Aaditya sat in the stark white room, the three officers standing before him with impassive expressions. The weight of the moment pressed on him. He had barely made it through the tests, his strength only just meeting the minimum threshold. And yet, they had approved him. He was now eligible to leave this planet and explore others.
The lead officer, a stern-faced man with sharp eyes, placed a document before Aaditya. "Sign this. It's a contract." His voice was cold, emotionless.
Aaditya picked up the paper and scanned through it. The contract was brief but absolute. It detailed his approval for planetary travel, the conditions he had to meet, and—most importantly—the absolute secrecy he had to maintain.
"This is a top-secret program," the second officer stated. "You are forbidden from revealing it to anyone. Not your friends. Not your family. If this secret is ever exposed…" He let the words hang in the air, a smirk playing on his lips.
Aaditya swallowed. They didn't have to say it outright. He understood. If he broke this rule, he wouldn't live to regret it.
"Once you complete your training, you will receive your card," the third officer added. "That card will allow you to travel between planets. But for now, you are only being given a pass to enter the training grounds. Your real journey begins after that."
The gravity of it all settled on Aaditya. He had struggled just to survive up to this point, and now he was being thrust into a world far larger and more dangerous than he had ever imagined. He took a deep breath, picked up the pen, and signed his name.
The officers exchanged glances before nodding. "Your path is set," the lead officer said. "Survive your training, and the universe will open its doors to you. Fail… and no one will remember your name."
Aaditya clenched his fists. He had come too far to fail now.