Chapter 5: Power Plays

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4

A look of pride crossed Kunal’s face. "That’s right. Besides me, there are two others in the Ability Association who have reached SSS-level. From now on, we don’t have to defer to anyone."

The way he said it, with his chest puffed up, reminded me of those boys at weddings who act like heroes after two drinks.

For some reason,

I felt these words were directed at me.

Now that my identity was confirmed, I was about to go inside, but Kunal deliberately blocked my way.

"Arjun, you haven’t been back in a while. Don’t you know the new rules?"

His tone was patronising, like a ticket checker catching you without a platform ticket.

"Anyone entering headquarters must surrender their weapons."

"Hand over your sword."

A few bystanders looked confused.

Someone whispered,

"When did this rule start?"

"I just came in for some work earlier and they didn’t take my weapon."

Kunal immediately barked, "Irrelevant personnel, get lost! Or I’ll have you all thrown out by security!"

The onlookers hurried away, dejected.

Their slippers slapped against the ground, echoing in the empty hall like monsoon raindrops on a tin roof.

Kunal turned back to me. "Sorry, just made this rule. Didn’t expect you to run into it. You’re not going to be the first to disobey an order, are you?"

"How could I?"

I smiled calmly and handed over my sword. My hand lingered for a moment on the hilt, feeling the worn leather. True strength lies within me, not in any weapon.

I remembered Dadaji’s words: "Beta, shakti andar hoti hai, talwar toh sirf ek bahana hai."

These petty tricks, meant to assert superiority, only seemed childish to me.

After surrendering my weapon, a brief silence fell in the hall. Someone coughed awkwardly, letting the tension simmer for a moment before Kunal finally motioned for me to proceed.

We entered headquarters together.

The AC inside was set too cold—a typical government building quirk. Still, the chill did nothing to ease the tension in the air.