Anirban and Nihal sat in the middle of the bar. Beer mugs in hand, Nihal's fingers were trembling so violently that he gulped his drink down like parched water. Anirban remained silent, merely sipping from his glass.
Nihal composed himself, closing his eyes briefly.
"Can he... can he ever get out of there?"
Anirban looked at him and let out a small sigh.
"Who are you talking about?"
Nihal slammed his empty glass onto the table with a heavy thud. He stared down for a moment before signaling the bartender for another. His eyes flickered
with fear as he licked his dry lips.
"You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Anirban flashed a faint, mysterious smirk. He turned around and shouted to the room, "Our new guard, Nihal, is worried our prisoner might escape!"
The bar erupted in thunderous laughter as if a grand joke had been told. Nihal's face went pale. He couldn't comprehend how everyone could be so calm. All around him, guards were playing cards or chatting with their comrades, completely unbothered.
Anirban patted his shoulder,
"The reason your question is funny is because he isn't in any condition to leave. At least, not on his own."
Nihal swallowed hard, staring at Anirban. His trance was broken only when the bartender placed a fresh glass before him. While wiping another mug, the bartender added,
"No one here fears his escape. This is a hidden Island hidden from the world. For miles, it's surrounded by giant monsters, toxic creatures, and hundreds of thousands of trained guards like us. Escape isn't that simple. Besides, the Angel King himself built this place. It's impenetrable."
Despite the words, Nihal found no comfort. Even the breath of that beast in the cell seemed to scream that he could leave whenever he wished. 'Why is everyone so calm? Just because he hasn't escaped in three hundred years?'
As Nihal drifted into his thoughts, Anirban watched him.
'Why are the new ones always so terrified?' he wondered. 'Perhaps because they've never experienced anything like this. I was the same at the beginning.' Anirban smiled to himself.
The next day, Nihal entered the prison again to deliver food. This time, he didn't feel as suffocated as the first day. He gathered the courage to take a few steps forward when that same question echoed through the shadows:
"What day is it today?"
Nihal froze. His legs began to shake. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He couldn't understand why a simple question felt like a physical weight crushing his chest. He gasped for air, but his lungs refused to expand. His heart hammered against his ribs until he collapsed.
Clutching his throat, he looked ahead and saw a man kneeling. His entire body, from hands to feet, was bound in heavy chains. Iron blocks wrapped around his back, neck, and even a massive iron locker covered his eyes. It looked as if he was forbidden from even seeing the world.
Nihal scrambled backward, crawling out of the cell. The moment he crossed the threshold, the air returned to his lungs. He wheezed, drawing in deep, jagged breaths. A nearby guard helped him up.
The guard looked at him with judging eyes.
"If you're this weak, don't bother coming back to deliver food."
Shame burned in Nihal's chest. With guilt in his eyes, he stood up and walked away in silence.
Later, Nihal sat in his room, consumed by thought. He had been the top scorer in his school but how could he feel this pathetic? Was he truly this weak?
"It's actually the opposite. You aren't weak, he is just stronger than you can imagine."
Nihal looked up to see, Anirban leaning against the doorframe, a carrot in one hand. He took a bite and stepped inside.
"Want some?"
Nihal gritted his teeth. "If you all know he's that powerful, how can you stay so relaxed? How do you do it?"
Anirban sat beside him, scanning Nihal from head to toe. The boy was drenched in sweat as if he had just stepped out of a shower.
"Everyone here is just as scared as you," Anirban sighed. "They just don't show it. They keep themselves busy so the fear doesn't consume them."
With tears blurring his vision, Nihal whispered, "Every time I go to feed him, I feel like I'm going to die."
Anirban patted his shoulder. "His aura is so dark and heavy that everyone feels exactly what you feel."
Nihal wiped his eyes. "But if his aura is that powerful, those chains mean nothing. He could break out."
Anirban's gaze drifted to a painting in the room.
"So, you saw him?"
Nihal looked up, confused. Anirban continued,
"Don't look at me like that. It's almost impossible to see anything in that darkness. You saw him because your power's **Defense Mechanism** activated out of pure terror."
Anirban tilted his head. "When we receive a Blessing, it comes with a bonus: Threat Vision. When we are at our power's limit, or facing something that pushes us to the edge, Threat Vision activates on its own. Your Angel comes to your aid when you're forced to face such a threat. That is why you saw him in the dark."
Nihal gulped. "You mean... just his aura pushed me to my limit?"
Anirban smirked. "It's shocking, I know. But when your 100% is useless against even 1% of his power, being shocked is the only natural reaction."
Nihal's brain was overloading with information. Threat Vision, power scales, 1%... it was too much.
"Wait... what do you mean by 1%?"
Anirban stood up. "Come with me. Talk to the others. You'll find your answers in their words."
Nihal followed him to the training grounds, where Commander Turzo was overseeing the troops. Turzo smiled as they approached. Anirban bowed in respect, and Nihal followed him although he don't know the reason.
"What brings you here, young man?"
Turzo asked, gripping Anirban's arms.
"This is the new guard," Anirban said, gesturing to Nihal.
"He delivers the food. Master, he unlocked his Threat Vision in front of Sameer. now he's confused. I want you to explain things to him the way you once explained them to me."
"You could have done that yourself, Anirban," Turzo replied.
Anirban lowered his head. "I cannot give him the lessons that only you can provide, Master."
Turzo laughed, clapping Anirban on the back.
"Haha! Fine. Let's give our new guard some practical education."
Nihal saw the smirk on Anirban's face and felt a pit in his stomach. He turned to see the other guards gathering in a circle, whispering and grinning. He realized that whatever was about to happen might be "fun" for them, but it was going to be painful for him.
Nihal stood frozen until Anirban gave him a light nudge. Nihal threw a silent, questioning glance at Anirban, as if to ask, "What is going on?" But Anirban simply raised his hand, signaling him to move forward. Nihal began to walk with heavy steps, his feet seemed unwilling to leave the ground. With every step, his feet dragged across the earth, sending light flurries of sand into the air. Guards began to gather around as if they were arriving to watch a circus.
Commander Turzo stood in the center, a smile on his face, gesturing for Nihal to come closer. He stepped into the center of the arena. Commander Turzo was wrapping bandages around his knuckles.
"Today," Turzo announced loudly, "our new guard Nihal has questions. You all know the rules, everyone gets to answer one. Who wants to go first?"
The crowd went wild, like hungry predators seeing meat. Nihal was bewildered. What rules? Why are they so eager to answer?
Turzo signaled a guard named 'Farhan', who stepped forward with a cocky grin.
"Understand what's happening? No? Well, we aren't normal people here. We are trained guards. So our answers... they come with a price."
Turzo leaned in and whispered into Nihal's ear, "Every answer has a cost." Then he shouted,
"Begin!"
Nihal's heart was racing so fast he could hear a high-pitched ringing in his ears. He took a deep breath and looked at Farhan.
"Why is Sameer bound in iron even over his eyes?"
Farhan cracked his neck. "Five parts of his body, two hands and feet, spine, and eyes are locked in tons of heavy iron so he cannot move. As for the eyes? Because whatever he looks at... collapses into destruction."
Before Nihal could process the answer, Farhan lunged. A fist slammed into Nihal's stomach. The force sent him flying several feet into the air. His vision blurred, and he hit the ground, coughing up blood.
Turzo walked over and knelt beside him. He looked at Farhan.
"I told you to go easy. Lucky for him, nothing is broken."
"I did go easy, Commander!" Farhan laughed, retreating back into the crowd.
Nihal wiped the blood from his mouth.
"What is this? The 'cost' is that I have to get beaten up?"
Turzo helped him up.
"Who said you have to just stand there? You could have fought back or dodged. As a warrior, your mindset is wrong."
Nihal stood up, shaking off the dust. He was angry now. He was ready. Turjo called upon a female guard, Mily.
Nihal took a fighting stance.
"If Sameer is so strong, how do simple chains hold him?"
Mily didn't wait. She fired a 'Lightning Beam'. Nihal saw the flash and tried to move, but Mily was faster. She delivered a crushing kick to his neck, pinning him to the ground. She lifted him by the throat.
"Because 99% of his power is sealed. And those chains? If they can hold Royal Angels, they can hold him too."
She slammed him against a wall and followed up with a kick to the chest. Nihal collapsed, certain his ribs were cracked. He struggled to breathe, his body rebelling against him.
In the corner, Anirban wasn't laughing anymore. His eyes were sharp, focused entirely on Nihal.
Turzo approached the broken boy.
"Does it hurt?"
"No..."
Nihal hissed through gritted teeth.
"You're lying," Turzo smiled. "But good. You're still standing."
Nihal looked Turzo in the eye. "Why was I attacked before the answer? That's against the rules."
"Rules?" Turzo laughed. "Who told you there are rules here? You think you get answers for free? In war, anything can happen."
Nihal pushed Turzo's hand away and stood up on his own, staggering back to the center. The crowd cheered for his defiance. He could hear them betting on which of his bones would break next.
Then, Turzo called Anirban.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The air grew heavy. Someone whispered, "Oh... this is bad."
Nihal braced himself. He noticed Anirban's aura was different, crushing.
"You said Threat Vision pushes our limits," Nihal rasped. "But how can someone with sealed power push us?"
The arena went silent. Anirban looked emotionless. Nihal didn't wait he lunged with everything he had left. Anirban dodged effortlessly. Nihal swung a desperate punch, but it froze in mid-air.
"CRASH!!"
Nihal was slammed into the ground. It felt like a mountain had been dropped on him. The ground cracked beneath his body.
"His 1%... is like 100% of a hundred of us combined," Anirban said coldly.
"He once slaughtered an entire Angel Army alone. Against that, what are we?"
Nihal's eyes filled with tears. He couldn't even scream. Anirban leaned down.
"Your power pushed its limit because even if you don't understand, your Blessing knows exactly where the danger lies."
The pressure vanished. Nihal wheezed, drawing air like a drowning man. Anirban stood back. To everyone's shock, Nihal dragged himself up again.
"So our power is that pathetic?" Nihal coughed. "Then what's the point? If he gets out, we all die. Why guard something we can't beat?"
Nihal tried to strike one last time, but the world seemed to stop. Time itself felt frozen. Anirban vanished, reappearing behind him. Nihal felt a primal instinct screaming at him to run, but he couldn't move.
Anirban whispered in his ear,
"To contain a being like him, even an 'useless' person like you was given a Blessing. If you ask what's the point, then you've already asked the wrong question."
After that, Nihal remembered nothing else. Only darkness. The triumphant cheers of the crowd were the last thing he heard before everything drowned into absolute silence.
Nihal opened his eyes to find the intense rays of the sun piercing his vision. Still lying down, he instinctively tried to shield his eyes from the light with his hand, but his entire body throbbed with a sharp, agonizing pain. Even the simple act of lifting his hand was a monumental struggle.
Suddenly, someone drew the curtains across the window. Nihal blinked and saw a doctor who had come to examine him.
In a dry, parched voice, Nihal asked,
"Where am I?"
The doctor looked at him once. "It's hard to believe, but you have incredible endurance. You're awake despite half your bones being broken and many of your internal organs being damaged."
Nihal was stunned by his own condition. His entire body was encased in plaster. The doctor advised him to rest and left the room. Just then, a voice came from beside him.
"Awake after only two days? I thought it would take a week."
Nihal couldn't turn his neck, but he knew it was Anirban. Anirban sat beside him, peeling an apple.
"It's natural to be angry with me, but the reason I took you to the arena is that you aren't using your power properly."
He held out a slice of the cut apple toward Nihal. But Nihal turned his eyes away. Anirban smirked and ate it himself.
"If anyone else were in my place, they would have taken you to the arena too. That's the rule here. Anyway, the answer to your last question is, we are simply doing our duty. I know our power is insignificant compared to his, but it's because we stand guard that the outside world remains safe."
Anirban stood up, took another bite of the apple, and left. Nihal stayed silent, staring at the ceiling. He had more questions, but this time, he would find the answers himself.
Deep in the island's jungle, the sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed. The head of a massive beast hit the ground.
Tameem stood amidst a sea of blood, wiping his nose.
"Ugh, why is this place so messy?" he muttered. "Now I have to clean myself again."
He looked toward the island's lone mountain, silhouetted against the setting sun, and smiled.