Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Shadows of the Poisoned Spring

Arjun Vikramaditya's nights at the Crimson Lotus Academy were restless, the Kubera Cube pulsing like a second heartbeat in his dantian. Under the starlit dome of the prana springs—a sacred pool fed by underground Vedic ley lines—he meditated, drawing Navagraha energies to refine his meridians. The water shimmered with lotus essence, vital for tempering a warrior's core. But as dawn broke, disciples gasped: the springs ran black, tainted with serpent venom that withered prana flows. Weak aspirants convulsed, their cultivation crippled. Whispers pointed to Kaurav spies, and eyes turned to Arjun—the outsider who had upstaged Duryodhan. �Duryodhan, broad-shouldered with a chakra disc humming at his side, confronted him in the sparring pavilion. "Vikramaditya rat! Your cube's tricks won't save you here." The prodigy unleashed Chakra Vortex, a spinning disc of wind-fire prana that carved furrows in the stone floor. Arjun dodged with Garuda-inspired agility, the cube awakening nascent speed sutras. He countered with an evolved "Vajra Petal Storm," violet thunder-lotuses exploding against the vortex, forcing Duryodhan back. The clash shook the pavilion; elders intervened, but not before Arjun sensed the poison's source—a hidden Kaurav alchemist in the shadows. �Ruthless resolve hardened in Arjun. That eve, cloaked in Bi Luo-inspired concealment from the cube's visions, he infiltrated the Kaurav dorms. The alchemist, a sly youth named Karnaak, brewed more venom over a forbidden pyre. "End the peasant before he rises," he muttered. Arjun struck like karma's blade—Pulse Severing Palm, a sutra granting meridian destruction. Karnaak crumpled, sterile and broken, his cultivation erased. No mercy for threats to the dharma path; Arjun left a warning: a scorched lotus petal. �News exploded at morning assembly. Sage Vishwamitra summoned Arjun. "You've roots of a Chakravarti, but enemies multiply. The academy's inner trials await—face the Rakshasa Illusion Array or perish." Duryodhan vowed revenge, allying with other clans. As Arjun purified the springs with Jatayu flame essence, visions deepened: Asura blood stirring, promising six-armed fury. The forge burned hotter; betrayal had forged him sharper.By twilight, Arjun stood alone atop the floating bastion, Vel humming. The 33 Lokas called, but first, he would crush the serpents at his feet.