This world may seem as beautiful as it appears from the outside, but it is not as beautiful as it looks. Abhilash (Abhi) sat in a corner of the class, lost in thought. His class teacher was talking about an event that had happened 600 years ago. She said, "In the past, there were no portals in the world. But suddenly, many portals opened, and destruction spread in all directions."
Abhilash was listening but was also thinking about how much work he would have to do when he went home. Just then, the teacher suddenly shouted, "Abhilash! You moron! What are you doing? Do you even know what's going on in class?"
Abhi snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Sorry, teacher. Could you please repeat the question?" His eyes were lowered in embarrassment.
The teacher sighed deeply and said, "Forget it. You're clearly not made for this world! Look around you. If your family wasn't royal, you would never have been admitted to this school!" After scolding him, she left in anger.
Lunch began, and Karan, Vayu, and Ashish came to Abhi.
"Hey, Abhi! You joining us for the power demonstration later?" Karan's voice rang out across the classroom.
Abhi flinched. His heart sank.
Karan, the school's star athlete, who could control fire with a flick of his wrist. Karan, the one who had tormented him for years. The same Karan who had bullied him since elementary school. Why hadn't his powers awakened? Why was he left behind while everyone else seemed to be moving forward?
Abhi lowered his gaze, not wanting to meet the bully's eyes. "I don't have powers... remember?" he muttered, his voice barely audible.
The room went quiet for a moment. Then Ashish, Karan's sidekick, laughed. "Oh right. The powerless one." The laughter spread like wildfire, and Abhi could feel his face burning with shame.
Flashback to Early Childhood:
Abhi had always been different from the other kids. He was smarter than children his age because he belonged to a royal family. Everyone respected him. In the past six generations, 80 members of his family had awakened powers and performed great feats. Everyone had high hopes for Abhilash.
Then, when Abhi turned five, his powers didn't awaken. This shocked everyone. Slowly, over time, they started ignoring him. His father still hoped that maybe, when Abhi turned ten, his powers would awaken.
When Abhi turned ten, the very same people who once admired him started bullying him. His best friend, Karan, started beating him and mocking him.
Abhi's mother had passed away when he was born. His father, Ahhudh, a legendary warrior, was always busy with his legacy. When Abhi's brother Raj was born, things began to change for Abhi.
Abhi's father didn't consider him worthy anymore and started giving all the good things to Raj. Abhi was forced to live in a small storeroom inside their house. He was given old clothes to wear, had to eat leftover food, and was tasked with doing all the household chores—sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes. His room was so small that he couldn't even turn around to sleep.
Where once Abhi had been full of self-confidence, he had now become fearful and innocent. In this world, he felt lost and forgotten.
Raj's Dark Powers Awakening:
When Abhi was five, Raj's dark powers awakened. This was when things began to change.
His father, Ahhudh, was proud. "Why can't you be more like Raj?" his father would say. This was a question Abhi had heard many times.
Raj. The golden child.
Abhi's awakening should have happened when he turned five, just like everyone else. It was a rite of passage, the day when a child's powers were unlocked. But nothing happened for Abhi. The more he waited, the more the world seemed to turn its back on him.