The stranger laughed cruelly. He rushes towards Selene and Tayven. Selene became aware but his target was Tayven. His fist rushes towards Tayven. Tayven's eyes widens as he sees him coming towards him.
Tayven:
No no no. I don't wanna die yet.. Nooooo...
Tayven screams as the stranger's fist is a millimetre away. And right then he jolts waking up in his bed. It was a dream yet so realistic. His dad comes to upstairs to see him.
Jared:
Why the hell did you scream out of nowhere?
Tayven:
I had a nightmare,dad.
Jared:
Yeah but you are not a kid. Breakfast is ready.
Jared leaves the room closing the door behind. Tayven stares at the door, still thinking about what he just saw in his dream.
Veydrin:
Thinking about something?
Tayven:
Yeah..got a nightmare...I got crushed by someone.
Veydrin:
You afraid?
Tayven:
Uh ..um..yeah..yeah I'm afraid.
Veydrin:
You know the reason why? Because you didn't train even a day since you got your powers.
Tayven:
I don't even know what my powers are.
Veydrin:
But you should've trained.
Long silence..Tayven falls deep in his thoughts.
---
Tayven couldn't shake it.
That dream. That thing—the stranger—his fist nearly shattering Tayven's skull before he snapped awake, drenched in sweat and screaming.
It stayed with him like phantom limbs.
His dad didn't get it. He never would.
But Veydrin… Veydrin did.
> Veydrin (within):
"You fear death because you've never trained to live. You have power now—but you walk like prey."
Tayven stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Pale. Tired. Hollow-eyed.
"Then where do I begin?" he whispered.
---
Later That Morning – College Campus, Isolated Bench
Classes were background noise now.
People moved around him—laughing, studying, scrolling—but Tayven sat still, staring into the cracked screen of his old phone.
He wasn't looking for distraction.
He was looking for purpose.
That's when it appeared.
A link. Barely a title. Something someone posted anonymously in a conspiracy forum weeks ago.
"ANDRE TALON – THE MAN THEY COULDN'T DELETE."
Curious, Tayven clicked.
---
[Video Playback Begins – Shaky Cam, Dim Lighting]
A lone man stood in a private gym, shirtless, carved like stone.
Bronze skin. Bald head. Eyes hidden behind matte-black aviators.
The kind of presence that demanded silence without saying a word.
Andre Talon (on screen):
"They didn't cancel me because I lied. They canceled me because I told the truth too early. Too loud."
"Comfort is poison. Weakness is fashionable. They want men soft, quiet, compliant."
"But we are not made to obey."
---
Veydrin (calmly):
Talon. A ghost of the modern world.
Billionaire. Fighter. Philosopher.
He didn't just beat men in the ring. He beat the system.
Tayven:
Wow..how do you know everything?
Veydrin(Scoffs):
I lived for centuries dumbass and now you ask me how.
---
Tayven scrolled. More clips. More rants.
The man was fire incarnate.
He'd been a 4-time kickboxing world champion, retired undefeated.
He built an empire from grit—investments, underground fight circuits, self-discipline academies.
Then the bans came.
Social media purged him.
Mainstream media vilified him.
They called him dangerous, toxic, radical.
But his message only grew louder in the shadows.
---
Tayven (reading aloud):
"The Crucible: A free, invite-only training camp. No fees. No comfort. No mercy. Entrance requires passing The Gate. No second chances."
---
His heart pounded.
Free.
That word alone pulled him in.
He had no money. No fame. No father who gave a damn. No plan.
But if Talon could turn losers into machines—into something untouchable—then maybe…
Maybe this was his chance to become what he couldn't even name yet.
---
Later That Day – His Room
Tayven sat hunched over his laptop. The Crucible's login page blinked like an old signal.
Enter Crucible?
> Do you believe you deserve more than you are?
Tayven stared at the prompt.
> Tayven:
"Yes."
Next:
> The weak will suffer. The lazy will quit. The worthy will be broken and remade.
Enter only if your soul is ready.
Tayven's fingers hovered over the key.
Then—click.
A timer appeared. 24 hours.
"The Gate opens tomorrow."
---
Veydrin (softly):
You made your choice.
Now become it.
---
To be continued...