That was some lecture, phew.
Sanit almost felt relieved at the end of it and made his way past the streaming students to go into the room.
He vaguely remembered this place. The benches caught his eye immediately. Their faded colouring importantly. He was seated somewhere in the far end. A bench before the last. Behind him was where he had seen Piya for the first time.
It all seemed so long ago and yet it had to have happened just weeks ago for him. The him here, not the husk he had abandoned along with the Gandharva.
He turned abruptly, to will away a sudden pang of a feeling and jolted when he saw Piya behind him.
They both stared at each other. Not knowing what to say at first.
Finally Piya cleared her throat, "I thought I might find you here someday. Took you a few days since."
"Yeah, I've been busy." Sanit rubbed his neck and looked away awkwardly.
He took in her simple attire of a peach tshirt and matching jeans, making her body almost as transparent as her eyes and what she held behind them.
Piya had a cautious look in her eyes, her little earrings glinting the soft light of the sun from the windows and the choker on her slender neck whose black coloring was so sweetly in contrast with the pinkness of her skin, it made Sanit nauseate with how much his instinctual desire for her was acting up.
Seeing her eye him closely he asked, "what?" Hoping she hadn't seen him look at her with that wild gaze he was struggling to hold back on.
Piya squinted, her arms folded against her chest, which made her bosom lift up almost immediately, "did you just get taller than before?"
He glanced down at his shoes and legs, "sheesh I might have. Have I?"
"I'm probably mistaken." Piya shut her own theory down while not entirely sure of it being wrong.
Her darkened eyelashes flitted constantly in her ever curious gaze and Sanit felt like he was briefly under a spell. Hers.
"I don't even wanna ask," Piya pursed her lips, "but how are you doing now?"
She might've sounded rude or offended but there really was no animosity in her tone. Rather it held a gentle, misplaced concern.
He shrugged, "just fine. Not much different than that day."
"Ok, good to know." With that she seemed satisfied and turned away from him.
"Wait, please."
He had not been looking forward to face her after that awkward day but he knew what regrets meant now. He would rather perish than not face her after that. So he stopped her.
"I need you..."
She snapped in a moment, "excuse me?"
Piya had an inkling about where this strange boy's words and feelings stemmed from but seeing it so blatantly obvious was something else entirely and it made her wonder at the absolute gall of him.
Again with no anger, nor angst. She still had the patience to hear him out.
"I need you to accompany me to the hospital. I can't go alone."
She relaxed and almost weirdly felt disappointed for some reason, but her eyes had a puzzled look, "look I'm sorry for your friend, but I barely knew him ok?"
"I get that. It's just, I can't deal with his parents alone. They look at me like I have some answers but how do I tell them I barely remember anything about their son?"
She hesitated but turned around anyway.
"Ok. So what do you want me to do?" She asked him.
"Just you know," he began struggling to find the words to convince her, "be with me when I visit him."
"This is still stupid," she adjusted her bag, "but fine, at least I can use the time to study uninterrupted in that silent space."
Sanit smiled for some reason and Piya almost melted on seeing the older version of him there for a second before she grew slightly stern again, "but don't pull anything like last time ok?"
"That is a given," he said as he took out his phone and made the screen light up, "give me your number."
Piya flinched for a moment.
"Go on," Sanit insisted and handed her his phone.
She bit her lower lip unsure before tapping furiously and handed it back to him, "happy?"
"Very much."
"Is that all?" She shouldered her bag, not entirely sure giving her number was the right call, "don't you have classes?"
"Ah I'm still working on that. No money remember?" He grinned sheepishly.
"Right," she looked him up and down before leaving, "see you later then."
--
Sanit had kept note of a flyer pasted on the college board while entering today.
It had detailed a colorful advertisement for the upcoming annual Awakeners Championship. And it was the last line that was the kicker. "Even Inborns allowed."
Sanit made his way out of the campus, the sun hitting him harshly as he thought hard about himself. As an inborn.
Back when he had helped Piya in that road, she had revealed to him about her own inborn talent.
Just like the professor had said, Sanit too had been bestowed with some abilities since birth unlike Awakeners who seemed to rely on the Realms or some of its associated force to inculcate abilities.
But Sanit never had flight nor the vast fighting prowess earlier. Only when he was thrown into the realm and fighting for his life in there, under the Gandharva's guidance he had developed into something else entirely.
And he had yet to apply himself fully in this realm. In his place of origin.
PROM! PROM!
The bus horn felt more like a nuisance than a necessity to him from the inside.
The bus he was on now ought to take him to a site where extranormal actions had been incentivized for budding Awakeners or powered individuals.
This was something he had overheard the other labourers discussing among themselves during their break. And the more he heard about it the more attractive it sounded to him.
Years of experiencing repeated incursions and a close observance of the realm barrier had helped the government erect closeted environments in specific zones that allowed people to participate in honing their talent, their skill for one thing and one thing only.
Hunting Rakshasas.
The ride was stuffy, but uneventful at most. Balbhar was a major campus city right between Bareli and Delhi, it's development taking over hectares of space and the highway running through it like a jugular vein.
From Balbhar it was only a journey of an hour or two if it was at the edge which was where Sanit was. It would have taken four more hours if he were farther and deep in the heart of Balbhar.
And Delhi itself was massive. Something he noticed almost immediately upon entry. Even more expansive than Balbhar was. It made more use of it's lesser space in mind boggling ways.
Floating flotillas, giant displays, skyscrapers that were building through other towers.
And the greenery was a welcome sight between all of it, something solely lacking in Balbhar, Sanit felt.
His stop had come and he squeezed his way through to a massive centre where he was waiting with a few others. Then he saw it on his right. An unmistakable structure.
It was called the Mausoleum. A historic site built by medieval invaders, it had been ravaged by a sudden emergence of Rakshasas in one of its many underground crypts and had since been repurposed as a training center of sorts for new fighters.
The side minarets were barely standing, held loosely by old rods.
The giant spherical cenotaph had caved in to create a massive crater like building .
All around it were barbed wire and thick concrete walls, simulating a prison almost.
There was an iron gate in the front with a huge queue leading to a smaller gate lined into the bigger one.
A lady in a desk ushered members in one by one after some brief information exchange.
He didn't actually think he was going to be allowed to fight, but hearing other jobs like porters or carriers that could also let him explore the place while letting him earn was too good of an opportunity to pass by.
He stood obediently feeling a little odd as he saw other's sporting gear, weapons and even their outfits despite some being outlandish felt like they belonged.
"Next."
Sanit smiled as he stepped forward, "hey, hi."
The lady tapped her pen and looked up, then rolled her eyes, "name?"
"Sanit, that's S-A-N-I-T."
"What's your scale?"
"Scale?" He asked and immediately got another stare.
"Yeah, scale. Unless you're an Inborn. If so then go inside already don't eat my brains."
Don't have to be bloody rude about it.
Wait a minute. I can just go on inside? There's no license? No further checking?
He had half a mind to ask but considering how rude the woman was he thought better of it.
Whatever happens, happens.
"Hey where's your weapon?" The guard at the entrance stopped him.
Sanit shrugged, "don't have one."
A wave of realization struck the guard and he smirked at his colleague, "this is the second one today. Go in kid. Stay alive if you can."
The complex inside was massive. What would have been a tourist gathering spot was now a bustling mix of Awakeners and guards. Some men and women in suits were also among them but they always stayed together.
Whoo...this is it.
He shook his shoulders and cracked his knuckles as he kicked his legs. Taking a spot closeby with lesser people he stretched while taking a good look at the people gathered.
Most were around his age, some even younger and some older folks who had various scars to prove their battles.
There were some men dressed in camo holding rifles but unlike the security they were more jovial and almost unit-like.
"Attention everyone!"
A megaphone amplified voice called to them and the crowd turned in unison. In a small platform stood a man with the most colorful clothes and sunglasses, sporting a toothy grin and gelled hair.
"I'm Dhankar and have been in charge of these little events from the time I was hired by our beloved 3A. They're the ones who help run things smoothly here, so first let's acknowledge the efforts of the men and women in black. Come on now."
He clapped his hands as did the rest of his audience, some hooting and cheering even for no reason.
"Right so before we begin, let me give a small crash course. Behind me," he pointed with his extended right arm to the entrance, "is your testing ground. Reinforced by the barrier our great minds helped redirect and protect us, while also giving you a unique opportunity. To test yourselves. Find that mettle in you if you're destined to be a real Awakener."
"You will all be paired up with others, if you are individuals. If you are part of a team already ignore it. And remember Inborns can only be paired with an Awakener not another inborn. Ok now have fun."
The megaphone shrieked as Dhankar got down and the crowd resumed its chatter.