The morning sun filtered through the high stone walls of Gurukul, painting the corridors in warm, golden patterns. The boys stood at the edge of their dormitory courtyard, adjusting the simple robes they had been given. Sleep still clung to their eyes, but the strange energy in the air pulled them fully awake.
"Ready?"
The voice came from behind — calm, low, and firm.
They turned to see Aranya, their assigned supervisor. Clad in a deep green robe that matched the ivy creeping along the ancient walls, she moved with a grace that was hard to describe. Her beauty was striking, but her gaze was even more captivating — sharp, focused, and unreadable.
"Come," she said. "It's time."
They followed her through the winding paths of Gurukul, passing students practicing stances, meditating, or reciting chants under the open sky. The campus felt ancient and alive, as though the stone itself remembered every lesson ever taught here.
As they walked, Aranya spoke without looking back.
"Few are ever chosen by the Dice. Even fewer align with an element. Be respectful. Be ready."
"Will it hurt?" Dev asked, half-joking, half-serious.
"Only your pride," Aranya replied.
The Hall of Elements
The Hall was carved into the very heart of Gurukul — a vast circular chamber with no ceiling, open to the sky. At its center stood a raised pedestal, and atop it rested a single black Dice. It was larger now, pulsing faintly with a rhythm like a slow heartbeat.
Students and masters filled the chamber, watching from the edges. Each house stood in ceremonial formation, their robes marked by color and symbol:
Bhūmigriha(Earth House): Deep brown robes etched with stone sigils.Jalāgriha(Water House): Flowing blue garments with aquamarine patterns.Vāyugriha(Air House): Pale white robes lined with featherlike folds.Agnigriha(Fire House): Crimson cloaks, each marked by blazing sunbursts.
Aranya led them to the pedestal.
A tall robed figure stepped forward — Acharya Mahasthana, the Principal. His voice carried through the silent chamber.
"Dice of the Realms," he declared. "Begin the Selection."
Dev's Turn
Dev stepped forward first.
The moment his palm touched the Dice, it glowed — a deep, earthen brown. The Dice rolled slowly, clicking against the pedestal.
Then it stopped.
A glowing Earth symbol rose above it, hovering briefly in the air. The ground beneath rumbled, faint but steady.
From Bhūmigriha, a group of students clapped. A senior stepped forward, placed a hand on his chest, and bowed.
"Bhūmigriha welcomes you."
Dev turned around, eyes wide with disbelief, then broke into a grin. He shot Maarun and Roshan a silent "Did you see that?!"
Roshan's Turn
Roshan approached next, his movements calm, measured. His hand rested on the Dice.
It began to spin the instant he touched it — fast, like it already knew.
A soft blue light shimmered upward, forming the Water symbol mid-air.
The air cooled.
A low murmur of approval came from Jalāgriha. One of the masters nodded.
"He flows like thought. Water claims him."
Roshan offered a small bow and stepped back, his expression thoughtful.
Maarun's Turn
Then came Maarun.
He walked up slowly. The air felt heavier now, as if the Hall itself was holding its breath.
Whispers stirred in the crowd.
"That's the outsider…"
"He came through the Dice, didn't he?"
"Why is he even here?"
Maarun placed his hand on the Dice.
A flicker of light.
Then… nothing.
No roll. No symbol. The glow faded.
Silence gripped the chamber like a sudden storm.
Dev's grin vanished. Roshan took a step forward, unsure.
Acharya Vekar frowned slightly, then approached. He studied the Dice, then turned to Maarun.
"You were brought here by force... not by right," he said gravely.
"The Dice does not lie."
He raised his voice to address the hall.
"This one is unaligned. Claimed by no element."
A collective gasp swept the crowd. Some looked confused. Others—angry. Suspicious. Uneasy.
Aranya stood at the edge, her face unreadable, watching Maarun closely.
Maarun stared at the Dice. Cold. Still. Unmoving.
He wanted to scream. To demand another chance. To ask why.
Instead, he turned silently and walked away.
Outside the Hall
The boys sat beneath a stone arch just outside, the noise of the hall still echoing in their ears.
Roshan broke the silence. "It doesn't mean anything. Maybe the Dice is broken."
Dev tried to laugh. "Yeah. Maybe you're just… too powerful for any one element."
Maarun didn't respond. He stared at his palm.
The Dice symbol — a perfect circle — still glowed faintly there. Somehow, that made it worse.
In a shadowed corridor above, a figure watched them — a girl in silver-threaded robes, her eyes unreadable.
She whispered to herself:
"The boy covered in ashes and blood… has begun to awaken."