The Academy's main gate stood tall before Shiv. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. The entire campus was buzzing with life—here, a boy was lost in conversation with a girl; there, old rivalries were being reignited; and elsewhere, the faint glow of blue chakra flickered from someone's palm.
Suddenly, Vikram approached from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You could have at least waited for me, Shiv."
Shiv spotted Veer walking ahead. "Veer! Hey, Veer!" he shouted.
Veer stopped and turned around, looking slightly annoyed. "Why are you yelling? Now everyone knows you're back."
"You made it too?" Shiv asked with a grin,awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "By the way... do you know what the exam format is this time?"
Veer lowered his gaze slightly. "Yeah, it'll be the same old combat fight format, just like the last tournament."
As Veer started walking again, Shiv asked, "Where are you going now?"
"The announcement hall," Veer replied without looking back.
On the way, they ran into Kavya. A wide smile spread across Shiv's face the moment he saw her. Kavya greeted him with a soft "Hey," But before they could speak..., Ritika, the class monitor, jumped in to tease them. "Ho ho! Look at the lovers having a moment, are we?"
Both Shiv and Kavya's cheeks flushed a light crimson. "I-It's... it's not like that!" they blurted out in unison.
Suddenly, Viru Varma arrived and pulled Shiv into a tight hug. "It's been ages, brother!" Shiv smiled, welcoming everyone. But then, a cold voice drifted from behind him. "How are things, my friend?"
Shiv turned around—it was Arav.
"Arav? You're here? I thought you went back," Shiv said, clearly surprised.
Arav let out a soft sigh and thought to himself, (Maybe I made a mistake by telling him everything...).
[Inside the Hall]
The hall was packed to the brim with students. The Principal stood on the stage; to his right were Sir Dixit and Miss Naina, and to his left, next to Vikram, stood a new figure dressed entirely in black.
The Principal cleared his throat. "Thank you, students. To advance to the next year, you must pass a final test. Everyone assumes it will be combat fights again... but that is not the case.
The room erupted into whispers. Ritika asked, "Then what will it be, Sir?"
The Principal smiled. "This year, you are all going to 'Kibo International Academy' in Japan."
A dead silence fell over the room, followed by a sudden explosion of shouts and excitement. "Kibo Academy? That's the rank 2 academy in Japan!" "That's where Coach Yuto Nobi is—the head coach of the academy's fight team!"
As the hall erupted in cheers, the world around Shiv went silent. He thought to himself, 'I can still hear Piya's laughter from that day we spent wandering the city... and now, Yuto Nobi.' That 'Contract Card' wasn't just a thank-you note anymore; it was a map to a destiny he never asked for.
Shiv listened intently. Yuto Nobi? That was the man he had met with Piya at the metro station.
When he told his friends, they were stunned.
"You're lying! Why would someone like him meet you?"
"His daughter was lost, and I helped reunite them," Shiv said simply.
The Principal shouted to silence the crowd. Everyone was shocked—was this the same soft-spoken Principal? He continued, "What you must do there will only be revealed once you arrive. Now, return to your dorms."
[Dormitory - The Reveal]
Leaving the crowd and the excitement of the hall behind, Shiv walked quietly toward his dorm, his mind still racing with thoughts of Japan.
Inside his small dorm room, Shiv was frantically tossing clothes around. His bed was a mess. Suddenly, he stopped, reached under the white bed, and felt around.
He pulled out an old, Matte Black Box. As he pried the lid open, a cloud of dust billowed out.
"A-achoo!" Shiv coughed through the dust. "Finally... found it."
Inside the box, nestled in black cotton, lay a shimmering Semi-Bracelet. Shiv picked it up and slid it onto his left wrist. Immediately, the metallic grip tightened around his skin.
A faint blue light filled the dark room as his status screen appeared:
Chakra Status: Chakra Second (Advanced)
Health Status: Medium
"Health has levels too? And why am I at Medium?" Shiv muttered, confused.
Just then, Viru walked in. "Shiv! You're—wait, what's that?" Viru's eyes locked onto the bracelet. "Is that a Semi-Bracelet? Only those in the 'Martial Master War League' get those! How do you have it?"
"I told you, Yuto Nobi gave it to me," Shiv replied.
Viru was shocked at first and started to joke around, but as soon as he glanced at Shiv's health status, his face went pale. "Shiv... your health status is 'Medium'? And you're acting this relaxed?"
"What does that mean?" Shiv asked.
"It means your health is in terrible shape! Come with me, now!"
[Medical Room]
Viru dragged Shiv out, where they ran into Vikram. After hearing the situation, Vikram immediately sent Shiv to the medical room to see Dr. Diya.
The medical room was unlike the rest of the Academy. It was filled with advanced machines that scanned chakra right out of the air. On the front wall hung a large map of the human body.
Seven primary chakras pulsed in vivid colors—from grounding crimson to royal violet—interlaced by a glowing web of hair-thin lines: the Pathways.
But in Shiv's scan, those once-perfect lines were jagged, flickering, and spider-webbed with dark cracks
The room fell silent as Dr. Diya handed the tablet to Vikram. After reviewing the report together, both Vikram and Diya fell into a grim silence. Vikram's fingers tightened around the edge of the screen until his knuckles turned white. He exchanged a look with the doctor—a silent, heavy conversation that Shiv couldn't quite grasp. Finally, Vikram turned to Shiv, his voice soft and pained. 'Shiv... it's worse than we thought. Your Pathways are severely frayed and fractured. They've been pushed to the breaking point because you used power far beyond your limits.'"
"Pathways? What are those?" Shiv asked.
Vikram explained, "Think of it like a wire connecting a TV to a switch. Pathways connect and balance your seven chakras. Your balance is shattered. Using chakra now could be dangerous for you."
Shiv panicked. "Does this mean I can never use chakra again?"
"No, you survived... but your chakra is completely out of control," Vikram said.
To test it, Shiv tried to flow chakra into his hand. At first, nothing happened. Then, a sudden surge slammed through his entire body. Shiv let out a scream of agony. Vikram instantly struck his chest with a 'Chakra Punch' to force the flow to stop.
Shiv collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. "You... you were right. I can't control it."
Vikram helped him up. "You'll have to start over, Shiv. You need to learn a new way to control this broken chakra."
Exhausted, Shiv bowed his head, but the old fire was still burning in his eyes. "Fine... then I'll just have to start over."