Karn stepped into the school courtyard, limping slightly, his uniform wrinkled as always. His face still bore the faint marks from yesterday's alley fight.
Maya immediately waved from the corridor.
"Oi! Wild boy! Still alive, huh?"
Karn gave her a weak smirk. "Barely. What was that punch you threw, anyway? My jaw's still clicking."
"You're welcome." She grinned. "By the way, Leela Ma'am said some knight guy is gonna teach us today."
At that moment, Arjun stepped into frame—silent, serious, and clean as ever.
"Try not to destroy the school again, Karn."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Mr. Sunshine."
---
The class gathered in the indoor training hall. Instead of desks, the ground was marked with glowing chalk circles. Everyone buzzed with excitement and nerves.
"Silence!" barked Leela Ma'am. "You will now begin your Senik Exam prep. Meet your trainer."
A tall man in his late 20s stepped forward. His aura alone silenced the room — like standing near lightning before it strikes.
"I'm Krish Joshi, former Mid Knight. You will refer to me as Sir, or not at all."
Someone coughed. Someone else shivered.
Krish continued, "Aura is not magic. It's breath. Movement. Spirit. Today, we begin with flow control."
---
"Cross your legs," Krish instructed. "Focus on your breath. Draw your aura to the surface."
Karn tried.
He really did.
But instead of a gentle glow...
BOOM!
His aura burst out like a busted geyser. A gust of wind flipped two students, blew Maya's bag across the room, and knocked over the incense pot.
Krish stood still as stone. "...Interesting."
Karn sat in the middle, blinking. "That... wasn't me. Okay, it was me."
Arjun whispered, "How do you even breathe like that?"
---
Krish tapped Karn's head with two fingers. "Your aura control is like a leaking tap — loud and useless."
"Thanks," Karn muttered.
Maya handed him her notebook. "Here. Try drawing a calm aura circle."
Karn tried. He accidentally burned the edge of the paper.
Maya: "This is why we can't have nice things."
---
Krish clapped. "Now... pair up. Light sparring. No killing. Unless you really want to fail."
Pairs were formed. Karn, of course, was left without one.
"I'll spar with him," Arjun said quietly.
The class murmured.
Karn's eyes widened. "Wait what—? No no no, I'm not ready!"
Krish: "Too late."
They stepped into the circle.
Arjun took a calm stance — grounded, perfect form.
Karn? He raised his fists like a street fighter with no plan.
The duel began.
Arjun moved like water, graceful and precise.
Karn tried to hit, failed, blocked one, got hit again.
And again.
Until—
Arjun spun in with a light aura-infused strike to Karn's side.
Karn's eyes went white.
The entire room shifted.
His aura exploded outward like a storm.
Wind roared in all directions. Students screamed and ducked.
Even Arjun was forced back by the force.
Krish's eyes narrowed. "...Impossible."
---
Karn stood tall, eyes glowing white, hair rising slightly.
Arjun stepped forward, hands ready. "He's not in control."
Krish jumped in, blocking Karn's next attack with a palm coated in silver aura. "He's in a rare state…"
After a few seconds, Karn dropped to his knees, aura collapsing.
Everyone was silent.
---
Later, on the rooftop, Karn sipped juice through a straw.
"I blacked out again, huh?"
Arjun nodded. "You activated something only elite warriors are rumored to reach."
"Something like Ultra Instinct?" Karn grinned.
"Don't compare your tantrum to a god form," Arjun shot back.
Maya joined them. "What do you call it?"
Karn thought for a moment.
"…Reg Mode."
"Reg?" she asked.
"Regret. Rage. Both. It's what happens when I remember things I don't want to remember."
Neither of them responded. The silence said enough.
---
Back on the school gate, Siddharth waited with Karn's lunch.
"You forgot again."
"Dad, I almost became a windstorm today."
Siddharth smiled. "And yet, you still forgot your food."
---
In the school warehouse, three older students whispered around a candle.
"Chotu," one said, "That kid Karn… He's different."
Chotu grinned, his single visible eye gleaming. "I'll handle him."
He stepped out of the shadows, his aura flickering dark grey.
Behind him, graffiti spelled the words: BADMASH GANG RULES.