Abhimanyu remained seated in meditation at the same spot for almost the entire night.
Neither his body felt tired, nor did his eyes grow heavy.
For him, the night had ceased to be time—it had turned into a trial.
With the very first ray of dawn, he returned home.
As soon as he entered his room, he saw that his father was already there, waiting.
There was worry in his eyes… and somewhere within it, quiet anticipation.
"Where were you, Abhimanyu… all night?"
His father's voice wasn't harsh—
it carried only a father's concern.
Abhimanyu replied calmly,
"Nowhere, Father… I was just practicing. All night."
Hearing this, a faint look of relief appeared on his father's face.
That was all he wanted—that his son wouldn't stray onto a wrong path,
that he would shape himself… not destroy himself.
Abhimanyu then asked,
"Why are you sitting here, Father? Is everything alright?"
His father smiled lightly and said,
"It's nothing… just like that.
Tell me, how is your practice going?
After all, what exactly is this magic that your mother used to speak of so often?"
Hearing this, Abhimanyu said nothing.
He silently raised his right hand.
Suddenly—
a long, glowing sword began to take shape in his palm.
He swung it through the air, and waves of energy rippled outward.
Then he turned his palm—
a sphere of pure energy formed in his hand…
and in the very next moment, he erased it.
His gaze fell upon a wooden box lying nearby.
With a slight gesture from Abhimanyu—
a beam of dark energy struck the box,
and in the blink of an eye, it burned away into ashes.
Seeing this sight, his father's eyes lit up.
A smile filled with pride spread across his face.
"Incredible…"
"So magic truly is an extraordinary power.
Your mother didn't praise it without reason."
Abhimanyu smiled faintly.
But then his father's expression turned serious.
His voice grew heavy—
"Yesterday… Shivangi's father came here."
"He said that this relationship is no longer possible."
A slight tremor passed through Abhimanyu's eyes.
"Shivangi believes that you will remain an ordinary man…
while she will become a powerful warrior."
His father took a deep breath.
"This decision was made by Shivangi herself.
But I know—
her father… her family…
they all wanted this outcome."
Abhimanyu said nothing.
A faint smile rested on his lips—
but behind that smile was a deep, hidden pain.
His father stood up, walked over to him,
and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"My son…"
"The world that calls you ordinary, useless, and weak today—
I believe that one day, the same world will call you a mighty warrior."
"After all, my blood flows within you."
Then he laughed softly.
"And if I ever meet your mother,
I'll tell her that I raised you well—
otherwise, she won't let me live."
Abhimanyu remained silent,
lost in deep thought.
After a moment, he spoke slowly,
"Father… I want to learn martial arts as well."
His father was startled.
"But how?"
"You don't possess a martial arts element.
You cannot walk that path."
Abhimanyu replied with quiet confidence,
"No, Father… that's not true."
"Mother temporarily sealed my martial arts potential
so that I could be guided onto the path of magic—
until I reached the Advanced Stage of the Primary Level."
"And… I have reached it now."
As he said this, he raised his palm.
The lightning element burst forth, crackling with power.
Suddenly—
he attacked his father with that very lightning.
He knew—
his father was incredibly powerful.
He would not be harmed.
His father blocked the attack effortlessly—
but the shock in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"Very good…"
"The power of this attack
is no less than a 9-Star Primary Level."
(The Primary Level is the first stage of martial arts, where strength is measured from 1 to 9 stars.)
After leaving his father's chamber, Abhimanyu remained seated there for a long time.
The room was silent, yet a storm raged within his heart
Failure… humiliation… shattered dreams—
everything closed in on him at once.
Then—
cutting through the silence—
that same mysterious voice echoed once again.
"You don't have the luxury of sitting idle, Abhimanyu. If you wish to become powerful, you must work twice as hard as others. Because everyone else has only one path…but you have two."
Abhimanyu's eyes widened.
"Start today. First, discover your martial art element. Go to the Martial Awakening Stone
and place your hand upon it."
Just as it had appeared,
the voice vanished—
mysteriously and without a trace.
Abhimanyu took a deep breath.
There was no fear left inside him—
only a stubborn resolve…
to prove himself.
He stood up.
And without wasting a single moment,
he walked out of his chamber.
Outside the Martial Power Testing Hall,
an unusually large crowd had gathered.
As soon as Abhimanyu arrived,
his gaze fell upon a young man standing at the very front—
Karan Singh Saini.
The grandson of the Saini family's first elder.
A gifted youth— born about six months before Abhimanyu.
When Karan's power had been tested,
he had awakened the Fire Leopard.
From that day onward,
his name echoed throughout the Saini family.
But the moment that brought Karan the greatest joy
was the day Abhimanyu failed his martial test.
After that day—
people stopped looking at Abhimanyu and began seeing Karan as the leader of the Saini family's younger generation. And this recognition sent Karan's arrogance soaring sky-high. As Abhimanyu stepped forward,
Karan deliberately moved to block his path.
"Where are you going, Abhimanyu?"
Disdain was clear in his voice.
"This is the Martial Awakening Hall. Your test already took place… and you failed. So what reason do you have to come here again?"
Abhimanyu looked at him—
said nothing.
With only a faint smile,
he ignored Karan
and continued walking forward.
Just then, another Saini youth standing beside Karan sneered,
"Look at that arrogance. If he weren't the clan leader's son,he would've been kicked out of the family long ago."
Abhimanyu stopped.
He turned toward the boy—
and with a calm smile, said,
"Even your father never spoke of throwing me out. So who are you to decide that?"
With those words, he walked past them.
The boy's face burned red with anger,
but he could do nothing. Because the truth was— Abhimanyu was still the leader's son.
For Karan, however, this humiliation was unbearable.
"Abhimanyu,"
he said coldly,
"When a person learns his limits, he should stay within them. If you try to reach beyond your place, you'll fall—
and you'll fall hard."
After saying this,
Karan turned and left—
followed by all his lackeys.
Abhimanyu exhaled quietly.
He didn't want anyone to see his power just yet.In four months,
the competition of the younger generation would be held— and that was when
he wanted to shock everyone.
Because that very day would decide—
who would rise…
and who would be left behind.
Leaving everything behind,
Abhimanyu entered the hall.
At the center of the chamber stood the Martial Awakening Stone.
Slowly, carefully,
he placed his hand upon it.
And then—
Brilliant light burst forth in all directions.
The light began to swirl…
growing denser…
until—
it took form.
It was no ordinary shape.
It felt as if it possessed its own consciousness.
The next instant—
the light transformed
into a massive, mighty Fire Dragon.
Abhimanyu's breath caught in his throat.
Then the mysterious voice echoed once more—
"Interesting…
It seems you are a genius not only in magic,
but in martial arts as well.
You have awakened the Fire Dragon."
"The Fire Dragon is a mythical creature,
one that existed millions of years ago.
It was proficient not only in martial arts,
but also in magic."
"Very few beings are capable of walking both paths.
And now…
you are one of them."
"For you—
this is the most perfect choice."
The voice vanished again,
just as mysteriously as before.
Abhimanyu stood silently.
He was no longer afraid.
He had grown accustomed to that voice.
But within him—
a new fire had been ignited.
What exactly is this mysterious Fire Dragon?
When the Saini family—
and the entire world—
learns that Abhimanyu has awakened it,
what will happen?
Will the world ever discover
that Abhimanyu is not only a martial artist,
but also a genius of magic?
The answers to all these questions
will be revealed—
in the chapters to come.