A few weeks had passed since Anmol's life had been turned upside down. On the outside, everything was normal. He had started his first year of college in Nagpur. He went to classes, he took notes, and he walked home with his heavy bag full of books. He was just another student, lost in the crowd.
But on the inside, everything was different. Every night, when the city was quiet, he would practise. In the darkness of his room or on the lonely Seminary Hills, he would call upon the spirits of the animals. He learned to control the cheetah's speed, to stop before he hit a wall. He learned to use the Indian bison's strength without feeling tired after just one push. The power of the stamp was becoming a part of him, a secret humming under his skin.
He was walking home from college one evening. The sun was setting, and the streets were filled with the noise of people heading home from work. He took a shortcut through a quieter lane, one that ran behind a row of old shops.
That's when he heard it. A girl's scared voice saying, "Leave me alone!" and the sound of rough, ugly laughter.
Anmol stopped. Around a corner, he saw the scene. A young girl, a college student like him, was pressed against a wall by three older boys. They had her surrounded, laughing as they blocked her way, grabbing at her bag. The girl's eyes were wide with fear.
A hot anger boiled up inside Anmol. This was what Simhavyagrah had talked about. You need to help other people with your power. He knew he couldn't just walk away. But he also knew that Anmol, the thin photography student, couldn't do much against three bigger boys.
But he wasn't just Anmol anymore.
He quickly and quietly ducked into a dark, narrow alley between two buildings, his heart pounding in his chest. He dropped his heavy college bag in the shadows. This was it. The first time he would use his powers for real, for someone else. He took a deep breath. Now is the time, he thought. Now is the time to use the power of the Animal Stamp.
He focused his mind and called to the stamp. He felt a familiar warmth spread across his chest, right under his cotton shirt. It was there, waiting.
A suit, he thought, remembering what Simhavyagrah had said. The Stamp will give you a suit that fits your personality, your spirit.
What did he need right now? He needed to be strong. He needed to be fierce. He needed to be brave and scary enough to frighten these bullies away. He needed the spirit of the king of the jungle. He focused his mind on one single, powerful image: a tiger.
The stamp on his chest began to glow, its golden light shining through his shirt. The light flowed out, covering his whole body like liquid energy. He felt the suit forming around him. Gold and dark green armour plates clicked into place over his chest and shoulders. Guards shaped themselves around his arms and legs. On his arms, dark tiger-like stripes appeared on the armour. A heavy belt with pouches was cinched around his waist, and sharp, deadly claws grew from the tips of his boots.
Finally, the light swirled around his head. A helmet of golden energy formed, shaping itself into the fierce, noble head of a tiger, its powerful jaw set in a snarl. His own eyes vanished, replaced by the helmet's glowing blue eyes, which burned with a cold, determined light.
He stood up straight. He was no longer Anmol. He was a warrior.
He could hear the boys still laughing and the girl crying. He focused his mind again, this time on the spirit of the eagle. He felt its powerful wings, its command of the sky.
He walked to the edge of the alley, bent his knees, and leaped.
But he didn't just jump. The eagle's power filled him, and he shot up into the air, flying in a short, powerful arc over the rooftops and then down, landing with a loud, ground-shaking THUD right in front of the three boys.
They spun around, their laughter dying in their throats. They stared at the impossible creature in front of them. The tiger-headed warrior, with his glowing blue eyes and sharp claws, looked like something out of a myth.
"What... what is that?" one of them stammered.
Anmol didn't say a word. He looked at the boy who was closest to the girl. Anmol focused on the cheetah's spirit. The world blurred for a split second, and he was standing right behind the boy.
"Leave her alone," he said. His voice came out as a low, deep growl, a mix of his own voice and a tiger's roar.
The boy screamed and scrambled away. The other two were frozen in fear. Anmol looked at them, then slammed his fist into the ground, calling on the Indian bison's strength. The pavement cracked under his knuckles with a loud CRACK!
That was enough. The three boys ran. They fell over each other trying to get away, screaming in terror as they disappeared down the street.
Anmol stood up, and the deep growl in his throat softened. He turned to the girl, who was staring at him with wide, amazed eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice still a bit rough.
She nodded, unable to speak for a moment. Then she found her voice. "Yes... thank you. Who are you? What is your name?"
Anmol paused. He had never thought about a name before. The words just came to him, feeling right and true.
"My name is... Animal Boy."
With a final nod, he turned and leaped. Using the langur's agility, he jumped straight up, caught the edge of a nearby roof, and pulled himself up, disappearing into the dark evening shadows.
The adrenaline was pumping through him as he moved silently across the flat rooftops. The langur's spirit made the journey feel natural, but his mind was racing. He didn't go far. He circled around, moving through the shadows, and dropped back down into the same dark alley where he had left his bag.
He was alone. He closed his glowing blue eyes and focused on himself, on the boy under the armour. "Go away," he thought, speaking to the suit. It's over.
The golden light returned, but this time it flowed backwards. The tiger head dissolved into shimmering particles, revealing his own sweaty, scared face. The gold and green armor plates lifted off him, turned into light, and were pulled back into his chest. In a few seconds, it was all gone. The warmth on his chest faded. He was just Anmol again.
He looked down at his dusty jeans and shirt. He let out a breath of surprised relief. The moment the power left, the exhaustion hit him like a physical blow. His legs trembled, and he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. He picked up his college bag, its weight feeling real and heavy. He looked at his own hands, half expecting to see claws. But they were just his hands.
Did I really just do that?
He had. He had faced down three bullies. He had made the pavement crack. He had flown. He had saved someone. A shaky smile spread across his face, a mix of fear and pure, dizzying excitement. He felt the faint, comforting warmth of the stamp under his shirt. It was real.
He took a few deep breaths, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the alley. He began the walk home, his mind a whirlwind. The city he had known his whole life suddenly looked different. The familiar crowds, the smell of street food, the endless noise of traffic—it was all the same, but he was not. He was now a secret part of it, a hidden protector.
As he walked, he began to hear the whispers. The stray dogs in the alleys were not just barking; their thoughts were excited and confused. Strange smell… A tiger in the city? No… something else. Smell of angry boys… smell of fear. The pigeons roosting on the telephone wires cooed to each other. Did you see? The bright man? The golden one who leaped like a hawk?
The animals had seen him. They were his witnesses.
Meanwhile, back in the lane, the girl, whose name was Riya, was still standing there, leaning against the wall, her heart pounding. The police arrived a few minutes later, their sirens wailing.
"Are you alright, miss?" a kind-faced officer asked her. "We got a call about some boys harassing you."
"I'm... I'm okay," she said, still trying to make sense of what happened. "They're gone."
"Did they run off when they heard us coming?"
Riya hesitated. How could she explain it? "No," she said slowly. "Someone... something... saved me."
The officer looked at her, concerned. "What do you mean, something?"
"He had a... a tiger's head," she said, knowing how crazy it sounded. "With glowing blue eyes. And armour. He landed from the sky and cracked the ground, and... and he called himself Animal Boy."
The policeman shared a look with his partner. He pointed his flashlight at the ground. There, clear as day, was a spiderweb of cracks in the pavement.
"Must be a broken water pipe under there," the partner said with a shrug. "These old lanes are always falling apart." He looked back at Riya. "Miss, you've had a bad scare. Why don't you let us take you home?"
Riya knew they didn't believe her. She didn't blame them. But she knew what she saw. A hero. A strange, terrifying, wonderful hero.
When Anmol finally reached his own house, he had to force himself to act normal.
"You're late," his mother said as he walked in. "Is everything alright at college?"
"Everything's fine, Mom," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Just got held up with some library work."
He escaped to his room and shut the door, leaning against it with a long, slow exhale. He went to his small mirror and looked at himself. Just a normal eighteen-year-old boy with tired eyes. But he knew the truth. Under the shirt, under the skin, a quiet power was waiting.
Tonight, he was a hero. He had heard the first roar of the Animal Boy, and he knew, with a mix of fear and wonder, that it would not be the last.
[To be continued…]
Support me: vanshbosssrahate@oksbi (UPI ID)
Author: Vansh Rahate
Editor: Vansh Rahate
Story by: Vansh Rahate
Under: Alaukika Studios