Veronica slowly pulled away from Park, wiping the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand.
"What happened?" she demanded immediately, her voice still unsteady but firm. "Why was there a gunshot inside the camp?"
Park gave her a brief look. "Infected soldier. He turned."
Her expression shifted from relief to alarm.
"And you?" she asked quickly, scanning him for injuries.
"I'm fine."
Only then did her eyes move across the room.
They landed on Amitesh.
Her gaze sharpened.
Without warning, she marched over to his bed.
Amitesh had just enough time to lower the blanket halfway before she grabbed his ear and twisted it sharply.
"You are the most troublesome man I have ever met," she said, pulling harder. "Every time something explodes in this camp, you're in the center of it."
Amitesh remained seated, surprisingly calm.
"It's not hurting," he replied evenly.
Veronica narrowed her eyes further and increased the pressure.
"It should."
Mary tried not to smile.
Park exhaled slowly. "Veronica."
She finally released Amitesh's ear but kept glaring at him.
"Do you have any idea what rumor was spreading outside? They said something went out of control in the infirmary and you were involved."
Amitesh rubbed his ear lazily.
"I was involved."
"That is not helping."
He looked at her, expression steady.
"If I wasn't involved, your husband might not be standing."
That paused her.
The room went quiet for a second.
Veronica turned toward Park.
He nodded once.
"He reacted first," Park confirmed. "Held the infected down so I could take the shot."
Her expression softened slightly.
She looked back at Amitesh, this time with less aggression.
"…Thank you," she said, more quietly.
Amitesh shrugged.
"Just doing community service."
Raktbeej murmured inside his mind.
"You enjoy provoking them."
It maintains balance, Amitesh replied internally.
Veronica crossed her arms again, but the tension had shifted.
"You're still troublesome," she said.
"Accepted."
Veronica crossed her arms, trying to recover her usual sharp expression.
"You're always like this, aren't you?" she said. Then her tone softened just slightly. "But… yeah. Really. Thank you. This time."
Amitesh tilted his head a little.
Then he leaned one ear toward her deliberately.
"Sorry," he said calmly. "Could you say that again? I think I didn't hear it properly."
Mary failed to hide a small laugh.
Veronica stared at him in disbelief.
Park almost smiled.
"You heard me," Veronica said flatly.
Amitesh leaned even closer. "No, no. The 'thank you' part. It was very faint. Might need confirmation."
Veronica's eyes narrowed again.
She raised her hand.
Amitesh immediately leaned back this time.
"Violence cancels gratitude," he said.
Park shook his head. "You're making it worse."
Veronica let out a breath, half irritated, half amused.
"You are impossible."
"Consistently," Amitesh replied.
Despite herself, the tension in the room had shifted. The heaviness from earlier no longer dominated the air.
---
Five days passed while I kept resting.
Even then, Captain Singh still found reasons to scold me.
Apparently almost dying didn't earn me any sympathy.
Instead, I got kitchen duty.
And a new rule.
I was officially banned from leaving the camp without permission.
Not that it changed much.
I wasn't allowed to leave before either.
The difference now was simple.
If I tried to sneak out again…
They would kick me out for real.
Which, unfortunately, was a problem.
Right now I was sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter, lazily swinging one leg while watching the chaos around me.
Cooks rushed everywhere.
Steam filled the air.
Metal pans clanged against each other like a battlefield.
And in the middle of it all—
The head chef walked around like a strict general inspecting his troops.
The guy was apparently Chinese.
According to the soldiers, he came here on vacation.
Then somehow got stuck when the camp started expanding.
Now he ran the entire kitchen like it was his personal empire.
The soldiers loved gossiping about him.
Especially one story.
Sometimes… they saw him eating fried cockroaches.
I stared at the chef from across the kitchen.
He suddenly stopped walking.Slowly turned his head and looked directly at me.
Our eyes met.
I immediately looked away.
…Yeah.
Maybe the cockroach story wasn't a joke.
---
At the empty sky where Moon is no where to be seen.
Arjun and Kayaa were sitting in the open ground in front of me.
Neither of them looked happy.
Actually… very unhappy.
Arjun rubbed his forehead.
"Big brother… can I ask what exactly you're doing here?"
I shrugged.
"You already asked."
Kayaa crossed her arms.
Her eyebrow kept twitching every few seconds.
"Amitesh…" she said slowly.
"I mean why are you here?"
I leaned back on the bench like this was the most normal conversation in the world.
"Simple."
Both of them stared at me.
I smiled.
"I want to join your brother's gang."
Silence fell over the ground.
Kayaa's eyes widened.
Arjun looked like he had just swallowed a rock.
Then Kayaa slammed her hand on the table.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!"
Kayaa let out a long sigh and shook her head.
"Well… sorry to break it to you, but the hiring is already over."
She looked at him from head to toe.
"And even if it wasn't… I don't think they would accept you."
Amitesh raised an eyebrow.
Kayaa pointed a finger at him.
"Especially you."
Her voice turned sharper.
"You already beat up some of their members."
Arjun quietly nodded beside her.
"Yeah… that's usually not a good way to apply for a job."
"Even better," Amitesh grinned.
"Now they have a reason to let me in."
Kayaa stared at him like he had lost his mind.
"What do you mean?"
Her voice rose.
"Do you seriously think you can just walk in there, beat everyone up, and win?"
She stood up from the bench.
"Let me tell you something clearly."
Her eyes hardened.
"You can't beat my brother."
Arjun shifted uncomfortably beside her but didn't interrupt.
Amitesh tilted his head slightly.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Who said anything about beating him?"
Kayaa froze.
After a moment, Amitesh suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha…!"
The sound echoed across the open ground.
Arjun and Kayaa looked at him like he had completely lost his mind.
Amitesh wiped the corner of his eye and shook his head.
"Who said anything about beating your brother?"
Kayaa frowned.
Amitesh slowly clapped his hands.
Clap.
Clap.
"I said I would beat his whole team."
He leaned forward slightly.
"And you say I can't defeat your brother?"
A crooked smile appeared on his face.
"My, my… that's actually a pretty good joke."
Kayaa's eyebrow twitched again.
Amitesh continued calmly.
"Well… not that good."
"But I still appreciate the effort."
He tapped his temple.
"You used the most foolish part of your brain to come up with it."
Arjun almost choked trying not to laugh.
"So as a responsible adult and a very good person…"
Amitesh placed a hand on his chest dramatically.
"I felt obligated to laugh and encourage you."
He nodded seriously.
"Now it's your turn to thank me."
Kayaa stared at him in disbelief.
Amitesh spread his hands casually.
"You see… in this world, if you want something in return, you have to give something first."
"So I laughed at your joke."
He pointed at her.
"Now you should thank me."
Silence fell over the field.
Kayaa's face slowly turned red with anger.
Arjun finally burst into laughter.
It came out suddenly, loud and uncontrollable.
Kayaa turned toward him with wide eyes.
"Arjun!"
He quickly raised both hands.
"I—I'm trying to stop…!"
But the moment he looked at Amitesh again, another laugh escaped him.
Kayaa's face darkened.
Her hands slowly curled into fists.
The air around them grew tense.
Amitesh noticed it immediately.
He leaned back slightly on the bench, watching her with mild curiosity.
"What?" he said casually. "You look like you're about to explode."
Kayaa took a step forward.
"You think this is funny?"
Her voice was low now, dangerous.
Amitesh tilted his head.
"Well… Arjun clearly does."
Arjun instantly stopped laughing.
"I didn't say anything!"
Too late Kayaa moved.
Her fist shot forward without warning, aiming straight for Amitesh's face.
But Amitesh had already expected it.
He leaned slightly to the side.
The punch cut through empty air.
Kayaa's eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
Before she could react, Amitesh lightly caught her wrist.Not tightly.
Just enough to stop her.
"You see?" he said calmly.
"This is exactly the problem."
Kayaa struggled to pull her hand back.
"Let go!"
Amitesh sighed.
"You get angry too quickly."
With a small twist of his wrist, he redirected her momentum.
Kayaa stumbled forward.Not enough to fall.But enough to lose her balance.
She had to take two quick steps to steady herself.
Behind her—
Arjun froze.
His mouth slowly opened.
Amitesh released Kayaa's wrist and dusted his hands casually.
"Relax," he said.
"I wasn't even trying."
Kayaa turned around slowly.
Her face was red.Not from pain but from humiliation.
Amitesh looked at her calmly.
"If I actually wanted to fight you…"
He shrugged.
"This conversation would already be over."
Silence fell over the open ground.
Even Arjun didn't dare laugh anymore.
Then Amitesh stretched his arms lazily.
"So."
His eyes moved between them.
"Now that we've confirmed something important…"
Kayaa glared at him.
"What?"
Amitesh smiled slightly.
"That your brother's gang clearly needs better fighters."
He stood up.
"So when are you taking me to meet him?"
Kayaa stared at him in disbelief.
Arjun rubbed his face slowly.
"Why do I feel like this is going to become a huge problem…"
Amitesh simply smiled.
Because he already knew the answer.
And that was exactly the point.
Kayaa's anger finally reached a point her body could no longer contain.
Her fists trembled at her sides.
"You…"
Her voice shook with rage.
"First you show up here and disturb us."
She took another step forward.
"Then you insult me."
Another step.
"And now you insult my brother?"
Her eyes burned as she pointed directly at Amitesh.
"I'm going to beat the hell out of you!"
The moment the words left her mouth—
Flames suddenly erupted around her hands.
Bright orange fire spiraled across her fists like living serpents, twisting and dancing in the air.
The temperature around them rose instantly.
Arjun's laughter died in his throat.
"A–Kayaa… wait…"
But Kayaa had already moved.
Fire trailed behind her fist as she lunged toward Amitesh.
The ground beneath her foot cracked slightly from the force.
The burning punch rushed straight toward his face.
Yet—
Amitesh didn't move.
He simply watched her calmly.
Almost lazily.
As if the incoming flames were nothing more than a passing breeze.
Kayaa rushed forward with flames spiraling around her fists, the heat rolling across the open ground like a sudden wave. The fire roared louder as she closed the distance, her anger feeding the flames until they burned brighter and hotter. Arjun instinctively stepped back, raising an arm to shield his face from the heat.
But Amitesh still did not move.
He stood there calmly, watching her approach with an almost bored expression, as if the flaming attack racing toward him was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Kayaa swung her fist.
The burning punch shot straight toward his face.
At the very last moment, Amitesh slightly tilted his head to the side. The flaming strike missed him by only a few centimeters, the heat brushing past his cheek as the fire streaked through empty air.
Before Kayaa could recover from the missed attack, Amitesh casually lifted his hand and caught her wrist mid-motion.
The flames were still burning fiercely around her hand.
Yet Amitesh held her wrist as if he were grabbing nothing more dangerous than a stick.
For a brief second, Kayaa froze.
Her eyes widened.
The flames that should have forced him back were doing absolutely nothing to him.
Amitesh glanced down at her burning fist, studying it with mild curiosity.
"So this is your power?"
He leaned a little closer to inspect the flames, as if examining an interesting tool rather than a weapon meant to hurt him.
Kayaa tried to pull her hand back, but Amitesh's grip was firm and unmovable.
His voice remained calm.
"You attacked too quickly."
Kayaa glared at him.
"What?!"
Amitesh continued as if he were giving a lesson rather than standing in the middle of a fight.
"When you throw a punch like that, you let anger control your movement. Your shoulder rises too early, your step becomes heavier, and the attack becomes easy to read."
He gently pushed her arm aside.
The motion was simple, almost effortless, yet Kayaa stumbled back two steps as if someone had shoved her.
The flames around her hand flickered violently.
Arjun stared at the scene in disbelief.
He had clearly seen Kayaa attack with full power, yet Amitesh had avoided it without even changing his stance.
Amitesh brushed an invisible speck of dust from his sleeve.
"You should also control the heat better," he continued calmly. "Your flames are strong, but they scatter too much energy. If someone stronger than you fought seriously, you would run out of stamina before you even realized it."
Kayaa's face burned red again.
This time not from humiliation alone, but from pure frustration.
"You—!"
She ignited the flames again, brighter than before.
But Amitesh raised one hand slightly.
The movement was slow.
Relaxed.
Yet something about it made Kayaa hesitate.
Amitesh looked at her with a faint smile.
"If you really want to fight, I can finish this in three seconds."
His tone wasn't arrogant.It was matter-of-fact.
The kind of calm certainty that made the words far more unsettling.
Silence spread across the open ground.
Even the flames around Kayaa's hands seemed to shrink slightly.
Arjun swallowed.
Because for the first time since this conversation started…
He wasn't laughing anymore.
He was wondering if Amitesh had been holding back the entire time.
Amitesh stretched his shoulders casually and looked between the two of them.
"So now that we've confirmed something important, let's go back to the main topic."
Kayaa narrowed her eyes.
"What topic?"
Amitesh's smile widened just a little.
"Taking me to meet your brother."
He looked directly at her.
"Because if this is the level of the people in his gang…"
His voice carried calm confidence.
"Then he should definitely want someone like me on his side."
Arjun slowly covered his face with one hand.
Because at that moment he realized something very clearly.
This situation had already turned into a disaster.
And somehow—
Amitesh was enjoying every second of it.
Kayaa crossed her arms again, her anger still burning.
"I already told you," she said coldly. "This is not going to work."
Amitesh didn't even look at her.
Instead, he slowly turned his head toward Arjun.
"Hey."
Arjun blinked.
"Yeah?"
Amitesh pointed casually toward Kayaa.
"Can I beat your girlfriend?"
Arjun's brain froze for a second.
"Wa—what?!"
He immediately shook his head violently.
"Absolutely not!"
Amitesh let out a small disappointed sigh.
"Ahh, man…"
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Alright then. Fine."
Kayaa's eye twitched again.
"You two are talking like I'm not even here!"
Amitesh finally glanced at her.
"I mean… you were the one who started throwing fire."
He shrugged.
"So I was just asking for permission first."
Arjun buried his face in his hands.
"This conversation has completely gone off the rails…"
Amitesh looked back at Kayaa calmly.
"But honestly, you should relax a little."
His tone was casual, but there was a quiet confidence behind it.
"If I actually wanted to fight seriously…"
He paused for a moment.
"Things here would look very different."
The air between them grew quiet again.
Kayaa stared at him, trying to decide whether he was bluffing or simply insane.
Arjun, however, had already started to suspect the truth.
And that thought made him far more nervous than Kayaa's flames ever could.
Kayaa's face slowly turned red as the anger she had been holding back surged again. Her shoulders tightened, and her body began to shake slightly as she tried to control herself. The flames that had disappeared from her hands flickered back to life in small sparks, as if even the fire inside her could feel the rising fury.
Her fingers curled into tight fists.
"You…"
The word slipped out through clenched teeth.
Arjun immediately sensed the danger and stepped back a little, raising both hands in surrender.
"Okay… I think we should all calm down for a second."
But Kayaa wasn't listening anymore.
Her eyes were locked on Amitesh.
The trembling in her body grew stronger, not from fear, but from the overwhelming urge to punch the smug expression off his face.
Amitesh, however, simply watched her with mild curiosity, as if observing an interesting experiment rather than someone about to explode in anger.
Then he spoke casually.
"You should really stop doing that."
Kayaa's eyebrow twitched.
"Doing what?"
Amitesh gestured toward her shaking hands.
"That."
His voice remained calm and almost instructional.
"Your anger keeps leaking out like that. It makes your movements obvious before you even attack."
For a moment, Kayaa was too stunned to speak.
Arjun slowly turned his head toward Amitesh with the expression of someone watching a man dig his own grave.
And yet—
Amitesh looked completely relaxed.
Which somehow made the situation even worse.
In the next instant, Kayaa's fist shot forward, racing straight toward Amitesh's face. The punch carried the weight of her anger, cutting through the air with frightening speed.
Amitesh reacted immediately.
Moving with sharp instinct, he tilted his body slightly to the side.
The punch sliced past his cheek, missing him by only a fraction. The force behind it pushed a burst of hot air across his face, carrying the faint scent of burning flames.
Kayaa's eyes widened for a moment when she realized her attack had missed.
But before she could pull back—
Amitesh's hand moved.
He calmly placed two fingers against her wrist and redirected the momentum of her punch, guiding it away from him as if he were brushing aside a falling leaf.
Kayaa stumbled half a step forward, forced to regain her balance.
Amitesh straightened his posture again, completely relaxed.
He looked at her with a faint, amused smile.
"You should aim more carefully," he said casually.
"Missing like that is embarrassing."
Behind them, Arjun slowly covered his face with both hands.
Because he could already tell—
Kayaa was about to explode again.
Kayaa's patience finally snapped.
The anger she had been holding back erupted all at once.
Flames burst violently from her body, spreading outward in a blazing wave.
Fire wrapped around her arms and shoulders, swirling upward like a raging storm. The grass around her feet began to blacken and curl as the heat intensified, and the air itself shimmered from the rising temperature.
Arjun quickly jumped back several steps.
"Kayaa—wait!"
But she was far past listening.
Her eyes burned with fury as the flames grew larger, spreading across the ground around her. The fire crackled loudly, sparks dancing in the air like angry fireflies.
"You think this is funny?!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the open field.
The flames surged again, forming a blazing aura around her body.
Anyone standing nearby could feel the heat pressing against their skin.
But Amitesh remained where he was.
Completely calm.
He studied the raging flames for a moment as if evaluating them.
Then he sighed lightly.
"Now you're just overreacting."
Kayaa's jaw tightened.
Before she could attack again—
Amitesh lifted his hand.
A small sphere of water instantly formed above his palm, spinning slowly as it gathered more droplets from the moisture in the air.
Arjun blinked in confusion.
"A water ball…?"
Without any warning, Amitesh casually flicked his fingers.
The water sphere shot forward.
Splash.!!
The ball burst directly against Kayaa's face, soaking her completely.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
The flames around her flickered.
Water slowly dripped down her hair and chin.
Kayaa stood there frozen, staring at Amitesh with wide eyes.
Then her body started trembling again.
Not from shock but from rage.
Her soaked hair stuck to her face as her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
The flames around her suddenly roared back to life, even stronger than before.
"You…"
Her voice was shaking dangerously.
"You threw water at my face?"
Arjun slowly backed away another step.
"…Oh no."
Amitesh looked at her calmly.
"What? You looked a little overheated."
He shrugged.
"I was just helping you cool down."
The flames exploded outward again.
And this time—
Kayaa was no longer holding back.
Kayaa's soaked hair clung to her face as the flames around her surged again, hotter and wilder than before. The ground near her feet had already turned dark and brittle, thin wisps of smoke rising where the grass had burned away.
Her hands trembled, not from weakness, but from rage that had finally crossed the line.
Her eyes locked onto Amitesh.
"I will kill you this time."
The words came out low and sharp, like a blade being drawn.
The flames around her answered immediately.
They flared outward in a violent burst, spreading across the ground in a wide circle. Heat rolled through the air, strong enough to make the space between them shimmer.
Arjun felt the temperature spike and quickly moved farther back.
"Kayaa… this is getting out of hand."
But she didn't even hear him.
Her focus was entirely on Amitesh.
She stepped forward.
The fire followed her movement like a living creature, spiraling around her arms and gathering around her fists. Each step left faint scorch marks on the ground.
Across from her, Amitesh finally shifted his stance.
Not out of fear.
Just slightly adjusting his balance.
He looked at her calmly, studying the flames dancing around her hands.
Then he let out a small sigh.
"You know," he said in an almost thoughtful tone, "most people say that right before they lose."
Kayaa's flames surged higher.
Arjun immediately realized something terrible.
Amitesh wasn't trying to calm her down.
He was provoking her even more.
And judging by the growing inferno around Kayaa—
It was working perfectly.
Arjun stared at Amitesh in disbelief as the flames around Kayaa continued to rise.
He stepped closer to Amitesh and lowered his voice.
"Why are you provoking her on purpose?"
Amitesh kept his eyes on Kayaa while answering.
"There isn't just one reason."
His tone remained calm, almost casual, as if they were discussing something ordinary instead of standing in front of a walking inferno.
"You could say I wanted to test her strength."
He paused for a moment, watching the flames swirl more violently around her arms.
"Or maybe…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I just wanted to play a little."
Arjun's eyes widened.
"You call this playing?!"
He gestured toward Kayaa, who now looked like a burning storm ready to explode.
The flames around her had spread across several meters, turning the ground dark and scorched.
Amitesh finally glanced at Arjun.
His expression was relaxed.
"If someone loses control this easily, they should be tested."
Then he looked back at Kayaa again.
"Otherwise they will break the moment they face a real enemy."
Arjun opened his mouth to respond—
But Kayaa suddenly moved.
The flames around her surged forward as she launched herself toward Amitesh again, this time with far more power than before.
And this time—
She wasn't holding back at all.
Kayaa moved like a streak of fire.
The flames around her body surged forward as she lunged at Amitesh, her fist wrapped in blazing heat that distorted the air around it. The moment she stepped forward, the ground cracked under the force of her movement.
Her punch came fast.
Too fast for a normal person to react.
But Amitesh was not alone inside his body.
Left.
The calm voice of Raktbeej echoed inside his mind.
Without hesitation, Amitesh's body tilted to the side.
Kayaa's burning fist rushed past his face, missing him by barely an inch. The heat brushed against his cheek as the flames cut through the air.
Before she could recover, Kayaa spun on her heel and launched a sweeping kick aimed at his ribs.
Down.
Amitesh immediately lowered his stance.
Her leg tore through the space where his torso had been a second earlier, the fire trailing behind it like a blazing whip.
Arjun watched the fight unfold with wide eyes.
Every attack Kayaa threw carried enough force to break bones.
Yet somehow—
Amitesh kept slipping past them.
Kayaa's frustration grew.
She raised both hands, flames gathering rapidly around her palms until they formed two burning spheres.
"Try dodging this!"
She thrust both hands forward.
Two fireballs shot toward Amitesh, leaving blazing trails in the air.
Back.
Raktbeej's voice sounded again.
Amitesh pushed off the ground and slid backward just as the fireballs exploded where he had been standing.
A loud blast echoed across the field as sparks and burning embers scattered everywhere.
Smoke rose from the scorched ground.
Kayaa dashed through the smoke without slowing down.
Her next punch came straight for Amitesh's chest.
Right.
Amitesh twisted his body sideways.
The flaming strike grazed past him again.
This time he moved his arm.
Not to attack—
But to guide.
He caught Kayaa's wrist briefly and redirected her momentum. Her own speed carried her a few steps forward before she managed to regain balance.
Amitesh stepped back calmly.
His breathing was steady.
His clothes were barely disturbed.
Kayaa turned around slowly, flames roaring louder around her body.
"You haven't even fought back!"
Her voice was filled with fury.
Amitesh shrugged slightly.
"I told you."
He rolled his shoulders as if warming up.
"I'm just testing something."
Kayaa clenched her fists as the flames around her intensified.
"Testing WHAT?!"
Amitesh looked at her calmly.
"Your limits."
For a brief moment—
Kayaa's anger spiked even higher.
But Arjun noticed something else.
Despite dodging every attack so far—
Amitesh's eyes were strangely focused.
Almost calculating.
As if he was studying every movement Kayaa made.
And that realization made Arjun uneasy.
Because it meant one thing.
Amitesh wasn't just surviving the fight.
He was learning from it.
Arjun raised both hands, clearly nervous as the flames around Kayaa continued to roar.
"Okay, Kayaa… calm down now."
Kayaa slowly turned her head toward him.
The fire around her shoulders flickered violently.
"Do you think I'm some kind of machine?"
Her voice was sharp.
"That I can just switch modes whenever someone tells me to?"
The flames around her fists flared again.
Arjun immediately regretted opening his mouth.
Before he could say anything else, Amitesh tilted his head slightly, thinking about her words.
Then he nodded as if he had reached a logical conclusion.
"Well… yes."
Kayaa blinked.
Amitesh continued in the same calm tone.
"If you think about it, the human body is basically a very complex organic machine."
Arjun slowly turned toward him with a look of pure disbelief.
Amitesh raised a finger as if explaining a scientific concept.
"You take in fuel—food, water, oxygen."
He tapped his temple.
"The brain processes information."
Then he gestured toward Kayaa's flaming hands.
"And the body produces energy and reactions."
He shrugged lightly.
"So technically speaking…"
He looked directly at her.
"You are just a very complicated machine."
For a moment—
There was complete silence.
Arjun closed his eyes.
Because he already knew what was about to happen.
Kayaa's face slowly turned darker.
The flames around her surged violently again.
"You…"
Her voice trembled with fury.
"YOU JUST CALLED ME A MACHINE?!"
Amitesh blinked once.
"An organic one."
The explosion of flames that followed was almost immediate.
"I will not stop until I hit you."
Kayaa's voice carried stubborn fury as she threw another punch wrapped in blazing flames.
Amitesh stepped lightly to the side, letting the strike pass him again.
"Keep trying."
His reply was calm, almost encouraging.
Kayaa attacked again.
And again.
Her fists cut through the air one after another, each strike blazing with fire. The ground around them had already turned dark and cracked, patches of grass burned away from the constant bursts of heat.
But Amitesh continued to evade every attack.
Sometimes he leaned back.
Sometimes he shifted a single step to the side.
Occasionally Raktbeej's quiet guidance echoed in his mind.
Left.
Step back.
Lower your shoulder.
Each movement was precise and minimal, allowing the attacks to miss by the smallest margin.
Arjun watched the fight unfold with growing unease.
Because Kayaa's attacks were becoming slower.
Her breathing grew heavier.
The flames around her fists flickered more weakly with each strike.
Yet she refused to stop.
"I said… I won't stop!"
She forced more mana into her flames and threw another desperate punch.
The fire surged once more.
But the moment the strike missed—
The flames suddenly vanished.
Kayaa's body trembled.
Her legs gave out beneath her.
She collapsed forward.
Before she could hit the ground, Amitesh stepped forward and caught her by the shoulder, lowering her carefully to the ground.
Arjun stared.
"She… ran out of mana?"
Amitesh shrugged lightly.
"Looks like it."
Kayaa was already unconscious.
The battlefield slowly returned to silence.
When Kayaa finally opened her eyes again, the world felt heavy and distant.
Her vision slowly focused.
She realized she was lying on a soft couch.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar.
The room itself felt strange, quiet, and completely different from the open ground where she had been fighting.
She quickly sat up.
Her head spun slightly.
"You are finally awake."
The calm voice came from nearby.
Kayaa turned her head.
A young woman was sitting across the room, watching her with mild curiosity.
Kayaa frowned.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled faintly.
"My name is Zoey.'
She leaned back in her chair.
"And you just exhausted yourself trying to kill my guest."
Kayaa pushed herself up from the couch, still feeling the heaviness in her limbs. Her head throbbed slightly, and faint memories of blazing flames and missed punches flashed through her mind.
She looked around the room again.
The place was unfamiliar. Wooden shelves lined one wall, a small window let in soft daylight, and the air carried a faint smell of roasted beans.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Where am I?"
The woman sitting across from her remained relaxed.
"Well, of course you're in my house."
Zoey said it casually, as if the answer was obvious.
She reached for a small tray on the table and lifted a cup.
Steam rose gently from it.
"Here."
She held it out toward Kayaa.
"Have some coffee."
Kayaa stared at the cup for a moment before taking it slowly. The warmth seeped into her hands, grounding her slightly.
Her eyes immediately moved around the room again.
Then she asked the question that was really on her mind.
"Where is he?"
Zoey smiled faintly, clearly understanding who she meant.
"Oh, him?"
She leaned back in her chair.
"He's outside."
Kayaa's grip on the cup tightened.
Zoey continued calmly.
"Your little fight caused quite a mess."
She nodded toward the window.
"So he's helping clean the yard."
A small pause followed.
Then Zoey added with a hint of amusement.
"And before you ask…"
"He's still perfectly fine."
Kayaa held the warm cup for a moment, trying to piece together the broken fragments of memory in her head.
Flames… punches… that irritating calm face of Amitesh.
Her eyes suddenly sharpened.
"How did he bring me here?"
Zoey raised an eyebrow slightly.
"He?"
Kayaa didn't bother explaining.
Zoey leaned back in her chair, thinking for a moment.
"Well… if I remember correctly, he didn't."
Kayaa frowned.
"What?"
Zoey let out a small amused laugh.
"Someone else was carrying you."
She took a sip of her own coffee before continuing.
"And that boy—Amitesh, right?"
She chuckled softly.
"He practically begged me to let you stay here for a while."
Kayaa blinked.
"B–begged?"
Zoey nodded, clearly entertained by the memory.
"He said you were exhausted and needed rest."
She rested her chin lightly on her hand.
"And honestly…"
A small teasing smile appeared on her face.
"It was kind of cute watching him worry like that."
Kayaa's expression froze.
For several seconds she didn't say anything.
Because the image of that annoying, smug idiot begging someone on her behalf simply didn't match the person she had just fought.
Her grip on the coffee cup tightened slightly.
Something about that story didn't feel right.
"He is the most annoying person I have ever met," Kayaa muttered, still holding the cup.
"I can't even stand imagining his face."
Zoey immediately nodded in agreement.
"Me too."
She leaned slightly forward and pointed at her nose.
"Look at this bump."
Kayaa focused her eyes.
There was indeed a small swollen spot on the bridge of Zoey's nose.
Zoey sighed dramatically.
"This is because of him."
Kayaa blinked.
"What?"
Zoey rubbed her nose as if remembering the moment.
"When he brought you here, he rushed inside without looking where he was going. The door swung open and—"
She tapped the bump again.
"Right into my face."
Kayaa stared for a moment.
Then she slowly looked down at the coffee in her hands.
For some reason, the image of Amitesh barging into a house while carrying an unconscious person and accidentally smashing someone with a door felt… very believable.
Zoey shook her head with a half-amused smile.
"That boy is trouble."
She leaned back in her chair.
"But at least he had the decency to panic and apologize afterward."
Kayaa quietly took a sip of coffee.
Then she muttered under her breath.
"Idiot…"