6:00 AM - THE WORLI ROOFTOP: AGNI CHAKRAM INTEGRATION
The morning air on the Worli slum rooftop was a sharp contrast to the paan shop room—here, the air carried the clean, salty tang of the Arabian Sea and the faint, earthy scent of morning cooking fires. I stood opposite Kabir, my body aching but my mind buzzing with the adrenaline of my new, terrifying power.
The golden lines on my wrist, the integrated circuits of the Mantra System, were now a familiar part of me. The System had updated overnight.
🎵 "System Status: Agni Astra Level 2. New ability: Agni Chakram (Fire Wheel) integrated. Note: Agni Chakram is a projectile existing in a dual quantum state. Core Mechanics: Return Path is a Curved Quantum Tether—unbreakable, follows shortest non-Euclidean route."
Kabir tossed me the antique-looking bronze bangle—the same one that had nearly fused to my wrist during the Blood Overcharge. "Wear this. It's an Agni Reflector; it'll catch your stray energy, and more importantly, it's the auto-catch mechanism for the Chakram."
As I slipped it on, the bangle hummed to life, synchronizing with the circuits on my arm.
🎵 "Agni Reflector detected. Ancient tech modified with quantum dampeners. Synchronized with Agni Chakram Auto-Catch protocol. Note: Can redirect 40% of reflected Agni energy back to user. Essential against mirror-weave suits."
"Your system talks too much, but it's right," Kabir commented, reading my focused expression. "The Chakram is not fire; it's a Phonon Blade. It vibrates at 10^{12} Hz—it cuts by causing molecular disassembly, not by heat alone. Now, show me your summoning sequence."
I took a stance, palms raised. I recalled the complex mantra: "Om Hraam Hreem Agni Chakraaya Hum Phat"—focusing on the final, powerful PHAT syllable, the Boomerang Command.
I chanted, pouring concentrated mana into the gold circuits on my wrist. A spinning ring of pure white-gold fire, exactly 33 cm in diameter, materialized in my hand. It emitted a low, precise hum (432 Hz).
🎵 "Performance Analysis Begin: Summon Time: 1.8 seconds. Too slow. Combat speed required: Under 0.5 seconds. Core Cost: 8 Mana. Suggestion: Pre-charge mana to palms before vocalization—reduce latency by 1.3 seconds."
For the next two hours, the only sounds were my grunts, the sharp screech of the Chakram, and the relentless critiques of the System and Kabir.
7:45 AM - TRAINING MONTAGE: THE LOYAL FLAME
We drilled the summoning, throwing, and, most crucially, the return.
Drill 1: Latency Reduction.
I forced myself to visualize the Chakram already existing before the mantra left my lips.
Summon Time: Reduced to 0.7 seconds.
🎵"Improvement noted: 1.1 seconds faster. Mana efficiency: 18%. Continue practice until autonomic response is achieved."
Drill 2: Ricochet Mode.
Kabir set up three concrete blocks and covered them with thin mirror foil—simulating Saturnia's armor."They reflect 70% of energy. A straight throw is useless. The Chakram must bounce."
I chanted the full mantra,then aimed the throw not at the target, but at the wall. The Chakram, now a Plasma Disc with Sanskrit glyphs orbiting its edge, spun out.
I mentally pushed the HUM syllable—the bounce command—on impact.It hit the wall, bounced off the first mirror target, missed the second, and returned to my bronze bangle with a quick snap.
🎵"Ricochet Mode Test 1: Hit 2/3 targets. Mana cost: 20 + 4 per bounce. Success! Warning: Aim for angle greater than 18° to bypass reflection field."
Drill 3: Sustained Spin (Orbit Shield).
I practiced keeping the Chakram orbiting my body,creating a 1-meter radius spinning defense. The sound intensified to a high-pitched whoop (523 Hz).
🎵"Orbit Shield Stability: 99%. Mana Consumption: 10 units/sec. Successful defense against simulated kinetic projectile. Note: Sustained spin creates a localized turbulence field."
My mana dropped to 22, my shirt was soaked, but I felt a connection to the Chakram—it was a loyal flame. It always returned, defying gravity and logic via its micro-wormhole folding return path.
"Good. Now the real test begins," Kabir said, just as the rooftop door exploded inward—this was not a drill.
10:03 AM - SATURNIA AMBUSH: ELITE MIRROR-WEAVE
Three mirror-suited agents—clearly Elite Units—poured onto the rooftop. Their suits reflected the morning sun so painfully they looked like shards of moving glass.
🎵 "EMERGENCY! Three Saturnia Elite units detected. Threat Level: CRITICAL. Mirror-weave 2.0 detected—enhanced thermal resistance. Recommendations: Do NOT engage directly with fire. Use Ricochet and Vayu Astra."
The lead agent, not K-9, raised a rifle-like weapon.
0.0 SECONDS
K-9,whose cybernetic form I now recognized, stepped out, raising a heavily modified Null-Rod.
🎵"Mana cost multiplier: 3x active. Localized silence field radius: 5 meters. Deploy Orbit Shield immediately to bypass field latency."
0.3 SECONDS
I didn't chant;I willed the mantra. "Om Hraam!" The Agni Chakram materialized and snapped into an Orbit Shield around me just as the Null-Rod's field washed over us. My mantra wasn't disrupted because the pre-charge was complete.
0.7 SECONDS
Agent 3 fired a gravity dart—a dark projectile that slammed into my Orbit Shield.The Chakram absorbed the impact, its phonon blade vibrating fiercely.
🎵"Gravity manipulation detected! Counter with Vayu mantra: 'Om Vayuve Namah' to disrupt localized field. Warning: Do not drop Orbit Shield."
1.2 SECONDS
I chanted the words,feeling the pressure release, and simultaneously threw the Chakram towards Agent 3.
"Agni Chakraaya Hum!"
The Chakram,still carrying the residual gravity-dart energy, hit the rooftop edge, then ricocheted off a large ventilation unit, heading straight for the Mirror Agent's back.
🎵"Ricochet efficiency: 88%. Angle: 20°. Target: Agent 3's oxygen tank seam. Agent neutralized via molecular disassembly. Combat efficiency increasing: 45%."
2.0 SECONDS - THE HOMING COMMAND
K-9,now enraged, dropped the Null-Rod and charged, his right arm replaced with a massive, shimmering mirror-blade—a countermeasure to the Chakram.
🎵"K-9 Upgrade detected: Right arm replaced with mirror-blade. Saturnia Dossier Weakness: Blade overheats after 3 Chakram blocks → meltdown in 7 sec. Tactical Recommendation: Force three blocks, then switch to Vayu Astra."
I threw the Chakram again, aiming directly at the blade. K-9 blocked it easily, the disc screaming as it hit the mirror-steel. It returned instantly to my bangle.
First Block.I threw it again, faster.
Second Block.K-9 grunted, steam rising from his arm.
I knew the third block would shatter the blade, but his movement was too fast. He was already raising his left hand—the syringe, the DNA extractor.
🎵 "CRITICAL THREAT: DNA extractor detected. Bloodline compromise imminent! Deploy Homing Mode immediately!"
I didn't have time to bleed. I dipped my Chakram-holding wrist onto the freshly bleeding cut on Kabir's arm—a wound he sustained earlier. The bronze bangle glowed crimson.
"Agni Chakraaya Hum! Blood Lock: Saturnia Bio-Signature!"
🎵 "Blood Catalyst activated! Homing Mode engaged! Mana Consumption: 25 units. Disc locks on Saturnia bio-signature (K-9). Return path modified to track target through obstacles."
The Chakram screamed forward, ignoring the mirror-blade block, ignoring K-9's body, and zeroing in on the DNA extractor syringe in his left hand. The plasma blade cut the syringe from his hand with surgical precision.
K-9 roared, his blade arm smoking and his objective lost. He lunged at me with his failing mirror-blade.
Third Block.The Chakram met the smoking blade. The mirror-steel flashed a brilliant white, then slumped—meltdown in 7 seconds.
Kabir used the opening, delivering a perfect Prithvi Bandhan (Earth Bind) mantra, turning the concrete under K-9's feet into thick, trapping mud.
10:07 AM - ESCAPE AND REFLECTION
K-9 sank into the concrete, his face a mask of fused mirror-metal and rage. "We'll be back for the final syllable! We know it bleeds when you do!"
Kabir grabbed me, shoving a new crystal into my hand. "Vayu Gamana! GO!"
I crushed the crystal, and we were running up the invisible stairs of wind, leaving the collapsing rooftop behind.
We landed in a hidden alcove in Dharavi. I was exhausted, but the feeling of utter helplessness was gone.
🎵 "System Update: Agni Chakram Mastery. Key improvements noted in tactical adaptation and Homing deployment. Agni Chakram Level 2 confirmed. Ricochet/Homing efficiency: 97%. Chakraṃ is not a projectile. It is a loyal flame—it comes back."
I looked at the bronze bangle, which had just saved my life multiple times. It was warm, comforting.
I had entered this new world as an orphan with a fire scar. I was now a Mantri-Scientist with a loyal flame—a weapon that always returned. I was no longer running from the fire; I was wielding it.
CHAPTER END
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