The training field still stank of blood and smoke. Ravi lay on the ground, clutching his stomach where the Dire beast's claws had torn through. His robes were drenched crimson, each drop seeping into the earth. Aarav knelt beside him, hands trembling as he pressed against the wound.
"Stay with me, Ravi!" Aarav's voice cracked.
Ravi tried to laugh but coughed blood instead. "Idiot… don't look so scared. You're stronger than you think."
Before Aarav could answer, a low chuckle broke the silence. Rahul stepped forward, his shadow unnaturally long in the dying light.
"You really thought this was an accident?" His tone dripped venom. "That beast didn't come here by chance. I led it to us."
Aarav froze. His heart hammered in disbelief. "Rahul… you…?"
Rahul's grin widened, and darkness swirled around his hands. "Don't look so betrayed. This is what I've been waiting for. To cut down weaklings and watch hope die."
Rage flared inside Aarav. Water surged to his fingertips, light crackling at the edges. "You… used us." His voice shook, not with fear but fury. "Then you'll drown in everything I have."
Without waiting, Aarav unleashed spell after spell — streams of cutting water, radiant orbs of light exploding in bursts. Rahul twisted through shadows, summoning shields of black mist. Still, Aarav's relentless fury broke through, slashing his arms and tearing his robes.
Panting, Aarav staggered, vision blurring. His chest heaved, his magic nearly drained. Rahul smirked and raised his hand, a spear of shadows forming. "Good try. But rage burns out fast."
The spear flew—only to shatter mid-air.
Arjun and Mira stood behind Aarav, both glowing with restrained fury.
"We knew you reeked of filth," Arjun said coldly. "So we marked you with a tracking seal."
Mira's eyes were ice. "You betrayed your own. Unforgivable."
They launched attacks in unison—stone lances and freezing shards. But Rahul danced through the chaos, shadow stepping effortlessly between strikes. He laughed, mocking. "Three against one, and still useless."
Then the air shifted.
Aarav straightened, his eyes blazing with light. Water spiraled around him, merging with a brilliance that made the air shimmer. For a heartbeat, students swore they saw a spectral figure—tall, flowing like a river, her gaze ancient.
"River's Fury!"
A tidal wave of water and light roared forth, refracted into countless shimmering blades. It tore through the clearing like the Ganga itself had risen in wrath. Rahul turned too late—he was thrown back, crashing against the rocks, coughing blood.
But before anyone could move, shadows erupted beneath him. Black claws reached out, tearing open a rift. Rahul laughed through bloodied lips.
"This isn't the end. I'll return with more than shadows."
The claws yanked him in, and the rift sealed, leaving only silence.
Vir and senior mages rushed in, but their arrival was too late. Ravi was carried to the infirmary, his body pale, his breathing shallow.
Later, by Ravi's side, he sat slumped in a chair. The infirmary smelled of herbs and iron. Ravi lay unconscious, his face pale, chest rising and falling shallowly.
Aarav's eyes burned. He saw not the wounded body on the bed, but a memory—two boys in the sunlight, a cricket ball bouncing between them.
Ravi's voice rang in his mind: "One day, I'll be the strongest mage in the world!"
Aarav covered his face with his hands. "You idiot… you were supposed to stand with me, not fall because of me."
Mira placed a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was soft but firm. "Don't drown in guilt, Aarav. Ravi wouldn't want that. He believed in you. Believe in him now."
Arjun leaned against the wall, arms folded, his tone quiet but heavy. "Loss changes people. You either break under it, or you burn it into your strength. Don't waste his dream by wallowing."
Aarav's tears fell silently, soaking the infirmary sheets. For the first time, grief mixed with a deeper resolve.
Shanghai Side
Far across the ocean, the training field burned.
Huo lay bleeding, his classmates rallying around him. Jing Feng dragged him back while Wei Bou froze his wound shut, his jaw clenched tight.
The Dread-class monster shrieked as spell after spell slammed into it. After a brutal struggle, it collapsed, shaking the earth.
And then—the Calamity-class, the one Vir had engaged—flickered like a mirage and vanished mid-roar.
Students gasped. Luo Peng appeared, pale-faced, trying to smile. "A… simulation error. Nothing more. Do not panic."
But their teacher's eyes narrowed. He seized Luo Peng by the collar. "Do you take us for fools? Tell me—who tampered with it?"
Luo Peng's smile faltered.
Shadows Beyond
Far away, deep in a cavern lit by blood-red crystals, cloaked figures sat in silence. Rahul knelt before them, his wounds still fresh.
"I have returned," he said with a bitter grin. "And I've brought all you wanted."
They were not angry. In fact, low chuckles filled the chamber.
From the darkness, a man stepped forward, carrying a glass tube filled with shimmering water. He poured it into the massive chained creature before them. The beast's eyes snapped open, glowing with unnatural brilliance.
Laughter echoed, cold and triumphant.
Chapter 10:- End
Do you think Ravi will survive or not?