'Marcus' - a beautiful world separate from Earth, where the people didn't have magic, but something even greater, a treasure trove of powers, through which everyone here wanted to rule over 'Marcus'. Here, the most powerful made the laws, and the weak had to obey them.
One of the most well-known empires of Marcus was the 'Ohan' empire, and a very special city within the 'Ohan' empire was 'Messidoria City'.
In an open field in Messidoria City, a crowd of hundreds had gathered today. They all wanted to test the stars of their respective powers through the 'Pillar of Power'. This pillar had 9 stars, and only by obtaining them could you advance to the next rank of power. Dhruv had reached the ninth star on the 'Pillar of Power' three years ago, but suddenly his powers stalled at the third star. And ever since then, Dhruv had been working hard to reach the ninth star again. To test this very star of his power, 'Dhruv' was standing in a crowd of hundreds, waiting for his turn.
Clenching both his fists, Dhruv reassured himself, "I have worked my heart out this year. This time my powers will surely reach the ninth star again… they definitely will. Today, I will move beyond the 'Zero' rank and become an 'Eklavya'!"
.....
Just then, an announcement echoed in everyone's ears, "And the name of the next person to test their powers is, Dhruv....!!"
As soon as Dhruv's name was called, he emerged from the crowd. And slowly taking his steps, he began to move towards a large, stony pillar placed on a height, which was named the 'Pillar of Power'.
After reaching right in front of the 'Pillar of Power', many things were running through Dhruv's mind.
Dhruv had started practicing when he was only 4 years old. And by the age of 10, he had reached the ninth star. Then, at the age of 11, he had moved from the 'Zero' rank to the 'Eklavya' rank. In the 100-year history of the 'Shaurya Dal', this was the first time that an 11-year-old boy had become an 'Eklavya'. But after that, something happened that suddenly this 'Eklavya' was once again back at the 'Zero' rank.
Thinking about all this, Dhruv extended his right palm to place it on the 'Pillar of Power'. Then, closing his eyes, he placed his palm on the 'Power' chakra on the 'Pillar of Power'.
After a few moments of silence, a voice echoed in Dhruv's ears.
"Third star, power even less... Dhruv's most disappointing performance this time as well!"
As this voice fell upon Dhruv's ears, the ground slipped from under his feet. He couldn't believe his ears. As soon as he opened his eyes, the two words engraved on the 'Pillar of Power' - 'Third Star' - shattered his dreams. He couldn't understand at all how this could have happened! This time he had worked harder than ever before!
Standing in front of the 'Pillar of Power', Dhruv said to himself in a fluster, "No... no, this can't be happening... this absolutely cannot be happening."
Angry with himself, Dhruv placed his palm on the 'Pillar of Power' two to three more times. But every time, he saw the same star before his eyes, the one that had stolen his sleep for the past three years.
From the crowd of hundreds standing in the field, someone shouted,
"Hey 'Zero Rank'! Come on down now. If the star of power could be increased by repeatedly placing your hand on the 'Pillar of Power', you wouldn't have been at the third star for the last three years."
As soon as he said that, many people started laughing loudly at Dhruv. This laughter echoed throughout the field, piercing Dhruv's ears like arrows.
Dhruv started to take steps to leave from there. But now, along with their laughter, he also began to hear many taunts in his ears.
"What's up, brother! Once again, Dhruv has proved that he was a zero for the last three years... is a zero, and will remain a zero in the future. He became a hero by mistake at such a young age."
"Yes, brother, you said it absolutely right, and in my opinion, the value of this zero in our 'Shaurya Dal' is now less than that of garbage."
"Your point is also valid, but look at our helplessness too! The brave leader of our 'Shaurya Dal', Arendra, is his father. If that weren't the case, we would have thrown him out of 'Messidoria' long ago."
The taunts coming from people's mouths were creating anxiety and nervousness in Dhruv's heart. This nervousness was now clearly visible on his face as well. His best friend, Ira, who was present right there, had also noticed it. Ira came out of the crowd and placed her hand on Dhruv's shoulder. The very next moment, their eyes met, which reduced Dhruv's anxiety a little. In a short while, they both started walking together, leaving the field.
Dhruv was heading towards his home, the 'Shaurya Mahal'. Just then, Ira, trying to boost the spirits of the sad-looking Dhruv, said, "Dhruv, you shouldn't be bothered by what those people say. I have complete faith in you. One day, you will definitely become an Eklavya."
Ira was trying to console her best friend. But at this moment, only one thing was running through Dhruv's mind: why weren't his powers increasing even after so much hard work?
On one hand, where Dhruv's troubles were increasing, on the other hand, another trouble was making its way towards his home. But Dhruv was completely unaware of that trouble.
Dhruv and Ira finally reached Shaurya Mahal.
.......
In 'Shaurya Mahal', Dhruv's father Arendra, who was also the leader of the Shaurya Dal, was sitting with some elders of his group, discussing some important issue. But as soon as Arendra's eyes fell on his son Dhruv, seeing his sad face, he understood everything. He stopped his conversation right there and went to Dhruv.
Hugging his son Dhruv, Arendra said, "It's okay, Dhruv! You are my son! The son of Arendra, the leader of the Shaurya Dal! You will surely succeed next time! Don't lose heart!"
At this moment, everyone sitting in the court of 'Shaurya Mahal' had their eyes on Dhruv.
Just then, a girl in a blue gown entered the court of 'Shaurya Mahal' with long strides. This girl's name was 'Lara Zayan'. Lara's grandfather had been a lion-hearted general of the Ohan empire, and Lara was the future leader of the 'Ambar Dal'. The 'Ambar Dal' was one of the most powerful groups in the Ohan empire. This was the first time in history that someone so young was going to become the leader of the Ambar Dal.
Seeing Lara in front of them, everyone, including Arendra, was surprised. Because everyone knew that this was not an ordinary girl but the future leader of the 'Ambar Dal'.
No one could understand Lara's sudden arrival at the palace like this. Still, seeing her coming towards him, the head of the Shaurya Dal, Arendra, said, "Welcome, Lara... no letter... no news... so suddenly like this... is everything alright?"
In response to Arendra's question, Lara snapped her fingers with her right hand, gesturing towards her bodyguards. At her signal, they all took a step forward. Those bodyguards were holding a large green box.
Looking towards the box, Lara said in her sharp and loud voice,
"I have come to know that Dhruv has not been able to increase his powers this year either. That's why I have brought a special thing for Dhruv. By drinking this, he will get his lost powers back once again."
Arendra looked at Dhruv, then looked at Lara again and said, "But Lara, we cannot accept any gift from you! And anyway, you are going to become a part of our family in a few days. So there is no need for this gift."
Arendra's words hadn't even finished when the bodyguards opened the box. Everyone could see bottles filled with a green-colored sherbet in the box. Everyone present there recognized this sherbet.
Arendra said, looking at the sherbet in astonishment, "Miraculous Sherbet! This is a very precious sherbet. We absolutely cannot accept such a precious gift from you, Lara!"
Lara immediately said to Arendra without delay, "You know how beneficial this 'Miraculous Sherbet' can be for Dhruv, don't you? I think Dhruv should take this sherbet, because now there are all sorts of talks about Dhruv in the city."
Replying to her, Arendra said, "I know, Lara... and I also know that this 'Miraculous Sherbet' has many benefits. But this fact cannot be denied either, that it will not benefit Dhruv. Because his power is not above nine stars. And you know very well that if someone with less than the ninth star's power takes this sherbet, it can also reduce their powers further..."
Before Arendra could finish his sentence, Lara interrupted him and said, "Yes, I know that the powers can also decrease. So what is there to be so worried about? Dhruv's power star is already at 3. What does Dhruv have left to lose now?"
Before Arendra could say anything, at this remark from Lara, Dhruv now broke his silence and said, "I will never increase my powers in this way, Lara! How could you even think that?"
Lara also immediately replied to this, "Oh really! So how will you increase your powers... the same way?? The way you have been increasing them for the last three years?"
Dhruv had no answer to Lara's question. Lara came to Arendra and said to him calmly, "Alright. If you don't want to accept this 'Miraculous Sherbet' as a gift, then can you give me something in return for it?"
At this, Arendra said without a second thought, "Yes, yes, of course! Why not? We can give you whatever you want even without taking this sherbet from you."
Lara replied without hesitation, "The relationship that the elders of my and your family had fixed years ago between Dhruv and me, I want to break it today."
Hearing these words from Lara's mouth, the ground slipped from under the feet of Dhruv, his father Arendra, and everyone present there. For a moment, a silence fell there. No one could believe that Lara had spoken of breaking her and Dhruv's relationship.
The very next moment, Arendra expressed his displeasure in a loud voice, "Lara.... even knowing that this relationship was fixed by the elders of your and our family, how can you talk about breaking the relationship? You know how wrong this is considered, don't you?"
In response to Arendra's anger, Lara said with great nonchalance, "This relationship was certainly fixed by the elders of the family. But a lot has changed between then and now. Today, the powers of me and my family have reached new heights. Whereas Dhruv has been stuck in the same place for the last three years."
Seeing his and his family's honor being insulted by Lara's words, Dhruv could not bear it any longer. He was getting very angry at Lara. Just then, Lara continued, "And besides, everyone knows that I am going to become the leader of the 'Ambar Dal' at this time. And for that, it is very important that I have no connection with anyone weak. Therefore, it would be better if this relationship breaks here and now before it goes any further."
Taking note of her becoming the leader of the 'Ambar Dal', Arendra said to her, "So that's the real issue! Everything else was just an excuse for you, just an excuse! You don't care about the family. The only thing on your mind is the passion to become the most powerful. And that's why you want to break this relationship."
This time, Lara replied shamelessly, "Then you tell me how I can connect myself with a person who has not been able to increase his powers for the last three years?"
No one there really had an answer to Lara's question. Then Lara looked at the 'Miraculous Sherbet' again and said, "Now it would be better for you to accept my words and break this relationship by accepting this 'Miraculous Sherbet'. Because you also know how precious this sherbet is and how important it is for Dhruv!"
Now Dhruv's patience had also reached its limit. He came and stood right in front of Lara and looking into her eyes, he said, "Fine, you want to break this relationship, then it will break... it will surely break!"
As soon as Dhruv said this, everyone started looking at their faces in surprise. Then Dhruv continued, "But before breaking this relationship, we will get married, and after that, I will divorce you and break this relationship forever. Tell me, is that acceptable?"
At this, Lara snapped back in anger, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you even know how much disgrace this will bring to my family?"
Then Dhruv replied with great composure, "So what you are doing will not bring disgrace to our family? When disgrace is inevitable, why shouldn't it be for both?"
At this response, Lara said with an attitude, "I can't believe I'm talking to the same Dhruv I met a few years ago."
Dhruv, without wasting any time, maintaining his same style, said, "I also can't believe how you came here without a second thought, under the guise of this 'Miraculous Sherbet', to end this relationship."
While talking so much, Dhruv and Lara's faces had come very close to each other. Their eyes were staring at each other.
Seeing the atmosphere getting heated, Lara's bodyguards moved forward. But the very next moment, at a signal from Lara, they all stopped themselves.
Then Lara continued, "I have a way by which we can decide the fate of this relationship."
Dhruv asked her, "And what is that?"
Lara said, "3 years! After three years, there will be a competition between the two of us. If I win that competition, you will have to break this relationship. And if you win, then what you want will happen."
As soon as they heard Lara's condition, a silence fell over 'Shaurya Mahal'. Now everyone's eyes were waiting for Dhruv's answer.
Will Dhruv accept his fiancée Lara's condition? What is the reason that Dhruv's powers have not been increasing for the last 3 years? How will Dhruv fight against the more powerful Lara?