When Nivyansh reached outside his palace, he saw two soldiers patrolling near the entrance. Without coming into their sight, Nivyansh silently slipped into his chamber.
Far away, 'thousands of miles' away, a man was gazing at the sky, lost in the alleys of his memories. The very next moment, as if sensing something, he slowly turned around.
On his forehead appeared a golden lotus mark—but just as quickly, it vanished into nothingness. The man's face was then revealed—he was none other than King Ambar. With a trembling, emotional voice he whispered:
"My son… you're alive!"
As he spoke, his eyes welled up with tears.
Meanwhile, in his chamber, Nivyansh was deep in meditation when suddenly his eyes flew open. He looked around in surprise, but no one was there.
"Why do I feel like… someone just called me by my name?" he muttered, a little unsettled. But after a pause, he shook his head.
"Nivyansh, what nonsense you think of at night. Who would be remembering you right now? Must be just your imagination."
Saying this, he closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.
With the arrival of a new dawn, the sunlight poured in through the window, touching Nivyansh's face. His entire body glowed brilliantly, purified of all impurities, radiating like molten gold.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
"Young Master, are you still asleep?"
"No, Keshav Kaka," Nivyansh replied as he opened the door.
Keshav's eyes widened in shock when he saw Nivyansh's glowing face.
"Young Master… have you successfully advanced your level?" he asked, overwhelmed with joy.
Keshav himself was a warrior of the Indrajit Rank. His sharp senses could easily detect the aura of even a Paramjeet Rank warrior. So it was natural that he immediately noticed Nivyansh's increased power.
Nivyansh didn't say anything, but the smile on his lips and the radiance of his body were more than enough proof—he had advanced to the Blood Circulation Rank.
Seeing his smile, Keshav exclaimed with excitement:
"This is a day of great happiness, Young Master! I must share this news with your father immediately. He will be so proud to hear it!"
"Not yet, Keshav Kaka," Nivyansh said firmly. "When Father returns, I will tell him myself. Until then, you must not tell anyone about my advancement."
Though joy was clear on his face, no one knew the pain he had endured to climb this level—pain that was enough to break anyone. But he had borne it, to prove himself once again and silence those who mocked him for being unable to advance.
Keshav nodded respectfully. "As you command, Young Master. I will not speak of this to anyone." After a brief chat, he left the room.
Meanwhile, in another part of the kingdom, deep inside a forest, a group of armed men stood ready. They were led by two figures—one of them was Raktab, and the other, the third elder of the Sisodia family.
"Raktab," the elder asked, "is it true? Are there really high-quality ore deposits here?"
"Yes, Elder. But there's a major problem."
"What problem?"
Raktab's expression grew serious.
"The problem is… these mines are very close to the Gahlot family's territory. They've already begun laying claim to this natural ore and are trying to seize the iron produced here."
The Gahlot family was among the royal clans, ranked sixth in power.
Hearing this, the third elder's face burned with fury.
"How dare they try to steal what belongs to us? I will not allow this!" He raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to advance.
At the same time, Nivyansh was making his daily journey through the forest, heading toward the Academy. Located at the borders of four kingdoms, this Academy admitted thousands of students each year. It was none other than the prestigious Shurveer Academy, renowned for training the strongest warriors and teaching them the proper use of their powers.
As Nivyansh walked along the path, students stared at him in astonishment. His body had grown stronger, leaner, and his face had become so radiant that even many girls began to doubt their own beauty. They whispered among themselves, trying to approach him. Meanwhile, the boys glared at him with envy, their eyes burning with hostility.
Seeing their stares, Nivyansh muttered to himself,
"What's wrong with everyone today? I know I look more attractive than before, but this much shock? Something's off."
Just then, a student named Vyomesh walked up to him, joking:
"Nivyansh bhai, what's going on? You're glowing today! Did you eat some beauty-enhancing pill? If yes, give me some too, so I can look like you!"
"Stop pulling my leg," Nivyansh replied seriously. "Tell me, why is everyone staring at me like that?"
Vyomesh's face turned uneasy.
"That's what I came to tell you. A few days ago, did you fight with someone?"
"Yes, but that was just a misunderstanding. Why?" Nivyansh asked, suspicion rising in his mind.
"It matters because… the guys you fought with? They're senior students from the Southern Division. Now, their allies are looking for you. They've been asking about you among the juniors. Be careful, bhai."
Nivyansh nodded slowly, finally understanding why everyone looked at him with such shock. Those seniors were already trying to make trouble for him. Teacher Bhupati's warning echoed in his mind—that he must stay cautious of them.
"Well," Nivyansh thought aloud, "I'll see what they can really do against me."
Vyomesh added gravely:
"Just watch out for Rank One of the external rankings—Hemant of the Siraj family. The guys you fought? Their father works under his family, so they are basically his lackeys."
Before Nivyansh could reply, another boy came running.
"Nivyansh bhai! It's terrible—Prashant is being beaten badly by some Southern students!"
"What?!" both Nivyansh and Vyomesh exclaimed.
The boy nodded urgently.
"I swear it's true! I saw it myself and came straight to find you."
"Take us there—quickly!" Nivyansh commanded, and the three of them rushed after him.
At the Academy grounds, three students had surrounded Prashant. Two of them were none other than Hrithik and Harutesh—punished by Teacher Bhupati earlier because of Nivyansh. This time, however, they were accompanied by a tall, muscular youth.
Prashant was already in bad shape—bruises covered his face, blood dripped from his lips. Harutesh struck him again, laughing cruelly.
"What's wrong now? Weren't you bold the other day? Where's your savior friend? Hiding in his hole like a rat?"
Prashant clutched his stomach in pain and fell to the ground, while the three laughed mockingly.
Seeing Prashant glare back at them in anger, the tall youth grabbed his hair and sneered,
"Oh? So you can still be angry?"
Prashant, though furious, was too weak to retaliate.
The tall youth raised his fist to strike again—but before it could land, a blast of energy surged toward him. He leapt back in shock, barely dodging the attack.
The source of the attack stood before them—Nivyansh.
Vyomesh quickly rushed to lift the injured Prashant onto his shoulder.
The three bullies turned their eyes toward Nivyansh. Hrithik and Harutesh's faces twisted with hatred.
"So… you finally came to save him," they snarled, pointing to the tall youth. "Javed bhai, this is the one. He's the one who humiliated us!"
Their lips curled into cruel smiles.
Nivyansh, however, stared at the three of them with a calm but troubled look.
What would happen now? Would the three succeed in taking their revenge? Or would they, once again, taste bitter defeat at Nivyansh's hands?
Stay tuned for the next chapter of The Heartless Warrior.