The spiral staircase was cold beneath Dev's feet. Each step echoed through the underground tunnel like the ticking of a silent clock, counting down to a fate he couldn't yet grasp.
A grey-haired man stood waiting below, arms crossed, his gaze unreadable.
"You knew my father?" Dev asked, voice low but steady.
The man nodded. "I was his shadow in the field. Lieutenant Colonel Virendra Singh. Your father saved my life once. He also helped build what you're about to see—Ashoka Base."
A massive steel door behind him slid open with a mechanical hiss.
Dev's eyes widened.
He had entered a vast underground facility filled with blinking lights, containment chambers, weapon racks, and military training zones that stretched farther than the eye could see.
"This base was made to prepare Earth's defenders. Those with the courage to face the unknown," the Colonel continued. "Your father dreamed of this. And you… you're part of that legacy."
Dev looked around, overwhelmed but determined.
**
He was given a small dorm inside the base—a plain, square room with a bed, a locker, and a beast containment cage built into the wall. It wasn't luxurious, but it was enough.
Soon, his daily training began. While others hunted powerful beasts, Dev was assigned basic-level creatures. He trained alone. Most squads ignored him.
Two names dominated Ashoka Base: Shivani Mittal, heir of a powerful military bloodline known for discovering interdimensional teleportation sites—and Munna Raheja, grandson of an elite tycoon with deep influence.
Dev's first interaction with Shivani didn't go well. During a practice session, he misread her beast aura and attacked by mistake. She dodged effortlessly and scolded him coldly. From that moment, he was labeled a fool—and Munna made sure no one spoke to him.
But Dev didn't give up.
He trained with a simple bow and arrow. Advanced weapons required sacred points he didn't yet have. His focus remained sharp.
Then one day, in the wild forest sector, he encountered something unusual.
A golden ant-like beast, larger and faster than the basic types. Its shell shimmered faintly, and its eyes glowed blue.
Dev sensed something powerful about it. Luring it to rocky terrain, he struck with perfect precision—an arrow into its weak spot. The beast collapsed.
Inside its cracked shell, Dev found a blue crystal glowing with strange energy. He stored the beast soul quietly in his soul sea and hid the crystal.
Later that night, he ate the sacred beast's flesh and received a notification: +5 Sacred Points. A warm strength surged through his body.
He now had 5 Sacred Points.
The soul he absorbed appeared as Golden Armor—rare, defensive, meant for survival and endurance.
He knew what this meant.
He was evolving.
**
Back in his room, Dev sat quietly, holding the crystal. The basic-level beast caged beside him watched silently.
"We're both trapped," Dev whispered. "But one day… I'll rise."
He wasn't angry anymore.
He was focused.
On a strange impulse, Dev showed the crystal to the beast. Its behavior shifted—snapping, growling, energy flaring like a frenzied mental beast. Confused, Dev thought, Maybe it's useless to me.
He tossed the crystal into the cage.
Then he slept.
When he woke up a few hours later, everything had changed.
The basic beast had evolved into a sacred beast.
Dev was stunned.
Acting on instinct, he quickly killed it before it became a threat. Upon its death, he received a new Arrow-Type Soul, one that could return when summoned by Dev's will.
He stared at the soul in his palm, heart pounding.
He couldn't understand the mystery behind the crystal—but he stored it again, realizing its value. This strange item could help him grow stronger, faster than anyone expected.
He consumed the evolved beast's flesh and received another +5 Sacred Points.
His total now stood at 10 Sacred Points.
**
What Dev didn't know was that his name had started appearing in internal reports. Someone had flagged him.
> File Opened: Dev Verma – Subject Class: Unknown
Status: Potential Risk. Monitor Closely.
And somewhere, far beyond Ashoka Base, in a hidden lab cloaked in ice and fog, a shadowy figure looked at the file and smiled.
"So… the son awakens."
To be continued...