Chirp… chirp…
The soft call of sparrows echoed across the sky.
The sun had just begun to rise, a faint shimmer of gold spilling through drifting clouds. A gentle morning breeze carried the sound of birds through the cool air, weaving it into the quiet rhythm of the waking city.
Their song reached a small window inside City Hospital.
Through that window, a beam of light touched the pale face of an eight-year-old boy — Rihaan. His eyes fluttered open, blinking slowly at the brightness. His tiny hand still clutched the frail fingers of the woman lying beside him — his mother.
He turned toward her, lips trembling.
"M… Mom… good morning," he whispered, his voice thin and shaky.
His mother lay motionless on the bed, an oxygen mask covering her mouth.
The beep… beep… beep of the heart monitor echoed softly in the sterile air.
Her eyes opened slowly. She turned her head toward him — tired, yet warm.
Removing the oxygen mask for just a moment, she smiled weakly.
"Rihaan… my little rascal, why that sad face?" she said, her voice breaking between shallow breaths.
Tears welled in Rihaan's eyes. Just hearing her voice made one drop escape — a single tear that carried the silent scream, "Please don't leave me."
"Mom… when will you come home? No one plays with me anymore…" he said, his voice quivering.
His mother's lips trembled. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.
"All my friends run away from me," Rihaan continued, the words tumbling out with his tears. "Everyone thinks I'm a monster."
As he spoke, the quiet room seemed to shift.
The ticking clock grew slower. The rustle of curtains sounded like distant sobs. Even the sunlight felt heavy — dimmed by grief.
His mother's fingers clenched weakly against the sheets. She tried to lift herself but failed. "Ugh… m-my body…" she mumbled, pain stretching through her words.
"Mom… why did I get this power?" Rihaan's voice cracked. "Everyone's scared of my fire…"
He grabbed the bedsheet tightly, his tears darkening the fabric beneath his fists.
"Am I really a monster, Mom? Why do they fear me? I just want to be friends with them…"
Hearing that, his mother's own tears escaped. She reached forward and pulled him into her trembling arms.
Her voice broke as she whispered,
"Rihaan… people fear you because you are powerful."
Rihaan froze. Slowly, he lifted his head, staring at her through wet lashes.
"P… Powerful? Mom, I'm powerful?"
"Yes, my child," she said, a faint smile softening her weary face. "You are the most powerful one in this world. And one day, you will become even stronger."
For the first time in days, Rihaan smiled — a wide, innocent smile, his missing tooth showing through the tears.
"I… I'm powerful! Yay! Mother said I'm the most powerful!"
He giggled through his tears. "I'm even stronger than Papa!"
He jumped slightly on the side of the bed, happiness bubbling out of him like sunlight after rain.
But then — the light in the room began to change.
Slowly, the world around him dissolved into a glowing white mist.
"Mom…?" he whispered. "Mom! Where are you?"
His mother's voice came from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"Rihaan… my child… my time has come."
He spun around, searching, terrified. "No! Mom! Please don't go!"
"Rihaan," her voice echoed softly, "use your power to protect the weak. Respect your strength. Trust in it. When the right time comes, it will guide you."
"Mom!" Rihaan's cries cracked the silence. "Please don't leave!"
The voice grew faint.
"Never be afraid, my son. Never think of yourself as less than anyone. Remember… you are the powerful one."
A warm crimson light shimmered in the mist — the same direction her voice had been coming from.
It floated gently toward him.
Rihaan hesitated, trembling. His heart pounded against his ribs.
But this time, he didn't step back.
The red light entered his chest —
—and everything went dark.
---
Present Day — Gurugram
Cough… cough…
Rihaan gasped for air as his chest rose violently. His body shook, torn between life and death.
And from his lips came only one word—
"Mom…"
He turned to the side and saw the doctor beside him — bruised, trembling, eyes wide in disbelief.
Rihaan motioned for him to come closer. The doctor leaned in, hesitant.
"Take… cough… everyone," Rihaan whispered, struggling for breath. "Go as far as you can…"
The doctor's eyes filled with tears. "B-but… how can we leave you here, sir?"
"Hey…" Rihaan coughed, wiping blood from his mouth. "Do as I say. I haven't lost yet."
He pushed himself up, muscles screaming in pain. "I… am the powerful one here."
At that, the doctor couldn't help but smile through his tears — proud, helpless, and terrified all at once.
"Okay," he said, voice cracking. "Just… don't die, alright?"
Rihaan smirked faintly, blood dripping from his lip.
"Kid," he muttered to himself, his voice shifting, darker now. "You said you'd kill me like a mosquito, right? Then so be it."
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. Thoo.
Across the field, the crowd watching from the city screens cheered. For a moment, hope flickered. Relief spread through every face.
But Rihaan knew — the real battle had just begun.
He stepped forward.
Every movement stirred the flames around him. The ground beneath his feet cracked, glowing red.
The air grew hot — so hot that anything living within ten meters would've burned alive.
Rihaan's lips moved slowly, whispering the same words, over and over —
"I am the powerful one…"
Then — laughter broke the silence.
A harsh, mocking laugh.
Pffft… ha… hahahah!
Tita — his enemy — stood across the battlefield, grinning . He covered his mouth with his hand, pretending to stifle his laughter.
"Kid," Tita said coldly. "Look at yourself. Blood pouring from every inch of your body. You think you're powerful?"
His grin widened. "Pathetic. Arrogant children like you… are a curse upon this world."
Rihaan stopped walking.
For a second, the world fell silent.
Then—
Swish. BOOM!
No one saw what happened.
In the next instant, Tita was sent crashing into the ground, the earth beneath him shattering like glass.
Rihaan stood still, blood dripping from his chin, eyes blazing with fire.
He whispered through clenched teeth,
"My mother believes I'm the most powerful. Let's prove her right."
Behind him, the flames roared higher — forming the shape of a lion, its mane burning blue.
The red flames turned azure, purer and hotter than before.
The crowd screamed and scattered. The air itself shimmered, bending under the unbearable heat.
It was as if they stood in the heart of a glass furnace.
Tita struggled to his feet, face twisted with rage.
"Impossible…" he growled. "No human should hold that kind of power!"
Rihaan's steps echoed like thunder as he advanced through the firestorm.
His eyes glowed like twin embers, his voice calm — almost serene.
"Monster, human, hero…" he said softly. "Call me whatever you want."
The flames around him flared, swallowing the battlefield in blinding blue light.
"But my mother… she called me powerful."
And then — the light consumed everything.
In that blinding blue flame, the world finally saw the monster… who was never one."