Assassination academy

The halls of the Assassination Academy were silent that evening. The training bells had already rung, and most students were either polishing their blades or recovering from the harsh lessons of the day. One figure, however, moved with a restless stride. His eyes sharp, his steps heavy with impatience—the First Candidate for Grand Mastership. He brushed past students and shadows alike until he caught sight of a teacher standing near the library corridor. First Candidate (fcg): “Hey. Do you know where the Grand Master is?” Teacher (raising an eyebrow): “He is in the training grounds, as usual.” fcg (nodding curtly): “Oh. Thanks. I’ll take my leave.” Teacher (with a faint smile): “You’re welcome.” The candidate didn’t waste another second. His boots echoed on the stone until he reached the massive open arena—where countless assassins honed their craft. At the far edge, watching silently with folded arms, stood Grand Master Kumar, his eyes following every blade, every step of his students. The candidate approached, voice sharp, almost disrespectful. fcg (harshly): “Why is that i***t still here? It’s best if we remove him from this academy.” The Grand Master didn’t even turn his head. His calm tone cut through the heated words like a blade through silk. Grand Master (gm): “Sh…h! Don’t shout. If you are talking about Vijay… he is important. I wouldn’t want to remove him from this academy—even if I die.” The candidate clenched his fists, then forced himself to relax, lowering his tone. fcg (calming down): “He doesn’t go on missions, he doesn’t have a student, and he always sneaks out while making others take responsibility. Why is a person like him tolerated here?” The Grand Master finally looked at him, his eyes carrying the weight of old battles. gm: “You are only seeing him now, through the eyes of frustration. But to me… he was once my greatest rival. He and I were partners—he was the First Candidate, and I was the Second Candidate. The only reason I hold this post is because he was fed up with fighting weak opponents… he wanted enemies truly worthy of him.” The Grand Master paused, his voice dropping lower. gm: “I would never tell this story to anyone else. But since you are the next candidate for Grand Master… you must know. This was before I inherited the mantle.” --- Flashback – Years Ago A spaceship drifted across the endless void, heading toward a hostile alien world. Inside, two young assassins sat in silence—Vijay, slouched with boredom, and Kumar, eyes closed, gathering his focus. Vijay (groaning): “Ah…h! This is boring. How many more days? I could fly faster than this damn ship.” Kumar (thinking, calm): “This ride is to conserve energy. When the fighting starts, we can’t afford to be tired.” Vijay (frustrated, standing): “Tch, fine. I’ll go to the bathroom.” He left the cabin. Kumar opened his eyes, confused. Kumar (thinking, frowning): “Bathroom? There’s no bathroom in this ship.” He pulled out his spacephone and called. Kumar (calling out): “Vijay, where are you?” Static. Then Vijay’s voice came casually. Vijay (over comms): “Don’t worry. I just took down the people we were supposed to assassinate.” Kumar froze. Kumar (mind blown): “We were supposed to kill ten battalions of alien forces!” Vijay (smugly): “Yeah. That’s right. I took them all down.” Kumar (rage): “Are you kidding me!? You didn’t even leave one soldier for me!?” Vijay (chuckling): “No way. I don’t miss my targets.” Kumar (furious): “And HOW did you even get there!? Even light takes an hour to travel from Earth!” Vijay: “I just teleported. Come quick—I can’t wait any longer. If you’re late, I’ll just teleport back myself.” Kumar (gritting teeth): “Five minutes! I’ll be there in five minutes.” --- Meanwhile – Another Planet Far away, in the command citadel of a mighty alien empire, an officer rushed into a grand hall where a towering figure sat upon a throne of steel and bone. Lower Alien (la, trembling): “My lord… a single human has destroyed ten battalions in an instant!” The hall went silent. The Higher Alien (ha), eyes glowing with menace, let out a low growl. ha (in his mind, bitter): “These idiotic humans…” Then aloud, in a cold, commanding tone: ha: “Send word. Summon Shatru. Order him to take ten percent of our army and annihilate the human responsible.” The lower alien gasped, his voice shaky. la: “But my lord, that would be… overkill. Shatru himself once slaughtered a hundred thousand warriors alone. He alone should be more than enough.” The higher alien’s gaze hardened, each word thunderous. ha (authoritative): “Do. As. I. Say.” The lower alien shivered, bowing low. la: “Y-yes… sir.” --- The name spread across the alien halls like fire. Shatru. A warrior whose very presence was a storm. A monster in battle, known for turning armies into dust. And now… he was marching toward Vijay. --- Chapter End – Cliffhanger