The dining hall was silent, save for the crackle of the fireplace and the clinking of silverware. Hans served the meal—a plate of thick, crusty bread and a bland meat stew common to the northern nobility.
As I looked at the pale broth, a sudden, sharp memory of home hit me like a physical blow. I could almost smell it: the aroma of Masaledar Dal, the steam rising from a plate of Biryani, the perfect crunch of a Roti straight from the tawa, and the spice of a potato Sabji. My mouth actually watered. Compared to the rich flavors of Delhi, this "noble" food tasted like wet cardboard.
I forced myself to take a bite. It was fuel, nothing more.
Mid-meal, Hans approached with a silver tray. On it lay a crisp parchment sealed with a crimson wax stamp—the Imperial Seal. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The air felt heavy, and the warmth of the fire seemed to die down.
"What is that paper, Mother?" I asked, though I already saw the dread in her eyes.
My mother took a deep breath, her heart heavy as she broke the seal. "It is the invitation... or rather, the summons," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "The Imperial Academy Entrance Exam. For both the Mage and Knight divisions."
The room went stone-cold. Hans looked away, and my mother went silent, her hands trembling slightly on the table. In this world, the Academy was the only way to save a House, but for a "failure" like me, it was usually a death sentence of public humiliation.
"Theodore..." she began, her eyes full of pity. "Do not worry. You don't have to—"
"I will go," I interrupted, my voice steady. "Do not worry, Mother. I will try."
She looked at me, her expression a mix of heartbreak and sadness. She clearly didn't believe I could pass, but she didn't want to crush my spirit. I stood up, bowed to her, and retreated to my room before the silence could swallow me whole.
Upstairs, I sat on the floor, ignoring the bed. I needed power. The "Vajra" body was a start, but I needed a core. I searched the memories of this body—years of trying to circulate mana and failing. The Western way was to pull mana from the air into the heart, but my heart was like a leaky valve. It wouldn't hold.
Then, I remembered the Sadhu.
In the caves of Uttarakhand, he had taught me about the Seven Chakras—the spinning wheels of energy within the human body. In my previous life, I was a restless Delhi boy; I could never clear my mind enough to open even the first gate.
"Aryan," the Guru had said, "The mind is a storm. You must be the mountain at the center of it."
Now, I had the mind of a survivor and the focus of a man who had died once. I sat in the Padmasana (Lotus position). I closed my eyes and stopped trying to "pull" mana. Instead, I looked inward, toward the base of my spine—the Muladhara Chakra.
I began the breathwork. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. I visualized a red glow at the base of my spine, trapped under layers of "Western" mana-blocks.
Hours passed. The moon climbed high and began to set. I didn't move. I became the mountain. I channeled the vibrations of the family locket into my spine, using the Sanskrit resonance like a jackhammer.
Break. Break. OPEN.
[DING!]
[Path of the Mahayogi: Initialized.]
[First Gate: Muladhara Chakra – OPEN.]
[System Analysis: Your internal energy (Prana) has stabilized.]
[Power Level: Equivalent to 1.5 Mana Stars / 1st Circle Swordsman.]
A sense of triumph flared in me. In this world, an average Mage candidate needed 4 Stars and a Swordsman needed to be at the 3rd Circle to be considered talented. I was only at 1.5, but I had done in one night what Theodore had failed to do in ten years.
I opened my eyes as the first light of dawn hit the floorboards. But the victory lasted only a second.
Suddenly, a wave of immeasurable pain washed over me. It felt like my blood had been replaced with molten lead. My skin turned a deep, angry red, and steam began to rise from my shoulders. The "Vajra" body and the "Chakra" energy were fighting for dominance, rewiring my nerves and bone marrow in real-time.
"Aaargh!" I bit my lip to keep from screaming, my body heating up until the air around me shimmered. My vision blurred into a haze of gold and red.
I had opened the door, but now I had to survive the fire.