The academy wasn't just a training ground anymore.
It had become something more.
A place where people who had lost everything found hope again. Where pain turned into strength. Where even the weakest learned how to fight.
But when something shines, it draws attention.
And not all attention is good.
---
One quiet morning, a new boy joined.
He said his name was Rivan. He was calm, polite, and always smiling.
Maybe a little too polite.
He said the Kara Army had killed his family. That he came here to become strong.
But Master Vishma noticed something strange.
Rivan didn't ask questions like the others.
He didn't struggle during training. His moves were perfect—almost too perfect.
And he didn't focus on the training.
He watched people.
Closely.
---
Parashu felt it too.
One night, when the academy was quiet and dark, he saw Rivan in the library—copying something.
Maps.
Secret maps of the tunnels under the academy. Maps of the weapons room. Even of Master Vishma's private chamber.
Parashu didn't stop him.
Not yet.
He just followed him.
Watched him.
Because deep down, Parashu knew—
Rivan didn't come here to learn.
He came to break something.
---
Far away, inside a dark fortress made of stone…
Jalandhara stood before a fire, staring into the flames.
A black crow landed on the window.
A whisper followed.
"He has entered the academy, my lord," said Vyoma, standing in the shadows.
Jalandhara smiled. Cold. Sharp.
"Good," he said. "Let the fire grow… before we burn it down again."