Riya and I walked down the stairs together, our footsteps echoing against the wooden steps.
The living room had completely transformed. Vibrant blue and gold balloons bounced gently against the plaster ceiling while colorful crepe paper streamers lined the walls. A massive, hand-painted banner stretched right across the center of the main wall, boldly announcing: *Happy 18th Birthday, Rohan!*
Riya nudged my shoulder with her elbow, her eyes locking onto the sign with a playful gleam. "Seeing this, you should really start calling me big sister. I am a whole month older than you, after all."
I shot her a completely flat look, refusing to give her the satisfaction. "Dream on."
Aunt Anita stepped out of the kitchen right then, balancing a wide ceramic plate. She carried a mountain of freshly baked strawberry cream biscuits. The warm, buttery scent of baked dough and sweet fruit instantly drifted over, filling every corner of the room.
"Eat up, kids," Aunt Anita said, offering the plate with a warm, dimpled smile.
"Thank you, Auntie," I said, leaning over the tray.
I picked up four or five of the golden, cream-filled biscuits, stuffing two into my pockets. Spotting my father and Uncle Arjun deep in conversation across the room, I pointed a half-eaten biscuit toward them. "Riya, take a biscuit and follow me."
She grabbed one with a swift swipe, trailing closely behind my heels as I crossed the threshold. We slipped into the drawing room where Papa and Uncle Arjun sat on the leather sofa.
As we neared the heavy wooden doorway, the low, intense murmur of their voices became distinct.
"Arjun, are you absolutely sure you want to send Riya into the forest dimension for training so early?" my papa, Vikram, asked. His brow was furrowed into deep lines, his voice laced with heavy concern as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
I didn't wait to hear the rest and pushed my way directly into the room, letting the door click against the wall.
"Yes, Uncle Arjun," I said, barging into their conversation without hesitation. "I'm also confused. Why do you want to send Riya to a different dimension for training so early?"
Uncle Arjun let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples as his expression turned solemn. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't send her to a place as dangerous as the forest dimension before she even reaches rank 2. But I have to do it for her future."
He paused, stopping his hands to turn his sharp gaze directly onto me. "And actually, I am bringing this up now because you should go there too."
I blinked, my thumbs freezing against the biscuit crumb in my hand. Before I could speak, Uncle Arjun turned back toward Papa, his posture growing incredibly tense.
"Vikram, you know the current condition of our world," Uncle Arjun argued, his voice dropping an octave as his hand gripped the armrest. "It is better to let the kids train as early as possible. Besides, with Rohan's superpower, he can still defeat a rank 2 opponent if he catches them off guard."
He looked between the two of us, his gaze lingering on my wide eyes. "With both of them training together, the danger can be minimized."
Papa went entirely quiet. He crossed his arms tightly against his chest, his jaw clenching as he weighed the heavy words. "When is she going?"
"After today," Uncle Arjun replied bluntly, his voice leaving no room for negotiation. "I am taking her there immediately."
Papa shook his head firmly, slamming his hand lightly down on the side table. "Are you sure? Because I am going to train Rohan so we can awaken his prana first. Before that happens, I am not letting him go anywhere near a dimension gate."
He leaned forward, trying to force his brother to look at him. "It will take at most one day. Why not wait and let both the children go together after that?"
Uncle Arjun paused, a flash of genuine surprise cutting through his stubborn expression. The idea that Rohan could successfully awaken his prana in less than a single day clearly caught him off guard.
He shifted his gaze over to me, looking me up and down with a single raised eyebrow before turning back to my father.
"It would be a good idea if it were up to me," Uncle Arjun said, his shoulders dropping slightly as he let out a defeated breath. "But I have already spoken to the protector of that dimension. I cannot make them wait another day. It would be highly disrespectful."
Uncle Arjun let out a dry, short laugh that lacked any real humor. "To be honest, knowing how protective you are, I didn't imagine you'd even let Rohan go. Otherwise, I would have asked you first."
Papa sighed deeply, his expression hardening into a stubborn wall. "I already told you. Until Rohan becomes a full martial artist, I will not let him go anywhere without proper supervision."
"Though I’m surprised he reached this point so early," Papa admitted, his tone darkening slightly as he shook his head. He looked at Uncle Arjun, his voice dropping into a quiet, grim murmur. "It feels like luck just isn't on our side right now."
"The cake is ready!" Mom's voice drifted brightly from the dining room, instantly shattering the heavy tension hanging over us.
Mom and Aunt Anita walked into the drawing room together, their footsteps brisk. They immediately began clearing off the main glass table, shifting stacks of papers to rearrange the space for the cake.
"Rohan, come cut the cake," Mom said, handing me a small, white plastic knife while her eyes crinkled at the corners.
Everyone gathered tightly around the circular table, standing shoulder to shoulder. As I stepped up and pressed the serrated edge of the blade into the thick blue frosting, the entire room erupted into a steady rhythm. Everyone clapped in unison, their voices rising up to fill the house.
"Happy birthday to you, Rohan!" they sang out, grinning at me.
The exact millisecond the song ended, Riya’s hand shot forward like a whip. She swiped a massive finger full of thick, sugary icing and smeared it right across my left cheek. "Happy eighteenth, loser!"
Mom and Aunt Anita didn't waste a single second. Laughing out loud, they joined in the ambush, scooping up leftover dollops of cream and polishing the sticky cake all over my face until my vision was completely blocked by white frosting.
"Okay, okay!" I sputtered, waving my hands wildly to shield my eyes as the sweet stuff threatened to drip into my collar. "The cake is meant for eating, not for polishing my face!"
Wiping a gloved handful of icing from my chin, I darted out of the room toward the hallway bathroom to wash up.
By the time I scrubbed the last of the sticky residue from behind my ears and returned, Mom and Aunt Anita were already busy laying out the heavy platters. The large dining table was packed to the brim. Hot plates of savory Afghani chaap sizzled next to a large bowl of rich, creamy dal makhani and stacks of warm, pillowy rumali rotis. A large glass pitcher filled with ice-cold lemonade sat in the center, condensation slowly pooling around its base.
For dessert, wide silver plates of the birthday cake sat side by side with neat squares of sweet, milk-rich kalakand.
Riya tore a piece of the soft roti, wrapping it around a piece of the chaap and taking a massive bite. Her eyes widened instantly. "Auntie Anjali, did you make these subzis yourself?"
"I did," Mom said, leaning against the counter and smiling warmly at her reaction. "How do you like it?"
"It tastes exactly like the food in a seven-star hotel," Riya praised around a mouthful, reaching back out for another piece of roti.
Mom laughed, waving a hand dismissively as a faint blush colored her cheeks. "Oh, what a sweet talker you are."
Once everyone had eaten until they couldn't move, the adults sank back into the deep chairs to talk in low tones. Riya and I quietly excused ourselves, slipping out of the dining room and heading upstairs to crash into my bedroom. We grabbed the wireless controllers from the desk and booted up a fast-paced fighting game.
As our controllers clicked rhythmically, the plastic buttons clattering under our thumbs, I kept my eyes glued to the bright screen but lowered my voice to a whisper. "I honestly thought you were joking back then about going to the forest dimension for training."
Riya’s thumbs didn't skip a beat against her joystick. "Rohan, who would joke about matters like that?"
"All right, all right," I muttered, trying to placate her as I leaned back against the headboard. "But what's the urgency?"
"I don't know the full details," Riya said. Her brow furrowed into a tight knot as her thumbs flew across the D-pad, navigating a tricky combo on screen. "But it looks like I'm not the only one being sent for survival training this early."
She paused, her character pulling off a flawless evasion move. "A lot of kids from powerful magical families, martial artists, and those with strong superpowers are being sent out right now."
I turned my head slightly, catching her eye in the reflection of the glass. "Can't you find out something? With your father's job, it should be easy for you to learn the truth. After all, Uncle Arjun dotes on you completely."
Riya scoffed gently, her attention remaining locked on the pixelated battlefield. "Did Uncle Vikram tell *you* anything?"
"No," I replied helplessly, staring up at my ceiling. "You know very well they don't allow me to know about these things. They're way too protective."
Even though my tone was filled with frustration, a sudden wave of warmth settled in my chest. I knew their strict boundaries and tight supervision came from a place of deep, unyielding love.
"Well, according to what I've managed to overhear," Riya whispered, leaning in closer toward me as her voice dropped to a barely audible murmur, "it looks like another dimension gate is opening."
I froze completely. My fingers locked up entirely, stopping cold against the plastic triggers in absolute shock.
"Riya, are you serious?" I turned my whole body to face her, my heart hammering against my ribs. My voice cut through the quiet room with a sudden, sharp urgency. "Where is the dimension gate opening?"
Riya didn't miss a beat. Taking immediate advantage of my total distraction, her fingers danced across her controller, unleashing a brutal combo that swiftly wiped my health bar down to zero.
The screen flashed bright crimson, displaying the final scoreboard: *Riya: 1, Rohan: 0.* I didn't care about the digital loss at all. I kept my eyes locked onto her face, desperately waiting for an answer.
"How should I know exactly where?" Riya said, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling as she finally set her controller down on the carpet. "I'm just a student."
She leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "But from what I can deduct, this new dimension gate shouldn't be opening anywhere on our continent."
"Why do you think that?" I asked, my grip tightening on my unmoving controller.
"Think about it," she replied, tilting her head. "Uncle and Aunt are still pretty relaxed. If the dimension gate were opening on our continent, you wouldn't be sitting here so leisurely playing video games right now."
She gave me a sharp, knowing look that made my stomach drop. "Even with how much they completely dote on you, it wouldn't stop them from immediately throwing you into hellish training."
I let out a dry, hollow laugh and shook my head. "You're wrong about one thing."
Riya raised an eyebrow, curious. "Oh?"
"Because of their doting, the training won't just be hellish," I said, my voice heavy with absolute certainty. "It'll be way worse."
I stared at the blinking 'Play Again' menu on the screen, a sinking feeling settling deep into my gut. "I understand my parents very well. Now that I know you're already going, I can practically guarantee my leisure time is officially over."
Riya burst into a loud, bright laugh that echoed off the bedroom walls. "Haha! Serves you right!"
We kept up our playful banter for a while longer, the initial shock of her news slowly melting away into comfortable, familiar teasing as the afternoon slipped into twilight.
"Riya! Come down ! It's time to go!" Aunt Anita's voice suddenly rang up the stairwell, cutting our session short.
I blinked, checking the digital clock on my desk. "Why are you guys leaving so early?"
Riya pushed herself up from the floor, dustubg off her knees before smoothing down her rumpled jacket. "Unlike you, I actually have to go home and pack. I need to prepare for stepping into a completely different dimension tomorrow."
"Yeah, fair point," I muttered, setting my controller aside and standing up to follow her out.
We walked down to the ground floor together, the house feeling much quieter now. Uncle Arjun and Aunt Anita were already waiting by the front entrance, their heavy outdoor jackets zipped up to their chins.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, Uncle Arjun caught my eye and gestured for me to come over with a wave of his hand. "Rohan, come here for a moment."
I walked over to the entryway, and he reached deep into his heavy coat pocket. He pulled out a sleek, securely sealed glass vial and held it out to me. The dense, concentrated fluid inside shimmered with a strange inner light under the hallway bulb.
"This is your birthday gift," Uncle Arjun said, a tone of quiet pride settling into his deep voice.
I looked down at the glowing liquid resting in his palm.
"Your father told me you already reached the peak of Rank 1 with your superpower," Uncle Arjun continued, nodding encouragingly. "So, this potion is the absolute best thing for you right now. It's the latest energy potion created by the Forest Faction."
My fingers tightened around the cool, smooth glass as I took it from him, a wave of genuine gratitude washing over me. "Thank you, Uncle."
I turned the vial over in my hand, inspecting the intricate, tamper-proof seal on the silver cap. This was easily the most potent energy potion on the market right now, an invaluable asset for someone trying to push past their limits.
In fact, calling it a market item was an understatement. It was in incredibly high demand across the factions but completely unavailable for regular purchase. Only high-ranking, inner members of the Forest Faction could ever get their hands on a batch. Because the brewing process was so agonizingly difficult and the ingredients so rare, they typically only exchanged these vials within the faction for their own children or blood relatives.
We all walked out of the house together, the cool evening air instantly hitting our faces as we stepped onto the driveway. Uncle Arjun turned the key, and the car engine roared to life with a low hum. Riya slid into the front passenger seat and rolled down the window, leaning her elbow on the frame with a confident smirk.
"I'm going to completely surpass you, Rohan," she called out over the engine noise.
I flashed her a wide grin from the pavement, crossing my arms. "Keep dreaming."
We stood side by side, watching as the car pulled out of the driveway, its red tail lights slowly disappearing down the dark street. Once they vanished around the corner and the heavy quiet of the night settled around us, Papa turned to face me.
"Go on inside and get some sleep," Papa said. His voice dropped into a serious, heavy tone that instantly made my posture straighten. "Tomorrow, I will help you awaken your prana."