Chapter 1 – The Hidden Fighter
The courtyard was hot. Too hot. Adi tugged his jacket tighter around his arms, even though the fabric stuck to his back with sweat. People were everywhere—laughing, shouting, tossing paper planes—but he didn't notice them. He barely noticed anything, really.
He kept his hands shoved into his pockets, knuckles pressing against the worn fabric. Small scars ran along them, reminders of nights he spent punching the air until his arms shook, until his lungs burned. No one saw that side of him. No one ever would.
Then a voice.
"Adi?"
He froze. Heart thumped. He looked up. Meera was there, balancing a pile of books that looked like it could topple any second. One strand of hair fell over her face, catching the sunlight. She didn't look real, not really. And she smiled—or maybe just tried to.
"Could you… help me with these?"
Adi blinked. "Uh… yeah. Sure." His voice was too loud in his own ears. He stepped forward, grabbed a couple of the books, and—oh no, they wobbled. He caught them just in time. Fingers brushed hers. Hot. Brief. Too brief.
He swallowed. Should he say something? Something stupid, like "I've… always liked you"? Yeah, that would go well. He kept quiet instead.
They walked together. Steps careful. Adi tried not to look at her too much, but… she smelled like sunlight. Like something safe he wanted to keep. He imagined saying things. Maybe even holding her hand. No. Too soon.
Then—
A loud crack. Something fell from above. Dust filled the air. Screams erupted.
The old building across the street was collapsing. Fire licked the edges of the windows. Bricks rained down like bullets.
And Meera… she froze.
"Meera!" Adi yelled.
He ran. Didn't think. Didn't even breathe properly. Just ran. People screamed, but he didn't care. Not anymore.
Debris fell around him. He kicked, punched, shoved, anything to clear the way. His arms ached, his back burned, but she was there. Alive. Almost there.
"Get down!" he shouted, shoving her to the ground as a chunk of concrete crashed where she had been.
Safe. Alive.
And then everything hit him.
A massive slab crushed him. Pain exploded. He tried to move. Couldn't. Blood in his mouth. Dust in his lungs. His vision blurred. He could see her—her eyes wide, wet, reaching for him.
"I… always loved you," he whispered. Not a proper sentence. Not even a complete thought. But it was all he could give her.
Then darkness.
And a voice, calm and strange, filling the void:
[Welcome, Adventurer. Your journey begins now.]
Adi's life ended there. Or maybe it didn't.