Chapter 10 - Welcome to my home
Two little girls played in a sunlit garden, their laughter weaving through the air like wind chimes in a gentle breeze. One girl, Pragathi, twirled in circles, arms outstretched like the petals of a blooming flower. The other, Yashaswini, chased after her, giggling with pure joy. These were cherished moments--innocent, golden memories untouched by the weight of the world.
But then, the dream shattered.
Yashaswini's eyes fluttered open. The warmth of the garden faded, replaced by the unfamiliar sight of a wooden ceiling above her. Her body ached all over, a dull, throbbing pain that refused to subside. Was she dreaming? No… this was real.
Then she heard it.
"NINETY-EIGHT! 🔥🔥""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"NINETY-NINE! 🔥🔥""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"ONE MORE! LAST ONE! LET'S GO! 🔥🔥""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
What in the world…?
Yashaswini winced and slowly turned her head toward the source of the noise. A young man was in the middle of his workout, beads of sweat trickling down his face as he pressed his body up from the ground one last time.
"HACKER OR WHAT?! ONE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS WITHOUT A BREAK! NOW THAT'S PROGRESS! 🔥🔥""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
His expression radiated ecstasy, as if he had just conquered an entire battlefield.
She recognized him from the forest, but why was she here? Where was she? The last thing she remembered was the battle--the ten assassins, the bloodied sword in her grip, the bear charging at her before darkness swallowed everything. Her thoughts raced like wildfire, but her body refused to move. She tried to speak, her throat dry, but managed to croak out,
"Where… am I?"
Aman's triumphant grin faded slightly as he turned to face her. He grabbed a towel, wiped his face, and sauntered over with an easygoing air. "Oh? You're awake already? That's impressive."
Yashaswini struggled to sit up, but the pain was unbearable. She fell back against the pillow, breathing heavily. "What happened? How did I get here?"
Aman folded his arms, pretending to think. "Well… you kinda collapsed in the forest after getting your ass kicked. I saved you, obviously."
Yashaswini narrowed her eyes. "And… my injuries? The medicine? My clothes?"
Aman's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, those? Yeah, I took care of everything. Cleaned you up, dressed your wounds, and, well, changed your clothes too. Gotta say, that was quite the task."
Silence.
Yashaswini's face turned crimson. Her heart pounded in embarrassment. "Y-you--WHAT?!"
Aman feigned an innocent expression. "Hmm? Something wrong?"
"You changed my clothes?!" Her voice wavered between shock and horror.
"Well, yeah. You were covered in blood. Couldn't just leave you like that, could I?"
Yashaswini opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Her mind spiraled with a mix of gratitude, humiliation, and the overwhelming urge to sink into the bed and disappear.
Aman chuckled at her reaction. "Relax, relax. I'm just messing with you. Ishita took care of all that."
Yashaswini exhaled in relief but quickly realized he had been teasing her. "You… You absolute--"
"Genius? Handsome devil? Prodigy? Yeah, I get that a lot." Aman grinned.
She groaned and turned away, mumbling curses under her breath.
"Well, now that you're up and breathing, let's talk," Aman said, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. "I'm Aman, an inner disciple of the Jyotirmaya Sect. You're in one of our resting quarters near the town."
Yashaswini, still recovering from her embarrassment, took a deep breath."Jyotirmaya Sect… I see."
"You mind telling me who you are and why you were being chased by a bunch of killers in the middle of the night?"
Her expression darkened. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "My name is Yashaswini… and as for why I was being hunted…" She clenched her fists, a flicker of anger in her eyes. "That… is a long story."
Aman leaned back, smirking. "Well, good thing I've got time."
---
Aman listened intently as Yashaswini recounted her story, her voice tinged with exhaustion and sorrow. She was a disciple of the Pure Yin Sect, a renowned sect known for its profound techniques rooted in the Yin Dao. One fateful night, their sect was ambushed. The attack was swift and brutal, leaving the disciples with little time to react.
"It wasn't just an attack," she murmured, her fingers clutching the blanket tightly. "There were traitors among us. People we trusted… They turned on us."
Faced with overwhelming enemies and betrayal from within, Yashaswini and her closest friend, Pragathi, had no choice but to flee. They ran under the cover of night, their sect engulfed in flames behind them. But their pursuers were relentless. They chased them across valleys, rivers, and forests, forcing them into desperate escape maneuvers.
"In the chaos… Pragathi and I got separated." Her voice wavered slightly, the weight of uncertainty pressing on her. "I don't know where she is now… or if she's even alive."
Fatigued, injured, and lost, Yashaswini had somehow stumbled into Kaalguda, the town where Aman had found her. The rest was history.
She let out a slow, weary breath. "And now… I have nowhere to go."
Aman remained silent for a moment, his gaze sharp and contemplative. The attack on Pure Yin Sect, the traitors, the ambush--it was a tangled mess. But one thing was clear: someone powerful was behind it. And if they were still searching for survivors like Yashaswini, this wasn't over yet.
—
Aman stretched his arms, feeling the slight soreness from his earlier workout. Then, without hesitation, he started unbuttoning his robe.
Yashaswini, already on edge from the previous conversation, widened her eyes in alarm. "W-What are you doing?!" she stammered, instinctively pulling her blanket tighter around her.
Aman glanced at her with a deadpan expression. "Taking a bath. If I don't wash up after exercising, I'll smell like shit."
Realizing she had jumped to conclusions, Yashaswini let out a deep sigh of relief, muttering under her breath about shameless men. Aman, unbothered, walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Inside the Bathhouse
As soon as warm water cascaded over his skin, Aman's mind activated its Professional ADHD Mode™.
From fantasizing about girls to thinking obsessively about machines, his thoughts jumped chaotically from one topic to another until, finally, he fixated on something philosophical.
Qi.
"What the hell is Qi?"
Was Qi matter? A wave? A particle? Gay?
"How do I manipulate Qi?"
Could it work like electrical potential? Like a river flowing from high to low energy?
No--wait. What if it worked like nuclear forces? But that didn't make sense either. If Qi could interfere with nuclear physics, it would violate the laws of nature…
"So then, what is Qi?!"
Sometimes, Qi behaved like a stream of water, flowing and filling spaces. But at other times, it acted like pure energy, capable of burning, freezing, or vibrating into sound waves.
"Fire Qi behaves like a wave… Water Qi behaves like matter… Sound is also a wave… Air contains particles…"
Aman's brain overclocked.
"Wait… does this mean Qi can manipulate both particles and waves? Does that make it some kind of universal force?"
He suddenly smacked his forehead.
"No, no, no--force alone doesn't explain transformation! Maybe… Maybe Qi is a unique form of energy, something undiscovered on Earth?"
"Yes! That has to be it!"
Just as he was about to reach an earth-shattering conclusion, Ishita banged on the bathroom door.
"Hurry up, nerd! You're taking forever!"
Aman blinked. "Oh yeah, I was supposed to be bathing."
And just like that, the grand mystery of Qi was put on hold--until next time.
—
Aman stepped out of the bathhouse, stretching his arms with a satisfied sigh. "Ahh… nothing beats a good bath." His skin still tingled from the warmth, and his mind--though still slightly occupied with the mysteries of Qi--was finally at ease.
As he entered the room, he saw Ishita sitting near a table, casually picking at some food. A fresh meal had been placed nearby, clearly meant for Yashaswini, who was still recovering in bed.
Aman's eyes lit up. "Wow, Ishita! You brought me food? You're really working hard, huh? If you keep this up, you might just--"
SMACK.
A well-aimed chop landed directly on Aman's head.
"Who the hell brought food for you?!" Ishita huffed, glaring at him. "I brought it for her, you idiot."
Aman rubbed his head, feigning deep betrayal. "Damn… that hurt me, not just physically, but spiritually."
Ignoring his nonsense, Ishita turned her attention to Yashaswini, who had woken up and was watching the two with mild amusement. Ishita quickly took a seat beside her and began chatting.
"So, what's your name?" Ishita asked, scooping up a portion of food.
"Yashaswini," the injured girl answered softly, still feeling weak.
"How are you feeling now? Any pain?"
"A bit… but much better than before," Yashaswini admitted.
Ishita nodded. "Good. You need to eat to recover faster." Without waiting for a response, she picked up a spoonful of food and held it near Yashaswini's mouth.
Yashaswini hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted the gesture, eating quietly as Ishita continued to chat, making her feel at ease.
Aman, watching the scene, smirked. "Damn, Ishita. You'd make a great mother."
"Shut up," Ishita snapped.
Aman chuckled, shaking his head. The day had been chaotic, but at least, for now, things were peaceful.
—
End of chapter 10