The fourth morning of the Hero Exam arrived under a sky veiled in soft gray clouds. A faint breeze passed over the arena, carrying with it the tension of what was to come.
Today's matchup was anticipated for a different reason. It wasn't expected to be a test of brute strength—but of will, cunning, and control.
Tisha stood quietly on the eastern edge of the field. Her arms were still, but her eyes shone with calm determination. Her breathing was steady, deep, calculated.
On the opposite side stood Faruq—a tall, well-built young man with a scowl carved into his face. His fists glowed faintly red, his muscles flexed and ready. The ground seemed to slightly tremble with his presence.
"I'll crush you with one punch," Faruq growled. "I once shattered a five-inch thick stone block."
Tisha smiled faintly, her voice soft but clear.
"You can crush all the stone you want," she said, "but I fight inside the mind."
There was a hushed pause as the announcer prepared to declare the match.
The crowd leaned forward, breath held.
"Match Start!"
---
Entry Into the Unknown
Faruq charged instantly.
No hesitation. A single leap covered half the distance between them, and he landed with a thud that shook the ground.
But Tisha didn't move. Her eyes narrowed.
Then her lips moved—barely a whisper.
"Come inside."
Faruq's vision blurred. The ground beneath his feet shifted. The air thickened.
And suddenly, the world around him changed.
Gone was the arena. Gone were the crowd and the sky.
He stood in the middle of a vast, empty field. The earth was black and cracked. The sky above was gray and heavy, and a strange silence gripped the air.
Faruq looked around, startled.
"What the... Where am I?"
A voice echoed all around him. Calm, ethereal, yet intimate—Tisha's voice.
"This is my Inner World," she said. "You're inside me now. And you won't leave until I let you."
---
Powerless in the Mind
Faruq snarled and pounded his fist into the ground. Nothing happened.
He struck again, harder. Still, no cracks, no tremors—nothing responded to his power.
"This... this is fake!" he shouted. "Let me out!"
Tisha's voice drifted through the air, soft as wind. "You depend on your fists. But here, fists don't matter."
This was the ability that made Tisha dangerous. Known as a Mind Capture-Type Quirk, it allowed her to pull anyone within a 100-meter radius into a reality constructed from her mind.
The catch?
If the opponent's Will Power was stronger than hers, they could break free. But Tisha had been working on herself. Her fears. Her self-doubt.
And Faruq—he was all muscle, no mental fortitude.
---
Shadows of the Past
Suddenly, the landscape around Faruq began to shift.
He heard voices—low at first, then growing louder.
"You'll never be good enough."
"You always lose when it matters."
"Why even try?"
He looked up and saw shadows—faces he recognized. His old teacher. His father. Former friends. Their mouths moved in sync, repeating the same doubts he tried so hard to bury.
Faruq clenched his fists and roared, "No! I'm not that kid anymore!"
He charged at the figures, but they vanished like smoke. He swung wildly, but nothing connected.
He was fighting ghosts of his own mind.
---
Outside the World
Back in the real world, Tisha sat cross-legged, her eyes closed. Her hands rested on her knees, palms up, her breathing perfectly steady.
Isha whispered from the observation area, "She's deep in concentration... like she's meditating."
Rakib muttered, "I'd never want to be trapped in there."
Sohan watched silently, one brow raised.
He didn't say it out loud, but he was impressed. Tisha wasn't just strong—she had learned how to weaponize fear, memory, and inner strength.
---
The Breakpoint
Inside the Inner World, Faruq fell to his knees.
The voices around him wouldn't stop. They echoed inside his skull, bouncing off walls that didn't exist.
He clutched his head, trembling.
"Stop... just stop..." he whispered.
Then louder: "Why are you doing this to me?! What kind of hero fights like this?!"
Tisha's voice responded, not angry, not smug—just steady.
"I'm showing you what you carry inside. If you want to be a hero, you have to face it."
Silence returned.
Faruq looked up. The sky began to crack. Light leaked through.
His mind had finally begun to accept the truth.
---
The Return
Tisha opened her eyes.
She took a deep breath and spoke just one word.
"Enough."
In the center of the arena, Faruq collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. His eyes were wide and unfocused.
The arena bell rang.
"Winner: Tisha."
---
Aftermath
As Tisha stood and walked slowly off the field, Rakib gave a slow clap.
"That girl is terrifying."
Isha smiled slightly. "That's what I call true control. She didn't break his bones... she broke his walls."
Sohan nodded once, quietly.
Tisha joined her friends.
She didn't say anything at first. Then, with a faint smile, she spoke.
"I'm scared of many things. But I'm learning to turn fear into strength."
Sohan replied, "You're not just a fighter. You're a mirror. You make people see themselves."
---
[End of Chapter 11]