Veilguard Medical Wing — Morning After
The room smelled like antiseptic and expensive anxiety.
Arjun sat on a cushioned slab that pretended to be a bed, trying not to fidget while Maya adjusted the strange brass device hovering beside him. It looked like someone had merged a temple bell with a satellite dish and sprinkled it with incense ash for good measure.
Dharan stood in the corner, arms folded, face as impassive as ever. Watching. Always watching.
"You really couldn't just use a stethoscope?" Arjun muttered. "Maybe a thermometer? Old-school."
Maya didn't smile. She rarely did. "This device reads your Shakti resonance. It's older than thermometers."
"Of course it is," he said. "Because when you have advanced spiritual tech, you design it to look like it belongs in an antique store."
"Arjun," Dharan said with that dry authority that could end wars or start them. "Less sarcasm. More breathing."
Arjun sighed and sat up straighter, trying to ignore the flutter in his chest. He wasn't afraid—not exactly. But there was a tightness, a weight, like something was coiled inside him waiting to be named.
Maya finished adjusting the device. A low hum filled the air, and Arjun felt the vibration in his teeth. She pressed a finger to a rune etched into the machine. "Beginning physical analysis."
A light passed over him—green, then gold, then an eerie shade of violet. It sank into his skin like mist, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
"Vitals stable," Maya said after a moment. "Heart rate… elevated, but not dangerous. Muscular tissue shows signs of rapid reinforcement. Bone density is increasing. Nervous system slightly overcharged but functional."
Arjun blinked. "Overcharged? Is that a medical term or a polite way to say I'm short-circuiting?"
"You're adapting. Fast," Maya replied. "Too fast."
Dharan stepped forward. "We expected as much. Your Shakti surge was unnatural. That kind of force comes with a cost."
Maya hesitated. "You've lost approximately fifty percent of your natural lifespan."
Silence.
Arjun stared at her. "I'm sorry. Did you just say… fifty percent? As in, half?"
"You would've lived to eighty," she said quietly. "Now… forty, maybe. If you're careful."
"Well, great," Arjun muttered. "So much for retirement. Guess I'll cancel my beach house plans and die dramatically instead."
Dharan's eyes softened. Just a little. "You forced your awakening. And you used that power to revive someone at the same moment. Most wouldn't have survived one of those."
"Yeah," Arjun said bitterly. "I'm a miracle wrapped in a tragedy."
Maya touched another rune. "Initiating mental assessment."
Another wave of light pulsed out. This one lingered longer, drifting around his head like a halo made of whispers.
"Cognitive function intact. Memory retention unaffected. Elevated stress markers… but no signs of permanent trauma."
"Well, that's comforting," Arjun muttered. "I'm dying early, but at least I'll remember why."
Maya ignored him this time. Dharan stepped forward again.
"You're mentally stable. That matters more than you think. Power like this unhinges most people. You're holding together."
"Barely," Arjun said. "I feel like a kicked beehive."
"Welcome to the club," Dharan said dryly.
Maya tapped the final rune. "Spiritual compatibility test. This will determine chakra alignment."
The lights shifted. A low note filled the room—deep, humming, ancient. Arjun felt it crawl into his bones.
Suddenly, the device lit up with a soft green radiance. The humming focused on his chest, and a faint pulse beat beneath his sternum—echoing something deep within.
"Anahata," Maya said. "The heart chakra."
Of course, Arjun thought. The irony was almost poetic.
"Isn't that the chakra for love, healing, and… emotional squishiness?" he said aloud. "Perfect. I'm a walking life-support machine."
Dharan gave him a look. "It's the rarest compatible awakening. Most who align with Anahata aren't warriors. They're healers. Guides. Or, sometimes… anchors."
"What does that mean?" Arjun asked.
"It means you're going to have to fight like hell to stay soft in a world that turns most of us to stone," Maya said, her voice quieter now.
The room was silent again, except for the fading hum of the machine. Arjun sat still, absorbing everything. His life was cut in half. His spirit pointed to healing, not battle. And yet, here he was—enlisted by a secret order, wielding a power that shouldn't even exist.
He let out a long breath, staring at his faintly glowing hand.
"I didn't ask for any of this," he muttered.
"No one ever does," Dharan replied. "But you're here. And now you decide what to do with it."
Maya stepped forward and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll train you. Guide you. But the choices will always be yours."
Arjun didn't answer. He just sat there, listening to the silence between heartbeats and wondering how much time he had left before it all slipped away.
And whether, despite everything, it could still be worth it.