Where Shadows Break

The night was silent.

But inside the training compound, silence never meant peace.Karn stood before four sealed doors, each marked with a number—1 to 4. Behind each one waited Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Isolated. Alone. Trapped in a world they couldn’t yet understand.

Commander Arjun watched from behind the glass, arms folded. “You really think this is the best way?”

Karn didn’t turn to him. “It’s the only way. They’ve proven unity. Now I want to see what breaks them—individually.”Arjun exhaled. “You’re pushing them hard.”“I need to know their limits,” Karn said coldly. “Before the enemy does.”

Room 1: Alpha

Alpha stood still in the middle of the room.No walls. Just darkness.Then… lights flickered on—and he gasped.

He was surrounded by mirrors. Dozens of them. But not just any reflections—each one showed him failing. Bleeding. Letting his brothers die.

In one, Gamma cried out for help as Alpha turned his back.In another, Beta fell under gunfire while Alpha froze.

A voice echoed through the room—Karn’s voice.“Perfection is your curse. You fear failure more than death.”

Alpha’s breathing quickened. “These aren’t real.”“But your fear is.”

Alpha stared at one mirror, fists clenched. “I will never abandon them.”The voice replied: “Then why do you keep dreaming about it?”


Room 2: Beta

Beta was seated. Shackled.The walls pulsed with red light, simulating gunfire.Suddenly, a speaker blared a familiar scream—his mother’s.“Beta! Why did you leave me? You promised!”

He thrashed against the chains. “No… it’s not real! She’s dead!”The room grew darker.

“You run from pain,” Karn’s voice said. “You joke. You laugh. But when you’re alone, it consumes you.”

Beta gritted his teeth, whispering, “Don’t you dare.”“You want to lead them. But you still mourn a past that owns you.”He screamed and pulled, until his wrists bled. “I said don’t you dare!”

Room 3: Gamma

The floor beneath him was glass.And below it—an abyss.He looked down and saw the faces of all those who’d mocked him. Teachers. Cousins. Strangers.

“You’re just a scared, useless kid.”“You’ll never be like Alpha.”“You talk too much because you’re weak.”

Gamma fell to his knees, clutching his ears. “Shut up. Shut UP!”

Then Karn’s voice, colder than before: “You hide behind noise. Behind words. But silence is where the truth lives.”

A light appeared above—a rope ladder.But it was far. Just out of reach.“Climb,” the voice ordered.

Gamma hesitated.“You want to rise? Prove you’re more than the punchline.”He screamed and jumped.


Room 4: Delta

Delta found himself in a familiar hallway.The one from his orphanage.He walked slowly, the sounds of children laughing in the distance. Then crying.He turned a corner—and saw himself.

 A younger Delta. Alone. Sitting in the dark.

“You promised you’d never forget me,” the younger version whispered.Delta froze.“You swore you’d protect us.”“I’m trying,” he whispered.

Karn’s voice: “You fight for others. But who fights for you?”Delta clenched his fists. “I don’t need anyone to.”“Then why do you always feel abandoned?”He dropped to his knees.“…because I was.”

Observation RoomKarn watched all four screens. Jaw tight.Arjun glanced at him. “This isn’t training. This is soul surgery.”“Good,” Karn replied. “Soldiers must know what lives in their shadows… before the shadows use it against them.”Arjun muttered, “You scare me sometimes.”Karn offered a rare smile. “You should see what I do when I like someone.”

The doors opened. One by one.

First emerged Alpha—calm, but his eyes were hollow. He didn’t speak. Just walked toward Karn, knelt, and said, “I won’t let fear make my decisions again.”His voice didn’t shake, but his knuckles were white from how tightly his fists were clenched.Karn nodded. “You saw your weakness?”Alpha stood, his voice even colder than before. “I saw what I refuse to become.”

Next was Beta.He stumbled out, shirt soaked in sweat, face pale. But his eyes burned—alive.“Beta,” Karn said.“I’m not okay,” Beta replied hoarsely. “And I won’t pretend anymore. But I’m still standing.”Karn studied him. “Do you want to talk about it?”Beta scoffed. “What, now you’re offering therapy? Too late. I screamed at a ghost.”Commander Arjun leaned in, smirking. “That’s still healthier than most of Karn’s coping methods.”Beta let out a broken laugh, then fell to his knees, breathing heavily. “But I made it, didn’t I?”“You did,” Karn said softly. “Barely.”

Gamma was third.He came running out, panting. Shirt torn, legs scraped. But he was smiling. Tears in his eyes, but smiling.He looked at Karn and said, “I climbed.”Karn blinked. “…What?”“You said climb. I didn’t think I could, but I did. I jumped. I reached.”He wiped his face and chuckled. “Turns out, I’m more than just annoying.”Karn actually allowed a ghost of a smile. “We’ll test that theory tomorrow.”Gamma grinned. “Looking forward to failing spectacularly, sir.”

And then… Delta.He didn’t stumble. He didn’t run.He walked.Head held high, face unreadable.Karn stepped forward. “Delta. What did you learn?”Delta stopped in front of him and looked Karn dead in the eyes. “That I never wanted to be saved. I just wanted someone to believe I could survive.”Karn’s eyes narrowed.Delta stepped closer. “You keep trying to break us down, hoping we’ll come back stronger. But sometimes, what we need isn’t to be broken. Sometimes we just need someone to say—‘you’re enough.’”Silence followed.Arjun looked stunned. Even Gamma went quiet.But Karn… Karn said nothing.He simply walked past Delta and spoke quietly, almost to himself:“…Then prove it. Survive. And lead others to survive.”

Later that night, the four of them sat together in the dim mess hall.No jokes from Gamma.No loud words from Beta.No lectures from Alpha.No silent detachment from Delta.Just the quiet understanding of pain shared.

Commander Arjun watched them from afar. “You did it,” he murmured to Karn. “You pushed them to the edge… and they’re still standing.”“They’re not ready,” Karn said.Arjun gave him a look. “You ever gonna admit they impressed you?”“…Not to their faces.”Arjun laughed, and shook his head.Then he noticed something: Karn was holding something in his hand.A photo.Four boys. Laughing.Taken only two days ago.Before the test.Before the shadows.Before everything broke… and began to rebuild.


To Be Continued....