The next morning arrived like a held breath.
Cool air. Soft light. The world just beginning to wake.
Rag stood at his front gate, suitcase in one hand, backpack slung over his shoulder. His mother stood before him, her hands smoothing his collar for the hundred time.
"Beta..." Her voice cracked.
"I promise, Mom."
She pulled him into a hug. Tight. Desperate. Like she could keep him safe forever if she just held on long enough.
"You promise you will take care of yourself?"
Rag hugged her back. Felt her shaking. Felt his own throat tighten.
"Yeah, Amma. Don't worry about me." He pulled back slightly. Looked her in the eyes. "I promise. I will become a great YODHA. Like Dad. Like Bhaiya."
His mother's face crumpled. Tears spilled over. But she was smiling.
Crying and smiling at the same time. Rag thought. Is that a mom thing?
He turned. Walked toward the gate.
At the end of the path, he stopped. Turned back. Waved.
His mother waved back. Tears on her face. Love in her eyes.
Rag walked on.
The hostel loomed ahead.
Massive. Old. But beautiful
Rag, Mukund, and Ruchi stood at the entrance, suitcases beside them, backpacks weighing them down.
5 AM. Exactly as Trayaksh had ordered.
Mukund adjusted his glasses. "So. This is it."
Ruchi tilted her head. "It's... actually beautiful? I thought hostels would be dirty and scary."
"It's 5 AM. Give it time." Mukund deadpanned.
Rag scanned the entrance. "I don't see Trayaksh bhaiya. Thought he'd be here."
"Probably at the gym already," Ruchi said. "That man doesn't sleep."
They pushed through the heavy doors.
Inside was... not what they expected.
Clean. Wide hallways. Soft lighting. A faint smell of old wood and something like incense. It felt almost sacred.
They found the warden's office easily enough. Knocked.
Nothing.
Knocked again.
Silence.
"Maybe he's not here yet?" Ruchi whispered.
Footsteps.
Akshat and Prayan appeared from the stairwell, both already dressed in training clothes. Akshat's face lit up.
"Ohh! So Trayaksh actually convinced your parents?"
Rag gave an awkward smile. "Yeah..."
Akshat noticed where they were standing. "So... why are you in front of the warden's office?"
Ruchi pointed. "Door's locked. I think he's not in."
Akshat's expression shifted. Something like... exhaustion. "Oh no. Not again."
He looked at Prayan.
"Prayan. You know what to do."
Prayan nodded. Walked to the door. Grabbed the handle.
And pushed.
Not hard. Just... a little.
The entire door came off its hinges.
CRACK. THUD.
Prayan held the door in one hand like it weighed nothing. Tossed it aside. It landed with a heavy BAM.
Rag's jaw hit the floor.
Mukund's glasses slipped.
Ruchi made a small squeaking sound.
Inside the room, a man was sleeping on a sofa. Snoring. Completely undisturbed by the fact that his door had just been removed from existence.
Akshat marched in. "Wake up, you SLEEPY HEAD!"
The man stirred. Rubbed his eyes. Sat up slowly.
Long hair. Bowl cut. Dark spots scattered across his face. He fumbled for glasses, put them on, blinked at Akshat.
"You idiots..." His voice was groggy. Annoyed. "Why did you wake me up? I was having the BEST sleep."
Akshat rubbed his forehead like this happened every day. "Can't you see? New students. They need rooms."
The man—the warden, apparently—didn't even turn his head. Just looked at them sideways. Lazily.
"Are you three Gurukul students?"
Rag nodded. "Yup."
The warden waved vaguely toward a desk. "Registration papers are there. Fill them. Put them in that cupboard. Choose a room key from the box."
Then he lay back down.
Closed his eyes.
Went back to sleep.
Rag stared.
Mukund stared.
Ruchi stared.
Akshat sighed. A deep, long, this-is-my-life-now sigh.
"Leave this guy, kids." He gestured toward the door—or where the door used to be. "Let's head to the ground. Time to train."
They filled the forms quickly. Dropped them in the cupboard. Grabbed three keys from the box.
Then followed Akshat and Prayan outside.
The ground was empty. Cold. Foggy. Perfect for training.
Trayaksh was already there, stretching.
He looked up as they approached. Grinned.
"Right on time."
The training was brutal. Same as always.
Running. Lifting. Sweating. Dying.
But today, the gym had new faces. Some were from other groups—Parakastha members, a few from Shakti.
I caught Trayaksh between sets. "Bhaiya, do you just let anyone use this gym?"
He shrugged, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Not only my members. I let other people use it too." A small smile. "Generates a small passive income for me."
Of course it does. The man was running a whole business while being an S+ rank student.
It was chest day.
After the last set, I found myself in front of the mirror. Flexing. Just a little. Just to see.
Three days of training. Surely I'd gained something.
I flexed my tricep. Squinted at it.
Mukund appeared beside me. Started flexing too.
I flexed harder. He flexed harder. We were having a full competition now—elbows up, muscles straining, faces turning red.
Mukund was maybe 5'7". I was 5'6". We looked like two frogs trying to puff themselves up.
Then the monsters arrived.
Trayaksh—5'10" of lean muscle—stepped in front of the mirror. Prayan—all seven feet of him—stood beside him.
They started flexing.
Chest. Triceps. Shoulders. Every muscle defined. Every line sharp. Low body fat. High definition. They looked like they'd been carved from stone.
"Wow..... see my pump bro." Trayaksh grinned at Prayan. "Today's workout really hit hard."
Prayan nodded. Didn't say anything. Didn't need to.
Mukund and I stared at our reflections beside them. We looked like... like we'd never touched a weight in our lives.
I felt my face burn.
Trayaksh noticed. His grin softened.
"Don't worry, Rag." He put a hand on my shoulder. "When I started, I was skinny fat too. Just like you."
Mukund perked up. "When did you start working out?"
Trayaksh thought for a second. "Just a year before joining Gurukul. So..." He counted. "Five years straight."
Five. Years.
No breaks. No skipping. Five years of this.
I looked at Prayan. Seven feet. Pure muscle. How long had HE been training?
Trayaksh must have read my mind. "And you'll achieve a body like mine." He looked at me. "In just two to three years."
We stumbled out of the gym, legs shaking, arms heavy.
My stomach growled. Loud.
"I'm so hungry," I groaned, "I could eat an Asura."
Trayaksh looked at me sideways. Unreadable.
"So that's your other power," Bhakti said dryly from behind us.
Mukund snorted. "No wonder your belly is so big."
"Hey!" I shoved him. "At least I'm not as fat as Mohit bhaiya."
Ruchi giggled. Mukund smirked.
Then Trayaksh spoke. "Mukund wasn't completely wrong, though." He glanced at me. "You should focus on your diet."
Mukund and Ruchi giggled harder.
"You too, Mukund." Trayaksh didn't even look at him.
Mukund's smile vanished. "What? I eat fine—"
"We'll talk about it in the mess." Trayaksh kept walking.
"But you don't have to worry," he added, "since we're going to the hostel mess."
I perked up. "Oh yeah. I forgot to ask." I hesitated. "Is the mess food... even edible?"
Trayaksh stopped walking. Turned around.
"Edible?" His voice was almost offended. "It's the BEST food."
Everyone gasped. Mukund raised an eyebrow. Ruchi looked skeptical. I stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"Bhaiya," I said slowly, "you're telling me a hostel mess has good food?"
"You'll see."
The mess was huge. Benches stretched across the room, enough to seat maybe a hundred people. But at 6 AM, it was empty. Quiet.
The food hadn't been served yet.
A door banged open from the kitchen.
A woman emerged, carrying a massive container. She was older—maybe forties—with a round face and a warm smile. A little chubby. Curvy. The kind of woman who looked like she'd been cooking her whole life.
"Oh! Hey, kids!" Her voice was bright. "You new here?"
Prayan walked straight to her, took the container from her hands like it weighed nothing, and placed it on the main table.
Behind her came another figure—carrying a second container.
Same face. Same build. But different energy.
I blinked. "Hey—you were in the warden office, right?"
The guy looked at me. Then smiled slowly.
"Warden office?" He set down the container. "Ohhh. I get it. You must have seen my brother over there."
Ruchi's eyes went wide. "Oh! You're twins?"
"Nope." Trayaksh leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Triplets."
"WHAT?" The word came out of all three of us at once.
The guy laughed. "I'm Vivaan." He pointed toward the kitchen. "The one you saw in the office is my brother, Vihaan."
Mukund adjusted his glasses. "And where's the third?"
"Oh, Vijay? He's the discipline guy. Always taking rounds in the corridors. If you're out after hours, he'll find you."
I made a mental note: Never be out after hours.
The meal was set.
Plates. Bowls. Rotis. Dal. Vegetables. Curd. Everything laid out like a feast.
I took the first bite.
Heaven.
Actual heaven.
The roti was soft. The dal was perfect. The vegetables had flavor—actual flavor, not the boiled mush I'd expected.
Mukund was shoveling food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days. Ruchi had closed her eyes in pure bliss.
"Em." Ruchi nodded, still chewing. "So tasty. So GOOD."
I couldn't even speak. Just kept eating.
Trayaksh watched us, amused. "You know, this is the best diet food you can have. She's so serious about cooking—everything is perfectly balanced. Different vegetables, pulses, different types of rotis. Nutrition, taste, everything."
"Ohhhh," we managed between bites.
Then Trayaksh's voice changed. Became practical.
"So, as I was saying."
I paused, spoon halfway to my mouth.
"Rag." He pointed at me. "You need to lower your food intensity from now on. Burn more calories than you eat. Cut down the fat."
My mouth dropped open. The spoon lowered.
Mukund looked relieved he wasn't being talked to.
"And Mukund." Trayaksh turned. "You need to increase protein. Build muscle. Eat protein-rich food."
Mukund's face fell.
I found my voice. "Yeah, but—how hard can it be? Just eat, right?"
Trayaksh fixed me with a look.
"Just eating a lot won't do it. I'm not saying eat less—I'm saying eat smart. And yeah." He looked at Mukund. "Don't just eat protein. Get all nutrients. But more protein. Got it?"
We both nodded.
Sad faces.
Trayaksh smiled. Picked up his roti.
"Eat up. Tomorrow, we train harder."
The meal was finished. Plates empty. Stomachs full.
For once, I didn't feel like dying.
We walked toward Gurukul, the morning sun warming our backs. For a moment, everything felt... normal. Good, even.
Then classes started.
Same torture. Different subject.
Kiara ma'am's voice floated somewhere above my head. Words about planetary alignments. Lunar cycles. Something about Rahu and Ketu. I stopped listening somewhere around "nakshatra."
My head was on the desk. Pencil balanced between my lips and nose. Eyes half-closed.
Not sleeping. Just... resting my brain.
"...so, that's all for this chapter." Kiara ma'am closed her book. "I will take a test on the whole chapter next week. So be prepared."
Next week. Test. Fine. I'll study. Maybe.
The pencil wobbled.
"And after three weeks..."
Something in her voice changed.
"There will be a tournament. "
The pencil dropped.
I lifted my head so fast my neck cracked. Around me, the whole class was frozen. Chairs creaked as students sat up. Whispers started, then died.
Kiara ma'am smiled. Like she'd been waiting for this reaction.
"This tournament will decide your ranks until the next exam or tournament." She folded her hands on the desk. "And after this tournament... you will get your missions."
Missions? Already?
A boy in the front raised his hand. "Ma'am, what kind of tournament?"
"A double knockout tournament."
I blinked. Double knockout? What does that even mean?
She must have seen the confusion on our faces. She explained:
"You have to lose twice to be eliminated from the tournament. After the first round, the losers fight each other. The winners move to the next round."
I nodded slowly. So even if you lose once, you're not out. You get a second chance.
"And byes will be given by the judges—the YODHA leader, the Principal, and the leaders of different clans."
I could feel the weight in the room. The YODHA leader himself. The Principal. Clan leaders. People who decided the future of every student here.
"The match details are sent to your tablets—"
I grabbed my tablet.
"Rag!" Kiara ma'am's voice cut across the room. "Don't be so excited. You can check after I leave."
A few students giggled.
"Sorry, ma'am." I put the tablet down. Slowly.
She gathered her things. "So, students. All the best. This will define your first impression on the YODHA leaders. Be prepared."
She walked out.
The moment she was gone, tablets appeared everywhere.
I grabbed mine. Opened the tournament page.
YODHA FIRST-YEAR TOURNAMENT
Balaji Stadium
Rules:
Any form of martial art allowed & you can use your powers however you want
In order to win a match the opponent must be sedated or the opponent must surrender
Causing extreme harm or causing harm after defeating an opponent or after him surrendering is prohibited (disqualification)
Rules of Double knockout will be used (lose twice to be eliminated)
First Round Matches: (based on tier, skill, and performance)
I scrolled down.
And stopped.
Raghav vs. Purv
Purv. The water user. The one who passed Parakastha. The one who wrapped himself in water armor like it was nothing.
I turned slowly.
Purv was sitting a few rows behind me. His dark blue hair was messy today. His face was calm. He looked at his tablet. Then looked up.
Our eyes met.
He smiled.
Too be continued....