The Tower's air was unnaturally crisp. Not cold, not warm—just still, as if it waited, watching.
Ankit stepped off the marble platform where he had landed moments ago. All around him, other children from different corners of India blinked in confusion. Some were from cities, their faces pale with digital detachment. Others, like him, carried the dust of villages, the scent of earth and work.
But none of that mattered now.
They all stood on equal ground—untrained, uncertain, and unworthy of what lay above.
A glowing rune flickered beneath their feet, and before anyone could ask what was happening, a ripple in the air formed. A tall figure emerged.
Not a man.
Not a beast.
A construct.
Towering at seven feet, the creature was clad in obsidian armor, its face hidden beneath a sleek black helm. Its voice was deep, echoing from within the helmet like thunder across a canyon.
"You are the First Generation. Chosen not by birth, but by survival. You have three years to become warriors, or you will be erased from the Protocol."
Silence.
Then—
"Begin."
The moment the construct's words ended, the ground shifted again.
Massive gates of light opened in the tower's walls, each revealing a different landscape—forests, deserts, frozen wastelands, dark caverns, all real yet surreal. Each one was a training zone.
Dozens of other children hesitated.
Not Ankit.
His grip tightened on the talwar. It felt warm, responsive. He walked toward the forest gate, alone. It wasn't bravery. It was instinct.
Something inside was calling him.
Training Zone: Verdant Trial Grounds
Day 1
The forest was alive.
But it wasn't Earth's forest. The trees were tall like mountains, their leaves glowing with faint mana. The air shimmered with silver threads. Creatures moved in the underbrush—small, fast, and hostile.
Ankit walked slowly, talwar drawn.
He remembered the construct's final instruction:
"Survive 30 days. Kill 10 mana beasts. Only then will your first evolution begin."
The sound of rustling broke the silence.
He turned sharply.
From the bushes leapt a snarling creature—a horned jaguar, but unlike any he had seen. Its fur was laced with glowing blue patterns, its eyes burning with sentient rage.
He didn't think.
He moved.
The talwar swung wide.
Too slow.
The jaguar darted left, claws raking Ankit's arm. Blood spilled. Pain exploded. He stumbled but didn't fall.
The beast lunged again. This time, he ducked low, rolled under it, and thrust the talwar into its gut as it passed.
A cry—half-scream, half-roar—tore from the beast's mouth.
The blade struck true.
But it didn't kill.
The jaguar slammed into a tree, wounded but alive.
Ankit stood panting, blood on his shirt, chest heaving.
Then he felt it.
The System Panel appeared again, midair:
[Battle Engaged]
Opponent: Tier-1 Mana Beast – Verdant Jaguar
Progression XP: +15
Swordsmanship Proficiency: +2%
Wound Sustained – Minor: Bleeding Active
Soul Weapon Resonance: Stable
Kill to Progress
Ankit grit his teeth. No retreat.
He sprinted forward, ignoring the pain. The beast, half-risen, tried to swipe—but Ankit jumped, talwar raised.
One clean slice.
The head rolled.
Blood painted the leaves.
The talwar pulsed—just once. A heartbeat of warmth. As if… pleased.
[Beast Eliminated]
Progression XP: +35
Swordsmanship Proficiency: +5%
Soul Weapon Sync +1%
Soul Weapon Rank: F (51%)
Blood Pact Initiated
Blood Pact?
Ankit froze.
His talwar glowed. The blood on its blade evaporated, and red light carved a new rune onto its hilt.
He heard a voice in his mind—not the tower, not the system. Something deeper.
"I accept you, Wielder. Feed me. Sharpen me. And I will raise you above all."
Ankit didn't answer. He just grinned.
The jaguar's corpse shimmered and vanished. Loot? No. Only a faint crystal dropped—a shard of mana.
He picked it up.
It dissolved into his palm.
More XP. More connection.
Night 1 – Forest Shelter
Ankit sat inside a hollow tree, resting. He wrapped his wound with cloth stripped from his shirt. The pain had dulled, but the fire inside him hadn't.
He looked at his stats again.
[System Status: Updated]
Name: Ankit Kumar
Level: 1
Soul Weapon: Talwar – Rank F (51%)
Proficiency:
– Swordsmanship: 7%
– Mana Sense: Locked
Stats:
– Strength: 5
– Agility: 5
– Intelligence: 5
– Endurance: 6
Blood Pact: Activated
He read it again.
Blood Pact: Activated.
He didn't know what it meant yet. But the sword had changed. It pulsed in his hand now, like it breathed with him. He wasn't just holding a weapon.
He was holding a partner.
Ankit leaned back, staring at the purple-tinged sky above.
"I'll kill whatever I have to," he whispered, gripping the talwar tighter.
"Train, fight, kill. Climb."
The Protocol was cruel.
But he was born ready.
End of Chapter 2