CHAPTER 1 : KILL THE DEVIL

“What does it mean to be truly successful in life? Is it determined by the amount of wealth we have? Or does it mean to have a positive reputation in society?

“To be honest I don’t have a deep opinion of what it truly means. However, I still believe that a person can truly consider himself successful, only when he gets what he desires the most in life. It can be money or respect or just to have some good people around you.

“Well as for me, I don’t have a strong desire in life like others, or the hunger to push myself to the limit . All I want is-

“What! It’s 2am already!

“Crap! I was overthinking again. I need to get up at 7 am. Please, just let me sleep, my useless brain.”

Next morning

“Ashwa, get up already. You are just becoming lazier with every passing day. It’s 8am already. You have only thirty minutes before the school starts. Just how many times will I have to hear complaints from your class teacher for being late?” His mom shouted in his ears.

Hearing his mother’s continuous yelling, Ashwa finally got up from his deep slumber. Well, his actual name was Ashwathama. But because it was too big, everyone called him Ashwa, even his own mother.

From his childhood, Ashwa was nothing more than average. He was average in studies, sports and everything else. He never really had a real talent or a strong hobby in his life. To put it simply, in his entire life, he was like a tree, which never changed its position.

Ashwa had no motivation for rushing to school. However, he knew it very well that if he didn’t hurry up, he had to listen a long lecture from his class teacher at school and then from his mom. So, he decided to skip his bath and somehow got ready within the next few minutes. “Mom I am leaving. I will eat the breakfast on the way to school.” Ashwa hurriedly said.

“Ah! Not again ! .. Fine… Don’t run too much. And be careful. You know what’s going on in the world right now. Don’t you?”

“Uh-huh! Don’t worry ” Ashwa responded with a smile before being on his way. Lately, it has become more of a daily routine for him . His school was at a walking distance from his house. But, it still required at least twenty minutes to reach if he walked.

Speaking of school friends, Ashwa had a lot of friends. But, in reality it’s not your typical true friendship or anything. He just maintained a good relation with them, so that he won’t be treated as an outcast in the class. After all, that was the reason he changed schools last year.

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While chewing a burned toast , he took out his smartphone. “Hmm, nom nom! lemmeshi huas goin on.”

“Melon Husk claims that the groundwork for neuro-transplantation will be completed within the next three years.

“The president of the world government is under a lot of pressure as the protestors continue demanding his resignation.

“The number of missing teenagers has reached over twenty thousand. ‘World Investigation Department’ suspects it may be the work of a terrorist organization”

“Damn! It’s eight thirty-five already. I thought I’d make it in time. Guess I can’t escape my teacher’s yelling now. Whatever! It’s not like they’re gonna behead me for being a few minutes late,” Ashwa thought, breathing heavily as he rushed toward school.

When he finally arrived, something felt off. Normally, even before reaching the gates, he would hear the usual loud chatter and noise from inside. But today, there was nothing—complete silence.

On top of that, the guard who always stood at the entrance was nowhere to be seen. Ashwa found this strange; he’d never seen the guard miss a day of work before.

“Hmm… I guess even hardworking people like him need a break sometimes,” he muttered to himself, still feeling uneasy.

He pushed open the main gate, the creak echoing in the unnerving silence. His footsteps, usually drowned out by the buzz of students, were the only sound as he made his way toward the distant school building. The absence of chatter or movement gnawed at him, a pit forming in his stomach. His eyes darted around, but there was no one—not even the guard who never left his post.

The moment he stepped into the building, the silence deepened. The halls were shrouded in darkness, the familiar fluorescent lights eerily off. His breath caught, the air thick with an invisible weight pressing down on his chest. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.

He turned on his heel, panic bubbling up as his pace quickened. But no matter how fast he moved, the entrance seemed to stretch farther away, as if the building itself was pulling him back. His legs grew heavier, the pressure inside him mounting with each stride. His heart thudded louder, his lungs gasping for air. His vision blurred, and just as the overwhelming force peaked, everything went black.

When Ashwa finally regained consciousness, he slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with a sight no one would ever want to see. He was in the center of a massive stadium, surrounded by a crowd of strange, eerie-looking people watching him from every direction. The air was filled with their deafening chants: “Kill the devil. Kill the devil.”

In front of him, on a grand throne, sat a figure he couldn’t quite focus on. But that wasn’t what terrified him most. Ashwa realized his head was fixed inside a guillotine. Two enormous men with horned heads stood beside him, their muscular bodies radiating menace. They were clearly waiting for the order to drop the blade.

CHAPTER 1 END

SOMETHING EXTRA BEFORE THE NEXT CHAPTER

Here are some extra information about Ashwathama

Age : 18

Height : 169 cm

Weight: 73 kg

Blood group : O +ve

Favorite food : Rice with meat

Appearance: Ashwa was pretty average looking. He had straight black hair and brownish black eyes. His was quite healthy yet not too fat.