The Gathering Storm
The updated rankings had barely settled across the compartment screens when whispers erupted like sparks from a fire. Candidates leaned over their Halo Watches, comparing numbers, recalculating strategies, and hiding envy behind practiced smiles.
Ayush Dhal sat in the far corner, fingers drumming against his knee. His mind was a lattice of calculations, each point, each move in the next seven days laid out like pieces on a board. Erosion Beam's stability had earned him the top rank, yet Raghu's sudden rise to fourth — after just completing the Pocket of Echoes — pricked at his pride. He flexed his fingers, letting the faint residual heat from his beam hum beneath his skin."Interesting," he murmured, a sharp edge to the thought. "Green energy… unpredictable, but potent. This one may become a problem."
Across the compartment, Vedant Kael leaned back against the railing, arms crossed. His fire pulsed faintly from his breath as he exhaled, warming the air around him. He had been fourth yesterday. Now, he was second, but Raghu's sudden climb unsettled him more than he cared to admit. He let a grin slip, sharp and mischievous."Verdant Pulse… sounds like a toy. But the scores don't lie." He tapped the Halo Watch screen, eyes flicking toward Raghu's name. "Better watch him. For now, he's lucky. But luck isn't everything."
Gudi Moru, perched lightly on a railing with her bubble spheres shimmering faintly, noticed the quiet tension. She was fourth in her own calculations, ranking third after Raghu's jump. A smirk tugged at her lips as she snapped a finger, sending a small bubble into the air. It floated lazily, distorting the glow of the compartment lights."Let them scramble," she muttered. "Let the fire burn, let the beams erode, and let the plants… pulse." Beneath the teasing words was calculation, anticipation — she had learned early that patience could outweigh power.
Meanwhile, Raghu sat in the quiet of his capsule, the faint green pulse of his new ability thrum beneath his skin. Verdant Pulse was more than a novelty; the forest had whispered to him, trained him, and rewarded his patience. His fingers glowed faintly as he flexed them, the green energy washing over his arm. The Doom Train beneath him seemed aware, humming softly in sync with the pulse."The train… it's awake, or at least… listening," he thought, brow furrowed. "I need to understand this."
A subtle flicker on the Halo Watch drew his attention. A message from Jivan:
"When the train hums in green, listen close. It's not the engine—it's the roots. Follow the pulse if you wish. Enjoy the scenery before it decides otherwise."
Raghu chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Cryptic as always… and still probably trying to scam me." Yet, the message carried weight. It hinted at something beyond the mundane — something alive, intelligent, watching.
Across the compartment, several other candidates whispered among themselves. Lucien, ranked thirty-first, trailed Raghu's ascent with keen eyes, noting the sudden gap his own score left between him and the top four. He caught Raghu's gaze briefly, bowing politely, before muttering under his breath."Green energy… must be a pocket effect. Need to see if it lasts. Need to see if it works in real conditions."
The air in the compartment thickened with unspoken rivalry. Every move, every idle flex, every slight flick of the Halo Watch was scrutinized. The candidates knew the next seven days were critical — the Ascension Trial would decide their immediate fate, and the top three would gain access to Compartment Two, a realm of resources, pockets, and leverage.
Supervisor Harry observed from his console high above. He adjusted the lenses, the feed displaying multiple angles of the compartment. His expression remained cold, but beneath the calm, there was curiosity. The CNC had decreed observation only — no interference — yet the unusual synchronization rates and the subtle energy pulses from Raghu were enough to make him pause.
"Raghu… unusual," he murmured, noting the Halo Watch signals. "The forest effect lingers longer than expected. Cognitive integration still in play. Must monitor closely."
He flicked through the data streams from Ayush, Vedant, and Gudi, noting the patterns, the rivalry, the emerging competitive alignments. Each of the top candidates displayed extraordinary stability — their abilities integrated perfectly, their ranks pushing them into the compartment elite. But Raghu's pulse was different. Something about the Verdant Pulse had the train reacting, not just the candidate.
From a separate console, Brenda leaned in, eyes narrowing at the streams. She noticed the subtle fluctuations in Raghu's readings that even Harry didn't fully register."The Circles are involved," she muttered under her breath, recognizing the hand of their influence — subtle, precise, unseen. "They like this one… too much."
Nathan, watching silently beside her, shook his head. "You read too much into it. It's just a pattern."
Brenda shot him a glance. "Patterns don't lie. The Circles don't act without reason."
Nathan leaned back. "Let's hope your Circles don't get him killed before the trial."
The next day, the candidates received new messages from their Halo Watches. Each message contained hints, training suggestions, and minor rewards — subtle nudges from the CNC. Raghu's read:
"Observation continues. Your synchronization with the Verdant Pulse is noted. A minor test awaits — only patience and awareness will reward you. Enter the pocket when ready."
Other candidates received varied instructions, some encouraging combat training, others resource optimization. All contained the same unspoken warning: the Ascension Trial loomed.
By evening, the top-ranked candidates were isolated in different capsules, preparing quietly. Ayush tested his Erosion Beam against reinforced compartment panels, calibrating intensity to perfect control. Vedant practiced fine modulation of his Fire Breath, ensuring he could unleash power without attracting the wrong attention. Gudi refined her Bubble Wrap manipulation, sending spheres ricocheting off walls to measure kinetic response.
Raghu, in contrast, sat cross-legged, focusing on the subtle hum beneath his skin. Verdant Pulse wasn't flashy like fire or energy beams. It was patient, lethal in its subtlety. He allowed it to flow through him, feeling the metal and the air of the train resonate. Small wisps of green energy drifted across his hands before fading into the ambient lights.
"I need to understand how deep this goes," he thought. "Not just the power — the connection. If the train is listening, I need to learn what it's telling me.
Late that night, the compartment was quiet, the hum of the Doom Train vibrating softly through every floor panel.
Raghu's Halo Watch flickered. A faint green pulse appeared — the screen displaying no text, only the gentle beat of a leaf-like symbol. He felt a resonance beneath his feet, subtle yet undeniable, as if the metal itself had noticed him moving differently.
A second message appeared, this one from Jivan:
"When the train stops listening, it starts dreaming. Stay awake, Raghu. The roots are watching."
The message made him smile despite the foreboding undertone. There was amusement, cryptic advice, and subtle warning — everything he had come to expect.
Outside his pod, corridor lights flickered in slow, green-synchronized pulses, almost imperceptible, but enough for a trained eye to notice. Raghu exhaled, flexing his hands and feeling Verdant Pulse respond, tendrils of power brushing faintly against the walls, testing, stretching, reaching.
Somewhere in the control deck, Supervisor Harry leaned forward, eyes narrowing at the screens. The reading from Raghu's capsule spiked subtly the second time, faintly outside expected thresholds. He rubbed his jaw. A small, rare smile formed.
"Well… that's rare," he murmured. Curiosity had found its way past duty. And for the first time in months, Harry found himself watching not merely a candidate, but something the train itself had noticed.
And as the Doom Train rumbled forward, the faint pulse of green light spread through the metal veins of the compartment, whispering of roots, patience, and storms yet to come.