For nearly two months, Abhimanyu had not been seen by anyone.
Day or night—it was as if his very existence had been cut off from the world.
He no longer cared about sleep, nor about food.
His entire world now revolved around magic alone.
The effort he once poured into learning martial arts—
he was now investing far more intensely into magic.
Because he knew one thing clearly—
after failing once, he did not have the right to fail again.
After two continuous months of brutal cultivation,
Abhimanyu finally crossed the Low Stage of the Primary Level.
He had now stepped into the Middle Stage.
At this point, he was no longer merely memorizing spells—
he was understanding.
Understanding what magic truly was.
Understanding the nature of elements.
When to use which element, and how.
Creating weapons from fire,
controlling the power of lightning,
launching direct assaults with flames—
all of this he was now learning…
or rather, forging himself into something new.
Throughout these two months,
that mysterious voice did not guide him even once.
No warnings. No advice.
Abhimanyu was completely alone.
And that was precisely why he was confused.
The book…
that book was abnormal.
The moment he mastered one subject,
the next topic revealed itself on its own.
He could no longer remember how many pages he had already turned.
The book simply refused to end.
As if…
it had only just begun.
Only then did he realize—
this book itself was made of magic.
Today, nearly two months later,
Abhimanyu sat by the bank of a river flowing near the forest.
His feet hung lazily in the water
as he sank deep into his thoughts.
This forest was no ordinary one.
It was called "The Ajanta Thicket."
Though named a thicket,
it was a vast and deadly forest—
so dangerous that no citizen of Indore
had ever dared to enter it.
What kinds of magical beasts lived inside—
no one knew.
The only certainty was this—
if they ever came out,
the entire city of Indore would be destroyed.
But they never did.
As if they were lost in a world of their own.
Abhimanyu was lost in these thoughts
when suddenly—
he heard footsteps behind him.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Without turning around,
he already knew who it was.
His love…
Shivangi.
Abhimanyu loved Shivangi deeply.
They had been childhood friends.
When friendship turned into love—
even they did not realize.
Shivangi was the daughter of the chief of a powerful clan
located at some distance from Indore.
That clan never interfered in the internal affairs of the city, but—
whenever an external threat arose,
they were always the first to stand at the front.
Whether it was attacks from other cities
or wild magical beasts—
that clan had played a major role
in protecting Indore.
Because of this,
all the powerful families of Indore respected them.
The heads of both families had already decided—
if Abhimanyu and Shivangi truly loved each other,
one day, they would be married.
Smiling, Abhimanyu said,
"Sit down, Shivangi…
Isn't today a beautiful day?
You've turned fourteen today."
He chuckled softly and continued,
"I've been waiting for you since morning,
yet you came only in the evening."
Then, with confidence, he added,
"I know it already…
your martial art must have awakened today.
And I trust completely—
you will succeed."
But the moment he turned around—
the smile on his face
vanished in an instant.
Because it wasn't Shivangi standing behind him.
It was…
another girl entirely.
Her name was—
Anjali.
And at that very moment,
Abhimanyu realized—
the day that looked so calm on the surface
was anything but peaceful.
Anjali and Shivangi had been childhood friends.
They laughed together, cried together,
and grew up in the same courtyard.
But what no one truly knew was this—
Anjali was never raised as a friend in that house,
but as a servant.
Every responsibility of Shivangi—
her care, her clothes, her emotions—
all rested on Anjali's shoulders.
Even the responsibility of Shivangi's marriage.
That day, Anjali walked up to Abhimanyu silently.
There was no anger in her eyes, no pity—
only a strange, chilling calm.
Without saying a word, she handed him a letter
and turned to leave.
Then she suddenly stopped.
Without looking into his eyes, she said—
"Abhimanyu… you are a good boy.
Little Miss has liked you since childhood.
And not just her—many girls admired you."
A brief pause.
"But now, you are just an ordinary man.
And there is no place for ordinary people
in Little Miss's life anymore."
Her voice was cold and merciless.
"She is far beyond your reach now.
Marriage proposals are coming for her from distant, powerful families.
And it's possible that the head of the Saini family
will soon throw you out as well."
After saying this, Anjali turned away.
She didn't look back even once.
The letter remained in Abhimanyu's hand.
He didn't need to open it—
he already knew what was written inside.
Yet the heart…
The heart stubbornly clings to its last hope.
Slowly, he opened the letter.
The moment he read the first line,
tears rolled down his cheeks—
"Abhimanyu… this world follows only one rule—
those without power are nothing."
His hands began to tremble.
"That is why… I have to leave you."
Each word pierced his chest like a blade.
"What existed between us…
was perhaps childhood attachment, not true love."
His breathing grew heavy.
"Today, my Martial Art Awakening was completed.
I awakened the Earth Element."
And then—
"For the past two months, people have said many things to me.
They said I love a man who has no future."
Abhimanyu's vision blurred.
"And during these two months,
I too realized this—
there is no meaning in waiting for someone
who cannot move forward."
The final line—
"—Your childhood friend, Shivangi."
The letter slipped from his hand.
Memories of childhood flooded his mind.
He was six years old…
when Shivangi got slightly hurt while playing.
That day, he had turned the entire Saini household upside down.
Laughing, Shivangi had said—
"Abhimanyu, it's just a small injury.
Why are you making such a fuss?"
And he had replied—
"What can I do?
When you get hurt even a little,
it hurts me a lot."
She had smiled.
Back then, how could they have known
they would grow up to become each other's entire world?
When their families said—
"We'll marry you two,"
how happy they had been.
A year and a half had passed…
yet it all felt like yesterday.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
And then—
rage.
Terrifying rage.
He clenched the letter in his fist
and burned it to ashes in an instant.
The ashes scattered into the air.
He stood up.
His heart screamed to destroy everything.
He formed his one-eyed sword
and swung it in madness.
The air itself screamed.
Today, his blade seemed to decide
between life and death.
Just then—
The mysterious voice, absent for two months, echoed once again—
"Congratulations.
You have crossed the Mid Stage of the Primary Level."
Abhimanyu froze.
"Your anger has become the path of your progress.
You are now a magician.
And now… you may prepare for Martial Arts as well."
His breathing slowly calmed.
But the fire in his heart remained.
The voice spoke again—
"Such trials will continue to come.
Whether warrior or mage—
both must fight against the entire world."
Abhimanyu roared—
"How can I not suffer?
Years of love… so much closeness…
and she left me just like that!"
The voice remained calm—
"She left you because you were not powerful."
Each word struck like a hammer.
"You must become so powerful
that she herself will come seeking forgiveness."
A long silence followed.
There were no tears in Abhimanyu's eyes.
Only flames.
He said to himself—
"Fine.
I will become so powerful…
that the one who abandoned me
will return on her own."
And at that very moment—
An ordinary man
began transforming
into a future monster.