Parents' Observation Lounge
The room was quiet—unnaturally so.
Bharat and Guarav sat side by side in their VVIP seats, having barely moved since the beginning of the exam session. Guarav glanced at the stoic figure of the Bhargava Clan Chief beside him, confusion simmering just beneath his composed exterior.
Aren and Aria's tests were long over.
Arun's test had ended in unprecedented success.
And yet… Bharat remained, his eyes glued to the screen, still waiting.
Why is he still here? Guarav thought. Who is he waiting for?
Just then, Bharat's personal butler leaned down and whispered something into his ear.
A faint smile crept across Bharat's lips.
Guarav immediately sat straighter. He had learned over the years that any time Bharat smiled, one of two things would happen: either there would be blood… or something extraordinary.
He couldn't resist asking, "What is it? What happened?"
Bharat didn't respond. He simply gave Guarav a small nod, his gaze never leaving the screen.
That was all the answer he gave—and all Guarav needed.
As the screen shifted to display the final batch of students entering the testing chambers, a strange anomaly occurred.
Every single student in the batch had agreed to show their tests publicly.
It was unheard of. In every batch before, students had been too nervous or unsure to show their results to a room full of peers, teachers, and officials. But now, perhaps sensing the end of the event and the thinning audience, all ten had opted in.
One by one, the students took their tests. Most received no elemental reading.
One student awakened Water.
The crowd began to relax.
Then—one final test appeared on the screen.
And Bharat leaned forward.
Back in the observation lounge, Guarav's mouth dropped open. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as the orb shattered in full view of the live broadcast.
He had seen many things in his life—he had even met God-Tier elemental users.
But this? This was something else entirely.
The affinity orb was built using reinforced elemental crystals. It was designed to withstand even five-element resonance. It had even survived direct attacks from awakened First-Stage users.
Guarav himself had once tested its durability with a fully empowered sword strike. It had taken him five strikes just to crack it.
Now he watched it lying in pieces—shattered not by violence, but by sheer elemental incompatibility.
Bharat, for the first time, allowed a flicker of genuine surprise to pass across his features.
Then it vanished, replaced by something colder.
He stood up.
"Let's go," he said flatly.
He didn't wait for Guarav.
He walked out of the room, leaving the stunned Ayudha Clan Chief to scramble after him.
Inside the Chief Examiner's control room, chaos was unfolding.
The examiner stared at the wreckage on his screen, frozen in place. His hand hovered over the emergency alert button.
Just as he was about to activate it, his communication crystal buzzed.
A voice—cold, precise—spoke before he could say a word.
"Do not panic. We are aware."
The chief straightened in his chair. "Sir, the glass orb—it shattered. I've never seen—"
The voice interrupted him sharply. "We know. Do not speak of it again. Contain the information immediately. File an official report that the orb was defective."
"But—"
"No buts. This is not a request. It's an order from above. Keep it quiet. No media. No military records. Not even the Gurukul knows yet. You will keep it that way until we decide otherwise."
The examiner's hands trembled as he lowered them.
"Yes, sir…"
The crystal went silent.
The chief exhaled shakily, then picked up the microphone.
His voice echoed through the hall. "Attention all students, parents, and faculty. The explosion in the final chamber was due to a defective glass orb. The student's result was recorded as a successful awakening of the Light Elemental."
Gasps rippled across the audience.
"Light?" someone muttered.
"Wasn't that black? I swear I saw black..."
The speculation began immediately, but the Chief's calm announcement had already begun reshaping the narrative.
Back in the hallway, Guarav paused mid-step and muttered to himself, "So… Bharat made the government lie about it."
He turned to his butler. "I don't care what channels you need to use. Find out who that student is. Immediately."
Inside the testing room, Om and Shreya stood frozen for a moment, staring at the fractured remains of the orb.
Glass shards glistened at their feet.
Then came the Chief's announcement.
Shreya blinked, and then, unexpectedly—laughed.
Om tilted his head. "What?"
She shook her head, still grinning. "Nothing. I was just... actually worried there for a second."
"Because the orb exploded?"
"No. Because I just witnessed something that hasn't happened in a generation. Two God-Tier elementals—you and Arun—on the same day, in the same hall."
Om raised an eyebrow. "You really think I'm going to Gurukul now?"
Shreya snorted. "There's no doubt. After this? You might not just be accepted. They might come to your door and beg."
Om's expression grew serious. "Is there any record of an orb ever shattering during a test?"
Shreya's smile faded.
"There are only three known cases," she said. "One was the Dharma King himself. Another was the Grand Senapati. And the third…"
She looked at him quietly. "...Never confirmed."
Om looked down at the shattered pieces.
"So if someone had every element, would the orb break like this?"
Shreya didn't answer immediately.
Then, solemnly, she said, "Yes. And if that ever happened—it would mean the world is about to change."