Evening settled over the terrace in a wash of amber light. The city below murmured softly, but up here it was just Arjun and me—our private battleground.
We trained the same way every day.
Arjun had pushed his count to sixty push-ups. A solid improvement.
My finger push-ups had reached sixty too.
At fifty-eight, Arjun's arms began to tremble. At sixty, he collapsed flat on his back, chest heaving.
"No more," he groaned.
"Rest for a minute," I said evenly. "Then start again."
I didn't stop. My fingers pressed into the concrete, lifting and lowering my body in a steady rhythm.
From the ground, Arjun squinted at me.
"How do you have this much energy? Are you taking something?"
I scoffed. "Why would I take drugs? You overthink everything."
He shot back, breathless but sharp, "If I'm the overthinker, your head must be full of muscle instead of a brain."
I finished my set before responding.
Sixty. Clean. Controlled. I rose to my feet and glanced down at him.
Sweat soaked through his shirt, fabric clinging to his skin. His chest rose and fell like he had just survived a storm.
"Don't rest too long," I warned. "You'll lose the heat."
"I'm tired," he muttered.
I exhaled slowly. If my old gym trainer were here, Arjun would already be halfway through another set.
I sat down in front of him, folding my legs. "Alright. Tell me everything you know about Fire Force."
I hadn't managed to gather much on them myself. Asking questions was another way of collecting information.
Arjun looked at me for a moment, then stared up at the sky as if arranging his thoughts.
"There are around fifty members," he began. "Maybe a few more."
"And their leader?"
"His name's Jon. But everyone calls him Agni."
The name lingered in the air between us.
"And?" I pressed.
"He has a younger sister. Kayaa."
His tone changed instantly.
"She's… really beautiful. Red hair. Brown eyes. And her face—"
"Stop." I raised a hand. "I asked about the leader."
Instead of describing Agni's strength or influence, he was painting a portrait of his sister.
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't tell me you have a crush on her."
Arjun's ears flushed red.
So that's it.
Love truly is blind. Especially when the girl in question belongs to a gang whose members regularly shove you around.
"Well?" I leaned forward. "Are you going to keep blushing, or are you going to explain?"
My voice snapped him back to reality.
He sat up, rubbing his fingers together nervously.
"She's my childhood friend," he admitted. "I've known her since we were five. And… I've liked her since then."
I studied him quietly.
What started as a simple inquiry about a gang leader had turned into a confession of a decade-old crush.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"Did you ever tell her how you feel?" I asked.
Arjun shook his head.
"I'm… scared," he admitted. "What if she rejects me?"
I studied him for a moment. His fear wasn't weakness—it was attachment.
"That's understandable," I said calmly. "Rejection stings. But silence lasts longer."
He didn't respond.
"Forget that for now," I continued. "Tell me about Jon."
Arjun straightened slightly, grateful for the shift in topic.
"He uses fire," he said. "That part is certain. But there are rumors he can create a little water too."
Water.
Interesting.
So he wasn't a pure elemental. If the rumors were true, that meant he had reached the Element Gathering stage—or was dangerously close. Dual affinity, even if minor, made him unpredictable.
That would complicate things.
"And the other gang?" I asked.
"The Thunder Thrones," Arjun replied. "They were formed by three friends. That's all I know."
"Only three founders?"
He nodded. "That's what people say."
Three founders meant a tight core.
Probably strong loyalty. Possibly specialized roles.
I leaned back slightly, piecing the fragments together.
Fire Force. About fifty members. A leader named Agni with dual-element rumors. A sister who unknowingly held my friend's heart. And Thunder Thrones—smaller, quieter, but built on brotherhood.
The city was shifting.
And Arjun was lying in the middle of it, worried about love.
I looked at him again.
"You're scared of rejection," I said quietly. "But you're not scared of gangs that control half the city?"
Arjun gave a weak laugh. "That's different."
No.
It wasn't.
Arjun kept talking, but his words blurred into the background.
Fire. Thunder. Fifty members. Three founders.
Noise.
My mind moved elsewhere.
Gangs didn't disappear because someone stronger punched them harder. Cut off one head and another rose to replace it. Chaos loved a vacuum. If I wanted to disband them, brute force would be the worst strategy.
Order isn't created by destroying power.
It's created by controlling it.
Fire Force survived because of fear and loyalty. Agni wasn't just strong—he was a symbol. If I attacked him directly, his followers would unite. Martyrdom would make him larger than life.
No. That would only harden them.
To dismantle a structure, you weaken its pillars first.
Fifty members meant factions inside the faction. Not all of them would be equally loyal. Some followed strength. Some followed money. Some followed reputation.
Find the ambitious ones. The dissatisfied ones. The ones who feel unseen.
Divide.
As for Thunder Thrones—three founders. That meant their core bond was their greatest strength… and their greatest weakness. Break trust between the three, and the whole group fractures.
Rumors could be more lethal than fists.
Information would be my first weapon.
Routes. Hangouts. Supply chains. Who they protect. Who they extort. Who secretly resents them. Every gang survives on three things: money, fear, and narrative. Take away one, they struggle. Take away two, they crumble.
And then—
Offer something better.
If I simply destroyed them, another gang would rise from the ashes. But if I replaced them with structure—rules, protection without exploitation, strength without chaos—people would choose stability over intimidation.
You don't erase disorder.
You make it obsolete.
Agni's dual element intrigued me. Fire and a hint of water. That meant versatility. He wouldn't fight recklessly. I'd need to grow stronger first—far stronger. Direct confrontation would come last, not first.
Preparation before declaration.
I glanced at Arjun, still flushed from talking about Kayaa.
He saw the world through emotions.
I saw it through patterns.
Disbanding them wouldn't require rage.
It would require patience.
Let them think they control the city.
For now.
---
The open ground stretched wide beneath the fading sky. Dust hovered in the air, stirred by a restless wind.
Gauri stood a few steps away, arms folded.
"I was startled when you asked me to fight," she admitted.
"You said you wanted to," I replied. "Why hesitate now?"
A faint smile curved her lips. "Be careful. I won't go easy."
"Who told you to?"
I shifted into a fighting stance.
She vanished.
One blink—gone.
The next second she reappeared in front of me. A sharp side kick slammed into my ribs and sent me skidding across the ground. Dust exploded around me as I rolled and caught myself.
"Told you," she called out lightly. "I won't go easy. Still want to continue?"
I rose slowly, brushing dirt from my clothes.
"You just caught me off guard," I said. "Nothing more."
She tilted her head, amused. "Still stubborn. That's exactly like you."
She flashed forward again, her fist driving toward my chest.
This time I blocked.
The impact still forced me back several steps. My arms stung from the force behind it.
She wasn't holding back.
"Come on," Gauri said. "Open your meridians. You won't keep up otherwise."
"You haven't opened yours," I shot back. "So why should I?"
"I have," she replied calmly. "Fifteen are open."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Then why don't I see any light? No patterns. No aura?"
A flicker of doubt crossed my mind.
She isn't joking… is she?
Gauri exhaled patiently. "The glow only appears when you push them to full power. If you open them partially, the changes are subtle. Controlled. And you won't hurt yourself like you did the first time."
The memory of that pain flashed through me—raw energy tearing through pathways that weren't ready.
I steadied my breathing.
The ground felt different now. Heavier.
If she truly had fifteen meridians open—even partially—then she was far ahead of where she used to be.
And I was about to find out just how far.
"No—now that you know," Gauri said lightly.
She spun into another kick.
Twenty meridians open.
Energy surged through me.
I raised my guard—
—but she shifted midair.
Her leg curved, her heel hooked behind my head, and in the next heartbeat she slammed me into the ground.
The world flipped.
My mouth filled with dust. Grit scraped against my teeth.
"Come on," she laughed. "Wake up. I was really excited to fight, my friend."
I rolled onto my side, coughing. "I need… a break."
"Already?" She placed a hand on her hip. "You're ruining the mood."
She extended her hand toward me.
I grabbed it—
—and the world tore open.
The open ground vanished.
We stood inside a vast crimson chamber.
At the center sat Raktbeej.
His throne looked grown rather than built—twisted flesh woven into an obscene sculpture of muscle and bone.
He rested against it, fingers steepled before his face, eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.
He leaned forward.
"Long time no see, Gauri."
She studied him with open curiosity.
"Wow," she said. "You've grown. And that human form… I must admit, that's an improvement."
A faint smile touched his lips. "Would you like to make a deal?"
"A deal?" She tilted her head. "Sure. What is it?"
"Gauri, wait—" I began.
"Silence."
The word crushed the air.
An invisible weight forced me to my knees. It felt as if a mountain had dropped onto my shoulders. My breath grew shallow.
"When powerful beings converse," Raktbeej said coldly, "the weak remain quiet."
Then he turned back to Gauri, and his voice softened.
"So, beautiful lady… shall we continue?"
She raised a brow. "Are you flirting?"
"If a lady is this beautiful," he replied smoothly, "one cannot help but praise her."
"My, my," she said, amused. "You do handle words well. I'm impressed."
He gestured lazily toward the throne.
"Here is my offer. Give me one drop of your blood… and I will let you sit upon my throne."
Silence stretched.
"Nice deal," Gauri said at last. "I accept."
"I'm glad."
She stepped forward.
"Now get up."
Raktbeej blinked. "Huh?"
"I said get up," she repeated calmly. "It's a deal. I want to sit there now."
She walked toward him without hesitation.
For the first time—
Raktbeej looked surprised.
Raktbeej held her gaze for a long moment.
Then, slowly, he rose.
The throne shifted beneath him, the living flesh tightening and reshaping as if reluctant to let its master leave. Yet it obeyed. It always obeyed.
With a faint, elegant motion of his hand, he gestured toward the seat.
"As promised," he said smoothly. "A gentleman honors his word."
Gauri walked forward without the slightest trace of fear. The crimson chamber seemed to pulse around her, the air thick with ancient power. Even the grotesque throne—crafted from layered sinew and bone-like ridges—appeared less monstrous as she approached it.
She turned once, glancing at Raktbeej with playful curiosity.
"No tricks?" she asked.
A small smile curved his lips. "None. A deal is a deal."
Satisfied, she lowered herself onto the throne.
The moment she sat, the structure reacted.
The living material shifted—not violently, but carefully—reshaping to support her form. The jagged edges softened. The ridges aligned. It was as if the throne itself acknowledged her presence and adjusted in quiet submission.
Gauri leaned back.
One arm rested casually on the armrest. One leg crossed over the other.
She exhaled slowly.
"Hmm."
A faint smile spread across her face.
"So this is what it feels like."
Energy hummed beneath her, subtle but immense—like sitting atop a dormant volcano that had chosen, for now, not to erupt. The chamber's oppressive aura lessened around her, bending slightly, responding.
She closed her eyes for a second, simply enjoying it.
"Comfortable," she murmured.
"Surprisingly so."
Raktbeej stepped aside, standing tall yet composed, watching her with interest rather than resentment.
"You wear it well," he said.
There was no sarcasm in his voice.
Only observation.
From where I remained kneeling, the sight felt unreal.
Gauri—relaxed, almost regal—sat upon a throne forged from power and conquest.
And Raktbeej stood beside her, composed and courteous, as though this had always been the natural order of things.
After a while, Gauri rose from the throne.
The living structure reluctantly loosened its hold, reshaping as she stepped away.
"Wow," she said with genuine delight. "I really enjoyed that."
Raktbeej inclined his head slightly. "I'm glad. Now… don't forget our deal."
She smiled. "Don't worry. I won't."
The crimson chamber dissolved.
The weight vanished.
The air shifted—
—and we were back on the open ground, the evening sky stretching above us as if nothing had happened.
I stumbled back a step, then quickly created distance between us.
"Hey," I said sharply. "You don't actually have to do this."
Gauri looked at me as if I'd said something absurd.
"I made a deal."
"With him," I insisted. "You don't know what one drop could mean."
She waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. It's just one drop."
Just one drop.
She stepped closer and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small pin.
My chest tightened.
"Stop making it difficult," she said lightly, holding the pin between her fingers.
The wind stirred around us.
This wasn't about the pain.
It was about what blood meant in a world like ours. Power. Contracts. Anchors.
"You're trusting him too easily," I said, voice low.
Gauri paused for half a second.
Then she smiled again—but this time it wasn't playful.
"I'm not trusting him," she said softly.
Her eyes met mine.
"I'm calculating."
And before I could respond, she pressed the tip of the pin against her fingertip.
Gauri pricked her fingertip.
A bead of crimson welled up instantly—bright, almost luminous beneath the fading light.
She held it up between us.
"Now come here," she said calmly, "and take it like a good boy."
"Never."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're unbelievably stubborn."
She vanished.
Before I could react, a force struck me from above. I hit the ground hard, air leaving my lungs in a sharp gasp. Her foot pressed against my chest, pinning me down with effortless strength.
"Don't resist," she said, voice steady. "Stay still. And open that stubborn mouth."
I twisted beneath her, trying to throw her off—but her weight didn't budge. It felt like iron anchored me to the earth.
She crouched, gripping my face.
"Gauri—stop—"
Her fingers tightened around my jaw.
With controlled precision, she forced it open.
The single drop of blood trembled at her fingertip—
—and fell.
It touched my tongue.
For a fraction of a second—
nothing.
Then—
Fire.
Not burning heat—something deeper.
The drop dissolved instantly, racing down my throat like liquid lightning.
Energy exploded outward from my chest, spreading through my veins, flooding into pathways that had once felt narrow and resistant.
My vision blurred.
The ground beneath me cracked faintly.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
Gauri stepped back immediately, watching carefully.
The air around me began to distort—like heat rising from stone.
Every meridian inside me reacted at once.
Not violently.
But hungrily.
The single drop felt impossibly vast.
Ancient.
Dense.
Power coiled through my body, pressing against walls that had never been tested like this before.
I clenched my fists against the earth.
This wasn't poison.
This wasn't control.
This was—
Fuel.
Nothing happened.
The wind passed quietly over the open ground. The tension dissolved into something almost awkward.
Gauri stepped back, brushing dust from her sleeve.
"See?" she said lightly. "I told you nothing would happen."
I exhaled, the tightness in my chest easing.
"Yeah… I guess you were right. I'm glad."
For a brief second, everything felt normal.
Then—
My vision flickered.
The world drained of color.
A cold pressure slid behind my eyes.
Gauri's expression shifted.
My pupils rolled upward.
White.
Completely white.
A voice echoed from my own throat—deeper, layered, carrying something ancient beneath it.
"Ha… ha… finally. I can control this body."
The sound did not belong to me.
Gauri didn't move.
She didn't panic.
She simply watched.
My lips curled into a slow, unfamiliar smile.
Then another voice answered—
From the same mouth.
Calm.
Steady.
"Sorry," it said quietly. "But I'm still here."
The white in my eyes trembled.
Inside—
Two presences stood facing each other.
One ancient and suffocating.
The other burning, unyielding.
"You were invited in," the foreign presence hissed.
"Invited," I replied evenly, "is not the same as welcomed."
Outside, my body remained still—caught between forces.
Gauri crossed her arms.
"So," she murmured softly, almost amused. "Let's see who wins."
Gauri didn't hesitate.
She moved.
Her fist drove into my chest with terrifying precision—not wild, not reckless. Controlled. Calculated. The impact felt like a battering ram striking something buried beneath my ribs.
The scream that tore from my throat wasn't entirely mine.
It was layered.
Wet. Furious. Ancient.
She seized my collar and dragged my face close to hers. Her eyes were no longer playful.
"You don't speak through him," she said quietly.
Her knee snapped upward.
The crack echoed across the open ground. My vision burst into white light. The foreign presence inside me recoiled violently.
Black strands spilled from my skin—thin, writhing tendrils snapping toward her.
She caught one midair.
Snapped it.
It shriveled instantly.
She struck again. Elbow to temple. Open palm to throat. Each hit precise—each one aimed at something deeper than flesh.
When she locked her arm around my neck, she wasn't choking me.
She was crushing something else.
Inside, pathways convulsed. Not mine.
His.
Something parasitic.
Something that had slipped in with that single drop.
Energy ruptured along foreign
channels. I felt it tearing free, thread by thread.
Then she threw me down.
The ground split beneath my back.
She mounted my chest and rained down blows—each one landing with intention, not rage. She wasn't trying to destroy me.
She was driving something out.
When her hand hardened in Dou armor—condensed energy wrapping her fist like forged steel—she slammed it into my chest.
Once.
The impact detonated inside me.
Blood burst from my mouth.
And then—
Silence.
The white faded from my eyes.
The pressure lifted.
Gauri stepped back immediately.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then something stirred inside my body—not hostile this time.
Bones shifted back into place with sharp, sickening clicks. Cracks sealed. Torn muscle tightened and reformed. A slow warmth spread through my chest as damaged pathways repaired themselves.
I dragged in a breath.
Pain screamed through every inch of me.
I pushed myself upright, shaking.
"What… was that?" I asked hoarsely.
Gauri rolled her shoulder casually. "Nothing. I just helped you take back control."
I looked at her through blood-matted lashes.
"Weren't you the one who encouraged this?"
She tilted her head.
"I made a deal," she said calmly. "And I fulfilled it. I helped you. You're welcome."
I let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"…Okay," I muttered. "Thank you very much, Gauri."
A small grin tugged at her lips.
"You're welcome."
Gauri rolled her shoulders once again, as if we'd merely paused a casual spar.
"Alright," she said. "Now that you're back… let's continue."
I stared at her.
"Continue?" My voice cracked between disbelief and exhaustion. "You just broke half the bones in my body and exorcised an ancient parasite through blunt force. And you want to continue?"
A corner of her mouth lifted.
"Of course. You invited me to fight." She stepped closer, eyes gleaming. "And I don't go easy on my friends."
I pushed myself up fully. My ribs still throbbed—healed, but not forgotten. Every breath reminded me of the line between recovery and ruin.
She pointed at the ground in front of me.
"So get up," she said calmly. "And fight."
There was no mockery in her tone.
Only expectation.
The wind shifted across the open field, carrying dust in low spirals around us. The sky had darkened into deep violet. The world felt quieter now—like it was watching.
I wiped the remaining blood from my lip.
"You enjoy this too much," I muttered.
She tilted her head. "You're still standing, aren't you?"
That hit harder than her punches.
She wasn't testing my strength.
She was testing whether I'd retreat.
I straightened slowly. Pain pulsed faintly through newly mended bones. Energy moved differently inside me now—smoother, deeper. That single drop hadn't been harmless.
It had awakened something.
"You realize," I said quietly, "if I lose control again—"
"You won't," she cut in.
Absolute confidence.
Not hope.
Not reassurance.
Certainty.
She stepped back, lowering into a stance—light on her feet, hands relaxed, gaze locked onto mine.
"No more holding back," she added.
The air between us tightened.
I inhaled once.
Then I opened my meridians.
Not fully.
But enough.
A faint shimmer traced beneath my skin, subtle lines flickering like distant lightning beneath the surface. The ground beneath my feet cracked slightly as pressure built.
Gauri's smile widened.
"There it is."
She vanished.
This time—
I followed.
The world stretched as I moved, dust erupting where I had stood. I intercepted her mid-strike, forearm colliding with hers. The impact thundered outward in a shockwave that flattened the grass around us.
She twisted, pivoted, drove her elbow toward my neck.
I leaned back just enough. Her strike grazed skin instead of bone.
Better.
Faster.
We moved again—fist, block, knee, counter. Each exchange sharper than the last. No wasted motion. No hesitation.
She swept low.
I jumped.
She reappeared above me.
I rotated midair, catching her wrist, redirecting the force instead of resisting it.
For the first time—
She adjusted.
We landed opposite each other, skidding across dirt.
Her eyes gleamed brighter now.
"Good," she said softly.
I could feel it too.
Not rage.
Not fear.
Growth.
Energy coursed through my channels like a river finally clearing its path. My body felt aligned—painful, yes—but alive in a way it hadn't before.
She charged again.
This time I didn't wait.
I stepped into her space instead of retreating.
Our fists collided.
The shockwave rippled outward, bending the grass flat in a wide circle.
For a split second, we were inches apart.
Breathing hard.
Grinning.
No words.
Just understanding.
This wasn't about winning.
This was about forging something stronger.
And neither of us was stopping.
Something shifted.
In the middle of our exchange, the world sharpened.
Sound thinned. Colors brightened. My thoughts cleared as if someone had wiped fog from glass.
Then came the heat.
Not pain.
Heat.
It rose from my chest to my skull—slow at first, then surging. My pulse thundered in my ears.
Wait… yes.
Boiling.
That was the only word for it.
My blood felt like molten current racing through narrow channels, forcing them wider, stronger. The pressure in my head should have hurt—
—but it felt intoxicating.
A grin spread across my face before I could stop it.
Gauri noticed immediately.
"What's with that smile?" she asked, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's giving me chills."
"Sorry," I said softly. "I just let myself loose… a little."
I exhaled.
"Gauri."
My voice lowered.
"Let's end this."
I opened them.
All twenty.
The world exploded into gold.
Light burst from beneath my skin—veins turning radiant, energy tracing defined pathways across my body like glowing circuitry. The air around me distorted, shimmering under the sudden pressure.
Dust lifted off the ground in a slow spiral.
Golden light wrapped around me completely.
Gauri didn't look alarmed.
She smiled.
"There you are."
I vanished.
The ground shattered where I had stood.
In a fraction of a heartbeat, I appeared in front of her, fist already driving forward with enough force to crater stone.
She didn't move her feet.
Didn't shift her stance.
Her hand simply lifted—
—and turned slightly to the left.
She blocked.
Effortlessly.
The impact detonated outward, but her arm absorbed it like a mountain receiving rain.
Her eyes met mine.
"You still have a lot to learn."
Before I could react, her fingers closed around my wrist.
She pivoted.
The world flipped violently as she hurled me into the ground.
The earth cracked beneath my back.
Air fled my lungs.
And then—
Her fist descended.
No hesitation.
No restraint.
Full power.
It struck my chest like a falling star.
The golden light shattered.
Sound disappeared.
My vision collapsed into darkness.
And I fell—
Unconscious.