His chest's scar was still fresh from the previous night's beatings.
He didn't even have his old shelter to live in.
His brother didn't move in two days— cold hands and no breaths.
"Please…"
A boy, no older than seven, was on his knees.
Tarun Singh.
Trembling. Bloody. Scarred.
His thin arms clutched a man's boot who was more of a demon than a human.
The man was sitting on his makeshift throne with a lion's skin draped over him like a trophy— emitting an aura heavier than gravity.
No one talked against him unless they wanted to lose their lives.
Dozens of guards surrounded the room, armed with the best weapons during that time.
"How did he even enter?" Every guard thought the same but didn't utter those words.
But their hands hovered over the triggers of their guns, ready to kill that boy.
"Let's end this street rat already."
But the man on the throne raised his hand. That alone was enough.
"What do you want, kid?" The man's intimidating voice boomed through the throne room.
"I… want to be strong." Tarun's fragile voice was barely audible, but he didn't leave the boots even for a moment.
"I don't want to cry… every day before I sleep."
The man slightly tilted his head. "So? What should I—"
"Please train me!" This voice was different.
Tarun had determination. He was done with the sense of dread he was living with.
That night of 2016 was going to be the last when he stayed weak.
The man noticed what Tarun had. He leaned in and examined the boy closely.
Cold and ruthless. He said—
"So here's the thing. I will…"
——————————————
"…not train you."
The voice echoed in a different voice now.
In the present, Tarun stood still and calm.
He looked down as Yug slowly let go of his feet, fists dug into the floor. Tears dropped down.
Yug's days of pleading… denied.
Even Tarun didn't want this. But strength could not simply be handed to someone just like that.
Yug's eyes were stuck on the floor. He was too heartbroken to even look up. Tarun picked up his bag and began to leave.
For the last time, he took a glance at the broken boy— Tarun's eyes were sympathetic.
Yug was frozen in the same state.
Tarun let out a forced smile. "Only fools chase something big," he said.
Yug looked up with swollen eyes. "You're a really big fool, Yug."
Yug wanted to scream his heart out. But he couldn't catch a breath.
Tarun walked away, leaving a silence that was louder than any farewell.
——————————————
A few days passed.
Yug walked into the school with a heavy heart.
Tarun's answer was still etched in his mind like a scar that wouldn't heal.
But the world didn't stop— neither did Yug.
He reached the class late, minutes before the 1st period. And the first person he searched for was Rishabh.
He found him and walked towards the source of comfort he had left.
But—
"Yug Verma. Here," the teacher called, "The seats have been reshuffled."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Yug turned to see his new benchmate.
It was Manav Prakash.
He patted the seat beside him as if Yug was being invited to the depths of hell.
Yug's spine stiffened, stopping him to take any further steps.
He quickly examined the class to find out about the condition— it was clearly terrible.
Rishabh?
He was made to sit alone at the last.
Tarun was reluctantly seated with Vijay, who didn't stop eerily grinning.
And in that moment, the three of them had realised it.
It was all planned. A trap.
The Eternal Order was just getting started.
Rumours spread in the classroom as quick as light could.
Half of them were fake.
The other half? The truth was worse.
Yug sat at his place with his guard up, with fists clenched near his knees.
Vijay, at his place, leaned in closer to Tarun.
"Have a great year, Singh."
Tarun still smiled at him, but his jaw clenched at the same time.
——————————————
Before anything else happened, the bell rang.
Yug took a deep breath. But the happiness didn't last long—
It was P.E. class now. One of Yug's nightmares.
Everyone moved towards the field. Yug reluctantly followed them.
But Rishabh stayed in class as usual— and surprisingly, even Manav did.
Students lined up in front of the P.E. teacher, who announced that there would be a physical performance test.
Sprinting. Pull ups. Lifting weights. Dodgeball. They were everything Yug was bad at.
Vijay walked to the teacher and whispered something.
The teacher followed him like a master.
"Tarun. Go join the senior students."
"Are you sure that—"
"Don't argue back."
Tarun walked towards the seniors, each one looking more terrifying than the last.
The first thing they did was pull ups.
Yug was called first. The Eternal Order laughed out loud.
Yug was paired with Vijay. And for the first time, Yug tried his best.
He began. His hands shivered but the grip didn't loosen.
Vijay looked at him, taken aback by his resistance.
Yug's shoulders screamed. His body begged to drop down. But he didn't want to fall again
Finally, Yug reached the top— once.
Just one. That was all he had.
Vijay laughed mockingly and easily beat him, showing off his strength with clean reps.
As he walked back, he raised a hand at Yug, as if he was about to attack.
Yug flinched. Vijay smirked.
"Relax, weakling. Just stretching."
This stabbed deeper than any other insult.
Yug didn't even recover when the teacher announced the next test.
Weightlifting. The maximum would be recorded.
——————————————
In the class, Rishabh pretended to read but his eyes were on Manav.
He was typing on his secretly smuggled phone.
Fingers moved fast.
And something was being written on papers at the same time.
Rishabh keenly observed Manav's suspicious body language.
He already knew it all— just searched for any evidence.
Suddenly, Manav's phone loudly buzzed.
He shot a cold glare at Rishabh and moved out, picking up the call.
On his way out, he dropped his bag on the floor.
Careless or deliberate? He didn't pick it up.
Rishabh got up, heart pounding loudly.
He crept to the bag and saw something—
A file peeked out, marked with symbols.
"1-1-1"
"4:3:4"
"Take Him Down"
That's all Rishabh needed. One look and it was stored in his mind exactly as it was.
His brain spun. What could it mean?
Patterns. Plans. Reasons.
He cracked it.
But Manav could return any moment.
——————————————
At the school gym, students lined up like wolves ready to lunge at prey.
Yug was first.
Despite knowing his standards, he went for the 7.5 kg dumbbells.
Everyone began giggling at the desperate guy.
He slowly lifted it, bearing from the pain from before. His weak muscles tightened.
He gritted his teeth, using all that he had.
But just when he was an inch away from locking the rep— he gave up as his chest caved in.
Vijay, the next in line, walked near Yug.
He had light 2.5 kg weights with him, which were handed to Yug.
"Pick this up. No point trying… just to fail."
But before Yug could grab it—
THUNK!
Yug's eyes widened. The dumbbell slammed on his foot like a hammer on the bone.
"Oops," Vijay tried to hide his smile, "My bad."
Yug screamed on the top of his lungs.
Pain shot up his foot like fire spreading.
His knees buckled as he fell down.
The students burst out laughing.
Yug wanted to beat the soul out of them, but knew he'd fail.
He just began limping to the locker room.
Vijay interrupted, calm and composed.
"Sir, is he really allowed to leave mid-test?"
The teacher nodded in a yes.
But Vijay looked at him with haunting eyes, as if it was game over.
——————————————
Rishabh stood at the front of the class, scanning the arrangement of students.
He held his notebook, noting it all down.
And when he realised everything, his eyes went wide with shock.
"1-1-1"
Rishabh. Yug with Manav. Tarun with Vijay.
All of their targets were separated.
"4:3:4"
4 students on the left. 3 more in the middle. 4 sitting on the right.
The Eternal Order was scattered in the class.
His fingers grabbed the notebook tighter.
He didn't have time left— time was ticking.
"Take Him Down"
Yug? Too weak. Rishabh? Not a target.
Definitely, Tarun was the one.
"They are… planning to hunt us down!"
But then—
Rishabh heard approaching footsteps.
A shadow loomed on the tiles. Manav was back in the class.
——————————————
Some time passed.
Even the other students were entering the locker room, where Yug just wiped his tears.
Vijay wasn't among them anymore.
To Yug's surprise, none of them freshened up.
Instead, they circled around him.
"Hey 'friend', is your leg fine?"
One of them sneered, pressing the swollen foot.
Yug grunted and tried to push him back— but a harsh slap hit him.
A knee drove to his face, dropping him to the floor.
But Yug finally retaliated. He landed a punch— the first one in his life.
The student flinched, but didn't budge much.
"Huh, that's all you got?"
He showed Yug what a real attack looked like.
A sharp roundhouse struck at the side of his head, the temple.
He tried to step back, but another student stepped on the broken foot.
Around him, everyone laughed hysterically.
And the wolves finally began their feast.
——————————————
Manav entered the class, which looked emptier than usual.
Everything felt like it was in its place a little too perfectly.
Manav raised an eyebrow, still on the call— a call with Vijay.
"I hope it's all working good."
Rishabh was breathing heavily.
His body trembled as he was trying not to make any noise under the teacher's desk.
Manav's footsteps echoed.
"Yeah, Mehra's glory days are over."
Rishabh's breath caught.
It all made sense now.
"Take Him Down"
This code was not for Tarun. He was just a minor target in the bigger picture.
Manav was near his bag, wondering something.
His footsteps approached closer to Rishabh.
"Tarun is a bait." Rishabh thought.
"They are after Principal Mehra!"
And just when he looked up—
The eyes were unblinking. The smile was wide.
Manav crouched beneath the desk.
"Found you."
His grin was sharper.
——————————————
The locker room was no longer a safe place.
Yug spat blood, barely able to stand anymore.
He still limped forward.
A punch landed to a student's gut. But it was not a punch— it was just a touch.
He didn't have any strength left.
A kick dug into Yug's spine, sending a cold shiver through his body.
As he was about to fall in front, an elbow hit his chin from beneath.
This sent Yug flying back.
His head hit one of the lockers— and his world went black.
——————————————
Manav, in the class, looked into Rishabh's eyes.
Rishabh sat frozen at his place.
And just when a strike was about to land on his face—
Something caught Manav off guard.
He slipped.
Rishabh knew that this might happen. He had dropped water at the place beforehand.
Before Manav could get back, Rishabh bolted to the P.E. class like his life mattered on it.
"This can't be the truth."
His lungs burned in pain.
He knew he could sprint only till his asthma began troubling him.
"I need to find Yug."
He glanced back to see that Manav was at the classroom door. Watching him.
"If this happens… the school's hierarchy would turn… upside down."
——————————————
The students surrounded the unconscious Yug in the locker room.
"Is he dead?"
One of them leaned in to check his pulse.
He was alive.
They stepped back in fear.
Maybe they'd gone too far.
"Vijay sir… will save us, right?" One gulped.
Nobody answered that in quiet panic.
The students decided to leave, one by one.
Yug's body wasn't moving.
But—
His eyes snapped open.
The light blue pupils slowly twisted.
They began to turn as white as marble.
A line of blood trickled down from the corner of his eyes.
Those eyes were unrecognisable now—
Pitch white. Inhuman.
