🌙 CHAPTER 1 — THE NIGHT OF THE BROKEN GATE
The night in the outer zone was never quiet.
Wind hummed through the narrow lanes, carrying the metallic scent of the nearby military territory.
But tonight, everything felt heavier—like the darkness itself was holding its breath.
At 11:00 PM, the street was supposed to be empty.
Only one boy walked it.
A tall, skinny student with sharp jawline, brown skin that glowed under streetlamps, and eyes that caught everything—
he walked like someone who had learned to survive without asking for help.
His teacher's house was barely two hundred meters away, yet the walk felt longer in this silence.
He had come out only to buy something from the small general store at the end of the road.
But as he approached, something felt… wrong.
The store shutter was half-open.
Only darkness inside.
No owner's voice.
Just a single flickering tubelight.
He stepped closer and froze.
Inside, shadows moved.
A girl and a boy—no older than him—were rifling through the shelves, stuffing whatever they found into a torn bag.
Before he could stop himself, his voice echoed:
"Kya kar rahe ho tum log?"
Both heads jerked up.
The boy didn't even think—he bolted toward the back exit.
And the girl… she hesitated only a second before running too.
The student's heartbeat spiked.
He didn't know why, but he ran after them.
His fingers tapped his phone screen mid-sprint, calling the only person he trusted at this hour—
his teacher.
"Sir—shop me chori— I'm chasing them— bas line pe rahiye!"
He didn't stop running.
Footsteps slapped the pavement.
Breath grew hot and sharp.
A gust of wind pushed dust into his eyes.
Ahead, near the massive boundary gate of the military zone, the girl stumbled.
She looked back—terrified.
Not of him.
Of something else.
"Please… save me," she whispered.
In her trembling hand was a glowing key, old symbols pulsing faint blue.
And in her other palm—something stranger.
A small, compressed object humming with magical energy.
Before he could ask anything—
BOOOOM!
A blinding explosion erupted behind him.
A parked truck burst into fire, metal chunks flying into the air.
He staggered forward instinctively.
Fire spread across the cracked road as oil leaked in burning streams.
From the smoke stepped two masked men in black combat outfits.
Blades glinted in their hands.
One growled, "Bachche… dur ho jaa. Yeh hamara kaam hai."
But the student didn't move away.
He stepped forward.
"Come," he said quietly.
"Try."
The first assassin rushed in with a downward slash.
The student slipped beside him, struck his jaw, and sent him crashing into the gate pillar.
The second attacker circled with precise footwork, cutting the air with his blade.
The student blocked with his forearm, ignoring the sting of metal, grabbed the man's wrist, twisted, and kicked him into the dust.
Both fell.
Both stayed down.
And the girl—the frightened thief—was staring at him like she'd never seen someone fight like that.
But before he could speak—
SHINK.
A sharp, sudden pain tore through his back.
He gasped.
Looked down.
A blade was inside him.
Held by the trembling hand of the same girl he had just protected.
"I'm sorry…" she said, eyes filling with tears.
"Mujhe majboor kiya gaya…"
He stumbled to one knee.
Blood slid down his shirt.
Breath came out in broken fragments.
Three more figures appeared behind her.
Similar uniforms.
Deadly silent.
He tried to fight.
But blood loss dulled his strength.
Every punch felt slower.
Every movement heavier.
A hard hit sent him sliding to the corner wall.
He slumped down, chest heaving, vision dimming like the world was fading in and out.
The road vibrated.
A deep siren-like growl echoed.
Then—
CRAAASHHH!
The military gate burst open as a giant truck smashed through it, metal slamming into concrete.
And through the dust…
she walked out.
Tall.
Blue hair shining under flame light.
Long military coat dragging across the broken ground.
Hat tilted with terrifying elegance.
Beautiful.
Cold.
Wrong.
The thief girl instantly froze with fear.
The blue-haired woman grabbed her by the hair effortlessly.
"You did well," she said softly.
Then turned to the injured student sitting on the ground.
"You fought six of my men… while bleeding."
Her smile curved slightly.
"You're very strong… pretty boy."
Her voice dipped lower.
"But this is where your story ends."
Her elite guards stepped forward—
And the student's body refused to move.
Eyes heavy.
Blood warm.
World spinning.
He couldn't lift an arm.
He couldn't stand.
His vision narrowed to a thin fading circle.
Then—
VRRRRROOOOOMMMM!!!
A roaring engine exploded across the road.
A bike shot through the fire—
sliding sideways, sparks showering the ground.
A rider in tactical gear—
sharp eyes behind dark visor—
dove straight into the battlefield.
His teacher.
A single shot took down the first guard.
The bike slammed the second aside.
He grabbed the collapsing student by his collar.
"DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES!" he shouted.
"I said I was coming!"
He swung the student onto the bike and gunned the engine again—
Leaving flames, metal, and shock in their wake.
Behind them, the villain watched with a calm smile.
"Run while you can," she whispered.
"Our story has just begun."
The world blurred into darkness.
End of Chapter 1.