As Aahan and the rest exited the fissure, the next group was already waiting in line to enter. However, when Amrita walked out of the fissure, a girl from the other group ran up to her.
"What happened to her?" The blue-eyed girl exclaimed.
It didn't take Aahan long to realise that the girl knew Maya and was concerned about her health. Just like Maya, the girl also wielded a bow, further supporting Aahan's deduction.
However, before Amrita could say anything, the girl rushed to Aahan. Her eyes raged as she threateningly raised her bow to smack him. But Aahan didn't hesitate and knocked the bow out of her hand before she got too close, but he ensured not to cause any harm to the girl.
"You good for nothing, Blood-void¹ bastard!" the girl roared in fury, ready to lunge at Aahan. "I shouldn't have let my sister accompany someone like you inside the fissure! Someone who has no idea what he's doing!"
"Enough!" Amrita yelled as she intervened. "Do you have any idea who you're cursing?"
The girl got quiet when an invigilator reprimanded her. However, her eyes were still shooting daggers at Aahan, who silently took whatever the girl had to say.
In a way, he knew Maya's state was a direct result of his negligence... or maybe he had gotten used to taking shit from everyone around him and blamed everyone's mistake on him.
"I know," the girl continued. "I'm talking to someone who failed to protect their party member!"
"It's thanks to him that candidate Maya is still breathing!" Amrita scoffed as the doctors rushed to check on Maya, who was still unconscious. "I can't tell you the details, but you should be thankful that he was next to your sister or else we'll be hosting a ceremony remembering her last moments."
The entire room's mood took a dip after Amrita's attempt at defending Aahan. No one expected a teacher to lie, but they were still apprehensive and thought Aahan was in the wrong.
Despite it being said that the invigilators were responsible for the candidate's safety inside the fissure, it was the team leader's responsibility to do so. Dheera's team was the perfect example of it.
After all, even though Dheera's team were on the verge of dying after facing Durdhamas, their assigned invigilator didn't even try to help them, leaving Dheera to deal with the situation. One could consider it as a test within the test.
The only reason Dheera qualified for the next round when his teammates didn't was because Dheera didn't fail as a leader, as he protected his teammates even though they didn't listen to his instructions.
However, his teammates failed because they disregarded their leader's instructions and made a mess. Insubordination was an undesirable quality in a Rathi; hence, they were disqualified on the spot.
Aahan wasn't unaware of the secret criterion and passed as a leader even then. Although Amrita did deduct some points from him because he wasn't there to sway Arjun's mind about quitting, it was primarily due to Arjun's hastiness, so she wasn't being hard on Aahan.
That said, Aahan didn't think Amrita's words convinced anyone as they kept staring at him like a pack of hyenas waiting to tear their prey to shreds.
"I think I should leave..." Aahan mumbled, heading towards the exit when Amrita called him from behind.
"Aahan, please wait outside for a moment," she said. "I have something to discuss with you."
He did as he was told and waited outside the room, and after a minute, Amrita joined him and apologised for their behaviour, to which Aahan just laughed.
"It's fine, ma'am. I have been through much worse," he said. "Besides, as a brother, I can feel her pain. If anything, I'm feeling worse because I didn't apologise to her for knocking the bow out of her hand."
"Looks like Vivaan was right," Amrita sighed before smiling. "you're too kind for your own good. That said, I would need an official answer from you if you want to file a complaint against them-"
"There's no need for that," Aahan immediately dismissed the thought. But this time, it was not out of kindness.
He knew filing a complaint would only fan the flames of hate. Besides, since most of them had a 'bloodline', if he proceeded further, they might unite and cause trouble for him.
Aahan had learned that much in prison. If someone had wronged you, you deal with the situation yourself. No need to involve higher authorities, or else everyone would turn against you.
That said, he would forgive Maya's sister this once since she didn't know any better. But if they crossed paths again and did something stupid, he would dish out justice in his own way. But Amrita didn't have to know it.
"Alright then," Amrita shrugged. "You can return to the auditorium and get your score and KP there. The final round would start tomorrow, so you can leave after collecting your credits."
"Thank you," Aahan smiled and left the area.
The atmosphere in the auditorium was as dull as before. All the groups had already formed and were busy discussing strategies and whatnot. A few people stole glances at him but then retreated to doing what they were doing before.
Aahan didn't pay any attention to them and continued to the counter from before. The Instructor was waiting for him there, and it seemed he was interested in asking even more questions to him this time.
"Tough one, huh?" he asked.
"It was more fun than I expected," Aahan replied while handing his ID to the Instructor. "It opened my sight to a whole new perspective."
"I wish you good luck for tomorrow," the Instructor smiled as he returned the ID to Aahan. "You will need it. After all, only twenty candidates would be selected as students in the Ashram, and I expect you to be one of them."
"I... will try my best to fulfil your expectations, sir," Aahan replied as a wall of text appeared before him, reminding him that a new ability awaited him. "I'll take my leave now."
Aahan confirmed the choice, and another notification popped up in front of him the next moment.
[Request acknowledge.]
[Learning new skill...]
[Congratulations! You have successfully acquired
'This'll be fun.'
***
Chapter Glossary:
1. Blood-void: Someone without a bloodline and is usually used as a demeaning word to mock those without proper lineage.