Veilguard Facility – Early Morning
The room was quiet except for the steady tick of a wall clock. Arjun sat across from Dharan at a cold metal table. A cup of tea steamed beside him, untouched.
Dharan leaned forward, hands clasped. His face was calm, but his eyes were focused, watching Arjun like a puzzle that shouldn't exist.
"You're not here by accident," he said. "And this—" he tapped his chest, just above his heart, "—this force inside you. It's not magic. It's not a blessing. It's Shakti."
Arjun frowned. "I've heard that word in prayers. Temples. But… what is it really?"
Dharan's gaze sharpened. "It's the first fire. The raw energy that existed before the world had shape. A living current. Most people never touch it. But you? You pulled it out of thin air. Like ripping lightning out of the sky with bare hands."
Arjun was silent. The image was terrifying—but it felt true.
"There are three ways to awaken Shakti," Dharan continued. He held up one finger. "Tapasya—brutal discipline. Years of training, pain, isolation. Some monks, warriors, ascetics—they break their bodies to awaken something deeper."
A second finger. "Trauma. Near-death. Something shatters, and the spirit survives. Rare, but it happens."
A third finger. "Diksha. A master gives it to a student—passing their own Shakti through an ancient ritual. Costly. Risky. Sacred."
He lowered his hand. "But you… did none of that. You awakened in a hospital room, no guru, no ritual, no training. That's not supposed to be possible."
Arjun stared at the table. "So what does it mean? What happens now?"
Dharan stood slowly, pacing. "Now, we find out what you've actually awakened. And how dangerous it is."
He paused by the windowless wall. "Shakti strengthens the body—speed, endurance, toughness. That's the first layer. But deeper than that? It can shape weapons, turn instincts into power, and—sometimes—awaken a chakra."
Arjun's eyes lifted. "Chakra? Like in yoga books?"
Dharan smirked. "Those books turn fire into bedtime stories. In truth, there are seven main chakras. Each one is a gate. If awakened, it grants one unique power. Only one per chakra. And no repeats. Most people—if they're lucky—unlock none. Fewer unlock one. Two is nearly impossible."
"And me?" Arjun asked quietly.
"We don't know," Dharan admitted. "But that's the problem."
He stepped closer. "Chakra users aren't just stronger. They're feared. Revered. Controlled. Some are worshipped. Others are killed before they become a threat."
Silence settled between them. The clock ticked on.
Arjun's voice was almost a whisper. "I didn't ask for this."
"No one does," Dharan said, softer now. "But now it's yours. That girl lived because of you. That power woke up because something in you broke the rules."
He turned toward the door. "You'll train here. Learn control. Learn the laws that govern Shakti. You'll follow our rules, because if this power spirals again, there won't be a second warning."
His hand paused on the metal handle.
"Tomorrow," he added, "we talk chakras."
The door clicked shut behind him.
Alone again, Arjun glanced at his hand. It still tingled faintly, the echo of something wild. He didn't understand any of it yet. But something deep inside him had changed—and he couldn't go back.
Not anymore