Exactly 6:00 AM. The first sliver of sunlight had barely touched Shiv's face when Arav jolted him awake.
"What's the deal, man... why so early?" Shiv mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head to reclaim the warmth.
"Class starts at 7:30!" Viru barked, hopping on one leg as he struggled to pull on a shoe. "Get up, or today is going to be a disaster!"
The trio burst out of the hostel and sprinted through the corridors. By the time they reached the classroom, the clock ticked to 7:31. Miss Naina stood there, her eyes fixed on her watch—blades of steel that seemed to cut right through them.
"Ma'am, it was just one minute..." Shiv started to plead.
Arav and Viru instantly clamped their hands over his mouth. "Shut up!" they hissed under their breath. "In here, a single minute late means a nightmare of a punishment."
Class commenced. Miss Naina traced her finger through the air, weaving a glowing diagram out of light.
"Chakra energy is your body's bio-electricity," she lectured, her voice sharp. "To ignite it, you must coil your muscle tension and your breath into a single, needle-like point. When that energy begins to radiate outward from your skin, only then will you know you have truly become an Awakened."
One hour later, Miss Naina closed her lesson. "That is all for today. We continue tomorrow."
Shiv, Arav, and Viru gathered their things and stepped out of the classroom. Shiv clutched his stomach, which let out a low growl. "I'm starving," he groaned.
"To the cafeteria, then," Arav led the way.
Five minutes later, they were anchored at their usual spot. Viru claimed a brown seat, Arav sat to his right, and Shiv sat opposite them. The table was a battlefield of empty plates and half-eaten trays. Once the feast ended, Shiv rose and walked toward the counter on the left.
The cashier, a man in his late twenties dressed in a sharp black-and-white uniform, waited. As Shiv reached for his pockets, his face went deathly pale. Wait... I don't have a single cent, he realized.
The cashier's brow arched in confusion. "What's the hold-up? Just scan your points."
"Points?" Shiv blinked. "What points?"
The cashier paused, looking him over. "Wait... you're the new transfer. Shiv Chandravanshi?"
A confident smirk spread across Shiv's face. "The one and only. Son of the legend, Aryaman Chandravanshi." He relaxed his shoulders, his mind racing with arrogance. Of course! I'm a legend's son. They won't charge me. I bet I can eat for free here for the rest of my life.
"Sir," Shiv said, leaning against the counter with a cool air. "I don't have any money."
"I'm aware," the cashier replied, his voice dry. "But I need your points."
Shiv's smile faltered. "What points? I told you, I don't have anything."
The cashier's expression turned into a mask of cold indifference. "You don't have points? No problem."
Shiv's smirk returned, sharper and more 'evil' this time. Exactly what I expected.
"Follow me, Shiv," the cashier commanded. "The dishes are waiting."
The blood drained from Shiv's face again. "You're... you're actually going to make me wash dishes?"
"Points," the cashier's tone turned razor-sharp, "or start scrubbing. Your choice."
The reality of the bill hit him like a physical weight. Shiv stood there, paralyzed, as Arav and Viru approached. "What's the delay?" Viru asked.
"I don't have points," Shiv whispered.
"What? That's impossible!" Viru's jaw dropped.
The cashier sighed, looking at the two friends. "Will his friends be providing the points, or is he heading to the sink?"
"Fine, fine," Viru muttered, stepping forward to settle the bill. "But I'm keeping track of every point, Shiv."
"Yeah, yeah," Shiv brushed it off, but Arav placed a heavy hand on his left shoulder, his face unreadable.
"Don't tell me," Arav began, "that you don't have your PointRoute Card?"
"My what?" Shiv looked genuinely lost.
Arav's hand dropped as he let out a frustrated breath, his fingers curling into a fist. "Forget it. Let's move."
"Wait, PointRoute? What is that?" Shiv pressed.
Viru slapped his forehead with his right hand. "Are you even an academy student?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shiv snapped back.
Arav sighed again. "It's a small, blue-and-white card, about 7cm. They hand them out at admission. It's how you pay for things, communicate—everything."
"I never got one," Shiv defended. "My admission was settled at birth, so maybe they skipped it."
"Then get to the Principal's office," Arav directed. "That's where you'll get your PointRoute Card. Without it, you're basically a ghost here."
Fine, I'm going," Shiv said, turning to leave. He was so focused on the exit that he completely missed the mischievous glint dancing in Veer's eyes.
Seizing the moment,
Veer's arm shot up as he called out to a figure approaching them. "Ritika! Over here!"
Arav and Veer's faces instantly drained of color, a mask of pure dread taking over.
"No... Shiv, you have no idea," Arav whispered, his voice trembling as he leaned in. "That's Ritika. She's the Class Monitor. To her, a broken rule is a personal insult. And you? Standing there without a PointRoute Card? You're a walking target."
Shiv's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Run for the Principal's office!" Viru urged, already stepping into a defensive stance. "We'll throw ourselves in her path to slow her down. Just go!"
But before Shiv could even take a step, Veer's voice rang out again, sharp and betraying: "Ritika! Here he is! This is the one—the rule-breaker without a PointRoute Card!"
Shiv and his friends bolted. Ritika's hands blurred as she unleashed her Signature Skill: Wind Power, the air around her spiraling into a localized gale. Surprisingly, Veer shifted his weight, lending his own momentum to her chase. Arav and Viru quickly fanned out to flank Ritika, trying to cage her in.
You two will regret this!" Ritika hissed, the wind whipping her hair.
"Man, she is breathtakingly beautiful," Viru muttered, a dazed look on his face.
Arav's expression twisted into a grimace. "Focus on the fight, you idiot!"
"Right, right! I forgot!" Viru snapped back to reality.
Ritika struck, a blast of air surging toward them. Amidst the chaos, Veer's legs became a blur; he used his unnatural speed to cut off Shiv's path, cornering him in a narrow hallway.
"Nowhere left to run," Veer grinned.
Shiv's face tightened with tension. Without warning, he dropped low, sliding through Veer's legs like a shadow and accelerating instantly.
Veer recovered in a heartbeat, pulling up alongside Shiv's right side. "You're fast, but I'm faster! You're done!"
Shiv didn't panic; instead, a sharp smile cut across his face. "Who said I was running?"
Shiv dug his heels in, coming to a dead stop. Veer, caught in his own breakneck momentum, tried to halt, but his boots skidded. His balance shattered, and he went tumbling forward. Shiv simply stepped around the crash and ducked into the office.
Inside the Principal's office, the door crashed open without a knock.
"Sir! The PointRoute Card—give it to me now!" Shiv panted. "If Ritika catches me, I'm history!"
The Principal chuckled, sliding a sleek card across the desk before gesturing for him to leave. As soon as the door clicked shut, a masked figure dropped silently from the ceiling rafters.
"Your students are quite ill-mannered," the Masked Man remarked, his voice muffled by the fabric. "Knocking is clearly not in their curriculum."
"Forget the boy," the Principal replied, his tone shifting to business. "Tell me, how is the plan progressing?"
"Perfectly," No. 8 replied. "The most interesting part is that everything has been executed with total success."
"Good to hear, No. 8. You may go."
As No. 8 vanished, the air behind the desk shimmered and stilled. An invisible presence deactivated its power and dropped into the Principal's chair. The Principal immediately stood up, his posture stiff and subordinate.
"I've found a new source of entertainment," the invisible figure spoke.
"And what would that be?"
"Your Class A student... Shiv Chandravanshi."
The Principal let out a small breath. "I see. I suspected you wouldn't be able to ignore the son of that man."
"Yes," the voice mused from the empty chair. "Now things get fun.