Chapter 5: The Fire Inside
January 9, 2009 – Evening – Ram's Room
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Ram sat cross-legged on his old bed, textbooks spread in a semi-circle.
Outside, Dehradun's winter breeze carried the scent of pine and distant bonfires.
But his room was a volcano—heat radiating not from temperature, but from the fire inside his mind.
He couldn't stop thinking.
About how slow everything was.
The school curriculum. The teachers. The internet. The conversations.
He had tasted the future. Now, this world felt prehistoric.
He clenched his fist.
> "I could rewrite their syllabus. I could teach quantum mechanics to fourth graders. I could mine Bitcoin in a week. I could invest in companies that don't even exist yet!"
But he couldn't.
Not yet.
Not without ruining everything.
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The Temptation
His phone buzzed with a soft hum. Athena's voice, gentle but firm.
> "You are showing signs of early acceleration risk, Ram."
He exhaled sharply. "I know. I just—"
> "Patience is part of mastery. You are not here to impress. You are here to build."
Ram got up and paced the room.
He stared at a half-finished poster of the solar system he had been assigned for class.
> This is how they see the universe now…
> I've seen SpaceX land rockets. I've seen Mars probes. I've built AI agents that taught themselves Hindi. And now I'm painting Uranus with crayons.
He let out a frustrated sigh.
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The Memory That Slapped Him
Just then, a sharp pain sliced through his thoughts—a memory.
It was 2029.
He had just launched IndraNet—India's first nationwide decentralized AI network.
Reporters, cameras, flashes. He was hailed as a genius.
But that night, in his penthouse, alone, he stared into his glass of whiskey and whispered to himself:
> "If only I had started younger… if only I had time…"
Now, he had time.
But he was burning it with frustration.
He sat down. Eyes closed. Deep breath.
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The Fire Becomes a Furnace
He turned to his notebook and wrote:
> "Power without discipline is destruction."
He underlined it thrice.
Then, next to it, he added:
> "Strategy is not how much you know. It's how well you time what you reveal."
His hand stopped shaking.
He began planning again—calmly, methodically.
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Plan Adjusted: Phase 1.1
Keep academic performance above average, not exceptional
Introduce AI principles via stories, metaphors
Train Anika gradually, keep her motivated
Observe and identify next Circle member
Mine Bitcoin cautiously using dad's PC, hide wallet safely
Teach father about compounding interest using stories
He took out an old piggy bank and began feeding it notes and coins.
He whispered to it:
"You're going to be worth more than gold soon."
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The Next Day: Rehearsing Restraint
At school, Mrs. Kapoor asked a question about the solar system.
Ram knew the latest planetary data from NASA's 2025 Mars orbiters.
He knew how many moons Jupiter had including the new ones just discovered.
But he raised his hand and said:
"Jupiter has many moons, ma'am. Like Ganymede and Europa."
Safe. Normal.
Disciplined.
Mrs. Kapoor smiled. "Correct."
He smiled too.
Not because he was right, but because he didn't overplay.
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A Tiny Win
That afternoon, Vicky ran up to him at lunch.
"Ram! You want to play math cricket?"
Ram blinked. "Math cricket?"
"Yeah! Every right answer is a run. Wrong answer? You're out."
Ram smiled.
Anika was watching.
He nodded. "Let's play."
He answered every question wrong on purpose.
Cheered when he got out.
Laughed like a child.
Because sometimes… playing dumb was smarter.
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Final Thought of the Night
That evening, Athena prompted a journal entry.
Ram wrote:
> "There's a fire inside me. It wants to burst.
But I will forge it into a furnace.
Not to burn others. But to build an empire of light.
Slowly. Quietly. Strategically."
He closed his notebook, wrapped himself in his blanket, and whispered:
> "Let's go slow, so we can go far."
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End of Chapter 5