n't go
– Chapter: Paths We Choose
📍 Astral Academy – Common Garden, Late Morning
After that they decided to go to the nutrition dorm for there breakfast.
The laughter of breakfast faded into a soft stillness, the kind that comes before decisions.
Ashwajeet stood up, the sunlight glinting off his shoulder.
Ashwajeet:
"Hey… just letting you all know, I'll be heading out for training."
The others turned.
Veer:
"Where to? Don't tell me you're going alone into the Monster Territory."
Ashwajeet (shaking his head):
"Not alone. I already informed the elders. I'll be heading to the Southern Highlands with two of them. There are ancient thunder sanctums down there. I think it's time I face them."
Mira (grinning):
"Of course. You'd go looking for a lightning storm just to meditate in it."
Ashwajeet (smiling):
"Maybe."
Then he looked at the others.
Ashwajeet:
"What about you all? This is our chance to break limits. So… where are you heading?"
The group exchanged glances, then began sharing their plans:
Veer (arms behind his head):
"Sky Cliffs. High winds, insane pressure zones. I'll be going with one of the elders who knows wind control. Should be fun."
Saki:
"There's a sealed coastal dome near Azure Bay. The academy approved my trip with an elder healer. I want to learn water-based healing and shield techniques."
Reika:
"I'm joining a volcanic terrain study group. The lava flow training near Ember Ridge is brutal, but… I need it."
Mira:
"I'm staying here. The earth veins under the academy go deep. I think I've ignored their voice too long. Time to listen."
Myria:
"Sound Temple in the north. Elder Tama will guide me. They say it echoes with past warriors' heartbeats. I want to find my rhythm there."
Aarya (gently):
"I'll be training near the Ice Spire Range… under elder Keina's watch. That cold will help me understand control over my ice—it's more than just freezing things."
Vivaan:
"I've gotten approval to go to the Shadow Forest under Elder Rael. The dark energy there is dangerous. But I need to understand my element... not just use it."
Sato (calmly):
"I'll remain here. There's a crystal resonance field within the east wing. Elder Shura believes I can refine my focus there."
Everyone turned toward Anay, who had been quietly listening with a faint smile.
Ashwajeet:
"What about you, Anay?"
Anay's eyes softened. He couldn't say the truth—not about his inner realm. That part of him was still too… sacred.
Anay (gently):
"I'll be training here. The academy has everything I need."
Veer:
"Staying back, huh? Classic Anay. Calm on the surface—storm underneath."
Anay chuckled.
Anay:
"Something like that."
He looked up at the sky for a moment.
Inside me… is the storm I need to master.
Ashwajeet extended his fist forward.
Ashwajeet:
"No matter where we train… let's return as better versions of ourselves."
The others joined—one by one—hands in, fists together.
Anay (quietly):
"To growth. And to what comes next."
And so, the Top 10 prepared to part ways—not as rivals, but as comrades walking different paths toward the same goal.