It was supposed to be a school trip.Nothing more, nothing less.
At least, that's what Satya believed.
The local academy had arranged an "eco-survival experience" deep within the Simlipal Jungle of Odisha. A mix of trainees and non-awakened volunteers had signed up—some dreaming of becoming DDA recruits, others just wanting to escape the noise of everyday life.
Satya had joined, not by choice, but by fate. A free pass had been granted to "low-income applicants." It sounded noble on paper, but in practice, it was just another reminder that he didn't belong.
He was the last to step off the bus.Waddling, sweating, his oversized backpack dragging down his shoulders. His shirt clung to his body like a wet rag.
The laughter started the moment his feet touched the ground.
"Don't slow us down, Satya!""You sure this forest won't eat you instead?""Hope the tigers are vegetarian today!"
Every word dug deeper than any monster claw could. But he didn't say anything. He never did. He simply lowered his head and trudged forward, as he always had.
Deeper Into Darkness
By noon, the group had reached a calm riverbed and set up camp. Tents fluttered in the soft breeze. Instructors barked orders. The jungle whispered around them, ancient and watchful.
Their guide was a 2-star hunter named Divya—a woman with sharp eyes and a voice that didn't tolerate foolishness. She kept watch like a hawk, her hand never far from the blade strapped to her side.
That night, the sky broke open.
A single thunderclap shattered the quiet. Screams followed. The moon turned blood red. Purple clouds bled into the heavens like bruises.
And deep within the jungle…A Gate opened.
It wasn't large—yet. But it pulsed with power. Ancient. Hungry.
From the rift crawled horrors born of nightmares—creatures with the bodies of lions and the tails of scorpions, their eyes glowing like molten rock. The earth trembled beneath their feet.
Panic exploded.
Students scattered. Some screamed. Some ran blindly.
Divya's blade flared with divine light as she leapt forward, cutting through the first wave of demons. But more came.
"Everyone! RUN toward the cliffs!" she shouted. "Follow the fireflies!"
Fireflies?
They appeared like sparks in the dark, glowing trails through the chaos. Maybe it was magic. Maybe it was mercy. Either way, the students ran.
Satya tried.
He really did.
But as always, he was too slow. Too heavy. He stumbled, tripped, and hit the ground hard.
No one waited. No one looked back.
He rose, gasping, heart hammering. The jungle swallowed the others—and left him alone.
The Jungle That Judges
He ran into the forest, deeper than he'd ever gone before.
And slowly… everything grew silent.
No monsters.No voices.No wind.
Just trees—towering and unmoving. Watching.
He stumbled into a strange clearing, bathed in cold silver light. The moon hung directly overhead, its glow forming a perfect circle on the grass.
Then, the ground whispered.
Not with sound—but with feeling. Words pressed into his bones, not his ears.
"Only the pure may pass. Only the guiltless shall rise.Complete the Trials… or be devoured."
Stone pillars pushed through the earth. An ancient ruin emerged—weathered, moss-covered, alive with magic that had slept for centuries.
Above the archway, barely visible beneath vines:
Vichara Vanam – The Forest of Judgment
Satya stared, wide-eyed.
This wasn't just jungle.
It was a testing ground. A trial site. A creation older than the DDA. Older than the Gates. Perhaps older than time itself.
And it had chosen him.
Trial One: The Burden
From the darkness, a creature formed—a golem of mud, stone, and bone, taller than any tree. Chains hung from its shoulders. Mirrors clinked across its body, each one showing a reflection.
Not of what Satya was.
But what he feared.
Scenes from his life played across them—being mocked, laughed at, ignored. Failing. Crying in silence. Begging for food. Being forgotten.
He was told:Carry the golem's burden for one hour. Or perish.
The weight nearly crushed him. His back screamed. His hands bled. His knees buckled.
But he held on.
Not because he was strong.Not because he wanted to win.
But because he had nothing left to lose.
Trial Two: The Choice
Three doors rose from the earth.
Save himself.
Save those who mocked him.
Save the girl who once humiliated him in front of the whole school.
Only one led to freedom.
Satya didn't hesitate. He chose them—the ones who hurt him. The ones who left him behind.
For a long moment, the jungle was still.
And then... it smiled.
Trial Three: The Sacrifice
A pit of fire burned before him. Inside it—screaming, writhing—were the same students who had abandoned him in the forest.
They were chained, trapped, and crying for help.
Beside the pit, a blade floated. Holy. Sharp. Glowing.
Words appeared in the air:
"You can save them with this blade.But in return… you must offer your life."
He didn't ask questions.
He didn't demand thanks.
He jumped.
The Awakening
He woke up gasping.
Not in fire.Not in chains.
But in a hospital bed.
The sunlight filtered through the window, soft and golden. Birds chirped outside. Machines beeped gently nearby.
He sat up. Looked down.
No wounds. No burns.His body… had changed.
No more sagging skin. No more tired limbs. His arms were solid. His chest, broad. His reflection—barely recognizable.
Around his neck hung a pendant, faintly glowing with gold.
🔱 ॐ
And then—A voice.
Bright. Bubbly. Inside his mind.
"Finally, you woke up! Took you long enough, boss!"
"Name's Oorja. I'm your… hmm… magical life coach from the gods, let's say."
"Congrats! You survived the Forest of Judgment and earned me! Yay! Also… if you mess up my tasks, you die. No pressure!"
Satya blinked.
"...What?"