"Katherine," he whispered, eyes widening, disbelief leaking into his voice.
Another giggle bubbled from Maldev, and he covered his mouth like a mischievous child. His eyes, however, glistened. And in that gleam, Vikram swore he saw a reflection that was not his own.
It wasn't Maldev who smiled at him. It was her.
"Duck," she whispered through his lips.
"Move!"
The word exploded in his mind, and instinct took the reins. Vikram hurled his chair aside and dove away. A thunderous boom split the mess hall a heartbeat later, rattling plates and shattering glass. Kayala burst into the room, her aura flaring like a blood-red blade, but she was already too late.
Vikram pushed himself up from the floor, coughing through a haze of dust. He blinked once, twice, and wished he hadn't. Maldev's body hung midair, twisted in ways no human frame should ever allow.
His limbs bent backwards, his torso contorted, his neck stretched taut like wet cloth wrung dry. Invisible ropes coiled his ankles, suspending him upside down as if some unseen puppeteer had taken possession.
A chill ran through Vikram's spine. He rubbed grit from his face, but the image didn't vanish.
'If even Katherine… if even her kind heart could twist into this,' his thoughts turned heavy, 'what kind of monsters will I meet in the future?'
He didn't wait for an answer. He didn't want one.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There was no time to process the madness. No time to sit with the dread curling in his chest.
Now, all that stood before Vikram was the nutrient pod.
He stretched his limbs inside the black skintight wear, feeling the pull of fabric across his shoulders. Around him, the chamber buzzed with movement, workers rushing, staff barking clipped orders, fingers flying across glowing screens. The air smelled sterile, charged, like lightning bottled in a room.
Even Vold and Serena, usually unflinching, wore grim expressions. Vikram's eyes flicked to Alex, the boy who never stopped grinning. But not today. Today, even his cheer was stripped bare, replaced by iron focus.
It made sense. The Second Walk wasn't a test you passed or failed. It was survival. If the Mother System anchored them on a gentle world, they might live long enough to build something. But if they landed in the jaws of an enemy, even a Lesser Foe… then all this preparation, all this noise, all these parents watching, none of it would matter.
Vikram found himself silently praying. Not for himself, but for the children crying into their mothers' arms, for the boys hiding tears in clenched fists, for the girls biting their lips to hold down their fear.
"Light!"
The cry jolted him out of his thoughts as something collided with his side. Hard. Like a boulder had decided to walk. Vikram staggered, frowning, and turned, only to see a mountain disguised as a boy grinning down at him.
Facial hair shadowed the kid's jawline despite his age. Shoulders broader than doors loomed over Vikram. His sheer presence made Vikram's throat bob unconsciously.
And then recognition sparked.
Vikram's lips twitched in a strange mix of exasperation and amusement. Of all times, it had to be him. He sighed and scanned the crowd until his eyes locked on Arjun, the boy who never missed a chance to antagonize him.
Sure enough, Arjun was flailing his arms, gesturing wildly, face pale with panic. His little brother had slipped away.
Vikram endured the giant's eager pokes to his face, tolerated the fumbling touches, and finally guided him back toward Arjun. Relief washed over Arjun's features the instant he saw his sibling safe. He grabbed the boy, hugged him tight, and for once, didn't spare Vikram a glare.
Vikram looked at Arjun, whom he had learned form Serena. His chest tightened as he braced for insults, for the usual sting of Arjun's venom. Instead, all he saw was the older boy clutching his brother, holding him like he might slip away at any moment.
The sight hit harder than he expected.
Jealousy spread through him like wildfire. His teeth ground together, and he looked away, letting them have their moment. He stretched his arms, forcing his mind back into his body, only to feel someone standing close behind.
When he turned, Arjun was there. The bearded youth looked distracted, hesitant.
"Thank you… for taking care of my brother," Arjun said, his voice so low it almost vanished in the noise of the chamber.
Vikram blinked, caught off guard. Words failed him, so he simply nodded. "Name?"
"Arjun." He gave the answer and turned away, as if embarrassed to have said even that much.
Vikram watched his retreating back and shook his head. "Lucky guy."
The moment didn't last.
"Attention!"
Kayala stormed in, Brunus at her side, her presence sharp enough to cut the hum of the chamber into silence. Behind them came new figures, faces Vikram hadn't seen within the Hall before, men and women with unreadable expressions, their very presence thickening the atmosphere.
"Get inside the pods!" Kayala barked. Her voice cracked like a whip, though Vikram could hear the strain beneath it, the false bravado that barely covered her own nerves.
He climbed into his tube, fastening the oxygen mask over his mouth. Through the glass, he saw Kayala standing before them all, her eyes sweeping across the Walkers one by one.
"Remember this!" Her voice rose again, but this time it carried something else. A weight. A command woven into the marrow. No one could ignore it. "Anchor your soul to the Tower the moment you arrive. That is your first step. Do not fight, do not wander, do nothing before this. Anchor first!"
She inhaled deeply, her chest rising as though she carried the burden of every life in the chamber, then exhaled, steadying herself.
"Start the Walk!"
Water rushed in, cold and relentless. Vikram clenched his fists as it swallowed his body, his mind growing heavy, the world slipping into dark. Just before his eyes shut, he caught sight of Kayala staring at him through the glass.
He smiled and winked.
Her lips moved. "…Brat."
[You are entering your Second Walk, Walker Vikram Rathore…]
The voice rang in the dark. He waited, tense, for the usual stream of system messages—but nothing came.
Then—
[An anomaly has been detected.][Requesting Higher Authority.]
'I knew something was going to happen.'
[Requesting Higher Authority…][Access denied.][Requesting Higher Authority…][Processed Anomality.]
Pain lanced through him as his consciousness split apart, tearing into three equal shards. His sense of self shattered, then reformed, only this time, he was not one.
Three figures stood in the void.
[Barbarian]. [Knight]. [Mage].
Each turned to the other, confusion mirrored in their faces. Then, without warning, they were gone, pulled into the unknown.
[The Mother Watches Your Second Walk.]