Morning in Delhi began like any other.
The student woke before the alarm and sat up quietly. Living alone had made routine a necessity. He cleaned his small room, prepared a basic breakfast, and checked the time once more before leaving for university.
Predictability kept life simple.
At Delhi University, lunchtime brought its usual noise. He sat alone at a corner table, scrolling through updates on his futuristic smartwatch.
A red alert slid across the screen.
> HERO DEPLOYMENT CONFIRMED – E-LEVEL THREAT IDENTIFIED
The live broadcast showed Team Vidant Obroy engaging a creature marked PM2π — Corod Monster. Its form looked unstable, composed of corroded dust and polluted particles constantly rearranging themselves.
The location indicator flashed.
University District — West Sector.
His fingers tightened.
---
Universal Academy of Heroes — Earth Sub-Branch
Inside the headquarters, warning panels glowed yellow.
"Threat classified as E-level," an analyst reported. "Deployment appropriate."
CEO Corlo Flank watched the battle feed silently.
Then the data changed.
Particle density spiked. Energy behavior became erratic.
The monster roared.
Its form expanded violently.
"Energy mutation detected!" someone shouted.
The monitor flashed crimson.
> THREAT UPDATED — PM3Ω
B-RANK CONFIRMED
Sirens erupted.
"RED ALERT!"
Before reinforcements could be deployed, the screen flickered.
Static.
Then darkness.
Corlo Flank raised a hand.
"Alarm off."
The room froze.
"But sir—"
"The target signature has vanished," Corlo said evenly. "And not at the hands of our heroes."
The sirens stopped.
No one celebrated.
---
University District, Delhi
The explosion rocked the street.
Students screamed as buildings shuddered. The ground cracked.
Outside, the monster had grown massive. Team Vidant Obroy fought with discipline, coordinating attacks, delaying destruction—but they were losing.
Police activated evacuation portals.
Then the monster struck.
One portal shattered instantly.
Panic spread like wildfire.
The student moved without hesitation.
"This way! Keep moving!" he shouted, guiding people toward the remaining gateways.
He didn't fight yet.
He reinforced the ground beneath collapsing debris. Stabilized air pressure to clear paths. Controlled chaos just enough to save time.
Nearly ninety percent escaped.
Then he saw her.
Near the ruined street.
Frozen in fear—along with her friends.
The monster turned toward them.
He ran.
He struck the creature to pull its attention away, drawing it toward empty space. The impact sent him rolling across the road.
Pain surged.
The monster was overwhelming.
He forced himself to think.
Dust… pollutants… unstable bonding structure…
Not strength.
Chemistry.
He disrupted the particle cohesion—separating polluted elements from their binding matrix.
The monster screamed as its body collapsed inward.
Corroded dust scattered lifelessly across the street.
Silence returned.
---
Night fell.
The student reached his apartment, exhausted in every sense.
As he stepped outside again, a silent airship descended before him, lights dim but presence undeniable.
A woman stepped out.
Calm. Composed. Sharp-eyed.
"You were present during the evacuation," she said.
He said nothing.
"You interfered in a classified incident."
She paused, studying him carefully.
Then, calmly, she spoke his name.
"Lucky Iman."
His heart stopped.
"I'm Alia Bhardwaj from the Universal Academy of Heroes," she said.
"We need to talk."