The First Crack
The crowd roared like a living beast, shaking the old stadium to its bones. Sweat dripped into Aarav Malhotra's eyes as he stood in the blue corner, gloves hanging heavy at his sides. His opponent lay sprawled on the canvas, chest rising and falling like a broken machine.
"Ten!" the referee shouted.
The bell rang.
Aarav had won.
Cameras rushed toward him. Flashes exploded. His coach, Raghav, pulled him into a crushing hug. "You did it, champ. National title. This is just the beginning."
Aarav smiled automatically. His body knew how to smile after a win. His mind, however, felt… thin. Like a book with missing pages.
As he stepped out of the ring, a woman pushed through the crowd and wrapped her arms around him. She smelled familiar. Safe.
"You scared me today," she whispered.
Aarav froze.
He gently pulled back and looked at her face—brown eyes, a small scar on her eyebrow, tears mixed with pride.
"I'm sorry," he said carefully. "Do I… know you?"
Her smile shattered.
The crowd kept cheering, unaware that something inside the champion had already begun to disappear.
End of Chapter 1