BANG!
The race began.
Twenty candidates burst forward like unleashed arrows, their shoes pounding against the hard dirt, adrenaline flooding their veins.
Ahead of them loomed the monstrous Gauntlet — hurdles, poles, ropes, tires, and puzzles — a battlefield that would spare no one.
Rivet pushed himself into a sprint, feeling the rush of the crowd's roar thundering around him.
Beside him, Keshav ran effortlessly, calm but deadly focused.
Veer, a few meters ahead, smirked back once, taunting — and picked up speed.
First Obstacle: Hurdles and Poles
The hurdles came first — rows upon rows of high bars demanding speed and agility.
One by one, the candidates leapt —
Some stumbled.
Some fell, tangled in poles.
Rivet clenched his jaw and timed each jump, heart hammering.
One jump. Another. Another.
He barely cleared the last hurdle when disaster struck — a boy ahead tripped and fell sideways, blocking Rivet's path.
"Tch—!"
Rivet twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the fallen candidate, but it cost him precious seconds.
By the time he regained balance, he realized — he was falling behind.
Second Obstacle: The Rope Climb
A towering rope hung before them, swaying ominously in the wind.
Candidates jumped, grabbed the rope, and began clawing their way upward.
Rivet's arms screamed in protest as he gripped and hauled himself up.
Sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes.
Below, a few candidates slipped and fell back, groaning.
Rivet reached the top, slapped the hanging bell, and slid down carefully.
But Veer had already descended and sprinted ahead, leading the pack.
Keshav too was ahead, climbing down like a panther.
Rivet felt the gap growing.
Third Obstacle: Strength Task
Rows of massive tires awaited — flip them across the field.
Panting heavily, Rivet bent down, muscles straining.
He flipped the first tire. Then another.
Nearby, Veer growled, muscling through his tires with raw force.
Keshav used clean technique — less energy, faster flips.
Rivet, meanwhile, felt exhaustion clawing at his lungs.
"Come on..." he muttered, forcing himself to keep moving.
Fourth Obstacle: Precision Task
Targets spun on mechanical arms — small red circles attached to speeding rods.
Candidates had to grab weighted discs and hit the targets.
Rivet grabbed a disc, focused —
THWACK!
Missed.
Another.
THUNK!
Barely grazed the target.
Each miss cost time.
Veer, surprisingly accurate, smashed two targets effortlessly and raced ahead.
Keshav nailed his shots with perfect calm.
Rivet gritted his teeth, steadied his hands, and smashed a target dead-center.
"Good enough," he whispered, sprinting onward.
Fifth Obstacle: Puzzle Lock Break
A coded metallic lock awaited, attached to a heavy chain.
Candidates had to solve a simple numerical puzzle under pressure to unlock and move forward.
Rivet's fingers trembled as he rotated the lock.
The numbers blurred — exhaustion, panic, and pressure clouding his mind.
"Focus..."
He remembered Keshav's words.
He closed his eyes for a second, breathing deeply.
The answer flashed in his mind — quick mental math.
CLICK.
The lock opened.
He threw the chain aside and bolted.
But he was still behind — very behind.
Final Sprint to the Finish Line
The ground stretched ahead, the finish line visible — so close yet impossibly far.
Candidates were collapsing left and right, their bodies unable to continue.
Veer sprinted at the front, a hungry beast ready to snatch victory.
Keshav was among the leading three.
And Rivet...
Rivet was almost twenty meters behind.
Struggling.
Breathless.
Broken.
His legs screamed to stop.
His vision blurred.
Every instinct told him to fall... to quit.
And then
Through the haze of pain and despair...
He saw them.
His family.
Standing just beyond the finish line.
Their faces smiling proudly.
His mother's eyes glistening.
His father's hand raised in encouragement.
His little sister cheering with both fists high.
They weren't real — it was a hallucination.
But it was enough.
Something inside Rivet snapped.
An ancient fire roared back to life.
Muscles burning, lungs tearing, soul screaming — he pushed harder.
Harder than he ever thought possible.
He roared, a primal sound that tore from deep within him, and surged forward.
One step. Another. Another.
Faster. Faster.
The gap between him and the leaders shrank rapidly.
Keshav glanced back, stunned to see Rivet charging like a demon reborn.
But Veer noticed too — and he wasn't about to lose.
Veer poured every last ounce of strength into his sprint, desperate to reach first.
The finish line was only meters away.
Rivet was gaining — dangerously close now.
But... it wasn't enough.
Veer was still ahead.
Just slightly, but enough.
And then—
Keshav did the unthinkable.
In a flash, Keshav twisted mid-run, using his own momentum to push Rivet hard on his back — a forceful shove that jolted Rivet forward.
"GO!" Keshav shouted, voice raw with sacrifice.
Rivet stumbled —
Caught himself —
And shot forward like a bullet.
In that single moment —
Keshav slowed down, sacrificing his own position.
Rivet surged ahead.
Crossed Veer.
And —
CROSSED THE FINISH LINE FIRST.
Silence.
Then —
A deafening roar erupted from the crowd.
Rivet fell to his knees, gasping, heart ready to explode.
Tears — sweat — pride — everything blended.
Keshav crossed a few seconds later, smiling faintly despite his heavy breathing.
Veer crossed after, furious, eyes burning with hatred.
Rivet looked back.
Keshav gave him a small nod —
A silent message:
"I chose you, brother."
Rivet's chest clenched painfully.
No words were needed.
He understood.
They had both won — but not for glory, not for a trophy.
They had won something far greater —
Shaurya. True courage. True strength. True brotherhood.
(End of Chapter 13)