A voice came from behind me.
"Who are you, brother?"
I froze. Slowly, I turned in fear.
It wasn't a guard. Not an executioner.
A boy stood there — dirt on his face, hair long, clothes torn like he'd been dragged. But his eyes… they were familiar.
"aa.aaa…Vayujit," I said cautiously. "Omkar Village, District 11. And you?"
"I'm Ashok."
For a moment, my mind went blank.
Then it hit me like a hammer was a familiar name. I tried very hard to recall.
"Ashok? No way… my childhood friend?!"
He smiled. "Thirty years, isn't it?"
I couldn't help but laugh. I knew he was joking . "Thirteen, idiot."
"Ah… close enough," he said with that same smile I remembered from the days we used to steal mangoes from old man Surya's orchard. The weight of the air within the cell walls felt lighter for just a second.
"What happened to you?" I asked. "Last I heard, your father's regiment moved to the North Province. Something about tensions with the Shadows and Souls."
His smile faded a little. "Yeah… and I didn't stay in one place for long after that."
His gaze flicked to my arm. "The mark. You're the one they're calling the Marked One?"
I hesitated. "Yeah."
Turning the topic I asked "What about your awakening? Which path did you—"
"Water," he said before I could answer. "Rain Path, level two." His eyes brightened for the first time, like he'd found something worth being proud of.
I laughed. "Still showing off." "Guilty," he shrugged. "You know, every main pathway has branches? Fire has Flames, Wildfire, Beast Flame, Hellfire… all support forms of the main Fire Path. Water's the same — Rain, Waterfall, Beast Form, more. Each one's got its own strengths."
"And you?" he asked. "What path did you—"
"My awakening failed," I said.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy. Just… still.
"Oh," he said simply. No pity. No mockery. Just acceptance. And somehow, that meant more than any encouragement could have.
Before either of us could say more, a soldier appeared at the cell door.
He said with a rushed voice still panting "Get ready. Both of you. In two hours, you'll be taken to the arena." The door banged.
Ashok and I exchanged a glance. Thirteen years apart, and now our reunion would be written in blood.