Zone 5 wasn't truly silent. It thrummed with leftover energy from Master Earth's domain, mixed with the harsh, ragged gasps coming from Rudra's throat. He lay there, one hand resting against the worn leather of Earth's boot. His body was covered in blood and dust, shaking with exhaustion. But deep inside, something had changed.
His prāṇa, which had once surged wildly under the crushing 32x gravity, now flowed steadily, like molten diamond. It was thick, dense, glowing with a sharp blue light that pulsed with purpose. The chaos inside him had been shaped into something focused and powerful. The pain was still overwhelming—his nerves screamed, his bones felt ground to dust—but it no longer controlled him. He had taken control from within.
With a heavy grunt, more effort than pain, Rudra pushed himself onto his hands and knees. The movement was slow and full of resistance. Muscles shook. Bones creaked. But each shift was deliberate. His refined prāṇa flowed with control, guiding the movement along the paths that hurt the least, reinforcing damaged tissues that had begun to heal faster. A bloodied palm pressed against the packed ground. Then a foot. Bit by bit, he rose—not all the way, not in this gravity—but into a low, solid crouch.
Sweat and blood stuck his hair to his skin. Dust covered the tatters of his uniform. But his eyes, when they lifted to meet Master Earth's, were bright and steady. He took one slow step, the ground trembling beneath it. Then another. The distance between them was only a few feet—but in Zone 5, it may as well have been miles.
He stopped before the mountainous instructor. Reaching out a trembling, blood-smeared hand, Rudra placed it firmly on Master Earth's shoulder.
The contact was brief, a simple touch. But in the heart of the Weighted Earth domain, it resonated like a thunderclap.
Instantly, the crushing pressure vanished.
WHUMPF.
The release was as shocking as the initial imposition. Students gasped, stumbled, some falling to their knees as the weight they'd been fighting simply disappeared. Rudra swayed, the sudden lightness almost as disorienting as the crushing force had been. He locked his knees, forcing himself to remain upright through sheer will and the thrumming resilience of his newly refined body.
Master Earth slowly rose to his full, imposing height. He looked down at Rudra, his simple features betraying a flicker of something deep – not just surprise, but profound approval. He gave a single, slow nod.
"Well done, Initiate Rudra," his voice boomed, effortlessly filling the suddenly quiet field. "You endured the deepest crucible. You reached the center.
The field didn't break into cheers. Instead, it exploded into whispers—shocked, breathless, full of emotion.
Ronald face was stone, but his eyes were cold with fury. Disdain had turned into pure hatred. Rudra standing, touching the Master after surviving Zone 5—it was too much. Ronald's jaw clenched, a muscle twitching in his cheek. His classmates whispered behind him:
"Show-off!"
"Got lucky."
"He'll collapse any second."
But those were thin covers for the truth: Ronald was jealous. He was afraid. Rudra had done what no one else had even dared try.
Vaishnav stared, utterly transfixed. The complex mix of rivalry and grudging respect had crystallized into stark awe. He understood the sheer impossibility of what he'd just witnessed. Seeing Rudra rise, bloody but unbroken, and deliberately touch Earth... it was a statement of terrifying power and will. Jealousy warred with a reluctant, dawning realization: Rudra was leagues beyond him. The gap wasn't closing; it was widening into a chasm.
"RUDRA!" Harry finally found his voice, a shout of pure, unadulterated relief and fierce pride. He shoved past stunned students, his face a picture of worry and exhilaration. He reached Rudra just as the younger man swayed again, throwing a supportive arm around his shoulders. "You madman! You absolute, glorious madman!" His voice trembled with emotion. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"
The crowd's voices filled the air.
"He touched him!"
"In Zone Five... how?!"
"Look at him! He's standing!"
"Insane... completely insane..."
"Clain looks ready to murder..."
"That's... that's monstrous strength."
Faces were pale, eyes wide with shock, disbelief, awe, and naked envy. The spectacle had transcended mere training; it was legendary. Rudra, the unknown commoner admitted mid-term, had just performed a feat no other Initiate had even dared attempt, let alone achieved.
Master Earth reached into a pouch at his belt and pulled out the small crystal vial. The Perfect Quality Prana Path Expansion Pill glowed within it, radiating a soft, potent, earthy light that seemed to pulse in time with Rudra's own refined prana.
"This," Earth boomed, holding the vial aloft so all could see, "was promised." He placed it firmly into Rudra's bloodied, but surprisingly steady, hand. "Earned through will and endurance few possess." He leaned down slightly, his voice dropping to a deep rumble meant only for Rudra and Harry nearby. "The rest of your reward... comes later. When the time is right." His gaze held a promise of more profound challenges. "Now," his voice rose again, "Infirmary. Immediately. Harry Vance?"
"Sir!" Harry snapped upright, still supporting Rudra.
"Ensure he gets there. See the Head Medic. Tell her 'Earth sent him."
"Yes, Master!" Harry said, already gently steering the swaying Rudra towards the exit.
Master Earth surveyed the stunned, murmuring crowd. "Class dismissed. Reflect on what you witnessed. Reflect on your own limits. We reconvene in fifteen days." Without another word, the massive man turned and strode away, leaving behind a field buzzing with the aftershocks of the impossible.
As Rudra, leaning heavily on Harry, limped off the field, the whispers intensified, fracturing into different camps.
Ronald's Circle a group of well-dressed initiates clustered around Ronald, their faces mirroring his fury. "Pure showmanship," sneered one. "Reckless endangerment! Master Earth should have stopped him!" spat another. "He'll pay for that arrogance," a third hissed. "Burned himself out, you watch. That pill won't save him." Ronald remained silent, his cold blue eyes fixed on Rudra's retreating back, the hatred in them a palpable thing. He ignored Vaishnav's nearby, thoughtful frown.
Many students just stared after Rudra, shaking their heads in disbelief. "Did that really happen?" "Zone Five... touched the Master..." ." "Clain's furious." "Wouldn't you be?" They dispersed slowly, conversations dominated by the unprecedented feat.
Vaishnav watched Rudra disappear, then cast a final, unreadable glance at Ronald's seething group before turning away. He walked off alone, his expression thoughtful, the competitive fire within him burning hotter than ever, but now tempered by a stark awareness of the mountain he needed to climb.
The Head Medic, a stern-faced woman named Elara with eyes that missed nothing, took one look at Rudra being half-carried in by Harry and snapped into action. Earth's domain? Zone?" she demanded, already guiding them to a reinforced cot.
"Zone Five," Harry supplied, still sounding slightly dazed.
Elara's eyebrows shot up. She gave Rudra a long, appraising look. "Hmph. Sit." Her hands glowed with a soft green light as she began rapid, efficient diagnostics. "Multiple microfractures... severe muscular tearing... strained cardiovascular system... prana channels stressed but... remarkably stable?" She frowned, her healing energy probing deeper. Hmph." She set to work, her touch firm but gentle, knitting bone and mending muscle with expert precision. "Stupidly reckless. Hold still."
As the soothing green energy flowed through him, Rudra finally relaxed minutely, the adrenaline fading to reveal the bone-deep exhaustion. He fished the crystal vial from his pocket, the pill glowing softly within.
"Harry," Rudra rasped, his voice raw. "This pill... Master Earth called it a Prana Path Expansion Pill. Perfect Quality. What... what does it actually do?"
Harry whistled softly, leaning closer to look at the vial with naked envy and respect. "Rudra... mate... that's not just an ordinary pill. That's a treasure."
He explained, his voice low and earnest:
"It expands your prana pathways, Rudra. The channels inside you where your energy flows. Think of them like rivers. This pill... it widens the riverbed. Deepens it."
"Wider, deeper pathways mean you can hold more prana. A lot more. It increases your total capacity exponentially. It also allows prana to flow faster and with less resistance, making your techniques more powerful and efficient."
"Pills like this, especially Perfect Quality... they're incredibly rare and potent. Most initiates save them. They're not usually taken right away. The optimal time," Harry emphasised, "is when you're at the peak of Level 3 Initiate, right when you're about to break through to Level 4.
Rudra stared at the glowing pill, understanding dawning. It wasn't just a prize for today; it was an investment in his future, a key to unlocking the next stage of his monstrous potential. Master Earth's words echoed: "The rest of your reward... comes later. When the time is right." He understood now.
Harry clapped him lightly on the shoulder (avoiding the worst bruises). "What you did today, Rudra... it was insane. It was terrifying. No one else in that class, maybe no one else in the Academy at our level, could have done it. You earned that pill twice over." He shook his head, a grin finally breaking through the worry. "Just... maybe try not to get quite so pulverised next time, yeah? My heart can't take it."
As Elara continued her meticulous work, Rudra closed his eyes, the soft glow of the healing energy and the potent pulse of the pill in his hand merging with the deep, resonant hum of his newly refined diamond-bright prana. He had walked through hell and emerged reforged. The path ahead was daunting, paved with rivals like Ronald and Vaishnav, mentors like Earth and Edward, and challenges far beyond gravity domains. But he had the foundation.
The echoes of his feat would ripple through Adraksha Academy, but for Rudra, the real work was just beginning.