Nikhil and Aditya walked across the wide training grounds of the palace.
The morning air was sharp and cold. The morning sun looked beautiful in the sky. Clouds formed circular and oval shapes, while the sky still held traces of darkness a deep Persian blue.
They felt the slow, cold air pass by them. It felt calm and peaceful.
Aditya said in a normal tone,
"Well, this atmosphere is so beautiful… Every morning I wake up, I'm always busy with my studies and never get a chance to see it. But now I can see and feel this beautiful nature."
Nikhil glanced at him and replied casually
"Is that so? Well, whenever I wake up this early in the morning, I always see this beautiful view."
Aditya said in a teasing tone,
"Yeah, yeah… you always have time."
Aditya After a brief pause, his expression turned serious.
"What do you think—how did we get here?"
Nikhil said thoughtfully,slowed his steps, thinking carefully.
"I don't know… but I think they brought us here. They call themselves castle beings… but the real question is why they did this, what the purpose is, and how they did it."
Aditya said thoughtfully,
"It feels like we're in some kind of anime, or an advanced civilization brought us here."
While both of them were talking, they continued walking.
Suddenly, they stopped.
Ahead of them—
King Krishnadevaraya.
He was performing an ancient form of exercise.
His body moved with perfect control—
slow, powerful, precise.
His palms pressed against the earth as he lowered himself.
This was no ordinary push-up.
It was Danda Baithak—an ancient warrior exercise meant to strengthen not only the body, but also breath and focus.
Each movement felt heavy, disciplined, and commanding.
After completing the set, Krishnadevaraya rose effortlessly.
He looked at the two boys.
His deep voice echoed calmly.
**Krishnadevaraya:**
"So… you both woke up early."
He gave a slight nod.
"That is good. A warrior welcomes the morning."
He turned slightly.
"We will speak later in the meeting room."
Nikhil and Aditya bowed respectfully.
Nikhil said in an amazed tone,
"Did you see the king's body… that looks powerful."
Aditya said in amazement and excitement,
"Yeah."
They walked away in silence.
They went to their rooms. Nikhil entered his room and looked at the sky through the window. Then he took his clothes and went to the bathroom.
The bathroom was also luxurious and royal. In the middle, there was a small swimming pool.
After a few minutes, Nikhil came out of the bathroom.
Nikhil thought,
"Damn… so this is the luxury and royalty of Ancient Bharat. This whole place is royal… of course it will be—it's the castle of King Krishnadevaraya."
After wearing his clothes, Another thought crossed his mind.
"Well, who was that scholar… he was smiling in that situation."
--- Meeting Room – A Few Hours Later
The large hall slowly filled.
Nikhil.
Aditya.
Janvi.
Damni.
Pallavi.
Harsh.
Hemant.
Jenit.
All stood quietly.
Nikhil's eyes moved instinctively toward that scholar.
Only his chin and lips were visible.
The rest of his face remained hidden.
Yet—
That faint smile was still there.
---
King Krishnadevaraya sat upon his throne.
Krishnadevaraya:
"We are gathered here to discuss the matter of the Candidates."
The room grew silent.
"As per the announcement… you will be in many fights."
A pause.
"But not yet."
All eyes lifted.
"For the next two weeks, you will undergo training."
He continued calmly,
"Training in weapons."
"Training of the body."
"And most importantly—training of the mind."
"You must prepare yourselves."
The words carried weight.
---
The meeting soon ended.
As the Candidates walked out—
Nikhil turned slightly.
Once again—
He couldn't see the scholar's full face.
Only that calm, knowing smile.
"Why does it feel like he's watching everything?"
---Training Grounds
Krishnadevaraya stood before them.
His presence alone made their spines straighten.
Krishnadevaraya:
"A warrior is not defined by physical strength alone."
He looked at each of them.
"A warrior is forged by an unshakable mindset."
His voice deepened.
"We cannot place that mindset into you."
"But from this moment onward—"
"You must accept that you are warriors."
---Training Begins
The ground echoed with movement.
Ancient exercises began:
Danda Baithak – full-body strength and stamina
Surya Namaskar (Warrior Form)– flexibility and breath control
Gada Sadhan – heavy mace training for endurance
Ashva Chalana – leg-strength drills used by ancient soldiers
Sweat soaked their clothes.
Muscles screamed.
No one complained.
Jenit and Harsh felt it was a little easier for them because, in their modern world, they used to work out.
Meanwhile, Nikhil and Aditya felt a little exhausted because they had never done this level of workout in their real world.
Hemant was completely lying on the ground because of exhaustion, breathing heavily. He had never worked out in his life.
The scene shifted to the girls. Janvi, Damni, and Pallavi also looked exhausted, taking heavy and long breaths.
After hours—
Weapon training began.
Swords– balance and precision
Bhala (Spears) – reach and control
Bow and Arrow– focus and patience
Hands trembled.
Arms burned.
Yet they continued.
Nikhil performed well at bow and arrow compared to the others.
Jenit, Harsh, Aditya, Hemant, and Damni performed well with swords.
Pallavi and Janvi performed well with spears.
King Krishnadevaraya noticed and took a mental note of everyone's skills.
---
Today's training ended. Everyone went toward their rooms.
Hemant said in a hopeful tone,
"Jenit, can you take me to my room? My legs are hurting."
Jenit smiled blankly and then teased,
"Hey, what happened, Hemant… can't stand on your legs?"
After saying that, Jenit helped Hemant and supported him.
Hemant said sarcastically,
"Bla bla… when I recover, I'll tell you."
Jenit raised his eyebrows and gave a look to Hemant. Hemant lightly punched Jenit's shoulder, and they both laughed.
Meanwhile, Janvi, Damni, and Pallavi supported each other and entered their rooms.
They all took baths to relax their bodies.
---Evening – Dining Hall
After bathing, they gathered to eat.
The food was simple but powerful:
* Paneer
* Milk
* Curd
* Lentils
* Nuts and grains
Pure strength.
No luxury.
Only nourishment.
They all ate silently and went to their rooms because there was no energy left in their bodies to have fun with each other or talk.
---Night – Nikhil's Room
Nikhil sat on his bed.
A knock.
Aditya entered and collapsed onto a chair.
Aditya:
"Ahh… my whole body hurts."
Nikhil let out a tired breath.
Nikhil:
"Mine too."
He sat beside him.
"But this training… it's necessary."
Aditya stared at the ceiling.
Aditya:
"Yeah, it's necessary, but there's one thing we should really worry about."
Nikhil looked at him.
Aditya said in a worried tone,
"Our first mission."
"To get magic powers."
"If candidates from other kingdoms get them first… they could attack us."
"That wouldn't be good."
Nikhil nodded slowly.
Nikhil:
"You're right."
"Our training lasts two weeks."
He clenched his fist slightly.
"That's enough time for me to think."
"How we'll be the first to complete the mission."
Nikhil raised his hand.
The system screen appeared—
glowing faintly in the darkness.
And checking system.
— End of Chapter