LEGACE OF THE FALLEN
Chapter 14
The evening slowly gave way to night, and a shower of beautiful star covers the entire sky.
And still, the Mad Dogs ran.
Three relentless hours had passed since Arihant's command echoed through the training ground. Three hours of pounding footsteps across the cold earth beneath their feet.
Yet not a single one of them had broken a sweat.
Even Tushar—with his heavy frame that made the field tremble with each step—ran like it was just another daily chore.
Except Aksh.
His breaths came in ragged bursts. His shoulders sagged. His eyes were half-closed, barely conscious. His legs trembled with every stride, the soles of his feet long past pain.
But he didn't stop.
Not once did he complain. Not once did he ask for rest. He just kept running.
"How is he doing it?" Aman asked between breaths, glancing at Aksh from the corner of his eye. "How can he keep going for hours without using Tejas—with that weak body of his?"
"Beats me. I got no idea," Tushar replied casually, running with one hand… while munching a cupcake with the other.
"I think it's just his dedication to getting stronger," Rudra said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It's probably the only thing keeping him moving."
His eyes narrowed suddenly. "…Wait a second. That cupcake looks really familiar."
"Oh, th-this one?" Tushar said, his eyes darting away. "I… bought it in the market."
Rudra's face twisted. "Don't tell me… that's my cupcake, isn't it?! You fat thief—I'm gonna kill you!"
He lunged toward Tushar, fury in his steps.
Tushar squealed and picked up speed, bolting toward Ayesha like a terrified elephant. "Ayesha! Save me! Rudra's bullying me again!"
"Don't come near me, you walking dessert cabinet! Handle your own mess!" Ayesha shouted, clearly irritated as she kept her pace steady.
"Alright everyone, return to your dorms. Aksh, you stay here," Arihant commanded.
Everyone stopped and moved out of the training ground, but Aksh didn't stop—he kept running continuously. Arihant shouted again, "Aksh, stop!" But he didn't listen.
Arihant jumped into the training ground and reached toward him. He said again, "Oy, stop, you are—"
Before he could complete his sentence, he realized Aksh was already unconscious. And yet, his body refused to stop—still moving forward purely from sheer willpower.
"Oy, this is enough. You can stop now," Arihant said, stepping in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder—his voice calm this time.
Aksh's legs finally gave out, and he collapsed forward, falling into Arihant's arm.
Aksh slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying at the side of the training ground track, and sitting atop his face—quite literally—was Arihant, holding a bottle of water in his hand.
"Here, drink this," Arihant said, leaning forward.
Aksh grabbed the bottle and started drinking.
"Don't you have any questions you want to ask?" Arihant asked curiously.
Aksh slowly sat up, still on the ground.
"Actually, I do have a lot of questions... like how did you know my mother? How did you know that I had awakened my Tejas, even when Dhruva gave the verdict that my core was shattered? Why did those officers follow your command? And why is this academy so large, yet still kept hidden?"
"Then why didn't you ask anything?" Arihant asked, now even more curious.
"Because I don't think I have the privilege or the right to ask you questions," Aksh replied quietly. "You took my family out of the slums, gave them a safe place to live, offered me the chance to train and grow stronger... and even paid the bills for my mother's treatment—though I would've done that part myself if you hadn't stopped me. But still… you've helped me so much that I just couldn't bring myself to question you."
"I can't answer all of your questions right now," Arihant said with a faint smile as he sat down beside Aksh, leaning back against the ground. "But I can still answer some of them."
"Twelve years ago, I was a strategist in the military... and that's where I met your mother. She was a nurse in one of the treatment camps..." Arihant began.
Aksh didn't even flinch as he listened. He sat in silence, unmoving, as Arihant continued speaking—telling the dark story of what his mother had endured.
"The more I learn about my father, the more I hate and despise him," Aksh said, his voice low and hollow. "I think the best thing that could've happened in my life... was his death. I should've done that sooner."
He looked upward, into the void above.
"You didn't kill him," Arihant replied.
"But does that make any difference? He would've died anyway... even if mother hadn't hit him. The injuries I caused—he was already as good as dead."
Aksh's voice was expressionless.
"But there is still a difference," Arihant said quietly. "You'll understand... when you really kill someone for the first time."
"I can answer one more question," Arihant said, his gaze turning serious. "About the Mahākāl Academy of Divine Combat… and why it's hidden."
Aksh turned to him, eyes narrowing slightly—not with suspicion, but with quiet, focused curiosity.
Arihant looked ahead at the vast, silent field before them. "Do you know how many academies exist for battle training across the Empire of Sapta Sindhu?"
Aksh shook his head silently.
"There are about a hundred," Arihant continued. "Now, do you know how many of those academies have ever produced a commander-level warrior?"
Aksh remained still, waiting for the answer.
"Only one," Arihant said after a pause. "The Immortal Academy."
"The Immortal Academy was founded five thousand years ago by the successor of Agnivardhana himself," Arihant continued, his tone darkening. "It was created to prepare warriors for an approaching calamity… one that still hasn't arrived."
Aksh listened silently, sensing the weight behind each word.
"But over the centuries, the purpose of the academy twisted," Arihant said. "Now, to even be considered for admission, you must either be of noble birth or have a noble sponsor. That's it. No exceptions."
He scoffed under his breath.
"The academy is overflowing with ancient techniques and divine arts, thanks to its inheritance. But those resources are squandered—poured into the hands of arrogant, incompetent children of the elite."
Aksh clenched his fists unconsciously.
"Even so, those brats still reach five or six stars, purely because of the quality of the techniques they're handed. That's enough for them to become commanders, or even rise to higher posts in the future."
He turned to Aksh, his expression calm but pointed.
"But that's their ceiling. That's where they stop. They never touch the next level… not truly. And when the rare talented one does manage to break through, the academy takes all the credit, as if they forged them themselves."
Arihant leaned back slightly, voice dropping into a cold whisper.
"That's how the Immortal Academy became one of the most powerful and untouchable organizations in all of Sapta Sindhu."
"As for your other question," Arihant said, his voice growing heavier, "why our academy is hidden... it's because we carry a legacy just as ancient as the Immortal Academy. Our heritage, our techniques—they're no less sacred."
He leaned forward slightly, gaze sharpening.
"And if the higher-ups of the Immortal Academy ever discovered that truth, they would stop at nothing to seize what we possess. They'd wage a war if they had to—just to steal our inheritance. We're not afraid of them," Arihant said, his voice now cold and resolute. "Even I could destroy them all, single-handedly if it came to that."
He paused. The wind brushed past them, carrying a silent weight.
"But that would weaken us... waste precious strength in a meaningless civil war—when the real threat, the true enemy, still waits in the dark. And we cannot afford to lose even a single blade, not when the survival of humanity is already at stake."
Aksh blinked, surprised. "But… how is that possible? If the Immortal Academy was founded by Agnivardhana's successor, then how could Mahākāl Academy possess techniques just as old?"
He paused, the gears in his mind spinning. "Don't tell me…" he muttered, hesitating to say it aloud.
Arihant chuckled, a proud grin forming on his face. "So you've already started to figure it out. I knew you were sharp."
He looked out toward the stars overhead, his voice dropping just above a whisper.
"There was one more monster in that era… one other than Agnivardhana."
Aksh's eyes widened. He spoke the name as if it held the weight of mountains.
"The Sword God… Divyajit."
"Exactly," Arihant replied, his smile widening. "And the principal of this academy—Mahākāl Academy of Divine Combat—is his direct descendant."