For two days, Karn left them alone.No harsh drills. No cryptic orders. Just a sheet of paper with a routine—basic exercises like push-ups, planks, squats, stretches. The kind you'd find in any beginner’s manual.Gamma was the first to break the silence. “Brother… these exercises are too normal. How are we supposed to get stronger like this?”Delta looked up from his push-ups, panting. “Yeah, Gamma’s right. Millions of people around the world do these. If it was this easy to get strong, everyone would be a soldier.”Alpha, silent as ever, didn’t comment. But even he looked unconvinced.Beta wiped sweat from his forehead. “Maybe this is a test. Maybe he’s watching.”Gamma shook his head. “I don’t care if he’s watching. I just want to know what the hell we’re doing.”
Before they could keep debating, the door creaked open.Karn stood there, eyes scanning the room like a hawk sizing up prey. His presence killed the conversation instantly.“Enough,” he said coldly. “Two days of rest. That’s all you get.”The boys stood, rigid.“Follow me,” Karn ordered, turning his back and walking away.
They followed without a word.He led them into a dark corridor, deeper into the facility. No lights. Just the sound of boots against concrete and the hum of electricity behind the walls.They reached a thick steel door. Karn opened it, revealing a pitch-black chamber beyond.
“This,” Karn said, “is your next step.”The room was large, but completely dark—like a tomb with no ceiling. Even the air felt heavier inside.“This is a maze,” Karn continued. “No lights. No sounds. Just traps. Some will shock you. Some will cut you. Some might kill you.”The four boys exchanged tense looks.“But only one of you will make it out.”
They flinched.“If one of you succeeds… the other three don’t eat for three days.”The words hit like thunder. Gamma’s mouth dropped open. “What?! That’s not fair!”Alpha stepped forward. “Master… you told us you were going to train us. All of us. But this—this only helps one person.”Karn said nothing.He simply stared.Not with anger. With something worse—complete, chilling detachment.His eyes burned into theirs like a silent verdict. The kind of stare you’d expect from a predator, not a mentor.They all went quiet.
One by one, they suited up in their training gear and entered the maze.No more protests.No more complaints.Just silence.
From the shadows behind, a voice echoed, “You really think this will help them?”Commander stepped beside Karn. He was the only person Karn had ever trusted with knowledge of the base.Karn didn’t turn. “You think I’m being too harsh.”“I think you’re training them less and terrifying them more.”Karn’s voice was calm. Cold. “Fear is the fastest teacher. You can teach anyone with patience… but it takes longer. It gives them time to second-guess themselves.”Commander raised a brow. “And terror… that straightens their spine quicker, is that it?”“They hate me now,” Karn said. “But one day, when they stand at the top… they’ll understand.”Commander said nothing. Just nodded slowly.A few minutes later, he asked, “What’s the real purpose of this test, Karn? What's inside that maze?”
Karn finally smiled—a rare, unsettling thing.“They have one mission: trigger as many traps as they can. But not just to survive—they have to learn the layout. Map the danger. Adapt. Work through fear and pain. They don’t win by avoiding traps. They win by facing them.”Commander laughed. “So basically… 'Come hit me, bull.'”Karn didn’t respond. Just watched the black room.Five long hours passed.Gamma stumbled out first, blood on his shirt, a cut above his eye. “Master!” he gasped. “I finished it. I reached the end.”Karn didn’t react. Just gave him the faintest nod.One by one, the others emerged—Alpha, then Beta, then Delta. Each limping. Each bruised. Faces pale with failure.
They stood before Karn, heads bowed.“We’re sorry,” Alpha said. “We let you down.”Karn’s voice cut through the silence like a whip. “All four of you…”He paused.“…have failed.”The words hit like a blade.Commander blinked, taken aback. Gamma stepped forward, disbelief all over his face. “But… Master, I completed it! I finished the maze!”Karn looked straight at him. “Then I’ll offer you one condition for forgiveness…”The four boys tensed.“…one of you has to die.”Shock. Silence.
Karn continued, voice without emotion. “I only need three. Not four.”Beta, Alpha, and Delta turned toward Gamma.Gamma backed away instinctively, heart thudding.But they didn’t attack.Instead, they stood beside him.Alpha took a step forward and said, “Master, if one must die, let it be me. Take my place. Let the others live.”Gamma’s eyes widened. “No… brother, no. We’ve always survived together. If we die, we die together.”Delta stepped up. “Master, if you want to kill one of us, you’ll have to kill all of us. We’re not giving each other up.”
For a few seconds, no one breathed.Karn stared at them.Then, at last, he spoke.“…The test is over.”Silence.“You all pass.”Commander exhaled sharply. Understanding dawned on his face.Of course. That was the test.Not strength.Not speed.But loyalty.Unity.And they passed.
“Go eat,” Karn said, turning away. “Tonight, you’ll face the next test. Separately.”They didn’t cheer.They didn’t celebrate.They just nodded and limped toward their quarters.
As soon as the boys left the room, Karn sighed and leaned back against the wall.Commander Arjun folded his arms, watching him with a raised brow. “So… the old trick still works, huh?”
Karn smirked. “Old but gold. Nothing like a little life-or-death drama to bring out true colors.”Arjun laughed, shaking his head. “You seriously had them thinking one of them had to die! Even I got nervous for a second.”
Karn shrugged, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Fear sharpens loyalty. And loyalty builds unbreakable units.”
Arjun gave him a sideways look. “Unbreakable, huh? I was starting to wonder if you’d broken yourself in the process.”
“Oh please,” Karn said, feigning offense. “You make it sound like I’ve become some heartless tyrant. I mean, sure, I’m emotionally unavailable, brutally strict, borderline terrifying—”“—and allergic to compliments—” Arjun added.
“Exactly,” Karn nodded. “But heartless? That’s going too far.”
Arjun chuckled. “You know, I almost forgot what your sarcasm sounded like. It's been that long.”
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Karn smirked. “Well, sir, don't get used to it. Emotional softness ruins my brand.”Arjun laughed louder now. “Your brand? What are you, a military influencer?”Karn mockingly struck a pose. “Follow for more trauma-infused training tips. Hashtag ‘CryLaterLiftNow.’”
Arjun clutched his stomach, laughing. “Oh god, I missed this side of you.”
“You just missed having someone to banter with who isn’t scared of yelling back,” Karn said.
Arjun raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? I outrank you.”
Karn gave him a mock salute. “And I disrespectfully acknowledge that, sir.”
They both burst into laughter.Then Arjun leaned against the console and said, “Honestly, Karn... there was a time I worried you were slipping too far into the cold. Like those missions... they froze you from the inside out.”
Karn’s voice dropped slightly, still smiling but with a flicker of sincerity in his tone. “Don’t worry, sir. I’m still defrosting—just… slowly. Like a dangerous microwave meal.”
Arjun chuckled. “As long as you don’t explode halfway through, I’ll take it.”
Karn suddenly grinned wider. “You’re worried about me again. Sir, you’re not planning to marry your daughter off to me, are you?”
Arjun exploded in laughter. “Oh I would have, in a heartbeat! But alas—plot twist—I don’t have a daughter.”Karn leaned in playfully. “That’s a tragedy. Missed your only chance at having a legendary son-in-law.”Arjun wagged a finger at him. “Correction—I do have a son. But I’m very confident neither of you are into each other.”
Karn laughed. “Sir, even if I were, he’s probably too scared of me.”
“Fair point,” Arjun said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. “You scare people better than most horror movies.”
Karn placed a hand on his chest dramatically. “Thank you. That means more than you know.”
They both chuckled again, and after a moment, Karn clapped his hands together. “Anyway, lunch?”
Arjun’s eyes lit up. “Hell yes. I thought you'd never ask. I was starving through that entire emotional rollercoaster.”
Karn opened the door with a grin. “Then come on, Commander. Let’s eat before I scare away the kitchen staff too.”As they walked out together, Arjun muttered, still chuckling, “You’re impossible.”
“And yet somehow, your favorite,” Karn replied without missing a beat.
To Be Continued...
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