Priya woke up in an unfamiliar place. As she looked around, she saw two people — a man and a woman — sitting near a dining table, quietly drinking tea.
The man was of average build, with white hair and glasses. The room around her was dark, lit only by a single bulb hanging over the table. There were no windows — just one door behind the table, her only possible way out.
As Priya tried to make sense of her surroundings, the woman, Bhumi, noticed her. A small smile appeared on Bhumi's face as she stood and walked toward Priya.
Priya began to crawl back, fear filling her voice.
"Who are you? Where am I? Are you going to kill me?"
Bhumi raised her hand gently. "Okay, I'll answer all your questions. Just calm down. I'm Bhumi, and that's Forge," she said, pointing toward the man. "You're at our temporary hideout. And no — we're not going to kill you."
Priya blinked. "Really?"
Forge looked up from his cup and smirked. "Maybe, maybe not."
"Stop joking," Bhumi said sharply. "He's kidding. Don't mind him."
Then she smiled again. "We've answered your questions, so now you answer ours. Tell us about yourself."
Feeling slightly safer, Priya replied, "I'm Priya. I'm 15 years old."
She stood up slowly, walked to the table, and took a sip of tea. But as she did, she realized she still didn't know who these people really were.
Almost reading her thoughts, Forge said, "So… don't you want to know who we are?"
Priya nodded silently.
Forge leaned back in his chair. "Well, we're kind of like your bodyguards."
Priya nearly choked on her tea. "What?! Why would I need a bodyguard? I'm just a normal girl!"
Forge shook his head. "No, you're not."
Her confusion deepened. "What do you mean?"
"You have a massive amount of spiritual energy," Forge said.
Bhumi sighed. "She doesn't even know what that is." Then she turned to Priya. "To put it simply, everyone has spiritual energy — but some people have much more than others. You're one of those rare people."
Forge added, "Actually, you have more spiritual energy than anyone alive."
Priya's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Forge glanced at Bhumi. "Why don't you tell her everything?"
Bhumi nodded. "I was getting to that."
She began, "About three thousand years ago, two powerful clans constantly fought each other. Their battles killed countless innocent people. To end their war, a mysterious man appeared and sealed both clans — along with their immense spiritual energy.
But the world always seeks balance. So, every hundred years, someone is born with extraordinary spiritual power. The surviving followers of those clans began hunting these gifted people, hoping to use their power to unseal their ancient masters."
Forge continued, "Knowing this would happen, the mysterious man formed a team of ten warriors — the Ten Protectors — to guard those rare individuals."
Bhumi looked at Priya seriously. "The man who attacked your school… was one of the henchmen of those clans."
Priya stared at them, her mind spinning, feeling like steam was coming out of her head. She was about to ask another question when a loud sound echoed through the room.
BOOM!
The wall exploded, debris flying everywhere — and through the smoke, hundreds of henchmen poured in.