The battlefield was a storm of chaos.
**To the left—Dain and Kiran clashed, fists breaking the earth beneath them.**
**To the right—Ryan Jim and Idris tore through the air, their battle shaking the sky.**
But in the center of it all—**two men stood still.**
**Manav and Vinay.**
They did not move.
They did not speak.
The world burned around them, but they remained untouched. **Watching.**
Behind Vinay, Rudra, Elyas, Thane, and Karael stood like silent titans. They, too, did not fight. They only observed.
But there was something different about Rudra.
His presence felt **heavy. Unnatural.**
Even though he was standing still, **the air around him warped like reality itself was bending to his will.**
And yet, Vinay did not focus on Rudra.
His eyes were locked onto one man.
**Manav.**
For the first time in this entire war, **Vinay felt something unfamiliar.**
A creeping, unnatural sensation.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
**But the realization that he had never once controlled this battle.**
Manav had.
From the very beginning.
_"You're predictable, Vinay."_
Manav's voice echoed in his mind. **Flat. Cold. Emotionless.**
Even back then, Vinay had hated that voice. That tone. That **unshakable calm.**
_"Strategy is your weakness."_
_"You rely on power. On dominance. But real wars are not won with strength alone."_
Vinay gritted his teeth.
They had fought before. Not in war, but in **ideology.**
Vinay had always led with **brutality.**
Manav had always led with **calculation.**
And every time, no matter what Vinay did—**Manav was ahead.**
Vinay thought he had learned. Thought he had grown.
But as he stood here now, staring at Manav's lifeless gaze, **he knew.**
**Nothing had changed.**
He was still a piece in Manav's game.
And Manav had already **checkmated him.**
_"How did you do it?"_
Vinay finally spoke.
Manav didn't react.
He didn't move.
He didn't blink.
_"Every step I took, every decision I made—you were waiting for it."_
_"Every time I thought I had the upper hand, it was exactly what you wanted."_
_"How?"_
For a moment, **silence.**
Then—
Manav's lips moved.
**Not a smirk. Not a frown. Just words.**
**"Because I know you better than you know yourself."**
Vinay's fists clenched.
Manav's voice remained eerily empty. **"You always thought this was your war. That you were in control. That your commanders followed you because they believed in you."**
**"They didn't."**
Vinay's heart pounded.
**"They followed you because I let them."**
Something cold crawled down Vinay's spine.
Manav continued. **"Every defection. Every betrayal. Every so-called 'victory' you thought you had over me… was placed there by my design."**
_"Liar."_
But even Vinay knew it wasn't a lie.
His best warriors, his closest allies—**they had all fallen one by one.**
And now—
Only he remained.
**"Look around you, Vinay."**
Vinay hesitated.
Then—he turned his head.
And his heart stopped.
**The battlefield was empty.**
Dain and Kiran still fought. Ryan Jim and Idris still clashed.
Vinay's breathing grew heavy.
**"I wanted you to see it,"** Manav said.
**"I wanted you to understand what it feels like to be powerless."**
**"To know that no matter how strong you are… in the end, strategy wins."**
Vinay's vision blurred with rage. **"Then why am I still alive?"**
Manav blinked.
**"Because you're not ready to die yet."**
And for the first time—Vinay saw something in Manav's eyes.
Not emotion.
Not cruelty.
**Indifference.**
To Manav—**Vinay wasn't an enemy.**
He wasn't even an obstacle.
**He was a tool.**
And tools were only discarded when they had served their purpose.
**Vinay had not yet served his.**
A deep, slow chuckle filled the air.
Vinay turned.
**Rudra was smiling.**
Not a normal smile.
Not a human one.
A grin that felt **wrong. Alien.**
As if he knew something that no one else did.
**"It's amusing, watching this play out,"** Rudra muttered.
Elyas, Thane, and Karael stiffened.
There was something **off** about Rudra.
Something that made even warriors hesitate.
Vinay stepped forward.
_"What's so funny?"_
Rudra's golden eyes gleamed.
**"The fact that you still think this is your story."**
The words hit harder than any punch.
But before Vinay could react—
**A loud explosion tore through the battlefield.**
Dain and Kiran had **both activated their auras.**
Ryan Jim and Idris were **both at full power.**
The true battle was about to begin.
But Vinay barely noticed.
His gaze was locked onto **Manav and Rudra.**
One men. One monster
**He who had outplayed him.**
Manav turned away.
**"Now the real war begins."**