"Some names carry fire. Some souls carry storms. But only a few… carry both."
🏙️ Location: Bhubaneswar City – Old Temple Ruins, Midnight
Satya walked slowly across the broken stone steps of the abandoned temple. His hoodie clung to him like a soaked towel, thanks to the April humidity. He was panting from running, escaping from a demon that popped up near the city dump.
"System," he whispered, "next time can we fight a mosquito instead?"
⚙️ System Alert: 💀 Threat Level: 2.1 – Escaped 🔄 Status: Cowardice Noted
Oorja floated beside him, sipping soda from a coconut.
"You know, some warriors train in volcanoes. Others fast for forty days. And here you are—running from a demon with one shoe on."
Satya glanced down. Yep. One slipper.
"Epic hero vibes, huh?" he muttered.
Just then, the ancient floor pulsed. Runes across the moss-covered stone lit up in orange flame. The air thickened.
A voice echoed.
"You called fire... and fire has come."
🔥 Enter: Karna – Leader of Inferno Guild
From the shadows walked a tall man, bare-chested with a red dhoti flowing like a king's robe. His body was lean but carved with battle marks. A golden earring glinted in the moonlight, and behind him, a giant wheel of flame hovered like a silent guardian.
His eyes were glowing like molten lava, but it wasn't rage—it was control. Fire bowed to him. Wind hesitated around him.
He was a walking legend.
Satya's system trembled.
⚙️ System Alert: 🔥 Identity: Karna 🏆 Rank: Monarch Level Flame User 🛡️ Title: The Fire That Defied Gods
Oorja straightened up mid-air and gulped. "Okay… don't say anything stupid. This guy once burned a mountain because someone cut in line during prasadam."
Karna walked straight toward Satya, his voice like burning ghee.
"So you are the boy with the divine pendant?"
Satya managed a half-nod, half-choke.
"Y-Yes… Satya. New. Alive. Occasionally brave."
Karna circled him once.
"You've got weak posture. Scared eyes. But… the fire within you is not normal."
He raised his hand. Satya instinctively flinched. But Karna didn't hit him.
Instead, a warmth flowed through Satya's chest. His pendant glowed.
Karna stepped back. "You carry more than a system. You carry an unanswered prophecy."
⚔️ Training Begins – Guest of the Inferno
Without warning, Karna snapped his fingers. The floor opened up. Satya fell into darkness.
THUD!
He landed on sand.
All around, a secret training ground hidden under the temple. Flaming dummies. Stone demons. Spinning wheels of knives. And a vending machine that said: Chyawanprash or Die.
Karna landed beside him like a feather.
"You want strength?"
"Yes!"
"Then burn."
🔥 Day 1: Sand, Sweat, and Sarcasm
Satya had to:
Run laps with bricks tied to his back.
Dodge flame arrows shot by robotic statues.
Do push-ups while Oorja sat on him eating samosas.
Oorja: "You missed a spot. That was 49.5, not 50."
Satya: "I'm not a calculator, bro!"
Karna: "Fire doesn't care for excuses."
By night, Satya lay face-down on the ground. Burned, bruised, but smiling.
"I didn't die," he whispered.
⚙️ System Alert: 🆕 Trait Gained: Endurance Lv1 🛡️ Resistance to Verbal Roasting: 10%
🌑 Flashback: Karna's Secret Past
That night, as Satya rested, he overheard Oorja whispering to the pendant.
"Is it time to tell him?"
The pendant glowed faintly.
In the distance, Karna stood under moonlight, staring at an old burnt photo. It showed a group of people—one of them looked like a young Aagneyi.
Karna closed his eyes.
"She's alive… and she's stronger than me now."
🌟 Aagneyi vs Karna – Past Duel (Revealed)
Years ago, when Aagneyi first awakened her Black Fire, she challenged Karna during a full moon festival.
She wasn't just good. She was unstoppable.
Karna barely survived, scorched and humbled.
But instead of punishing her… he laughed.
"You've surpassed me," he told her. "But don't forget—fire without control destroys both enemy and owner."
💥 Now: Demon Attack During Training
A loud BOOM! shook the chamber.
Demons poured through a portal—twisted shadows with bone-blades and liquid eyes.
⚙️ System Alert: 👹 Threat Level: 4.0 – Pack Invasion
Karna leapt into battle. With every swing, his flames turned the underground into a volcano.
Satya was told to stay back. But he didn't.
"I want to fight!" he yelled.
Karna shouted, "Then stop thinking like a kid and MOVE like fire!"
Satya dodged one blade. Kicked a demon in the groin (which oddly worked). Then used his pendant's power to shoot a blast of ember energy.
BOOM!
A small victory. One demon down.
But one was about to stab him from behind—
WHOOSH!
Black fire burned it to ash.
Aagneyi stood behind him.
"You again?" she said. "Still slow."
Oorja: "Great, now your crush has saved your life. Twice."
Satya: "Shut up and give me a weapon!"
🔥 Three-Way Burn: Karna, Aagneyi, Satya
Together, they fought like fire incarnate:
Karna summoned a solar whip.
Aagneyi's black sickle screamed through air.
Satya used his ember fists and confusion tactics (aka 'trip-and-hit').
The last demon exploded.
The chamber settled.
Karna looked at Satya, eyes glowing.
"You're not ready. But you've got the spark."
He turned to Aagneyi. "You came."
"I was nearby. And I felt the flames call me," she said, avoiding eye contact.
Karna smiled faintly. "Still stubborn."
"Still alive," she replied.
Satya stood between them awkwardly. "So… are we like… a team now?"
Aagneyi rolled her eyes. "You? You're the mascot."
🎖️ System Update
⚙️ Quest Updated: 🔥 Mission: Train Under Karna (Unofficial) ❤️ Side Mission: Don't fall for Aagneyi 💀 Failure Penalty: Emotional Damage
Oorja giggled. "Bro… you just became part of the most fire team in Bharat. Literally."
Satya (smiling): "I'm gonna burn bright. Or burn out. But I'll never burn alone."
Karna (serious): "You're not part of the guild yet. Survive the tests. Prove yourself. Then we'll talk."
🌌 Meanwhile: In the Council Chambers
Far beyond the reach of fire and flesh, beyond the chattering of mortals, a silent council chamber stirred.
Twelve obsidian thrones. Eleven shadows.
One… finally arrived.
A figure cloaked in what looked like night stitched from broken stars stepped forward. His voice was a low hum—like thunder chained in silence.
"He's awakened."
A ripple moved through the chamber.
An elder, faceless yet ancient, leaned forward. "You mean the pendant bearer?"
"No," the figure whispered, "I mean the flame that was never meant to burn. The contingency spark. The backup sun."
Another council member slammed a spectral staff into the marble floor. "Impossible. The Sky Breaker cannot awaken. Not yet."
"But he has," said the shadowed man, lifting a glowing sigil carved in his palm—twisting like phoenix wings caught in a storm. "And he's not alone. The Inferno has taken him in."
Silence. Heavy as prophecy.
Then, the Elder at the center finally spoke—his voice sharp, cold, unbending.
"Then we are out of time."
He stood, revealing a horned silhouette with seven eyes—each blinking a different color of doom.
"The chains have loosened. The Hell Gates will open wider now. And the war… will begin again."
From the side, a woman draped in feathers of obsidian hissed:
"Should we end him before the fire spreads?"
The figure who'd brought the news… smiled.
"No. Let the flames rise. Let him burn. Only through the fire can we test if he's truly… the Sky Breaker."
The scene zoomed out slowly—revealing an ancient map of Bharat, and on it, a crimson pulse radiating from Bhubaneswar.
Every pulse cracked a seal.
Every beat echoed a warning.
And far below the surface, something opened its eyes.