This novel is written by me. There may be some similarities, but this is my original creation. — JEEVAN SAINI
Exo — a mysterious planet located millions of light-years away from our solar system. Here, no king is born by lineage, nor does the public choose its ruler. There is only one law that governs this world — the law of power.
Those who possess strength are justice itself. They are the law. The lives and deaths of the weak are decided at the mere gesture of the strong. In this world, equality, compassion, and justice are nothing more than words — not reality.
On this very planet Exo stood a vast empire — Aryavart. And within Aryavart's renowned city of Indore, two powerful families had ruled for centuries. One of them was the Saini family.
Today, an unusual silence hung over the Saini mansion. Its walls, its courtyard, and every soul present there seemed to be waiting for a single moment.
Today was not an ordinary day.
Today was the Power Test of Mahendra Pratap Saini's only son — Abhimanyu Saini.
The Power Test — the day that decides whether a child will become a warrior or live his entire life as an ordinary human. Conducted at the age of fourteen, this test writes one's destiny.
At the center of the courtyard lay an ancient stone — not an ordinary stone, nor a lifeless object. It was said that this stone could peer into the deepest corners of the soul. It recognized power… true power.
Abhimanyu stepped forward slowly. His footsteps felt heavy, his breathing uneven. His heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest.
He was only fourteen — yet the sweat he had shed, the effort he had put in, surpassed that of many grown warriors.
Because he was the son of the Saini family's head. And the expectations placed upon him were higher than the sky itself.
With trembling hands, he placed his palm on the stone.
One moment… Two moments… Several moments passed.
But—
Nothing happened.
The stone remained cold, silent, unmoving. No light… no vibration… no sign at all.
It felt as though time itself had stopped.
Abhimanyu's breathing grew faster. Fear crept into his eyes. His fingers went numb — yet he did not pull his hand back.
"Just a little more…" he whispered to himself. "Something has to happen…"
But the stone remained silent.
His hard work… His dreams… His father's hopes…
All were being crushed beneath that stone's silence.
The gazes of the people around him began to lower. Some eyes held pity, others disappointment.
And Abhimanyu—
He still stood there, clinging to the stone, as if trying to forcibly awaken his fate.
But the world of Exo knows no mercy. Here, either you have power — or you have nothing.
His heart screamed within him, but outwardly… his face had turned completely pale. His vision blurred, his ears filled with the sound of his own heartbeat.
He didn't know what to do…
Then, from the seat above, the heavy voice of an elder echoed—
"Abhimanyu… You may return to your place."
There was something different in his voice today. No warmth. No affection.
Only cold displeasure.
It felt as though a great being was speaking to a mere ant.
Abhimanyu's eyes welled up.
These tears were not for the elder's words— They were for witnessing his own failure with his own eyes.
Without saying a word, he turned back. Slowly descended the steps. He did not stop in the field.
He walked straight toward his palace.
Voices from behind pierced his ears like arrows—
"Did you see that? The chief's son turned out to be completely useless."
"He's entirely like his mother."
"Ordinary… Absolutely ordinary."
Abhimanyu's steps quickened. His heart felt hollow.
Yes… Now even he had begun to believe it—
That he truly was ordinary.
He reached his palace. Went straight to his chamber.
But the moment he opened the door—
His steps froze.
Someone was sitting inside.
His father—
Mahendra Pratap Saini.
Abhimanyu did not have the courage to meet his eyes. He lowered his head, offered a silent bow, and stood to the side.
Then his father stood up and asked calmly—
"Is the Power Test over?" "How did it go, Abhimanyu?"
Abhimanyu said nothing.
Only silence.
That silence said everything.
Mahendra Pratap understood at once. He took a deep breath and said—
"Come… Sit here."
Abhimanyu slowly went and sat beside him.
Mahendra Pratap's voice grew heavy—
"I know what is going on in your mind."
"Everyone believes that you are ordinary, just like your mother…"
He paused for a moment and looked at Abhimanyu—
"But no one knows that your mother was not ordinary."
Abhimanyu was startled.
"I have never stepped outside this empire," Mahendra Pratap continued, "But your mother…
She was from beyond this empire."
"Where had she come from…
Where did she live…
And where is she now…?"
He lowered his head.
"I don't know anything."
"All I know is this—
she loved me deeply…
and I loved her just as much."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then Mahendra Pratap spoke.
He took a deep breath. There was a strange glow in his eyes—
as if a long-buried memory had suddenly come alive.
In a slow but grave voice, he said,
"Abhimanyu… once your mother told me that this world is divided into two parts.
One part is the world we know…
and the other is the world we don't even dare to imagine."
Abhimanyu silently looked at him.
"Till today," his father continued,
"our entire Indore city—no, this entire empire—has believed that Martial Arts is the only path to greatness.
The one with strength is considered great…
he becomes the king…
he delivers justice."
A faint bitterness crept into his voice.
"But—"
He paused and looked straight into Abhimanyu's eyes.
"There is another path, Abhimanyu…
A path that no one in this empire has ever dared to walk."
Abhimanyu's heartbeat quickened.
"What path, Father?"
Now his father's voice carried both pride and pain.
"That path… was chosen by your mother."
Abhimanyu was stunned.
"Besides Martial Arts," his father said,
"there is one more force that can make a person truly great…
And that is—Magic."
"M… Magic?"
Abhimanyu's eyes widened.
"Father, I've never heard of this.
I've read so many books… but none of them mention magic."
His father smiled faintly.
"Because this knowledge has been deliberately hidden here.
Even I don't know much about magic, Abhimanyu."
His voice softened.
"Your mother told me that on the other side of this planet…
Martial Arts is not taught.
There, they teach magic."
He slowly shook his head.
"How powerful it is…
what form it takes…
I do not know."
Saying this, he reached inside his robes and took out an old, worn-out book.
The marks of time were clearly visible on its cover.
He placed the book into Abhimanyu's trembling hands.
"This book,"
his voice grew heavy,
"was given to me by your mother."
Abhimanyu's hands began to shake.
"She told me," his father continued,
"that the day Abhimanyu turns fourteen…
this book must be given to him."
He took a deep breath.
"You may not become a great Martial Artist like me,"
he said honestly,
"but… perhaps you can become a great magician—
just like your mother."
Silence filled the room once again.
Abhimanyu looked at his father…
then at the book resting in his palms.
His heart swayed between unknown fear
and unknown hope.
He still couldn't fully believe it…
But respecting his father's words,
he gently pressed the book against his chest.
His father said nothing.
He simply turned around…
and walked out of the room.
Left behind was Abhimanyu—
and in his hands, a secret
that could change his entire life.
"Will Abhimanyu follow his father's words and abandon the path of Martial Arts to choose magic?
And if he chooses his own path, how will it transform his life?
To find out, read my novel."