As everyone left, in Room No. 8 only four people remained Kian, Ruhi, Arav, and Ekaksh.
The room was calm, the soft glow of evening sun slipping through the curtains. Kian lay on his bed, flipping through a thick book, his brows slightly furrowed in focus. Arav sat upright on his bed, quietly reading a storybook. Ruhi was learning something from her notebook, eyes gentle but determined. And Ekaksh well, he was rolling on his bed, clearly bored out of his mind.
Finally, Ekaksh sighed loudly.
Ekaksh: (groaning) "Hey, guys! Please don't start studying already. It's not my thing! Let's at least talk or something. How about we all introduce ourselves?"
Ruhi looked up from her notes and smiled softly.
Ruhi: "That's actually a good idea."
Arav nodded, closing his book.
Arav: "Yeah, fine with me."
Kian glanced up for a second, expression unreadable.
Ekaksh grinned.
Ekaksh: "Alright then! I will Introduce myself first, But wait — I heard it's always 'ladies first,' right? So, Ruhi, you go first."
Ruhi blinked, a little shy, but then smiled faintly.
Ruhi: "Okay…" "What should I introduce about myself?"
Ekaksh: " hmm... how about about your life before coming here or about your family , Afterall we will be together right . I .. I mean we all will be together right. So let's know about each other."
She took a small breath before speaking.
Ruhi: "Hello everyone, my name is Ruhi. Eight years ago, there was an attack a terrible one. Both my parents died in that incident."
Her voice trembled slightly. Arav and Kian both looked at her quietly, while Ekaksh's smile faded a little.
Ruhi: "They were both warriors. Since then, my sister Diya and I have been living with our grandmother. I was four and she was three at that time. Grandmother told us everything later… and since then, my only aim in life has been to become a warrior. Just like my parents."
Her eyes glistened as she finished. She gave a faint, brave smile and whispered,
Ruhi: "That's all."
Ekaksh: (scratching his head awkwardly) "Uh… I'm sorry, Ruhi. I shouldn't have asked you to speak about your family like that."
Ruhi: (smiling softly) "It's alright, it's fine."
Ekaksh straightened up a little, trying to lighten the mood again.
Ekaksh: "Okay then, I'll go next!"
He sat cross-legged on his bed, a playful grin back on his face.
Ekaksh: "Hello everyone! I'm Ekaksh. I love doing pranks. About my family… well, I have a mother and father, who worry about me all the time I don't even know why!"
He laughed, shaking his head dramatically.
Ekaksh: "My goal? Hmm…" (pauses, pretending to think deeply) "Honestly, It's being the Biggest prankster . I just want to prank everyone and cause a little mischief all the time. That's all!"
He grinned widely, clearly proud of his own words.
Ekaksh: (grinning after finishing his own part) "Soo… who's next? Anyone brave enough to follow me?"
There was a moment of silence before Aarav, who'd been quietly flipping through a storybook, closed it and spoke up.
Aarav: "Okay, fine. I'll go next."
He sat up straight, his calm expression turning slightly serious.
Aarav: "I'm Aarav. You all met my younger sister, Sanvi, yesterday."
(He smiled faintly.) "She's… a bit of a headache, honestly."
A soft laugh escaped Ekaksh, but Aarav continued, his tone growing softer.
Aarav: "Anyway… about me… I don't think I have much to say.
He poked Aarav playfully. "Aarav, come on, your turn. Say something, or I'll hide your clothes while you're bathing and you won't be able to come out."
Aarav raised an eyebrow but a small smile tugged at his lips. "Okay, okay, fine."
um… just like Ruhi mentioned… the incident eight years ago…"
(He paused, taking a breath.) "Even though my parents weren't warriors they were royalties still, in that same attack… my parents… unfortunately died."
He looked down at his hands for a moment, his voice quieter now.
Aarav: "They died saving me and Sanvi. It happened right in front of my eyes. Since then… I made a vow to myself."
(He looked up, his eyes steady and determined.)
Aarav: "I'll never let any attack make another child go through what we did. I'll protect everyone … no one should become an orphan again."
The room went quiet for a few seconds, his words hanging heavy in the air.
Ekaksh grinned, breaking the silence after Aarav's serious words.
"Yo man, I never knew you had such a big goal," he said, patting Aarav's shoulder. "I'll help you protect people too!"
Aarav smiled faintly, shaking his head.
Then Ekaksh suddenly opened his arms wide. "Aarav, man, come on, hug me! you made me emotional"
Aarav leaned back immediately. "No thanks."
Ekaksh pouted dramatically. "Fine then, Mr. Serious Face." He turned toward Kian. "Okay, next Kian, your turn. Speak!"
Kian didn't even lift his eyes from his book. "I'll skip. I have nothing to say. And even if you threaten me or hide my clothes like you did to Aarav, I still won't speak."
Ekaksh clasped his hands together. "Please, please, please, please, pleaaase!"
Aarav chuckled lightly. "Come on, I said mine. Your turn now, Kian."
Ruhi nodded. "Yeah, Kian, please tell us. Even though it was sad, me and Aarav both shared our stories. No matter what, we're all here for each other."
Kian closed his book slowly, sighed, and said flatly, "If you're that curious, I'll only say this I lived with my sister. That's all you need to know. I don't want to talk about the rest."
Aarav said softly, "Okay, can't force you."
Ruhi nodded. "Fine."
Ekaksh opened his mouth to say something funny when knock knock a sharp sound came from the door.
Everyone froze and looked toward it.
Knock knock.
The door creaked open, and standing there was Rishi Vedant's older brother, his calm and composed presence filling the doorway.
"Hey, room number 8," he said, smiling slightly. "Senior Arjun told me to inform both the new squads about tomorrow."
Everyone turned their attention toward him Ekaksh sat up straight, Ruhi kept her book aside, Aarav looked attentive, and Kian simply folded his arms, waiting.
Rishi continued, "You'll all be getting your first missions tomorrow. The assignments will be given in the morning briefing."
Ekaksh's eyes widened. "Wait, already? We just got here!"
Rishi chuckled. "Welcome to Topaz House. You'll be working in two shifts from now on. If you get the morning shift, your evening is for practice or rest. And if you're assigned the evening shift , then you can rest or practice in the morning . Understood?"
Everyone nodded though Ekaksh looked more shocked than ready.
"Good," Rishi said, stepping back. "Be ready by 7 a.m. tomorrow. Senior Arjun will explain the details. Rest well you'll need it."
He gave them a reassuring nod and left, closing the door gently behind him.
For a moment, silence filled the room again until Ekaksh flopped back on his bed and groaned, "First mission already? I thought we'd at least get a week of peace!"
Aarav smiled faintly, Ruhi hid a laugh, and even Kian's lips curved slightly just slightly.
Ekaksh scratched the back of his neck and asked,
"Hey, I have never actually studied or paid attention in class. Like… what exactly does a warrior do? And what are the roles and ranks? Also, what type of missions would we get?"
Aarav sighed and hit his forehead with his hand. "Seriously, you became a warrior even without knowing what a warrior does?"
Kian just shook his head in disappointment, while Ruhi looked at Ekaksh in disbelief.
Ekaksh grinned sheepishly.
That's when the quietest person in the room, Kian, spoke up startling everyone.
"Alright," he said in his calm, steady tone. "I'll tell you all the roles and ranks of warriors. Listen carefully. I won't repeat."
The room fell completely silent.
He began, "Basically, the roles and ranks of warriors are divided into two bases one, the house-based ranks, and two, the overall ranks.
First, let's talk about the house ranks.
Each house has four roles. The first one is the normal warriors—that's us.
Next, every house has three senior members. For example, our house has Senior Arjun and the twins, Sara and Zara they are the senior members.
After that comes the Vice Captain, and finally the Captain.
These are the four roles each house has, no matter which realm you're from."
He paused before continuing, "Now, the overall roles and ranks this is more important, so pay attention.
A person can be one of eight roles. I'll start from the lowest.
First:- Pawn. That's what we are. Pawns have two main duties:
Executing small missions/tasks within our realm.
Helping the people of the Realm in their daily needs.
For every task we complete, we earn a specific number of points. Once a pawn secures 500 points, they're promoted to Bishop.
The Bishop's duty is to safeguard the Realm's borders while continuing the tasks of a pawn helping people and completing small to medium missions.
When a bishop earns 800 points, they're promoted to Knight.
A knight's duty is to safeguard the Yggdrasil Tree so no intruder enters or leaves the realms. They also continue the work they did as bishops and pawns.
Each time you're promoted, your score resets to zero. So when a knight earns 1000 new points, they're promoted to Rook.
The Rook's duty is to protect the Palace and carry out duties directly assigned by the King, along with all previous responsibilities.
Once you become a rook, points don't matter as much. The rook with the highest points in the realm becomes the Prince or Princess.
If the prince or princess has a life partner, that partner is also considered a prince or princess, whether or not they're a warrior.
And the highest rank," he said, looking up at everyone, "is King/ Queen."
Kian finished, and for a moment, silence filled the room again.
Ekaksh blinked. "Whoa. So, basically, we're just the tiny little pawns?"
Aarav smirked, "Exactly. Welcome to reality, Mr. Mischief."
Ekaksh leaned forward, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
"So then… how does someone become a King or a Queen?"
Ruhi, who had been quietly listening till now, finally spoke up.
"To become a King or Queen," she began, "there's a special selection held after the existing king or queen dies or retires. Anyone can take part doesn't matter if they're a warrior or not, or what rank they hold."
Ekaksh blinked. "Wait, anyone?"
Ruhi nodded. "Yes. The test is conducted by special people the Seven Sages, the Elemental Guardians, and a few other divine figures. But if any of them decide to take part in the selection, they're automatically excluded from creating the test. The rest prepare it."
She continued, her tone serious now.
"The selection isn't easy. It tests everything your combat skills, your physical strength, your magic control, your mental ability, and even your heart. Only the one who passes all the tests and secures the highest rank becomes the King or Queen."
Everyone listened silently, completely drawn in.
"Just like the Prince or Princess," Ruhi went on, "the life partner of the King or Queen also receives the same title whether they're a warrior or not. But the highest authority, the true power, always stays with the one who actually earned the title through the selection."
Ekaksh whistled low. "Thank you Ruhi , you are the best."
Ruhi gave a small nod.
Kian rolling his eyes as ekash forgot to thank kian.
Ekaksh raised his hand lazily, stretching a little. "Okay, I got three more questions—"
Before he could finish, Kian interrupted from the side, sounding half-tired and half-annoyed.
"Enough questions for today, Ekaksh. You can ask the rest tomorrow."
Ekaksh pouted. "Aw, come on—"
Aarav gave him a look. "No 'come on.' We all need to sleep. We're supposed to wake up at six and report by seven, remember?"
"Alright, alright…" Ekaksh grumbled, scratching the back of his head.
Everyone got up, stretching and yawning. The room slowly filled with soft murmurs as they began heading toward their bunks. One by one, the lights dimmed. The excitement of their first mission buzzed quietly in their hearts, but exhaustion pulled heavier.
Soon, the chatter faded.
Only the sound of slow breathing filled the room as the new warriors drifted into sleep ready to face their first dawn as warriors.