Kairav stood among the group assigned to Guru Sariputta.
The hall had quietened, but not completely.
Small pockets of whispers still lingered—names being exchanged, assumptions forming, and alliances beginning even before the journey had truly started.
Kairav did not engage in any of it.
He stood still, observing.
Two familiar faces crossed his line of sight.
He didn’t turn to confirm.
There would be time for that later.
So, this is it…
Life has finally decided to move.
Kairav said to himself, accepting the new reality before him.
Sendrav stepped onto the podium.
The room settled without instruction.
“Congratulations,” he said, his voice steady and measured.
“But understand this—what begins today is not a test of strength.”
A pause.
“It is endurance.”
A few students shifted their weight.
Some straightened unconsciously.
“From tomorrow, you will begin your journey. What you gain here… will shape your future…”
His gaze moved across them.
“…and the kind of enemies you attract.”
The words did not rise.
They simply lingered in the air.
“From this point onward… your lives will not remain the same.”
Sendrav concluded, looking at the young crowd with a sense of nostalgia.
His words echoed in the young hearts, and yet, something about them lingered.
The rest of the day passed in formalities.
Documents were signed.
Names were recorded.
Instructions were repeated.
Uniforms were issued—two sets each—along with badges marking their year.
Some held them with pride.
Others examined them with curiosity.
Kairav collected everything quietly, without indulging in any conversation.
By the time he stepped out, evening had begun to settle.
He walked toward the main gate.
“Urvasa.”
The voice came.
Kairav slowed, then looked towards his right.
Arka Surya, the Surya noble prince, stood with a few others around him.
Turang Ashwa leaned slightly to one side, watching with interest rather than intent.
A faint smile rested on Arka’s face.
“So, it’s true,” he said.
“The Urvasa still walks.”
Kairav didn’t respond.
He continued forward.
A hand lifted.
The path closed.
“I didn’t ask you to leave.”
Kairav stopped.
A brief silence settled between them—not heavy, not hostile… just present.
“What do you want?” Kairav asked.
Arka studied him, not with anger, but with curiosity.
“You know what you are?” he asked, almost casually.
Kairav said nothing.
Arka’s tone remained light, but his words now carried intent.
“My family once worked closely with yours. That connection didn’t disappear… it just faded.”
He gave a faint shrug.
“We can bring it back.”
Turang glanced at Kairav, as if measuring his reaction.
“You’ll do well under me,” Arka added.
“Better than wandering around, pretending you don’t need direction.”
Kairav looked at him for a moment.
Then he stepped forward.
“Not interested.”
He tried to pass.
Turang Ashwa blocked him.
Kairav pushed past him—calm and controlled.
Turang Ashwa pushed back,
A shift.
Kairav felt annoyance creep in, but remained controlled.
“Your ancestors served us,” Arka said, his tone tightening slightly.
“Don’t you think you should carry on that legacy?”
Kairav turned his head slightly.
It wasn’t loud.
But it left no room for anything else.
Something flickered in Arka’s eyes—not rage… irritation.
Turang moved.
The punch came fast.
Kairav shifted before it reached him.
Clean.
Minimal.
Not trained.
Lived.
He stepped back, neither raising his guard nor advancing.
Turang paused—just for a breath—then attacked again.
Kairav blocked his attempt with ease.
A faint warmth gathered in the air.
Arka’s hand rose.
The beginnings of a flame curved into form.
“Enough.”
The word cut through everything.
The heat disappeared.
The instructor stood between them, his presence quiet but absolute.
“Have you forgotten where you are?”
No one answered.
“Nobles will not use their clan abilities against those who have not yet awakened theirs.”
The silence deepened.
“Disperse.”
There was no raised voice.
No second warning.
That was enough.
Kairav picked up his bag and walked past them.
Arka watched him go.
Not anger.
Something else.
As the evening fell further,
Kairav walked towards his room, unlocking he stepped inside
The room was dim when Kairav entered.
He lit the lamp.
Its soft glow settled across the space.
He turned.
“You handled that well.”
The voice came from the shadows.
Kairav’s posture shifted instantly.
“Master.”
The figure sat just beyond the reach of the light, his presence calm and unmoving.
“Most would have reacted,” the Master said.
“You didn’t.”
Kairav lowered his gaze slightly.
“They weren’t worth it.”
A faint pause.
A small sound—almost like a quiet breath of approval.
“Good.”
The Master leaned forward slightly, resting his hand on his knee.
“Did you know the girl you saved… was a noble?”
Kairav looked up.
Genuine surprise crossed his face.
“No.”
The Master observed his reaction for a moment—carefully.
Then a small pouch slid across the table.
“Here is your reward.”
Kairav looked at him again.
The question wasn’t about the money.
The Master seemed to understand.
“You acted without calculation,” he said.
“That has value.”
A brief pause.
“But don’t make a habit of it.”
Kairav gave a faint nod.
The Master rose slowly.
“You will need allies,” he said, walking toward the door.
“Strength alone won’t carry you here on this royal plateau.”
He paused, one hand resting lightly on the doorframe.
“The girl you helped… her friends are in your class.”
Kairav absorbed that.
“Observe first,” the Master added.
“Then decide.”
A moment passed.
“You’re doing well.”
The door opened.
He stopped.
“Don’t let anyone decide your place for you.”
The door closed behind him.
For a moment, the room felt quieter than before.
Kairav looked at the pouch again.
Twenty Sona coins!!!.
He stood there, shocked, as he counted.
Until now, he had counted Kaudis and Sikkas to survive.
This—
This was time.
Security.
Possibility.
He exhaled slowly, then gathered the coins back into the pouch and locked them away.
A knock broke the stillness.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
It was the landlord’s wife.
Kairav opened the door.
“If you’re done, come down for dinner,” she said gently.
“I’ll be there.”
Movements later,
Kairav walked down stairs to the first floor
The kitchen below was warm, filled with the quiet rhythm of evening.
Kairav took a seat, folding his legs beside two men from upstairs.
“You’re a quiet one,” the man to his right said, glancing at him.
“Reminds me of my younger brother.”
Kairav looked at him.
The man smiled faintly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“He worked with me in the Royal Navy. Pirates took him… a few years back.”
“I’m sorry.”
The man nodded, as if that was enough.
“What about you?”
“I was a shepherd.”
“And now?” the man asked
Kairav glanced at the food placed before him.
“Now… I’m here.” he replied
The second man, who had been listening quietly, leaned forward slightly.
“You’re aiming to become a Mayaveer?”
Kairav nodded.
“When are the selections?”
“They’re done. Classes will start tomorrow.”
The reaction was immediate.
A few heads turned.
A brief silence followed.
The landlady watched from a distance, a small, knowing smile on her face.
Kairav continued eating.
Later, they asked him to join them for drinks.
He declined.
The Next Morning,
Kairav stood at the local treasury counter.
“Amount?”
“Ten Sona.”
The clerk looked up, surprised, but said nothing as he began writing.
Forms were signed.
Seals were pressed.
Amount deposited.
From there,
Kairav made his way to the post office.
The letter was short.
I’m well.
Don’t worry.
Collect the amount from the village treasury.
He rolled it carefully, then wrapped a dark brown paper around the rolled letter, bearing the house number, block, and location in white ink, and tied it with a red postal thread
Then stood in line until his turn came.
The clerk pasted the royal stamp and seal of approval onto the letter.
In the University,
Kairav entered the classroom and took a seat in the corner.
A few moments later, someone sat beside him.
Kairav’s gaze drifted briefly.
Bronze skin.
Ash-stained hands.
He noticed.
Then he looked away.
The first lecture began as Guru Sariputta walked in.