The morning air felt heavier than usual.
Mohit stood near the school window, staring at the distant hills beyond the city buildings. The sunlight touched the glass, but it did not warm him. Something inside his chest felt unsettled — like a quiet pull calling him toward something unknown.
He placed a hand over his heart.
The strange energy inside him was moving again.
It wasn't strong. It wasn't violent.
It was subtle… almost whispering.
Ever since his body's cultivation defect had started worsening, Mohit had learned to suppress these sensations. His mind could understand advanced cultivation theories, but his body refused to match his ambition. The reverse flow inside his meridians constantly weakened his stored energy, turning every improvement into slow loss.
Yet today felt different.
Between classes, Mohit noticed small changes around him. The sound of footsteps felt sharper. The movement of air felt clearer. Even the rustling leaves outside the corridor carried a faint rhythm — almost like breathing.
"Am I imagining things…?" he murmured.
During lunch break, he sat alone on the rooftop, closing his eyes. He slowed his breathing and allowed the thin layer of energy inside him to circulate naturally instead of forcing it.
For a brief moment, the chaotic flow aligned.
A calm wave passed through his body.
His heartbeat stabilized. His thoughts sharpened.
But just as quickly, the defect pulled the energy backward again, scattering it like broken glass. Mohit opened his eyes, sweat forming on his forehead.
Still… something had changed.
He could feel a tiny improvement in control.
Not strength.
Not power.
Just awareness.
And awareness was dangerous — and valuable — in the cultivation world.
After school, Mohit walked home through the narrow street near the abandoned construction zone. The place always felt empty, yet strangely alive. Dust danced in the fading sunlight, and the wind carried an unfamiliar scent — metallic and ancient.
His steps slowed.
The pull returned.
Stronger than before.
Mohit turned his head toward the broken fence at the far end of the site. Beyond it stood a collapsed tunnel half-buried under rubble — something most people ignored or avoided.
But to him… it felt like a quiet invitation.
His rational mind warned him.
This is stupid. This place is dangerous.
Yet another part of him — deeper, older, instinctive — urged him forward.
"Just a look," he whispered.
He stepped closer to the fence, his heartbeat accelerating. The air grew colder as he approached the shadowed opening. The energy inside his body trembled lightly, responding to something hidden beyond the darkness.
Whatever lay inside that tunnel…
It wasn't ordinary.
And somehow, Mohit felt that this encounter would change the direction of his cultivation forever.