Born In Ashes

Long before the world knew them as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, they were just four forgotten shadows—drifting through life without names, without warmth, without purpose.It all began with the backstory of the four. Since childhood, they had believed they were brothers—at least, that’s what life in the orphanage had taught them. They grew up together, side by side, in the same harsh and unforgiving place. The truth was, nobody really cared for them.

Most days, meals were just stale slices of bread. On worse days, they had to survive on just water. If they ever dared to ask for more, the orphanage's in-charge would snap, “How much will you eat, you hungry pests? Is your stomach a pit? There’s no more food—now get lost! Can’t you see I’m busy?”

One of the four, the tallest among them, would whisper to the others, "Busy? Yeah, right. Every time someone asks for food, he’s on the phone with that same girl. I don’t get it—how does a creep like him have a girlfriend?"

Another would respond with a sigh, “Maybe that’s just how the world is, bhaiya. Maybe girls only like jerks.”

A third voice would add bitterly, “Looks like we’re going to sleep hungry again tonight.”Many nights were like that. Empty stomachs. Cold floors. Silent tears. But as they grew older, they began to look for ways to escape. Ways to leave behind the walls that had held them prisoner for so long.

Then one day, a car pulled up to the orphanage gates.

Black. Armored. Government issue.

A man stepped out in full military regalia—medals, crisp hat, polished boots. He was flanked by someone younger, maybe seventeen. Tall, silent, dangerous. The boy didn’t speak unless spoken to, and when he did, it was with absolute authority.

It was Karn.

He came with a high-ranking military commander, under the pretense of making a donation and observing the conditions of the orphanage. No one really knew why he was there—or what he was looking for.

Karn stayed for three days. He watched everything quietly, with sharp, calculating eyes. He noticed how the staff treated those four boys with particular cruelty. And for the first time in years, someone felt something for them.

He felt anger. And guilt. And... a strange pull.

The kind he recognized from broken cities and silent graves—the look of those who had been pushed past the point of fear. He watched as one boy defended the others from a dog with nothing but a splintered mop stick. Another ran a hand along the fence, not in despair, but calculation.

They weren’t helpless.

They were dormant weapons—raw, untamed.

Back then, Karn was in class 10th. His Team had been searching for new recruits. And something clicked inside him.

He approached the commander. “There are four,” he said, his tone flat and direct. “I want them.”

The commander raised an eyebrow. “Recruits? From this place?”

“They don’t need a name. Just discipline.”

“And you’ll give them that?”

Karn replied  “I’ll break them if I have to.”

The man respected Karn immensely, more than anyone else, and when Karn made his request, the commander agreed without hesitation.

When Karn left the orphanage, he took the four boys with him.

Though they were roughly the same age as Karn, the boys were slightly older. But none of that mattered to them in that moment. As they sat on the private bus with ten other children, all heading toward the training base for recruitment, suspicion filled their minds.

"They sold us," the shortest of the four muttered.The others looked at him, frowning.“I’m telling you,” he continued, “those people from the orphanage sold us to this guy. That’s why they let us go so easily.”The tallest one nodded. “Then we’ll teach him a lesson. We’ll beat him up, tie him down, and escape at the next stop.”

The other children on the bus, including the commander, overheard everything. But none of them said a word. Not even the commander, who simply smiled to himself.

There was something about Karn… something only he knew.

Bored from the long journey, the commander played along. When the bus came to a stop in the middle of nowhere, the four boys made their move.

They charged at Karn.But what happened next left everyone frozen.

Before they could lay a hand on him, Karn vanished from in front of them and appeared behind them in the blink of an eye. His speed—inhuman. Even the commander was momentarily stunned.

Karn delivered a sharp slap to the back of each of their necks—so precise and powerful that red imprints of his fingers were clearly visible. The boys stumbled forward in pain, barely registering what had just happened before Karn spun and landed a swift kick that sent all four crashing to the floor.And then—without hesitation—he struck each of them with a brutal punch to the face. Blood sprayed from their noses. The air left their lungs. They whimpered, shocked, and terrified.But Karn didn’t stop there.In a calculated series of motions, he dislocated the right arm of each boy—one by one.He turned to the commander, his voice calm and cold.“I don’t think they’ll try that again. They’re not trained soldiers. They won’t be standing up anytime soon.”

The commander stood up and approached slowly. “Come on, Karn. Show a little mercy. They’re your age.”Karn didn’t even glance at him. “This was their first lesson,” he said flatly. “Never underestimate anyone—especially not in the real world.”

The boys were now crying, curled up on the dusty floor of the bus.“Commander sir!” the shortest shouted through tears. “Please! He tried to kill us! Do something!”The commander stepped forward again—but not toward Karn. He moved toward the four boys, ready to help them.Just as he reached out, Karn’s voice rang out, deadly and firm.“Sit back down.”

The commander froze. Goosebumps spread over his arms. There was power in that voice—danger.

The boys gasped. “See?! He’s giving you orders now! You’re the commander! And he—he beat us nearly to death!”The commander chuckled loudly, surprising everyone. “If Karn actually wanted to kill any of you, none of us could have stopped him. Not me. Not the government. Not even a whole group of soldiers.”

He looked at Karn and added, “You’re lucky he let you live.”Karn walked over to the boys again. The commander narrowed his eyes, concerned. Is he going to finish them off? he wondered.But Karn knelt down and spoke quietly.“Join my team.”

The boys looked up, confused and bleeding.“I’ll give you the life you’ve always dreamed of,” Karn continued. “Comfort. Freedom. Power. Everything you never had.”

The commander raised an eyebrow. “That’s not fair, Karn. I’ve begged you more than once to accept my best subordinates into your unit. And you refused every time. But these four? You want them?”

Karn turned his head and replied without emotion. “Iron, when melted, can take any shape. If shaped into a support, it will hold weight. But if shaped into a blade... it will spill blood.”He paused.“Whether it spills the blood of good or evil depends entirely on who holds the sword.”

After a moment of silence, Karn relocated each of their arms with practiced ease. The boys winced but didn’t complain. He led them to the base.

A cozy room was already prepared. Warm clothes. Hot food. Clean beds.After they had eaten and rested, Karn returned.“There are rules,” he said, standing with his arms crossed. “From now on, you follow every order I give you. You train under me. I will teach you martial arts. But listen carefully—no one must know that I’m training you. No one.”

And from now on You will be Alpha, Beta , Gamma and Delta.

They nodded slowly, still unsure.Karn continued, “The recruitment test is three months from now. That’s when the half-yearly exams for tenth grade begin. Thirty-seven applicants will compete. Only five spots available.”He looked at each of them in turn. “You must earn four of those spots. Compete. Win. Outdo every other skilled candidate.”“And if even one of you fails…” His voice turned icy. “Then all four of you fail.”The youngest among them raised a trembling hand. “But… you said the others will be skilled. How are we supposed to beat them? I’m scared.”Karn stepped forward, his eyes like frozen steel. “If you fail,” he whispered, “I will throw you back into the same trash heap I pulled you out of.”

It wasn’t a threat. It was a spark. A fire meant to awaken something inside them.He didn’t say it because he hated them.He said it because he wanted them to fight.Because deep down, he knew…They could.(And among those 37 recruits… was someone we all come to know very well.Her name—Ruchika.)



To Be Continued...