Discussion room
Inside the room sat four people—Ayaan, Luna, Rudra, and Oliver.
All three—Luna, Rudra, and Oliver—wore grim expressions. Ayaan had just told them everything. Oliver stood with his arms folded, silently staring at the ceiling. Luna, arms crossed, was facing the wall beside her. Rudra, as always, was glued to his phone, scrolling without a care in the world.
Oliver glanced at Ayaan. The boy sat hunched over, hands trembling. Oliver noticed it right away.
He looked toward Luna, but she purposefully avoided eye contact. Then toward Rudra—still tapping away on his screen, completely detached.
It was as if all three of them were hiding something from Ayaan. There was sweat on their brows. Guilt? Fear?
Or maybe... they were somehow responsible?
Oliver looked back at Ayaan again. "Hey..." he said softly, almost like a brother. "You holding up okay?"
A sheen of sweat formed on Oliver's own forehead. "…Yeah," Ayaan nodded faintly.
"What happened to you was horrible, man," Oliver said quietly.
"Do you still feel it? That wolf… inside you?"
Ayaan hesitated for a moment. "Maybe," he replied under his breath.
Oliver frowned. "But I don't get it… Why would they send three unarmed civilians into such a dangerous place?"
Luna finally spoke up. "From what I heard, the research team assumed the target was a normal human. They didn't take the threat seriously. And to save resources, they sent in a group of untrained volunteers."
Oliver stared at her, shocked. "You're kidding me…"
"This kid watched his friends die," Oliver growled, "And now his sister's barely clinging to life. Who takes responsibility for that?"
He exhaled sharply. "And on top of that, we still don't even know if he has any powers at all."
Luna turned to him. "Why are you so sure he doesn't?"
Oliver snapped, "What? He just said so himself! Or did you forget that already?"
Luna glanced at Ayaan. The boy was quietly listening to their conversation, but hadn't said a word.
"If the manager personally assigned him to our squad," Luna said, her tone sharpening, "Then he must be hiding something. Something important."
Oliver narrowed his eyes. "That's a pretty shaky assumption. I don't trust that old man. He's just sending this kid out to die."
Luna's voice rose slightly. "If you're so doubtful, then fine. Let's drag his strength out right now."
She started walking toward Ayaan.
"Wait, stop!" Oliver reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't like where this is going."
Luna slowly turned her head and locked eyes with Oliver. Her eyes now glowed with a fierce yellow hue. For a moment, Oliver's heart skipped a beat.
"Take your hand off," Luna said, her voice low and heavy. Oliver glanced toward Ayaan with concern and muttered, "I'm sorry, kid." He withdrew his hand.
Ayaan, overwhelmed with fear, shot up from his seat. His legs trembled. His mind went blank. As Luna advanced toward him, he instinctively backed away—until his spine hit the cold wall.
She stood right in front of him, stared him dead in the eyes, and then—
The wall cracked with a thunderous crack just inches from his head. The impact left a crater in the concrete. Ayaan sat down on the floor, stunned and speechless.
Luna's eyes gradually returned to normal. Without saying a word, she walked back and sat down on her chair.
Rudra, still unfazed, scrolled through his phone like nothing happened. Oliver rushed to Ayaan and helped him to his feet. "You alright?" he asked gently.
"Yeah… more or less," Ayaan responded, still shaken.
"Oye Ayaan!" Luna suddenly called out.
"Are you joining this mission of your own free will?"
Ayaan quietly shook his head.
Luna's voice turned cold. "Then it's best you speak to the manager… and go back home. Quietly."
She turned away, her eyes fixed on the wall again.
Just then, the door opened.
The manager entered alongside Nyra.
"Hello everyone, thank you for coming on short notice," Nyra said warmly. Her gaze suddenly landed on the wall.
"Wait—what happened here?" she asked, startled. Then she looked at Ayaan—and gasped again.
"Oh no, Ayaan! Are you okay?" she rushed to his side.
The manager slowly scanned the room, taking in everyone's expression. "I want an explanation. Now," he said, firm and sharp.
Rudra casually raised his hand. "Relax, I'll fill you in."
Everyone settled back into their seats as Rudra calmly recounted what had taken place.
The manager leaned forward, rubbing his forehead in stress. He stayed silent for a moment. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy—like the air itself didn't want to move.
Luna's expression remained tense, her eyes fixed on the wall like it had wronged her. Oliver sat with arms folded, silent but visibly frustrated. Rudra stared at the manager without blinking. Ayaan looked nervous, afraid—his arms wrapped around himself, head bowed. Nyra sat beside her grandfather, eyes filled with silent worry.
Finally, the manager spoke.
"You all know this foundation, and the many branches it has across the world… are not mine to command."
"Just as I oversee this facility, each branch has its own manager.
And together, we're all tasked with tracking down and eliminating the Asuras."
"I understand this decision—to send a civilian into danger—might seem reckless to you all."
"But I don't have a choice. I'm just a servant following orders.
If I refuse… I'll be removed."
"That's why I'm asking you—please. Don't go against the orders.
Because if you do… I won't be able to protect any of you."
Luna stood up, her voice sharp with rage. "What do you take us for?"
"You're saying some higher authority is pulling your strings—and using us to fight a battle we never signed up for?"
"I'm not here because someone ordered me. I'm here because I chose to be."
Her eyes flared yellow once more.
"And let me be absolutely clear—if that boy joins our team, I will not take responsibility for what happens to him. And I will not follow your orders."
Sweat dripped down the manager's temple. "Luna, it's not like that—we're all—"
"I don't want to hear another word!" she snapped.
"If you truly cared about us," Luna said, her voice trembling, "I wouldn't be in this state today. Maybe I would've lived like a normal girl… maybe I could've had a simple life."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away before they could fall.
Nyra stepped forward and gently took her hand.
"Luna…" Oliver whispered softly.
"I'm going," she said, her tone flat and cold. "Alone. I'll capture that Asura myself."
"And no one try to stop me. Or the consequences will be… unpleasant." Without looking back, Luna let go of Nyra's hand and stormed out of the room.
"There's truth in what Luna said," Oliver muttered, turning to the manager.
"What do you mean?" the manager asked.
"You're sending a regular human into a deadly mission. I know you're hoping to awaken his hidden power—but before that, shouldn't he at least be trained? But no… you're throwing him straight into the jaws of death," Oliver snapped, his voice rising with anger.
"Oliver, you have to understand… this isn't entirely in my control—"
"And that's the damn problem!" Oliver cut in sharply.
"Whoever is issuing these orders is making a grave mistake. And I refuse to be part of it."
The manager fell silent for a moment before finally responding, "Look, Oliver… if I don't send him on this mission, I'll be ordered to put him into containment—by force."
"What?" Oliver's brows furrowed. "What are you saying?"
"There's still an Asura inside him. Until we're sure he can be trusted, we can't let him roam freely. He's already taken two lives, and left another person severely injured."
Oliver's expression darkened. "Fine. But if he's that dangerous, why not observe him under containment for a while? Throwing him straight into a field mission is suicide!"
"As I said… I've only been ordered to send him on the mission. Not to contain him."
"If I defy this directive, I'll be seen as going against the Founder himself. And if that happens… every single one of us will be labeled enemies."
"That day, we won't be fighting Asuras anymore… we'll be fighting our own people. Don't forget that."
Oliver looked over at Ayaan… then at the manager.
The manager sighed, then turned his gaze toward Ayaan. "Look, son, please don't take this personally. But you have to come back alive… for your sister."
Oliver's voice calmed, but his resolve stayed sharp. "I never thought you could be this cruel. Maybe it's the pressure you're under, so I'll give you that much. But…"
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"…whoever's really behind all this—one day, I'll slap him across the face. In front of everyone. I'll humiliate him in public." With that, Oliver turned and walked away. Just as he reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder at Ayaan.
"You," he said, pointing directly at him. "You have to become stronger. No other option."
"And hey… meet us downstairs in the canteen. Everyone will be waiting there."
With a small smile, he left.
Ayaan remained seated, silently overwhelmed with helplessness.
The manager stood beside him, quiet and Nyra sat at Ayaan's side.
"Ayaan," she said gently, "please stay with Luna. I know what she said sounded harsh, but she didn't mean it. She was just angry. She'll forget everything once she cools down… so please, take care of yourself."
"Uff…" Rudra sighed and clutched his head in frustration. "You people and your emotional speeches—my brain's about to fry."
He walked over and sat directly in front of Ayaan.
"Oi, you! What was your name again… ah, right—Ayaan!"
"Hey, could you two leave us alone for a bit?" he asked, glancing at Nyra and the manager.
Nyra raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Well, he's my new teammate, isn't he? I figured we should get to know each other. We haven't even had a proper conversation yet."
The manager and Nyra looked at each other. Then the manager nodded.
"Alright. We'll give you two some time."
As they stood up to leave, Nyra smiled and said, "You both join us at the canteen later. We'll be waiting."
Rudra placed a hand on Ayaan's shoulder and waved the others off.
"Bye-bye! Don't trip on the way!"
As soon as the door closed—
"THUD!"
Rudra slammed Ayaan to the ground.
"Ahh!" Ayaan cried out in pain. "What the hell was that?!"
Rudra rolled up his sleeves and yanked off his necktie like he was prepping for a bar fight.
"Alright, Ayaan," he grinned.
"Time to show me what you've got. Let's see how strong you really are."
Ayaan looked stunned. "What are you even talking about? Why do you want to fight me?!"
Rudra smirked, eyes glinting. "Do you even know the name of the Asura you're going up against?"
"No…" Ayaan said hesitantly.
"IDIOT!" Rudra yelled, throwing a sharp punch straight at Ayaan's face.
"THWACK!"
Ayaan reeled from the hit, crying out again.
"The Asura we're going after… killed fifty of our soldiers."
"F-Fifty?!" Ayaan's eyes widened in horror.
"Yeah. And not just regular police or army soldiers—these were trained operatives from our Foundation. Each of them stronger than your average commando."
"Holy shit…" Ayaan muttered, his stomach twisting.
"You really think you'll walk in there, unprepared, and just come back alive? We don't even know how powerful this thing is!"
"If we can't survive, how do you expect us to protect you?"
"Use your damn brain!" Rudra snapped, sliding into a fighting stance.
"But why are you telling me all this?" Ayaan asked, still confused.
"Heh…" Rudra chuckled again. "Come on—fight me. Try to beat me."
"I'm just a regular human too, right? So what's your excuse?"
Ayaan's head spun with confusion, but somehow, his body moved. He stepped into a defensive pose.
"I still don't get why you're doing this… but if a fight is what you want, then fine. Let's fight."
Rudra grinned. "That's the spirit! Now come at me!"
Ayaan swung his fist with all his might, aiming straight for Rudra—
—but Rudra vanished from the spot before the punch landed and appeared right behind him.
Ayaan reacted fast, spinning around with a high kick—but Rudra caught his leg with both hands.
"Not bad," he nodded.
He shoved Ayaan back and unleashed a flurry of punches. Ayaan barely managed to dodge, twisting and ducking.
Then one punch landed—right into Ayaan's stomach.
He gasped, stumbling forward, bent over.
Rudra laughed and wound up one final punch for his face.
But just as it came close—
SPLAT! Ayaan spat into Rudra's eyes.
Caught off guard, Rudra missed. In that split second, Ayaan spun around and landed a strong punch on Rudra's back.
THUD! Rudra staggered slightly.
Now, Ayaan geared up for the finishing blow, aiming a clean shot at Rudra's nose.
"You're done for," he thought.
But just before his fist could land—
Rudra disappeared.
"Huh?!" Ayaan's eyes darted around, stunned.
Suddenly—
WHAM! A devastating punch landed square on his nose—from behind.
Ayaan collapsed, unconscious.
Rudra burst into laughter and looked down at him. "Cheeky little bastard!" he laughed. "But hey, I gotta admit—you've got some brains."
Ayaan's eyes blinked open, groaning in pain.
"You okay, man?" Rudra asked, offering him a hand.
"Ow… my nose is killing me," Ayaan muttered.
"Haha! Don't worry, it's just a bruise. You'll live."
Ayaan smiled. "Still… why did you really want to fight me?"
Rudra rubbed the back of his head.
"Hehe… I thought maybe if I pushed you hard enough, it would awaken your powers. Guess I was wrong, huh?"
"Aw, really?" Ayaan smirked. "Well, thanks anyway. I mean it."
"C'mon, man. No need for thanks between teammates."
Ayaan's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Wait… how'd you disappear like that? Is that your superpower?"
"Oh, that?" Rudra grinned.
"I didn't disappear. That's just my ability—Speed of Light."
"It lets me move at the speed of light. So fast, your eyes can't even register my movements."
"You thought I vanished, right? But nah—I was moving too fast for you to see."
"Dude… you're like the real-life Flash. That's insane!"
"Heh, don't hype me up too much," Rudra laughed. "I'm not that special."
"So how'd you get that power?" Ayaan asked, still wide-eyed.
"Oh man, that's a long story. Come on—I'll tell you everything over lunch."
Rudra started walking toward the door. "Oh, and wash your face before you come down. You look like a ghost right now."
"Oh yeah, good point," Ayaan chuckled.
"And hey…" Rudra paused at the door, glancing back.
"I'm convinced now—you'll survive this mission. Just don't die out there… so you can come back and challenge me to a rematch."
Ayaan smiled back. "You bet. Next time, I will beat you."
The two exchanged a grin… and parted ways with mutual respect.