The moment the parchment left his trembling fingers, Satya knew he had made a mistake. A cosmic, stomach-cramping, soul-crippling mistake. He wasn't just a trainee now. He was Subject #001 of the DDA President himself—Vayunanda. The White Death.
And it all started at 3:45 AM.
3:45 AM – The Alarm of Doom
The sound wasn't even a proper alarm. It was a deep, warhorn-like BWOOMMM that vibrated the bones in Satya's spine. He rolled out of the straw mat in the Inferno Guild's sleeping quarters, smashing face-first into the cold floor. His eyelids fluttered.
"I'm dead," he muttered.
"Incorrect," said a familiar monotone voice. A small orb floated into view. Vayunanda's monitoring drone. "Awake time: 3:45:07. Penalty registered. 100 squats added."
Satya groaned so hard his soul almost left his body.
Oorja materialized beside him, floating in her translucent form, wearing a sparkly morning robe and holding a divine latte.
"Oh look, the chosen one's awake. And bleeding from the nose. What a hero."
"Shut up," Satya moaned.
"Nope."
4:00 AM – Hell Run Begins
Karna's guild garden had transformed into a flaming marathon circuit. Literally. Every 100 meters, there was a ring of enchanted flame. Satya ran like a wet noodle on fire. The requirement? 20 kilometers in under an hour.
At 1.4 kilometers, Satya threw up. At 2.7 kilometers, he tripped over a squirrel. At 4 kilometers, he saw a hallucination of Paneer Tikka Masala asking him to quit.
Vayunanda watched silently, arms folded, like a monk watching an ant try to lift a mountain.
"I can't... I'm dying," Satya cried.
"No," said Vayunanda. "You are learning."
6:00 AM – Push-Ups of Pain
Satya's arms had already given up. But Vayunanda's construct clicked a counter every time he collapsed.
"Push-up count reset to zero."
He screamed. Oorja handed him a mini whiteboard that read 'Welcome to Muscle Hell'.
6:45 AM – Breakfast: Grass on a Plate
Sprouts. Unsalted. Dry. Even the milk was warm and judgmental.
He stared at the plate. "I used to eat burgers. Pizzas. That life... that dream..."
Agneyi passed by, took one look at him, and whispered, "Welcome to ascetichood, fast food prince."
He nearly cried.
7:00 AM – Weapon Mastery with Fire Swords
He was handed a sword that was literally on fire. His first instinct was to throw it.
Karna stopped it mid-air with a glance.
"Control your fear, Satya. Or your fear will control your sword."
Satya's hands shook so much, he nearly sliced his own eyebrows off.
8:30 AM – Tactical Training
"Identify enemy intent from 10 cues."
Satya: "Uh… he looks... stabby?"
Construct: "Incorrect. Penalty: 20 fire jumps."
Oorja leaned in and whispered, "Next time, just say 'I want my mommy.' It's more accurate."
10:00 AM – Waterfall Meditation
He sat cross-legged under a freezing waterfall, the pressure of it flattening his brain.
Satya whispered to himself, "Om... my body is frozen..."
12:00 PM – Flame Endurance Test
He stood surrounded by mystical flames while reciting mantras. Every mistake? Flame touched skin.
He screamed like a banshee in a horror movie.
Oorja gave him a rating sheet: 'Survival: 4/10. Dignity: -200.'
2:00 PM – Lunch
Rice. One spoon of ghee. Boiled greens. No talking.
Satya looked like he'd been through six wars. His spoon trembled as he touched the rice.
"Is this punishment or nutrition?" he whispered.
The drone zapped his ankle. "Talking is forbidden."
3:00 PM – Rest (LOL)
He lay on the stone floor, using his hands as a pillow.
He murmured, "Please, someone stab me in my dreams so I don't wake up."
Oorja appeared beside him, knitting a sweater. "Don't worry. Nightmares are scheduled at 5."
4:00 PM – Battle Block
Satya was thrown into a pit with three Inferno trainees wielding wooden swords. His job? Survive.
He lasted 36 seconds. At 37 seconds, he played dead. At 38 seconds, he actually fainted.
6:00 PM – Endurance Circle
He stood inside a ritual circle, as fire whips lashed at him from all sides.
Every lash came with a mantra from Vayunanda:
"Pain is focus." "Pain is discipline." "Pain is lunch if you don't learn."
Satya sobbed through the flames. "I miss Maggi noodles..."
8:00 PM – Dinner
Two dry rotis. Bitter salad. Turmeric milk.
He stared at it. "This is just violence in edible form."
8:30 PM – Magic Theory
He memorized forbidden mantras while his eyes twitched.
The parchment burst into flames when he pronounced "Agni-Tejas" as "Agnee-Teejus."
Oorja brought a fan. "Want me to cool your burning ego?"
11:59 PM – Meditation
He sat with the Garuda Crystal in his lap. His mind, already fractured, now went to places unknown.
He imagined speaking to a cabbage. The cabbage gave him advice.
"Run away," it said.
12:00 AM – Collapse
He flopped on the stone mat. Bruised. Burned. Emotionally bankrupt.
"I survived Day 1," he whispered.
Drone: "Correction. You endured Day 1. Survival rate: 12%. Warning: Training continues in 3 hours."
He screamed into the void.
Oorja popped into his vision one last time.
"Sleep tight, pizza boy."
Week 1 – The Breaking Point
Every day was a repetition of torment. 3:45 AM to midnight. Rinse and suffer. But something began to shift. By Day 3, Satya stopped vomiting on the run. By Day 5, he managed to complete 10 kilometers before collapsing. On Day 7, he ran the full 20 kilometers and only passed out once. His squats were cleaner. His sword grip less shaky. His insults to Oorja sharper.
The fire whips still hurt, but now he screamed with rhythm.
During waterfall meditation, he no longer cursed Shiva. Only whispered complaints. He was... adapting.
Week 2 – The Pain Becomes Familiar
He began learning his first mantras. Simple ones. Illumination, Binding, and Flow. His pronunciation stopped causing explosions. Oorja started rating his attempts: 2/10 became 4/10. Karna even gave a small nod one morning. That nod stayed in Satya's soul like a badge of honor.
Weapon training improved. He could now swing a flaming sword 12 times before dropping it. He no longer hallucinated food every hour. Just... every other hour.
Vayunanda introduced a new test: Dodging elemental strikes. Satya failed 93 out of 100. But he got up. Again. And again.
The system added a new challenge: Internal fire mastery.
"Balance your breath. Feel your core ignite."
Satya: "Feel my what?"
System: "Core. Not colon. Stop clenching."
Progress: Painfully slow. But real.
Week 3 – The Rise
Satya now woke up at 3:44 AM. Before the horn.
He had memorized 8 mantras. Successfully summoned a flame construct. Managed to hold a sword duel with a senior trainee for 45 seconds.
He discovered a rhythm to it all. Pain. Learn. Pain. Grow.
He gained muscle. His mind was sharper. His body tougher. His scream-pitch dropped two octaves.
Oorja began logging his stats.
"Stamina +15. Reflex +9. Magical Conductivity +4. Ego +70."
He grinned through bloodied lips. "I'll take it."
Week 4 – The Becoming
He completed the Hell Run in 52 minutes. Survived 5 minutes in the Battle Pit. Mastered three new spells, including one forbidden technique.
Karna began training him personally.
"Your fire is still young. But it is fire. Burn wisely."
Even Vayunanda showed a flicker of something. Not approval. But... reduced disdain.
He meditated now without hallucinations. He ate sprouts with stoicism. He even enjoyed turmeric milk.
At night, he didn't scream anymore.
Oorja hovered over him as he closed his eyes.
"Pizza boy leveled up. Proud of you, flamehead."
Satya smiled.
"Just wait. I'm going to burn the sky."
End of Month 1: Subject #001 - Status: Active. Awakening in progress.