The entire stadium suddenly felt louder.
The cheers. The drums. The announcers. Everything crashed into my ears at once.
This was the clash between two elemental power users.
My heartbeat was worse.
Purv stood up from the opposite side of the preparation hall.
Calm. Confident. Like he had already won.
Students moved out of his way as he walked toward the arena gate. Some whispered his name. Some looked at me.
"That's the Jala leader's son..."
I clenched my fists.
My palms were sweating.
Then—I heard a notification on my phone.
I grabbed it. It almost fell from my hand.
"Nervous?" Trayaksh bhaiya typed.
"Remember the training from last night. Don't worry, I'm watching you from the medical room."
"All the best."
I stayed silent for a second.
It gave me a little relief.
I walked toward the arena. Purv was already in position. Waiting.
Kiara ma'am lifted her arms.
"Ready?"
We didn't say anything.
I took my stance.
Purv was chill. Looking at me with overconfidence.
"Begin."
I charged at him with more agility than before.
He started forming his bubble—
I interrupted him.
Punch to his side. He stumbled. His concentration broke.
He tried again. Another bubble. I closed the distance. A Hook to his jaw. He barely dodged.
He wanted to maintain distance. He needed space to form his bubble. But I kept getting close. Interrupting him every time he tried.
His eyes widened.
"You—"
I hit him again.
Flashback. Last night. The park.
"What do you know about mastery?" Trayaksh bhaiya had asked.
I thought for a moment. "Uh... Mukund and I were listening to Ruchi when she was reading her mastery book."
"Oh, so you know about the two famous masteries?"
"Yup." I nodded.
"Well." He paused. "Have you observed Purv's technique? The one he used against you?"
"Yup—" I said. And then it hit me.
"Yes. That's right." Trayaksh nodded. "He's on his path to mastery."
"We can't call his bubble a mastery yet. But he's on his path."
"So what do I have to do to defeat a mastery user?" I asked.
"When he started using his technique, did you notice anything?"
"What?"
"He took a decent amount of time to activate it. If you were fast enough and interrupted him, he wouldn't be able to use it."
He paused.
"But now you're faster than before. You can interrupt him. He'll try to use his technique as soon as the match begins to finish it quickly. Don't let him finish it."
"So the first thing I have to do is maintain a close distance."
Just like Trayaksh bhaiya said, Purv tried to use his technique at the start.
I gave him an uppercut.
He stumbled back a few steps. I rushed toward him.
"And secondly," Trayaksh had said, "I want to tell you something else."
"What is it?"
"Don't use the fire punch I taught you. Not in the first round."
"But why?"
"You should always have a secret technique saved for later rounds. To surprise your enemies."
That's why I wasn't using that ability. Only fighting with Musti Yudh.
Purv was getting frustrated.
He tried to create space. I followed.
He tried to raise his hands. I knocked them down.
He tried to breathe. I didn't let him.
This is what Trayaksh bhaiya meant, I thought.
Don't let him play his game.
Make him play yours.
Judges looking confused
Is it a fight or a boxing match
I reached closer to him, about to hit the final blow.
Then he started smiling.
"You fool, I understand it now."
I was mid-air. Below me, from a small water puddle, a tentacle emerged. It grabbed my ankle. Swing me. Hard.
I flew across the arena, hit the ground, rolled—once, twice—and pushed myself up just before the boundary line.
I looked up.
Purv had enough time now. He had activated his technique.
He floated in the air, surrounded by swirling water. The giant bubble formed in the center of the arena, growing larger, more solid. He stood inside it, controlling everything.
A tentacle shot toward me. I dodged.
"Shit," I mumbled.
Purv's father leaned back in his chair. Smiled.
Flashback. Last night. The park.
"What if he succeeds in using his technique?" I asked Trayaksh bhaiya.
"That's why I called you here."
He paused.
"You see, the two masteries. Akshaya Varman and Bhurikaya Roop. Each has its own weakness."
I listened carefully.
"In Bhurikaya Roop, the user is generally located in the center of their construct. If you can get inside and disrupt their control, you can defeat them."
"But that's hard," he said. "If you're fighting a water user with that mastery and you get inside, you'll be crushed by the water pressure."
"Instead, you have to use the other mastery—cover your whole body with armor to enter."
"And Akshaya Varman?"
"The armor has weak spots. Areas where your Prana control isn't strong enough. But if you cover your entire body evenly..."
"So to defeat him, I have to cover my entire body with fire and enter his bubble?"
"Exactly. But not just fire. You have to focus on it. Concentrate it above your skin to protect you."
"But I've never practiced that. And now it's too late."
"No, Rag. You have."
I stared at him.
"You walked on water. You learned to use it on your legs and arms. Now you just have to do it on your whole body."
I looked down at my hands.
Could I even do that?
"Don't overthink it," Trayaksh said. "And don't practice it. You've practiced enough. Now get some rest. That's important."
I have to do it, I told myself.
I dodged another tentacle. Then another.
I concentrated my Prana. Distributed it evenly across my whole body. Arms. Chest. Legs. Back. Head. Everywhere.
A tentacle swung toward me.
I didn't move.
It hit me.
The crowd went silent.
"Now it's over," Purv said.
But—
The tentacle was cut in half.
I stood there. Unmoving. Unharmed. Flames hovered above my skin—not wild, not roaring. Controlled. Quiet. Perfect.
The crowd erupted.
Purv's eyes widened. He threw another tentacle. Then another.
No effect.
I didn't even flinch. The tentacles evaporated as soon as they touched me—turned to steam before they could reach my skin.
I took my stance.
And jumped.
I shot toward the bubble. Purv blocked with tentacles—thick, solid walls of water. They didn't stop me. I passed through them like they were smoke.
I entered the bubble.
Water pressed against me from all sides. But it didn't touch me. The fire around my body vaporized everything that came close. Steam billowed around me, blinding, hissing.
I saw Purv in the center. His eyes were wide. Scared.
I kicked.
My foot connected with his chest. He flew backward—out of the bubble, out of the arena, across the boundary line.
I fell.
The bubble burst. Water crashed down around me, soaking the arena floor.
I landed on my knees. Gasping. The fire around my body flickered.
The entire arena froze.
For one second—
Nobody spoke.
Steam rose across the battlefield.
Water dripped from the broken arena floor.
Purv lay outside the boundary line, coughing violently, staring at me like he couldn't understand what had just happened.
Inside the arena, I was still on one knee. Breathing hard. My entire body burned. Not from pain. From exhaustion.
The fire armor around my skin flickered again— Then disappeared completely.
Kiara ma'am looked down at the arena with wide eyes.
Even the judges were silent. Then— "Purv is out of bounds!" Her voice echoed through the stadium.
"The winner of the third match is—Rag!" The stadium exploded.
People stood up from their seats.
Some were screaming.
Some looked shocked.
Others were arguing loudly with each other. "A first-year broke through a pseudo-mastery?!"
"Who was that kid?!"
"Did you see that fire control?!"
I looked toward the Judges.
Purv's father had half-risen from his chair before forcing himself to sit back down.
His expression wasn't angry. It was disbelief.
Beside him, my brother had stood up too.
For a moment, pride flashed across his face.
Then he noticed the other leaders watching him.
His expression immediately returned to normal.
But I had already seen it.
Trayaksh bhaiya, watching from the medical room screen, slowly smiled.
And in the VIP section—
Advait stopped selling namkeen.
For the first time since morning, his eyes weren't on money.
They were in the arena.
On me.
"Damn it!"
A rich kid slammed his fist against the railing.
"I bet on Purv!"
The namkeen packet in his hand crumpled instantly.
Advait smirked.
The rich kid noticed.
"You piece of—"
Before he could finish, another boy beside him grabbed his shoulder.
"Calm down," he muttered. "You're in the VIP section."
As I walked toward the participants' area, I could barely hear the cheers anymore.
My ears were ringing.
Every breath felt hot.
The medics were already rushing toward Purv, but my eyes stayed fixed on the crowd. People were talking. Pointing. Looking at me. Not through me. At me.
It felt... strange.
Kiara ma'am was still announcing something through the speakers, but the crowd had become too loud to understand properly.
Then I heard footsteps approaching.
Ruchi. Mukund.
Both of them had somehow reached the arena entrance already.
They hugged me.
Mukund awkwardly coughed a little.
"...You actually won."
Ruchi said with joy in her face.
I laughed weakly. "I think so."
Ruchi stared at me for a few seconds before speaking.
"That armor technique..." she said quietly. "You learned that overnight?"
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Uh... kinda?"
"Kinda?" Mukund repeated. "You broke through a pseudo-mastery with a 'kinda'?!"
For the first time since entering the arena—
I smiled properly.
Then suddenly—
My knees gave out.
The exhaustion hit all at once.
"Rag!" Mukund caught my shoulder before I could fall completely.
My vision blurred. And through the noise of the stadium—
I noticed something strange.
That hooded student from earlier... was staring directly at me.
Then I fainted.
Mukund and Ruchi carried me to the medical room.
The room was bright. Sterile. Machines beeped softly. Rows of beds lined the walls. In one of them, Prabhave lay still, unconscious. Prayan sat beside him, silent as always.
Trayaksh stood in front of a monitor, watching the replay of my match. He was smiling.
Behind him, a doctor was reviewing Prabhave's charts.
"What's the matter, doc?" Prayan asked with a deep voice.
The doctor pulled his mask down. "Most of his Prana is drained. Don't worry—the healers have already put him in a safe zone."
He paused.
"But we can't guarantee he'll wake up before the rematch."
Then he left to check on other patients.
Prayan looked at his brother. Then at Trayaksh.
Deep in thought.
What could his powers be?
The medical hall gate burst open.
"DOCTOR!" Ruchi screamed.
Mukund and Ruchi carried me in on their shoulders. Nurses rushed toward us, grabbing me, checking my pulse, my eyes, my breathing.
Trayaksh watched all of this.
He rubbed his forehead. Sat down on a stool.
On the stadium screen, Kiara ma'am's voice rang out.
"Wow... matches are getting interesting."
The school principal chuckled—a dry, crackling sound. "Hoho... finally, after the fourth-year, The first-year has entertained me the most. Cough cough."
Guru Dhyan nodded silently.
Kiara smiled. "Let's bring our next participants."
The bracket on the giant screen shifted.
"Mukund versus Kshitij. "
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
Inside the medical room, Mukund looked at the screen. Silent.
The replay of my match was still being shown.
Again.
And again.
The moment the fire armor appeared played across the screen for the entire stadium to see.
Some students inside the medical room were still talking about it.
"That first-year really broke through it..."
"Wasn't Purv supposed to win easily?"
"I heard he learned that technique overnight."
Mukund adjusted his glasses.
But this time—
His hands were shaking slightly.
Kiara ma'am's voice echoed again through the stadium.
"Participants for the next match, please enter the arena."
Kshitij was already walking toward the gate.
Calm. Confident.
His lightning cables crackled behind him.
Mukund took a deep breath.
Then he looked toward me—unconscious on the medical bed.
"...Guess I can't embarrass myself now," he muttered.
Ruchi heard him.
She smiled softly.
"You'll do fine."
Mukund stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then he pushed his glasses up.
And smiled.
A real one this time.
"Yeah," he said.
Then he turned—
And walked toward the arena.
Too be continued.