đź“Ś Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, events, and locations are purely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or entities is purely coincidental.
Previously: Raunak Virk passed the Faction Trials and received an exclusive invitation to join India's top-tier faction — Lotus Veil. He unlocked his latent psionic core and took his first step toward mastering psychic combat. Now, the veil lifts further…
1. Welcome to the Veil
The world shimmered once more.
Raunak felt the sensation of falling — fast — then weightlessness. He landed softly on a circular stone platform suspended high above a fog-drenched valley. Dozens of similar platforms floated nearby, some connected by translucent bridges of light, others drifting freely.
[Location: Lotus Veil — Skyward Sanctum (Level 1)]
[Access Level: Initiate Psion]
"Woah…" Raunak whispered.
This was no ordinary training base.
The air was charged with energy. Wild, natural psionic energy that hummed around every stone, leaf, and breath. Above him, a massive lotus-shaped temple floated, its petals slowly turning in rhythm with the flow of psychic currents.
A voice echoed around him — calm, confident, and infinitely ancient.
"Welcome, Initiate Raunak Virk. You stand now on sacred ground. The Skyward Sanctum is where seeds bloom into warriors of thought and blade."
A robed figure materialized beside him, seemingly formed from threads of light. Her presence was peaceful but formidable — Guru Ishani again.
Raunak bowed instinctively. "Thank you, Master."
She nodded. "You showed promise in the trial, but promise is not power. The Lotus Veil does not shelter the weak. It awakens the strong."
2. Faction Hierarchy & Structure
Guru Ishani gestured, and a glowing tree-shaped diagram appeared midair.
Lotus Veil Faction Structure:
The Grand Bloom(High Council – 5 members)
Stems(Advanced Psions – Mentors, Elite Operatives)
Petals(Core Rankers – Mid-level Specialists)
Seeds(Initiates – New Recruits)
"You are a Seed. You must grow to become a Petal and one day, perhaps, a Stem. Few ever reach the Grand Bloom."
Raunak listened intently. "What about missions? Do we leave the sanctum?"
"Soon," she said. "But first, you must survive induction."
A gong rang out in the distance.
"Report to the Mirror Grove. There, your training begins."
3. The Mirror Grove
Raunak followed the glowing paths until he reached a wide garden lined with floating mirrors, each one humming with strange energy.
Other new initiates were already gathered — ten in total. Diverse in appearance, but all with the same quiet intensity.
[New Players Introduced:]
Tara Mehta — illusionist, fast-talking genius
Pranav Rao — silent tank, telekinetic brute
Yumi Kano — foreign exchange initiate from Japan, empathic healer
Shiv Datar — hotheaded pyrokinetic with a psionic twist
A tall male instructor stepped forward. Bald, scarred, and radiating raw power.
"I am Instructor Dev. Welcome to Mirror Grove."
"This grove reflects not just your form — but your truth."
Each initiate stood before a mirror.
Raunak stepped to his. The surface shimmered.
Then he saw it.
Not just himself — but a twisted version: a fearful, uncertain boy trying to act brave. Behind that reflection, another flickered — a shadow of Raunak as he could become: calm, confident, powerful, in control of immense psionic energy.
[Mirror Challenge Activated: Face Yourself]
[Duration: Until Resolution Achieved]
His reflection stepped out of the mirror, alive and smirking.
"You think you're special? You got lucky. That's it."
Raunak clenched his fists.
"Maybe I did get lucky," he replied. "But I'm not stopping here."
The two fought — mind against mind, thought against thought.
Each blow from the mirror clone was not physical — but emotional. Self-doubt. Regret. The trauma of losing his older brother. The helplessness of growing up powerless in a world of monsters.
But Raunak did not fall.
He endured. He resisted.
He believed.
[Mirror Challenge Complete]
[Inner Strength Increased +5]
[Focus Efficiency +3%]
[Skill Evolution Possible]
[Psionic Pulse → Psionic Wave Unlocked]
[New Ability Tree Branch: Mirror Ascension Path (Locked – Tier 2 Required)]
Instructor Dev gave a rare nod. "Decent."
Others had varied success. Tara tricked her mirror. Pranav punched his into fragments. Yumi cried — and embraced hers.
4. Lotus Veil Core Training Begins
Over the following week, life in the Lotus Veil Sanctum became intense.
Days were filled with:
Mental Conditioning Rituals — to strengthen focus and pain resistance.
Combat Meditation — fighting while maintaining deep internal awareness.
Simulated Crises — responding to chaotic psionic outbreaks across India.
Raunak excelled at adaptive combat and began forming bonds with fellow initiates — especially Yumi and Tara, who showed mutual respect for his calm approach.
During one sparring session, Instructor Dev whispered as he passed Raunak:
"You're being watched."
Raunak froze.
"By whom?" he asked.
"The Grand Bloom. And others outside the faction."
The implications were massive. Being noticed by the Grand Bloom was rare. But others? That hinted at something darker.
Was someone already trying to recruit… or eliminate… him?
5. Final Induction Test — The Awakening Bloom
After ten days of intensive training, the final induction trial arrived.
Each Seed would enter the Awakening Bloom, a psionic maze that would either unlock their next evolution — or erase them from the faction permanently.
Guru Ishani stood at the gate.
"One in five fail," she said. "If you do not believe in your truth, turn back."
Raunak stepped forward.
"I'm not stopping now."
As he entered, the doors closed behind him.
The air was thick. Heavy. Time itself slowed.
The maze shifted endlessly. Illusions, memories, psychic attacks — all twisted around him.
At the heart of the maze, Raunak found… himself again. But older. Wiser. With glowing psionic eyes.
The future?
[Latent Psionic Core Fully Acknowledged]
[You have glimpsed a potential self]
[Path Fragment Unlocked: Soulweaver Class (Locked – Level 20 Required)]
A lotus bloomed before him.
He reached out.
[Initiation Complete — Rank Promoted: Petal Class Psion (Level 8)]
[Skill Upgrades Available]
[Faction Loyalty: High]
[Special Authority Unlocked: Mission Delegate – Tier I]
Raunak stepped out of the maze.
The initiates cheered.
Guru Ishani gave him a subtle nod of approval.
"You are no longer a Seed," she said. "Now you grow. Now… you bloom."
End of Chapter 6