The silence hung like a blade in the air.
Reyaan stepped closer, pressing the cold metal of the handgun into the hesitant boy's palm. The boy flinched slightly at the contact, but didn't back away.
"Kevin, right?" Reyaan's voice was low, but firm. "Indian. Nineteen." His sharp gaze narrowed. "Speak."
Kevin gulped, then steadied his breath. "Yes, sir. Kevin Roy. Born in Mumbai. Blood group B-positive. Strengths—quick reflexes, coding experience. Weakness… I overthink."
Reyaan's brow raised slightly. "Overthinking will get you killed."
He took a step behind Kevin, his chest nearly brushing the boy's back, and wrapped his hand over Kevin's trembling ones.
"Stop shaking. You're not holding fear, you're holding power. Power doesn't tremble."
Kevin adjusted his stance as Reyaan guided his arms with chilling precision. The gun aimed directly at the empty wall in front of them, yet the weight in the room was deadly real.
"Hold your breath… Now focus. Pull the trigger when your heartbeat listens to your silence."
Kevin's finger tightened slightly on the trigger but Reyaan stopped him with a whisper.
"Not now. Not without a reason. Power without control is chaos."
Reyaan turned to the remaining two boys, his voice slicing through the tension.
"You two..." he nodded toward them. "You're not made for field. But your hands will be good in front of screens." He tilted his head, scanning them like a tactician analyzing his pawns. "You'll learn fast."
The door opened.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped in, dressed in sleek black, eyes scanning the room sharply.
Arav Mehera.
He stopped at the sight of the boys and gave Reyaan a curt nod.
"You called?"
Reyaan's eyes remained on the boys, but he addressed Arav without turning.
"How's the Velvet Crown Hotel network in Swindon?" His voice was curious, but laced with authority.
Arav spoke immediately, crisp and to the point.
"Upgraded. Encrypted. Internal access rerouted through two layered proxy masks. Our surveillance inside the client suites is now invisible to outside scans."
Finally, Reyaan turned, his eyes locking onto Arav's with a glint of approval.
"Good." He exhaled a curl of smoke from a cigarette he didn't remember lighting. "You've got another job now."
He pointed toward the two boys standing rigidly behind Kevin.
"Train them."
Arav's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Both?"
"Every tech system we use. I want them to eat code, dream algorithms, and learn our entire security web from scratch. If they can't learn in a week, throw them back to Nick. No softness."
Arav folded his arms. "Understood. What access level?"
"Start at Level 2. Don't let them near the Black Gate systems yet. They're too green."
The boys looked between the two men like soldiers about to be drafted into a war they couldn't yet comprehend.
Reyaan turned back to Kevin, the gun still in his hand.
"Him?" he muttered to Arav. "Not yours. Mine."
Kevin's spine straightened. Arav simply nodded, understanding Reyaan's tone left no room for discussion.
"Let's go," Arav said to the other two.
The boys followed, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror.
Reyaan remained, watching Kevin.
He didn't smile. But something close flickered in his eyes.
"We'll see how sharp your mind is under pressure. Training starts now."The silence that followed was heavier than the gun still warm in Kevin's trembling hands.
Reyaan turned slowly, walking to the desk where his sleek black phone rested. The screen lit up with encrypted layers as he tapped through codes like muscle memory, then tossed a glance over his shoulder.
"Keep that gun." His voice was deep, final, an order—not a suggestion.
Kevin blinked. "Sir—"
"From now on," Reyaan cut in sharply, not turning yet, "you'll be with me twenty-four hours a day. Until I tell you otherwise."
Kevin's breath hitched slightly at the words. Not because of fear—at least not only that—but because being under the direct eye of the man known to be more shadow than flesh meant the line between survival and destruction was a single misstep.
Reyaan finally turned around, rolling up his sleeves deliberately as he walked back toward Kevin, his footsteps echoing like gunshots on cold marble.
"And since you're breathing next to me, let me make this crystal."
He stopped in front of Kevin, eyes locked into his like twin blades.
"My rules aren't suggestions. They're your new oxygen. You follow them. You live. You break them…" He tilted his head, smirking coldly. "Well. Let's not waste bullets on explanations."
Kevin nodded slowly.
But Reyaan raised a hand. "Don't nod. Memorize."
He took a long drag from his cigarette, the ember burning like the intensity in his gaze. Then, he spoke—each rule falling from his lips like carved commandments.
"Rule One: Never talk back. No matter what you think, your tongue answers only when I let it."
"Rule Two: No disobedience. Even if I tell you to walk into fire, you ask how hot—not why."
"Rule Three: Follow every order I give. You'll never understand the game if you try to rewrite the rules."
"Rule Four: Ask questions. If you're confused, ask. I don't need a dead fool beside me."
"Rule Five: No sympathy. No mercy. Not for enemies. Not for victims. Not even for yourself."
Kevin's hands clenched slightly on the gun.
"Rule Six: Don't shoot unless it's absolutely necessary. One bullet wasted is one trail left behind. Be smarter than your fear."
"Rule Seven: Never raise your voice in front of me or my men. Power doesn't yell—it whispers, and the world listens."
Kevin nodded once again, slower this time, burning each word into memory.
"Rule Eight: You don't leave this place—not alone. You move when I move. You breathe when I breathe."
A cold breeze slipped through the narrow windows, but Kevin was sweating.
"Rule Nine: No unnecessary chatter. No fake smiles. No acting like we're best friends in some damn movie. This isn't your redemption arc."
And then Reyaan's expression changed. Hardened. Sharpened.
He stepped closer, so close that Kevin could feel the heat of his breath.
"Rule Ten—the most important." Reyaan's eyes darkened. "You will never tremble in front of me. You don't get to be afraid—not of anyone, not of anything—unless I say so."
His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"Because if you fear anything else more than you fear me, you're already broken."
Kevin swallowed hard.
"Control your overthinking. Control your pulse. Control your instincts. Weakness doesn't walk beside me—it dies in the hallway before I open the door."
A long pause followed.
Then, Reyaan exhaled smoke from his nose and backed away, finally giving Kevin space to breathe.
"Now clean yourself up, change into the gear my men will give you. You'll sleep in the next room. No windows. One door. Monitored."
Kevin almost sighed with relief.
"And Kevin—" Reyaan said, just before exiting the room. "Tomorrow, we train. If your hands still shake by then… I'll break them myself and start over."