Morning — Where Hunger Hides
Woke before the alarm again. Not because of sound — because the body decided it was done resting. Muscles moved easily, too easily, like the joints had already warmed themselves sometime before I woke. The ceiling looked the same as always, cracked faintly near the corner, but something underneath me felt different. Lighter. Calibrated.
Coffee came first. It always did. Bitter, hot, grounding. The first swallow settled something unnamed inside my chest, like a weight clicking back into place. I didn't notice the absence of breakfast until much later. Hunger didn't announce itself anymore. It waited, patient, almost respectful.
Kaali watched from the counter, tail flicking once.
"Eat?" she asked.
"Later," I said. Automatically.
She didn't argue. Just stared. She always knew before I did.
The triangle scar stayed quiet. Warm, but not glowing. Like an eye closed but awake.
First Period — Breath Isn't Where You Think
The classroom smelled of chalk and morning sweat. Windows open, city noise drifting in — chants, engines, prāṇa humming through infrastructure. Everyone slouched into their seats like gravity had opinions today.
The teacher didn't raise his voice. Didn't need to.
"Breath," he said, tapping his chest once. "Doesn't start here."
Finger moved to his throat.
"And it doesn't start here either."
A pause. Silence stretched until the room leaned forward.
"It begins where weight rests. Where the body remembers itself."
Something clicked. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just… fit.
I followed along as he demonstrated. Slow inhale. No lift in the shoulders. No tension in the neck. Air sinking instead of climbing.
The triangle scar warmed.
Not heat. Recognition.
I exhaled carefully. The room felt… closer. Sharper. Like someone had cleaned a foggy lens.
Breath from inside. Not from the throat.
I wrote it down. Twice.
Lunch — Friday Kindness
The bell rang. Bodies moved. Noise returned.
I reached into my bag out of habit.
Nothing.
A blank second passed. Then another.
It was a Friday I'd always forget to cook.
I hadn't eaten since yesterday.
Before the thought could finish forming, a box slid onto my desk.
Lucky. Grinning. Casual like it wasn't a miracle.
"Friday," he said. "Mom made extra."
I stared at the box. Then at him.
"Ain't no way…"
He laughed. "Language!"
Something tight behind my eyes loosened without permission.
The lid opened. Tofu sandwiches. Still warm. Familiar smell. Safe.
Kaali who was hiding in the bag earlier, was already halfway inside before I noticed her.
We didn't talk while eating. Didn't need to. Crumbs everywhere. Kaali shameless. Me barely holding it together.
Eyes burned. Not sad. Just… full.
I forgot how loud kindness feels.
Music Club — Resonance
The room was smaller than I expected. Instruments lining the walls. Old posters. Dust that smelled like effort.
Someone handed me sheet music.
No ceremony.
I lifted the flute.
Breath settled naturally. Fingers found places they shouldn't have known.
The first note came out clean.
Then the second.
By the third line, the room had gone quiet.
Not stunned. Listening.
When it ended, there was a beat of silence before the clapping started. Real clapping. Not polite.
Heat crawled up my neck. I nodded once. Stepped back.
I was always good at everything I did.
Just never the best.
Behind the Building — Fire Listens
The alley behind the school smelled like concrete and leaves. No people. No cameras.
I took out the flute.
Carvings along the steel caught the light. Notes. Instructions.
One sequence felt… heavier. Warmer.
I played it.
The world folded.
Not violently. Precisely.
The ground vanished. Color drained. An orange gate stood before me in nothingness, humming like a held breath.
Then I was back.
Knees weak. Chest tight.
Something pressed outward from beneath the scar.
"Huh…?"
Light projected from my chest. Clean. Sharp.
"What? Where'd this—"
The screen hovered, anchored to me.
[ Melody Played: Song of Fire ]
[ Authority Granted: Agni ]
[ Duration: Unstable ]
[ Mastery: Level 0 ]
[ Note: Authority duration depends on Breath of the Divine ]
Fire didn't answer. It waited.
I lowered the flute.
Breath of the Divine…?
Not today.