The training arena was quiet again.
Fragments of the destroyed training creature still lay scattered across the metal floor.
Aadhya stood in the center of the arena, staring at her hands.
The green glow that had burst out earlier was gone.
But the memory of it still made her heart race.
Director Meera watched her from the observation window above.
"Interesting," she said calmly.
Beside her, Agent Arjun crossed his arms.
"You think it's stable?"
Meera shook her head.
"Not even close."
Down in the arena, Aadhya looked up at them.
"So… are you guys going to explain what just happened, or are we just pretending that was normal?"
Arjun chuckled slightly.
"Welcome to supernatural training."
"That wasn't training!" Aadhya protested. "That thing tried to rip my head off."
Meera pressed a button, and the arena door slid open.
"Come upstairs," she said.
"We need to talk."
A few minutes later, Aadhya was sitting inside a large briefing room.
The walls were covered with digital screens showing maps, strange symbols, and security footage.
One screen showed ancient carvings of serpents.
Another showed reports labeled CLASSIFIED.
Aadhya looked around nervously.
"You people really like secrets."
Arjun leaned against the table.
"That's kind of our whole job."
Director Meera stood across from her.
"Let's start with something simple," she said.
"Your powers."
Aadhya immediately frowned.
"I don't even know how they work."
"Exactly."
Meera tapped a screen, and a hologram appeared above the table.
It showed a glowing serpent symbol.
"This," she explained, "represents the Serpent Bloodline."
The symbol slowly rotated in the air.
"For centuries, certain families carried supernatural abilities linked to ancient forces."
Aadhya raised an eyebrow.
"Let me guess… mine is the snake one."
"Yes."
"And it makes green explosions?"
Arjun smirked.
"Among other things."
Meera continued.
"The Serpent Bloodline is known for energy manipulation, enhanced reflexes, and something much rarer."
"What?"
Meera looked directly at her.
"Dominion."
Aadhya blinked.
"That sounds dramatic."
"It means control."
Meera pointed at the hologram.
"Serpent users historically had the ability to dominate other supernatural energies."
Aadhya stared at the glowing symbol.
"So… like some kind of boss power?"
Arjun laughed.
"That's actually a pretty good way to describe it."
Later that night…
Aadhya was led to another part of the facility.
This one looked more like a school gym.
Training equipment filled the room.
Punching bags.
Combat mats.
Energy scanners.
And a few other people.
Three teenagers stood near the center of the room.
They all turned when Aadhya walked in.
A tall boy with glasses waved.
"New recruit?"
Aadhya hesitated.
"I guess?"
He smiled.
"I'm Kabir."
He pointed to the girl beside him.
"That's Sana."
Sana gave a short nod.
"And that grumpy guy is Dev."
Dev rolled his eyes.
"I'm not grumpy."
"You literally haven't smiled once," Kabir replied.
Aadhya relaxed slightly.
"So… you guys also have weird powers?"
Kabir shrugged.
"Something like that."
Before she could ask more—
The lights in the room flickered.
Director Meera's voice came through the speakers.
"Training begins now."
Aadhya groaned quietly.
Kabir grinned.
"First day?"
"Yeah."
"Good luck."
The training started simple.
Running drills.
Reaction tests.
Balance exercises.
But every time Aadhya tried to activate her power…
Nothing happened.
She focused.
Tried to feel the energy again.
But the serpent mark remained quiet.
After an hour, she collapsed onto the floor.
"This is impossible."
Dev crossed his arms.
"Your power activated earlier."
"Yeah, when a monster tried to kill me."
Sana spoke calmly.
"Strong emotions can trigger abilities."
Aadhya sighed.
"So I need to almost die every time?"
Kabir laughed.
"Hopefully not."
Up in the control room, Arjun watched the training footage.
Meera stood beside him.
"She's struggling," Arjun said.
"That's expected," Meera replied.
"The bloodline just awakened."
"But the energy spike earlier was massive."
Meera nodded slowly.
"Yes."
She looked toward the dark screens.
"That's what concerns me."
Arjun frowned.
"You think someone else felt it?"
Before she could answer—
An alarm suddenly rang through the control room.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
A technician shouted from another desk.
"Director!"
Meera turned quickly.
"What is it?"
"We just detected another energy signal!"
Arjun's expression hardened.
"Location?"
The technician looked at the screen nervously.
"…Northern Himalayas."
Meera's eyes narrowed.
"Magnitude?"
The technician swallowed.
"…Almost equal to the Serpent activation."
Silence filled the room.
Arjun muttered quietly.
"So it begins."
Down in the training hall, Aadhya suddenly froze.
Her serpent mark burned with sudden heat.
She grabbed her shoulder.
"What—"
A strange pulse of energy ran through her body.
Like something far away had just awakened.
Kabir noticed.
"You okay?"
Aadhya looked toward the ceiling.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I think…"
She took a slow breath.
"…someone else just woke up."
Far away in the mountains…
A pair of crimson eyes opened in the darkness.
And somewhere deep in ancient history—
Two bloodlines had just begun moving toward the same inevitable path.
Collision.