The warmth inside Mohit didn't fade after the conversation.
Even during class, while pretending to focus on equations on the board, his senses stayed alert. Small fluctuations of energy drifted through the room like invisible currents.
Someone else is watching, he realized.
Not a student.
Not a teacher.
The feeling was sharper… controlled.
After school, Mohit took a longer route home, moving through quieter streets. The sky had begun turning orange, shadows stretching across empty sidewalks.
The pressure increased.
He stopped near an abandoned bus stop.
"Come out," Mohit said calmly. "You've been following me since school."
Silence.
Then slow footsteps echoed from behind the rusted shelter.
A tall man stepped forward, wearing a dark jacket and gloves despite the warm evening. His eyes were sharp, calculating.
"You noticed me faster than I expected," the man said. "Interesting."
"Who are you?" Mohit asked.
"A scout," the man replied casually. "We monitor abnormal energy movements. Recently, several awakenings happened in this district. You're standing very close to the center."
Mohit kept his expression neutral, though tension tightened inside him.
"So you think I caused it?"
"Maybe. Or maybe you're just a survivor who learned to hide well," the man said. "Either way, people like you don't stay unnoticed for long."
Mohit felt his reverse cultivation stirring uneasily. The weakness reminded him of his limits.
"I'm just a student," Mohit replied.
The man smiled faintly. "That's what makes it dangerous."
He stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"Be careful, kid. Some organizations don't ask questions. They take what they want."
With that warning, the man turned and disappeared into the alley.
Mohit remained still for several seconds.
His heartbeat slowed gradually.
So it's starting, he thought.
The world he had stayed hidden from was beginning to move toward him.
That night, Mohit trained carefully, practicing the rhythmic circulation he had discovered. The warmth responded more easily than before, though exhaustion followed quickly.
Progress was slow.
But real.
As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, one thought echoed in his mind.
If hunters were already moving…
Then stronger storms were coming.
And he needed to prepare — fast.