Haryana, India
Year: 2035
The sun blazed over the fields of Mahra village, painting golden streaks across the waving wheat. Life here moved slow—unchanged by the rising towers of Gurugram or the digital whirlwind beyond. But the peace wouldn't last.
Not today.
Twelve-year-old Ankit Kumar crouched near the edge of a dusty canal, his fingers dipped in cool water. His schoolbag lay nearby, kicked over and half unzipped, as usual. He wasn't one for homework, not with the endless sky above and the call of the wind teasing his ears.
"Ankit! Oye, pagal! Come quick!" a voice yelled behind him.
He looked up to see his cousin, Ravi, sprinting down the dirt road barefoot, waving both arms like a man on fire. "What now?" Ankit muttered.
Ravi grabbed his arm, panting hard. "The sky! Something's coming! Teacher said to run home!"
Ankit tilted his head. A faint hum trembled through the air—like distant thunder with no clouds in sight. And then…
The sky ripped open.
A scar of crimson slashed across the horizon, and from it rained streaks of burning light. No one had seen anything like it. Not stars. Not planes. No satellite should fall like this. It wasn't manmade.
It was something else.
The first impact hit the far edge of the fields. The earth shook, windows shattered, and power poles snapped like twigs. Birds shrieked. Dogs howled. People screamed. Ankit and Ravi fell, shielding their heads as flames roared in the distance.
Above them, a meteorite the size of a mountain roared down, trailing black fire. It hit somewhere far—north, maybe Himachal or further—but the aftershock echoed like the gods waking up.
And in the moments that followed, something invisible washed across the world. Mana.
It swept through everything—trees, buildings, bones, blood. Ankit gasped. His chest tightened. His vision blurred. He could feel something changing inside him.
The air shimmered.
The world changed.
Forever.
6 Years Later
Age: 12
The day had arrived.
Today, Ankit stood barefoot under the village's ancient banyan tree, watching as the elders performed simple blessings for all the newly awakened. He wasn't thinking about blessings.
He was thinking about the mark that had appeared on the inside of his right palm at dawn. A circular symbol glowing faint blue, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
The Soulmark.
His father stood beside him, silent. A hard man, shaped by droughts and discipline, but today his eyes betrayed a tremble. His mother, veiled, said nothing. She didn't need to. Today wasn't about family. It was about the world calling to its future.
Ankit closed his eyes.
He felt it.
The system.
[System Activated]
Welcome, Soul-Bound Wielder.
Name: Ankit Kumar
Age: 12
Origin: Earth – India – Haryana
Soul Weapon: Talwar – Rank: F
Progression Level: 1
Stats:
– Strength: 5
– Agility: 4
– Intelligence: 5
– Endurance: 6
Skill Proficiency:
– Swordsmanship: 0%
– Mana Sense: Locked
– Elemental Affinity: Undiscovered
He opened his eyes as a strange energy circled his body. A burning shape coalesced in front of him—a spectral outline of a sword, curved and ancient, like the talwars wielded by warriors in Rajput legends. It solidified into steel in his hands.
The Talwar was long, slightly curved, with a golden hilt and a red tassel fluttering at the pommel. It was heavy. It was alive.
And it was his.
A voice echoed in his mind. Not words. A call. From beyond.
He looked around. Other children were crying, laughing, kneeling—some held spears, others had bows, staves, shields, even strange items like whips, gauntlets, or fans of wind and fire. Each child had awakened differently. Soul Weapons were unique.
Ankit gripped his talwar tighter.
Then the ground beneath them shifted.
A portal opened.
Right under their feet.
A circle of glowing runes. Everyone screamed. Parents rushed forward, but it was too late.
Ankit barely managed to meet his mother's eyes—before he and the others were pulled into the sky by pure light.
They vanished.
Location: Tower of Transcendence
Training Ground – Year 1
Ankit hit solid ground with a thud, rolling across white marble tiles. Around him, dozens of kids blinked into the massive courtyard—confused, stunned, crying.
Then a booming voice filled the sky, neither male nor female. Pure and divine.
"Welcome, first generation. You now stand in the Tower of Transcendence. For three years, you shall train. Learn to fight. Learn to survive. Learn to evolve."
"Every ten floors conquered will grant you freedom. Choose peace… or choose power."
"You now walk the Ascension Protocol."
Ankit stood slowly. His talwar shimmered at his side. He looked up at the tower that stretched into infinity.
His heart raced.
His fists clenched.
And he smiled.
"I'll reach the top."
End of Chapter 1