"Waste of bloodline."
"Useless."
"Failure."
The voices grew louder, circling closer, until I couldn't tell if they came from the swing beside me or from inside my own skull.
I lowered my head.
My fists tightened until my nails bit into my palms.
I wanted to say something. Anything.
But no words came out.
The swing moved slightly beneath me. Back and forth. Back and forth.
The voices slowly began to fade. The laughter died. The sunlight grew brighter.
And then—
A faint buzzing.
I frowned. The sound grew louder.
The swing beneath me felt different. Harder. Colder.
I opened my eyes.
A white ceiling. Bright lights buzzing above me.
For a moment, I couldn't understand where I was. Then I felt the dampness of sweat against my forehead. My heart was pounding. My breathing was shallow.
I stared at the ceiling.
Just a dream.
Just a memory.
But the feeling hadn't gone away.
I turned my head slowly.
There was another bed beside mine.
Mukund.
His head was wrapped in thick white bandages. His glasses were gone, and a small patch of red had soaked through the gauze near his temple. He looked terrible.
But he was breathing.
I let out a quiet sigh.
At least he's alive.
I tried sitting up. My entire body felt heavy, but after a little effort I managed to prop myself against the headboard.
The medical room was unusually quiet. A few nurses moved between the beds, checking reports, adjusting equipment. My eyes wandered toward the screen mounted on the wall.
The tournament was still going on.
Another match was already underway. The arena was almost completely covered in smoke.
I leaned forward, trying to get a better look.
One of the participants was Aarink, a member of Parakastha. A smoke user. His opponent was Tanmay, from Anvasada.
His ability was singing.
I settled back against the headboard, watching the screen.
This should be interesting.
The entire arena was covered in smoke. Aarink had disappeared.
Tanmay stood in the middle, looking around. He tilted his head slightly.
Then—
A sharp whistle echoed through the arena. Aarink appeared behind him, a kick aimed straight at Tanmay's back.
Tanmay ducked, just in time.
Aarink vanished into the smoke again.
"Too slow!" a voice echoed from somewhere inside.
Tanmay closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. And began to sing.
A soft melody filled the arena.
At first, nothing happened. Then the smoke began to tremble. Tiny ripples spread through it, moving outward with every note.
Aarink emerged from the smoke, covering his ears. "What the hell?"
Tanmay kept singing. His voice grew louder. The vibrations strengthened, churning the smoke, breaking it apart. Aarink tried to move again, but his position gave itself away every time the smoke shifted.
He rushed at Tanmay.
Tanmay stopped singing.
For a brief moment, the arena went silent.
Then he released a single, powerful note.
BOOOOM.
A wave of sound exploded across the battlefield. The remaining smoke scattered instantly. Aarink was thrown backward, skidding across the arena floor.
"Participant Aarink is outside the boundary."
Kiara ma'am's voice rang through the stadium.
"Winner of the fifth match—Tanmay of Anvasada!"
The crowd erupted. Tanmay lowered his head, catching his breath.
I stared at the screen.
So that's what his singing does.
I leaned back against the headboard.
Another interesting ability. Another match over.
"That's actually a pretty interesting ability," I said. "Who would've thought singing could be useful in a fight?"
"Depends on how you use it," Mukund replied from the bed beside me.
I turned toward him.
"Well, look who's finally awake."
He shifted his position, winced slightly, then pretended nothing had happened.
"What's so surprising? I just needed some rest."
"Yeah, sure. You only collapsed face-first onto a floor covered in ice."
"At least I won."
I chuckled. Then I looked at him properly.
"Seriously, though. Are you okay?"
He gave me an annoyed look.
"Do I look dead to you?"
"You're missing your glasses, covered in bandages, and probably have a concussion."
"Then stop asking stupid questions."
I smiled. He was still the same old Mukund. And honestly, that was enough for me.
I turned back toward the screen, relieved to see him sitting beside me, arguing as usual.
Kiara ma'am's voice echoed through the stadium.
"Congratulations to Tanmay! And now, moving on to our next match..."
The screen changed.
Ruchi vs. Anvitha.
My eyes widened.
"Ruchi?"
Mukund sat up a little straighter.
The camera shifted toward the participants' entrance.
A girl stepped forward.
Anvitha.
She belonged to the Eagle family.
Her physique was intimidating — solid muscle across her arms and legs, a massive pair of wings folded at her back, fingers ending in sharp claws, and a face that carried the unmistakable features of an eagle: a sharp, pointed beak and piercing eyes. She looked more like a predator than a student.
I glanced at Mukund.
"How's Ruchi supposed to fight that?"
He adjusted his bandaged arm.
"Her wings give her an obvious advantage. She can attack from the air, and those claws..."
He paused.
"Yeah. This isn't going to be easy."
"Don't worry. She'll be fine."
A familiar voice came from behind us.
We both turned.
Trayaksh stood there, wearing his usual relaxed expression.
"Trayaksh bhaiya!"
He gave us a small smile.
"I know who trained her."
That was all he said.
But somehow, he sounded completely certain.
Back in the arena, Anvitha had already entered.
She spread her enormous wings, flexing her claws with a confident grin. Her sharp eyes remained fixed on Ruchi.
Ruchi, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered at all.
She simply walked to her position, calm as ever.
The two girls stood facing each other.
The stadium grew quieter.
Kiara ma'am raised her hand.
"Both participants, take your positions."
Anvitha lowered her body slightly, her claws digging into the arena floor.
Ruchi stood straight, her hands relaxed by her sides.
A moment later—
BOOM!
The drum echoed across the stadium.
The match had begun.
The moment the drum sounded, Anvitha launched herself into the air.
Her enormous wings flapped once, sending a powerful gust across the arena.
Before Ruchi could even move, Anvitha was already above her.
"Let's see how long you can survive this!"
Anvitha folded her wings and dived.
Her claws aimed straight at Ruchi's shoulders.
Ruchi stepped aside at the last moment.
CLANG!
Anvitha's claws struck the arena floor, leaving deep scratches in the stone.
Ruchi jumped backward.
Anvitha didn't give her a moment to recover.
She took off again, circling above the arena before diving at her opponent from a different direction.
Again.
And again.
Ruchi kept dodging, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
"She's not even getting a chance to attack," I muttered.
Mukund nodded.
"Anvitha controls the distance. Ruchi needs to bring her down somehow."
Anvitha suddenly stopped in midair.
She spread her wings to their full length.
Her eyes narrowed.
Then she folded them tightly and shot toward Ruchi like an arrow.
This time, Ruchi didn't dodge.
She raised both her hands.
The flower patterns on her palms began to glow.
A faint pink light spread across her fingers.
And then—
A petal appeared.
Just one.
It floated above her palm.
Anvitha was already too close.
Ruchi flicked her wrist.
The petal shot forward.
SHING!
A thin line of blood appeared across Anvitha's right wing.
A few feathers drifted through the air.
Anvitha immediately pulled back, barely managing to regain her balance.
The entire stadium went silent.
"What was that?" someone shouted.
Ruchi looked at the petal floating beside her.
Then she smiled.
More petals began appearing around her.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Dozens.
They emerged from the glowing patterns on her palms, floating around her like a beautiful flower caught in the wind.
But there was something strange about them.
Their edges shimmered like blades.
Anvitha stared at them.
Ruchi raised her hand.
The petals moved.
All at once.
Anvitha flapped her wings, trying to create a powerful gust to scatter them.
But the petals changed direction with every movement of Ruchi's fingers.
They surrounded Anvitha from every side.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Anvitha twisted and turned, blocking some with her claws while dodging others.
One petal grazed her arm.
Another cut through the feathers near her shoulder.
She finally managed to land, breathing heavily.
"What the hell is this ability?" she growled.
Ruchi tilted her head.
"Flowers."
For a moment, nobody said anything.
Then Anvitha roared and charged.
Her claws stretched forward.
Ruchi took a step back.
A few petals gathered around her wrist, forming a circular shield.
CLANG!
Anvitha's claws struck the shield.
The impact pushed Ruchi backward.
Her feet scraped against the arena floor.
For the first time, her expression changed.
She was struggling to hold the formation.
Anvitha noticed it immediately.
She pushed harder.
The petals began to scatter.
"Ruchi!" I shouted.
But Ruchi didn't panic.
She glanced at the flower patterns on her palms.
Then she closed her fists.
Every scattered petal stopped moving.
A second later, they all shot toward Anvitha.
Not at her body.
At her wings.
SHING!
The petals sliced through the air around Anvitha, forcing her to spread her wings defensively.
Before she could take off again, Ruchi opened both her palms.
The remaining petals gathered around Anvitha's arms and legs.
They formed delicate-looking chains of flowers.
Anvitha tried to break free.
But every time she moved, the petals tightened.
Her wings were pinned.
Her claws couldn't reach Ruchi.
And she couldn't fly.
Ruchi walked toward her.
A single petal floated near Anvitha's neck.
"Do you surrender?"
Anvitha struggled for another moment.
Then she lowered her head.
"I surrender."
The petals immediately dissolved into tiny particles of pink light.
For a second, the arena remained completely silent.
Then Kiara ma'am's voice rang out.
"Winner... Ruchi!"
The stadium erupted.
I stared at the arena.
"She could do THAT?"
Mukund pushed his broken glasses up his nose out of habit, only to remember they weren't there anymore.
"Apparently."
I looked toward Trayaksh bhaiya.
He was smiling.
Not surprised.
Not even slightly.
As if he had known exactly what was going to happen.
Back in the arena, Ruchi was walking toward the exit.
The flower patterns on her palms were still glowing faintly.
And for the first time, I realised something.
We had been friends with Ruchi for years.
Yet there was still so much about her that we didn't know.
I was still thinking about the match when Mukund spoke.
"That was quite something."
"Quite something? She turned flower petals into weapons!" I replied. "Since when could she do that?"
"Since apparently she decided not to tell us."
"Hey!"
We both turned.
Ruchi was walking toward us, looking rather pleased with herself.
"Talking about me?"
"Obviously," Mukund said. "You have some explaining to do."
Ruchi giggled.
"Maybe later."
I got up and gave her a high five.
"That was amazing, Ruchi!"
Mukund joined in, raising his hand.
"Congratulations."
She smiled and slapped his palm.
For a moment, the three of us just looked at each other.
Harsh had won his match.
I had defeated Purv.
Mukund had beaten Kshitij.
And now Ruchi had taken down Anvitha.
"Wait a minute," I said, counting on my fingers. "Does that mean all three of us won?"
"Looks like it," Mukund replied.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
I raised both hands.
"To our victories!"
Ruchi laughed and joined me. Mukund hesitated for a second before reluctantly raising his hand too.
Our palms met.
Four victories.
Three friends.
And the tournament was only getting started.
Our celebration was interrupted by Kiara ma'am's voice.
"Alright, students! Let's move on to our final match of the first round."
The screen changed.
Zya vs. Tanya.
"Oh, this should be interesting," Mukund commented.
I looked at the two names.
"Zya... she's the one with regeneration, right?"
"Yeah," Ruchi replied. "I've heard that even serious injuries heal pretty quickly."
"That's going to be annoying to fight against."
Before we could discuss further, the two participants entered the arena.
Zya was a girl with a fairly ordinary appearance. She walked casually toward her position, almost as if she were heading to a classroom rather than a tournament.
Tanya entered from the opposite side.
She had a striking resemblance to Tanmay. The same facial features, the same eyes.
His twin sister.
However, unlike her brother, she carried herself with a certain grace. Even while walking, her steps seemed perfectly coordinated with an invisible rhythm.
"That's Tanya?" I asked.
Ruchi nodded.
"Tanmay's twin."
Both girls took their positions.
Kiara ma'am raised her hand.
"Begin!"
BOOM!
Zya immediately rushed forward.
Tanya simply stepped aside.
Her movement was smooth, almost like a dance step.
Zya turned and threw another punch.
Tanya ducked beneath it, spun around, and struck Zya across the back.
THUD!
Zya stumbled forward.
But before Tanya could follow up, Zya turned around and grabbed her arm.
"Got you!"
She pulled Tanya toward herself and landed a heavy punch to her stomach.
Tanya was thrown backward.
She rolled across the arena before finally stopping.
"That looked painful," I muttered.
But Zya wasn't waiting.
She rushed toward her again.
Tanya barely managed to get back on her feet.
Then something changed.
A faint rhythm began echoing through the arena.
Tanya moved her feet.
One step.
Two steps.
A turn.
Her movements became increasingly fluid.
It wasn't just dancing anymore.
Every step seemed to generate a small burst of Prana beneath her feet.
She moved around Zya, avoiding every attack by the narrowest of margins.
Then—
THUD!
A spinning kick struck Zya's jaw.
Another followed.
Then another.
Zya stumbled, but her injuries began healing almost immediately.
"What the..."
I leaned forward.
"She's regenerating!"
Mukund nodded.
"That means Tanya can't win through ordinary attacks. She'll have to find another way."
Tanya seemed to realise the same thing.
She stopped attacking.
Instead, she began moving in a circular pattern around Zya.
Her footsteps grew faster.
The rhythm intensified.
Zya tried to charge at her, but Tanya twisted away, using the momentum of her movement to strike Zya from the side.
Again and again.
Zya couldn't keep up.
Every time she turned, Tanya was already somewhere else.
Finally, Tanya leapt into the air.
She spun once, twice—
And brought her heel down against Zya's shoulder with a powerful kick.
BOOOOM!
Zya crashed onto the arena floor.
She tried to stand.
Her body was already healing, but before she could regain her balance, Tanya landed in front of her.
A final spinning kick struck her chest.
Zya slid across the arena and crossed the boundary line.
Silence.
Then Kiara ma'am announced—
"Winner... Tanya!"
The stadium erupted in applause.
Tanya bowed gracefully before walking toward the exit.
Zya, meanwhile, got back on her feet, looking more frustrated than injured.
I stared at the arena.
"So... dancing?"
Mukund adjusted his position.
"Apparently, dancing can be dangerous."
Ruchi giggled.
"Don't underestimate it."
I looked toward the screen as the results of the first round began appearing.
The first round was finally over.
And things were about to get much more interesting.
"I know you all will make it."
We turned toward the familiar voice.
Too be continued...