The abandoned train station at the edge of Kaldev village had been forgotten for years—its rusted tracks overgrown, the platform half-swallowed by creeping vines. But it was quiet, hidden, and perfect for what Isha had in mind.
"This is where we'll train?" Abhi asked, stepping carefully over broken tiles and mossy bricks. The ring on his finger pulsed with a warm glow, as if it approved of the place.
"It's far from prying eyes," Isha replied, already setting her backpack down. "And the old stone here is good for channeling energy."
Abhi turned to her, uncertain. "What if I lose control again? I could hurt you."
She smirked. "You won't. Because I won't let you."
She took off her jacket and rolled up her sleeves, revealing more markings along her arms—silver etchings, glowing faintly in the light. "First lesson," she said, "isn't about how much power you have. It's about focus."
She stepped closer and gently pressed a hand over his heart. "Feel that? Your pulse? That rhythm is the lock. The ring is the key. You need to align both. Until they match."
Abhi closed his eyes.
At first—nothing. Then he started hearing it. The rhythm of his own heartbeat, echoing inside him, matched the faint pulse from the ring. Slowly… steadily…
"Now," Isha said calmly, "call the light. Just a little. Keep it behind your eyes. Don't let it spill."
A soft warmth built inside his chest, rising like a sun just under his skin. His hands trembled, but this time, it wasn't fear. His closed eyes began to glow—just faintly.
"Yes," Isha whispered. "Now hold it. Let it pulse. And—release."
He opened his eyes—
A sharp beam of light burst from them, slicing a clean line through a distant rusted signpost.
Abhi gasped. "I—I did it?"
"Not bad for your first controlled release," Isha said, impressed. "You're a natural conduit. Your body stores light and heat like a battery. The more you train, the more you'll be able to shape it—beams, waves, even shields."
He stared at his hands in awe. "That didn't feel like me…"
"It is you. Just the version you were always meant to become."
Abhi felt a swell of pride—until a sudden crack of static echoed nearby.
Both turned.
From the shadows of the platform, a shimmer rippled in the air. Not a person—more like a distortion. The air warped, forming a swirling mass of violet mist.
"What is that?" Abhi whispered, backing toward Isha.
Her face was tense. "A spy wraith. They must be watching you even now."
The mist suddenly formed a face—half-human, half-smoke. Its voice was a chilling rasp:
"The Vault will never be yours, Light-Bearer. The eye opens soon. And you... are late."
Isha stepped forward and slammed her palm into the ground. A spike of ice shot out, impaling the distortion—causing it to screech and unravel into strands of dark vapor.
But before it vanished, a whisper echoed in Abhi's ears:
"He watches from beneath the stone. The second bearer bleeds."
Silence fell again.
"What did it mean?" Abhi asked, shaken.
"I don't know," Isha admitted. "But they know more than we thought. The Vault. The second bearer. Everything's accelerating."
Abhi turned toward the distant hills. "Then we don't have time. We have to find the vault."
She looked at him with something new in her eyes—trust. "And we will. But first, we find the second bearer. We won't win this alone."
As the last of the shadows faded from the ruined station, Abhi's hand trembled again—but not from fear.
For the first time, it trembled with purpose.