The morning air on the training grounds carried a crisp sharpness, the kind that followed nights of relentless practice. Ashwini stood tall, her hair pulled back neatly, her expression calm but glowing faintly with confidence. Beside her, Vijay shifted uncomfortably, rubbing at a bruise on his arm, while Ansh leaned lazily on his wooden sword, Daav perched on his head like a smug crown of embers.
Rajyugas appeared without sound, as he always did. His presence drew their spines straight in an instant, though Ansh still fidgeted under the weight of his gaze. The Vice Principal's eyes swept across the three, measuring, weighing, and—finally—acknowledging.
"You've improved," Rajyugas said, his voice carrying across the field like the toll of a bell. "Ashwini, your control has sharpened. Vijay, your endurance has grown. And even you, Ansh…" His lips quirked faintly. "You no longer swing your blade like it is a farming tool."
Ashwini's chest warmed at the praise. Vijay exhaled, relieved. Ansh blinked, then grinned wide. "Thank you, Vice Principal! At last, someone recognizes my true genius! Even Daav agrees—right, Daav?"
Daav chirped brightly, hopping in a circle on his head.
Rajyugas ignored the antics. "Looking at your training and dedication, it seems you may finally be ready to handle yourselves in the actual world."
Ansh puffed his chest out. "Ah yes, the world should beware. The mighty Ansh and his faithful Daav will protect it all!"
Daav flapped his wings proudly, letting off a spark.
Ashwini muttered, "This is going to end badly…"
Before Ansh could reply, the air twisted.
The ground buckled, the horizon bent. In one breath they were on the academy's familiar field, and in the next, Ashwini felt herself falling, ripped away from the others into blinding light.
The Desert of Silence
Ashwini hit the ground with a hard thud. Sand exploded around her, scorching against her skin. The heat slammed into her lungs, dry and merciless. She coughed, pushing herself up, her hands sinking into grains that burned like fire.
She staggered to her feet, squinting. The world stretched in every direction—nothing but dunes, endless and shimmering. Above, the sun glared down like an unforgiving eye. No shade, no trees, no streams. No life.
Her chest tightened. She raised her hand, reaching for the life-force she had always relied on. Usually, threads of energy stirred instantly—the grass, the roots beneath the soil, the breath of plants around her. But here? Nothing.
The sand swallowed her call, offering only silence.
Ashwini's heart skipped. "No… there has to be something." She knelt, pressing her palm deeper into the sand, searching desperately. For a moment, she felt it—a whisper, the faintest flicker of dried roots buried far beneath. She pulled, but they crumbled to dust in her grasp.
Her throat went dry. This place… it was empty.
A sound broke the silence.
The ground shifted. From the sand rose a figure—a beast-shaped dummy, forged of hardened clay and stone, its eyes glowing faintly red. Its shape mimicked the forest spirit beast they had once faced, but smaller, twisted by the desert.
It roared silently and lunged.
Ashwini's instincts screamed. She threw herself aside, sand exploding as the dummy's tail whipped past. The impact sent her rolling, burning grains scraping her arms. She gasped, staggering upright just in time to see the beast swing its stone claw.
She raised her hand, calling life-force. Nothing.
The claw struck. She barely managed to grab a broken stick half-buried in the sand, bracing it across her body. The impact rattled her bones and sent her flying. She hit the ground hard, pain flaring through her ribs.
The stick splintered.
Ashwini groaned, spitting out sand. The dummy advanced, relentless.
"This is impossible," she whispered, forcing herself upright. Her breaths came shallow, her palms shaking. No plants. No trees. No roots to bend.
But then her gaze snagged on the broken stick in her hand. Dry. Dead. But… not gone.
Her eyes narrowed. She pressed her energy into it. At first, nothing stirred. But she pushed harder, her will sharpening. Slowly, faintly, the stick trembled. Its fibers cracked, tiny tendrils of green trying to sprout.
"Yes," Ashwini breathed, hope sparking.
"There's still life here… if I can awaken it."
The dummy charged again. She thrust the stick forward. Roots burst outward—not many, weak and brittle, but enough to wrap around the beast's leg. It staggered, slowed for a heartbeat.
Ashwini dashed aside, sweat dripping down her brow. Her heart pounded with exhilaration. It worked. Limited, but it worked.
The beast roared, tearing free. It swung its tail—Ashwini raised the stick like a staff, blocking. The impact cracked the wood but held just enough for her to roll aside.
Her gaze swept the desert desperately. In the distance, glimmers. A cactus. Low, squat, but alive. Beyond it, a shimmer—water, buried beneath sand.
Her pulse quickened.
"If I can't rely on what's near… I'll pull from what's far."
She drove the stick into the sand, channeling everything she had. The tiny roots she had awakened reached, stretching across the barren ground. Slowly, painfully, they connected with the cactus. Energy pulsed faintly back into her veins.
The dummy lunged again, claws striking. Ashwini raised her hand, and the cactus responded. Its spines hardened, extending outward like spears. They struck the beast, slowing it, piercing cracks in its clay form.
Ashwini gasped, her strength waning—but she wasn't done. She reached further, desperate. Beneath the sand, faint water shimmered. She guided the cactus roots, digging deeper, drinking from it.
Power surged. The dry wood in her hands glowed faintly as roots thickened, wrapping around her arms like armor.
The dummy roared, lashing out. Ashwini shouted, thrusting her staff forward. Vines of green and cactus spines exploded upward, coiling around the beast. It struggled, tail whipping violently, striking her side. Pain seared, but she gritted her teeth, pulling harder.
"Fall!" she screamed.
The vines constricted. The cactus spines dug deeper. The beast cracked, fissures splitting across its chest. With one final surge, the wood in her hands splintered, releasing all its energy.
The dummy shattered, collapsing into dust.
Ashwini fell to her knees, gasping. Sweat poured down her face, her body trembling from exhaustion. Around her, the cactus wilted, its life spent. The faint shimmer of water receded.
But the silence of the desert returned—and she was still standing.
She pressed her palms into the sand, closing her eyes. "Even in emptiness… life can be found. You just have to search harder. And never stop trying."
Her chest swelled with pride. For the first time, she understood—her power wasn't just about commanding abundance. It was about nurturing survival, even in the harshest emptiness.
She rose unsteadily, the broken wood still in her grasp. Ahead, the desert shimmered, endless and merciless. But Ashwini no longer felt powerless.
She had endured. And she had grown.