through the windows, warm and golden, spreading through the corridor. Voices of girls echoed through that same corridor—some were laughing, some chatting rapidly. From someone's room came the faint sound of music, maybe someone getting ready.
Saloni stepped out of her room. Her hair was tied tightly, her face serious as always. But today, there was a slight redness in her eyes—lack of sleep. She'd been restless all night, thinking.
She glanced once at her room, then headed straight to Priya's room. Like every day.
Some girls in the corridor saw her, whispering softly—
"That's her, right... Priya's bodyguard?"
"Yeah, the one without an element... looks weird, doesn't she?"
Saloni heard them, but ignored it. She'd gotten used to this talk.
Saloni stood in front of Priya's door. She knocked softly—tap, tap.
"Priya?"
From inside came Priya's voice, sweet and lightly cheerful—
"Yeah, come in!"
Saloni opened the door. Priya was standing in front of her small mirror, combing her hair. The room had a light fragrance—of flowers, maybe some perfume.
Priya saw Saloni in the mirror, then smiled.
"Hey, you always show up on time."
Saloni gave a faint smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"It's my job."
Priya finished brushing, then turned toward her. She looked carefully at Saloni's face—red eyes, slight tiredness.
Priya's smile faded a bit. She asked with concern—
"You okay? Yesterday's thing..." She paused, "You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Saloni quickly shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. Totally fine." Then she said firmly, "Come on, it's getting late. Go take a bath."
Priya looked at her once more, then agreed without saying anything. "Okay, five minutes."
Within moments, both stepped out of their rooms and walked down the corridor. Saloni was a bit behind, as always—like a bodyguard. Priya walked ahead, occasionally glancing back.
Then, more girls started coming out into the corridor—all had a strange restlessness on their faces.
One girl said to her friend—
"Dude, heard? Everyone's been called to the hall."
The other asked nervously—
"Why? Did something happen?"
"Don't know... but there's supposed to be a big announcement, that's what I heard."
Saloni heard it. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Priya was listening too, she looked at Saloni—their eyes met.
"What's going to happen?" Priya said softly.
Saloni shrugged. "Don't know. But come on, don't be late."
When they reached the hall, they were a bit surprised by the scene ahead.
The entire hall was packed with girls. Everyone was standing together, talking amongst themselves, some looked worried, some curious.
"So many girls..." Priya said softly.
Saloni scanned the area. The hall was the same—the same large, open hall where rules were explained on the first day. A stage in the center, large chandeliers hanging above.
They both stood in the middle of the crowd. Whispers echoed all around—
"Dude, suddenly everyone's been called... something's fishy."
"I heard some big announcement is coming."
"I'm scared... is there a problem?"
"Did something wrong happen?"
Saloni listened quietly. She looked at Priya—Priya also looked nervous.
Then, suddenly—
A woman appeared on stage. Everyone went silent.
She was a tall, thin woman—probably around fifty, hair tied strictly, stern face, sharp eyes. Her voice carried an authority that forced everyone to listen.
She stood on stage and raised her hand.
"Quiet. Everyone stay quiet."
The entire hall went completely silent. Not a single word was spoken. Just the sound of breaths in the air.
The woman looked at everyone, then began speaking.
"I know you're all wondering why you were suddenly called here." Her voice was calm but clear. "So listen. I'm here to tell you about some important changes."
Everyone started listening carefully.
"The first change is in the ranking system."
A slight stir went through the girls.
"From now on, all of you will be ranked. Your strength, your element knowledge, your martial art skills—everything. You'll get the new ranking chart by tomorrow or the day after."
Now the whispers grew louder—
"Ranking? So now there's going to be more competition?"
"We'll all be compared?"
"What if my rank is low?"
The woman raised her hand again.
"Silence!"
Everyone went quiet.
The woman took a deep breath, then spoke—
"The second change... and this is very important."
Everyone held their breath.
"From now on, no new student is allowed to have a bodyguard."
Complete silence fell over the hall. For a few moments, no one said anything.
Then, slowly—
"What?!"
"We can't have bodyguards?"
"But why?!"
Voices grew louder. Girls started talking to each other, panic rising.
Saloni's heart started pounding hard. She looked at Priya—Priya's face had gone pale, like she'd been struck by lightning.
Priya softly gripped Saloni's hand—it was cold, trembling.
Talk erupted all around—
"How can this happen?"
"How will I survive without my bodyguard?"
"I'm scared..."
"What if someone comes to attack us?"
One girl started crying—
"No... my sister is my bodyguard... will they send her away?"
The woman raised her voice sternly—
"Quiet! I haven't finished yet!"
Everyone slowly quieted down, but the unease remained.
The woman continued—
"We've received reports that many new students are becoming dependent on their bodyguards. They're not becoming strong themselves. They think—'Someone's there to protect me.' And this is against academy policy."
She looked at everyone, then spoke in a sharp voice—
"Here, everyone must learn to fight on their own. Without any support."
One girl gathered courage and asked from the front—
"Madam... so what will happen to the bodyguards?"
The woman picked up a paper, read it, then spoke—
"Bodyguards are being given two options."
Everyone held their breath. Saloni also listened carefully.
"The first option—you can stay here, but as a regular student. You'll have to attend classes, take exams, do training."
Some relieved sounds came—
"Oh... so we can stay..."
"But we'll have to become students..."
The woman raised her hand.
"And the second option—"
Everyone went silent again.
"The person you're protecting can give you 2000 energy chips. After that, you're free. You can go home, leave the academy, go anywhere. Live your life."
Only one phrase echoed in Saloni's ears—
**2000 energy chips.**
*Anyway, Priya's family is taking care of my family, so I can stay here as a student and still watch over her.*
Talk grew louder all around—
"2000 chips! Dude, who even has that much?"
"I don't even have 100..."
"If the bodyguard leaves, how will we survive alone?"
"I'm so scared..."
Some girls started crying. Some were looking at their bodyguards, frightened.
The woman quieted everyone, then gave the final word—
"You have three days. In three days, you must decide—whether the bodyguard stays or goes. If any bodyguard wants to stay as a student, registration will begin tomorrow. You'll have to go to the office and fill out a form."
She gave everyone one last look, then said—
"This decision isn't just for the rules. It's for your future. Remember—strength is built alone. Not by relying on someone else."
She left the stage.
The hall erupted in noise once again.
Slowly, the crowd began to disperse. Girls were talking in their groups, crying, thinking.
What will happen next? Will Saloni go back home, or will she stay here as a student?
What change is about to happen in Saloni's life? To find out, keep reading What Defines Me, only on Webnovel.