I scrolled down.
And stopped.
Raghav vs. Purv
Purv. The water user. The one who passed Parakastha. The one who wrapped himself in water 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.
Not mean. Not mocking. Just... confident. Like he already knew how this would go.
My stomach dropped.
I scrolled to Mukund's match.
Mukund vs. Kshitij
Kshitij. The lightning user. The one who blazed through the obstacle course in seconds. The blonde kid who passed Parakastha without breaking a sweat.
Mukund's expressions changed. He didn't say anything. Just stared at the screen.
Ruchi's match:
Ruchi vs. Anvitha
I didn't know Anvitha. Ruchi didn't either, from the confused look on her face. But that almost made it worse. At least with a name you recognized, you knew what you were facing.
The unknown was worse.
The classroom buzzed with panic. Students flipped through tablets, comparing matches, whispering about opponents.
I sat there. Staring at my name. Staring at Purv's name.
Water vs. Fire.
Water .... Water that can drown flames.
And I can't even control my fire properly.
I felt very, very small.
The gurukul ended.
Students packed their bags, laughing, chatting, already forgetting the tournament announcement. But I couldn't forget. The weight of it sat in my chest like a stone.
Purv. Water. Three weeks.
I stared at my desk, not seeing it. My hands were clammy. My heart was beating too fast.
I've never used my power against someone. Not really. Not in a real fight. What if I freeze? What if my fire won't come? What if—
"Yo, loser."
I looked up.
Purv stood there. Kshitij beside him. That same mocking smile on his face. The smile he'd given me in class. The smile that said I already know how this ends.
"What?" My voice came out colder than I expected. Good. Maybe I looked tough.
Purv stretched his arms behind his head, casual. Relaxed. "It's going to be the easiest victory of my life. And let me tell you..." He grinned. "The tournament winner? Me. Of course."
"Hey!" Kshitij's voice was loud. Offended. "What about me?"
Purv waved a hand. "Hmm. Maybe in the finals. You'll have to battle me. That will decide who really wins."
Mukund appeared beside me. Ruchi too.
Kshitij's voice was sharp. "Hey, skinny stick. Forget about winning. You won't even make it past the first round."
Mukund's eyes narrowed. "Oh, yeah? Is that so?"
"The time will tell," Mukund said, his face hard.
Kshitij stepped forward, grinning. "If you're so confident, let's have a match."
"A match?" I blinked.
"Yeah." Purv shrugged. "In the Gurukul battlefield."
Mukund didn't hesitate. "Sure. Why not."
Kshitij laughed. "Ready to lose, losers?"
The Battlefield
The Gurukul battlefield was in the third ring. Open ground. Marked boundaries. Other students were already fighting on nearby fields—sparks of power, shouts of effort, the crack of impact.
We found an empty field and claimed it.
First match: Me vs. Purv.
Mukund and Ruchi stood at the edge, cheering. "You got this, Rag!"
I stood across from Purv. Face to face. Twenty feet apart.
He was... chilling. Arms loose. Weight easy. Like this was nothing. Like I was nothing.
I locked in. Focused. Don't think. Just fight.
I ran.
Fire coated my fists. My legs. Heat pushed me faster.
Purv didn't move until the last second. He smilled then he took his stance. Water wrapped around his fist.
Our punches collided.
But I was faster.
My other fist slammed into his stomach. His defense dropped. I hit him with two hooks—left, right—his head snapping sideways.
He stepped back, blinking.
I charged. No mercy. No hesitation. Left hook, right cross, uppercut—he dodged some, but not enough. My fists landed again and again. Fire against water. Steam hissed between us.
I was winning.
He stepped back again. Breathing hard.
I stopped. Let myself smile. "Huff... what happened, champion?"
His face changed.
The calm was gone. Now there was anger.
"You little—"
Water exploded around him.
It covered his body, lifting him into the air. A bubble—huge, floating, supported by swirling water. And from it, tentacles. Seven. Eight. Maybe more. Thick, whipping, alive.
They struck.
I dodged the first. Parried the second. The third hit my shoulder. Fourth caught my ribs. Fifth slammed my chest. I couldn't get close. Couldn't break through. Every step forward was a step into pain.
I ran anyway.
Ducking, weaving, dodging—one tentacle missed my face by inches. I saw an opening. A gap. I sprinted toward it—
A tentacle caught me square in the chest.
I flew.
The ground hit my back. Hard. I skidded across the dirt, over the boundary line, and stopped.
Out of bounds.
The bubble burst. Purv dropped to the ground, water splashing around him. He stood there, looking down at me. That mocking smile was back.
"Told you," he said.
I tried to stand. My body screamed. Bruises were already forming on my ribs, my shoulders, my chest.
Mukund and Ruchi ran to me. Grabbed my arms. Helped me up.
"You did good, bro," Mukund said quietly.
I shook my head. "Thanks." I looked at him. "I hope you do better than me."
Mukund nodded. Stepped onto the field.
Mukund vs. Kshitij
Kshitij stood across from him, bouncing on his feet. Loose. Fast. Ready.
The match began.
Mukund dropped into a defensive stance. Hands up. Eyes sharp. Around his fists, the air shimmered—cold, so cold. Frost gathered on his knuckles.
Kshitij watched. Smiled.
Then—ZAP.
He was gone.
He appeared behind Mukund, fist already swinging. It hit Mukund's back—
But Mukund was already moving. He spun, back fist catching Kshitij across the face. Kshitij staggered back a step, blinking.
Mukund pressed forward. Jab to the face—landed. Kshitij's head snapped back.
Then Kshitij moved.
A punch to Mukund's stomach. Fast. Hard. Mukund doubled over, retching. Saliva hit the ground.
Me and Ruchi gasped. "MUKUND!"
He kept his balance. Stepped back. Swung his hand upward—fast, sharp—and ice followed his movement. A spike of ice erupted from the ground, shooting toward Kshitij.
Kshitij sidestepped. Easy. Like it was nothing.
Mukund swung again. Another spike. Kshitij dodged. Another. Dodge. Another. Dodge.
Kshitij started running. Circling Mukund. Fast—but not too fast. Our eyes could follow him.
Mukund kept swinging. Ice spikes kept erupting. But Kshitij dodged every single one.
And he was getting closer.
Then, in a second, Kshitij was right in front of Mukund.
A kick. Hard. Fast. Mukund folded, rolling across the ground, dirt clinging to his uniform.
He pushed himself up—quick, desperate—but before Mukund even stand up Kshitij was already there. A hook to the face. Another to the shoulder. Mukund tried to block, tried to swing back, but his fists moved through empty air.
Kshitij was too fast.
Mukund stepped back, trying to create space. A patch of ice shot from his hand—Kshitij jumped over it. Another—he sidestepped. Another—he wasn't even there anymore.
Every punch Mukund threw missed. Every defense he raised was too slow.
Kshitij's fist found his face. His side. His chest. Again and again.
Mukund stumbled back, arms dropping, breath ragged. His glasses were crooked, one lens cracked. Blood dripped from his nose.
He was exhausted.
He dropped to his knees. Tried to stand. Couldn't.
Then he fell.
Face-first into the dirt. Breathing hard. Not moving.
Kshitij stood over him. Not even breathing hard.
Purv walked up, arms crossed, grinning.
They looked at Mukund. Then at me.
And they laughed.
I was already on my feet. Ruchi grabbed my arm. "Rag, don't—"
I shook her off. Walked onto the field.
Mukund was trying to push himself up. His arms were shaking. His nose was bleeding. There were bruises on his ribs, his cheek, his jaw.
I crouched beside him. "Hey. Hey, I've got you."
He looked at me. His glasses were broken. But his eyes were clear.
"I couldn't... hit him," he whispered.
I helped him up.
Kshitij snorted. "You two are pathetic. Three weeks? You won't last three minutes in the real tournament."
Purv stretched. "Honestly, I'm not even worried. You guys should just drop out now. Save yourselves from the embarrassment."
Ruchi stepped forward. Her voice was quiet. "You're not even in our group. Why do you care?"
Purv shrugged. "Don't care. Just fun to watch." He looked at me. "Especially you. Son of Viraj. Brother of Ayansh. And you can't even land a proper punch."
I felt something snap inside me.
I stepped toward him—but Mukund's hand grabbed my wrist. Weak, but steady.
"Don't," he said. "He wants you to."
I stopped.
Purv laughed. "Good boy. Listen to your friend." He turned to Kshitij. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time on these losers."
They walked away, still laughing.
Ruchi helped me hold Mukund up. His arm was over my shoulder. He was leaning on me more than he wanted to admit.
"That was... humiliating," he said.
"Yeah."
"I couldn't hit him. Not once."
"I hit Purv. Didn't matter. He just... went into that bubble and I couldn't touch him."
We walked in silence for a moment.
Ruchi finally spoke. "What are we going to do? In three weeks, we have to fight them in front of everyone. The YODHA leader. The Principal. All the clan leaders."
I thought about it. About Purv's water bubble. About Kshitij's speed. About how helpless I felt.
Then I thought about Trayaksh. About his third eye. About the power he never uses. About the gym he built. About five years of training.
"We need to get better," I said.
Mukund coughed. "No kidding."
"No." I shook my head. "I mean, we need to actually get better. Not just train harder. Smarter. We have three weeks. If we just do the same thing every day, nothing will change."
Ruchi looked at me. "So what do we do?"
I stopped walking.
"We ask Trayaksh bhaiya to train us. For real."
"Are you guys talking about me?"
A familiar voice came from behind.
We spun around.
Trayaksh bhaiya stood there, hand on his wrist, head tilted. How long had he been standing there?
"T... Trayaksh bhaiya." I tried to smile. It came out crooked. "When did you arrive here?"
Please. Please don't let him have seen the whole thing. Please don't let him know how badly we lost.
His eyes narrowed. "Hmm? I was here the whole time." A pause. "Didn't you notice me?"
What.
"TRAYAKSH BHAIYAAAAA!"
I dropped to my knees. Grabbed his leg. Wrapped myself around it.
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL! GET OFF MY LEG!" He lifted his leg, shaking it, trying to get free. I held on tighter.
"PLEASE DON'T KICK US FROM YOUR GROUP!" Tears were running down my face. "PLEASE!"
He stopped shaking his leg. Looked down at me. "WHO SAID I'M KICKING YOU?"
I looked up. Blinked. "Oh. So you're not? Even after seeing us get our asses kicked?"
Behind me, I heard Mukund and Ruchi face-palm.
I let go of his leg.
Trayaksh sighed. "Of course not. Why would I. I was also like you guys when I started?" He paused. "Everyone starts somewhere. The important thing is to keep improving and working hard after failure."
I stood up. Wiped my face. Felt stupid. Felt hopeful.
"So what do we have to do to improve?" Mukund asked. His voice was steady, but his hands were shaking.
Trayaksh crossed his arms. "Okay. Listen."
He pointed at me first.
"After watching the fight, I can clearly say Purv's technique and defense are amazing. It will be hard to break through. But Rag..." He looked at me. "You have to seriously work on your Prana. It's too uncontrolled."
"Huhn." I nodded slowly. Didn't fully understand.
"You have a decent amount of Prana. Good base. But you don't have control. Which means your fire power fluctuates. Sometimes strong. Sometimes weak. Unpredictable. For you." He paused. "And for your enemy, that's unpredictable too—but not in a good way."
"Ohhh."
"So from today, you will practice meditation. Six hours. Every day."
"WHAT?!"
"It will help you control your focus. Your Prana. And increase your reserves." He said it like it was obvious. Like six hours of sitting still was nothing.
I wanted to cry again.
He turned to Mukund.
"Mukund. You need to focus on close combat. In your match, you kept trying to create distance. Your powers are long-range, right? Ice spikes. Distance control. But Kshitij's speed meant he was always close. And when he got close, you couldn't defend yourself."
Mukund adjusted his cracked glasses. "That's right."
"So from now, you'll practice Musti Yuddha with Akshat. Every day. And gain muscle." Trayaksh's voice was firm. "You need to be able to fight when your power can't save you."
"Yes, sir."
He turned to Ruchi. Paused. His face softened.
"Ruchi. You..." He sighed. "You have to work very hard. You only have healing abilities right now. No attack. No defense. And you're fighting a Tier 1 YODHA. It won't be easy."
"Ohhhh." Ruchi's voice was small.
"But don't worry." Trayaksh smiled. "I know exactly who's best for you."
Ruchi's face lit up. "Really, Trayaksh bhaiya?"
"Really." He nodded. "Come. Let's head to the gym."
He started walking. We followed.
The sun was setting. Gurukul buildings cast long shadows across the path. The evening light turned everything soft—orange, gold, the kind of light that made the world feel quieter.
Mukund broke the silence first.
"Trayaksh bhaiya... when you started. Were you ever this bad?"
Trayaksh didn't answer immediately.
"When I started..." He walked a few more steps. "I could copy powers. But I couldn't control it. Not really. Every time I used it, I'd get exhausted. Completely drained. I could barely hold a power for three hours."
He looked at his hands.
"I was weak. I knew it. Everyone knew it."
He kept walking.
"But I had someone who believed in me." A small smile crossed his face. "Your brother, actually. He trained me for two years. Never gave up."
I stopped walking.
"Ayansh bhaiya?"
Trayaksh nodded. "He told me the same thing I told you, Rag. About Prana. About control. About pushing past your limits."
My chest felt tight. My brother. The S+ rank. The co-leader. The one I'd been trying to catch my whole life. He'd trained Trayaksh. He'd believed in Trayaksh.
And Trayaksh was here. Believing in us.
He helped me improve," Trayaksh continued. "He taught me how to push. How to find the edge and step past it."
We reached the gym.
The doors were open. Lights on inside. Through the windows, I could see Akshat bhaiya already there, doing dumbbell curls in the corner. Bhakti bhaiya was loading weights onto a bar. A few other faces I didn't recognize.
Trayaksh stopped at the entrance. Turned to face us.
"Ayansh bhaiya didn't train me because I was special," he said. "He trained me because I showed up. Every day. Even when I failed. Even when I couldn't hold a power for ten minutes. I showed up."
He looked at each of us.
"That's what I expect from you. Show up. Every day. Fail. Get back up. Show up again."
We nodded.
"Good." He pushed the door open. "Now let's start."
Inside, Akshat noticed us first. He dropped his dumbbell, walked over. His eyes went to Mukund's cracked glasses, my bruised ribs, Ruchi's worried face.
"Rough day?" he asked.
"You could say that," Mukund muttered.
Akshat looked at Trayaksh. "What's the plan?"
Trayaksh pointed at Mukund. "He's yours. Musti Yuddha. Every day. I want you to train him."
Akshat grinned. "I can work with that."
Trayaksh pointed at me. "He's with me."
I swallowed. "Six hours?"
"Six hours," Trayaksh confirmed. "Starting tomorrow. 4 AM."
I didn't complain. Not after everything he'd just told us.
He looked at Ruchi. Then at us.
"Now you two go to your rooms and rest. Ice those bruises. Eat well. Tomorrow, we begin."
He stepped toward the door.
"But Ruchi..." He looked back at her. "Come with me."
Ruchi blinked. "Me?"
Trayaksh nodded. Didn't explain. Just walked out.
Ruchi looked at us. Confused. A little nervous.
I shrugged. "Guess you have your own trainer."
She nodded slowly. Then followed Trayaksh out of the gym.
Too be continued...