Rudra moved slowly, his eyes fixed on the strange symbols carved into the walls around him. He walked methodically, step by step, ignoring the chaos that was erupting around him. The air was thick with tension as everyone else seemed to rush toward the exit. But not him. He wasn't in a hurry. There was something about these words, these markings, that drew him in. He had to understand them, even if he didn't fully know why.

He passed the point where others were rushing forward and stopped in front of another room. There were more symbols, more drawings, but this time, they were different—slightly, but enough to catch his attention. Rudra stepped inside, drawn by the pull of the unknown. He walked around, his eyes scanning the walls with purpose, examining every word, every drawing. He studied them like an enigma, his mind unhurried. Time passed in a haze. Checking every room Hours slipped by unnoticed.

Finally, Rudra reached the central area, the place where all the others had gathered. As he stepped into the room, all eyes turned toward him, 999 pairs of eyes that studied him in silence. They were sizing him up, analyzing him with expressions ranging from confusion to curiosity, to outright disdain. Yet, Rudra remained motionless, his face as calm and unreadable as ever.

Their gazes feel like weights, Rudra thought coldly, they all look healthy

As the silence stretched on, a figure approached him. The man was one-armed, with a rough, scarred appearance. His gaze was sharp, calculating. He stopped in front of Rudra and spoke in a voice that was both firm and tinged with skepticism.

"Hey, kid. What are you doing here? Did you get lost, or are you a resident of this place? If you are, maybe you can tell us about it."

Rudra didn't respond immediately. He just stared at the man, unfazed by the direct confrontation. His lack of response only seemed to irritate the one-armed man more.

"Kid," the man growled, "this place isn't safe. We don't know anything about it, and I doubt you do either. You're probably just as lost as the rest of us."

Rudra tilted his head slightly, still silent. His eyes shifted to the group around him, taking in the wide variety of expressions. Some were angry, some curious, others just confused. But none of them were as detached as him. The weight of their gazes didn't faze him in the least.

*They all look strong,* Rudra noted, his eyes lingering on the physical prowess of the adults around him. . It's not about size or power—it's about survival. And right now, I don't like my odds.

Rudra's mind raced, but his expression never changed. He glanced at the man's badge, which read "No. 1 Member," and spoke, his voice cool and unwavering.

"What will you give me if I tell you about this place?"

The one-armed man frowned, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. "What?" he asked, clearly thrown off by the request. "Kid, now's not the time for negotiations. We're all stuck in the dark here. All our lives are at stake, and you're asking for a trade?"

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Rudra turned to face him fully, meeting his gaze with a piercing intensity that made the one-armed man step back for a fraction of a second.

"Why should I care about your lives?" Rudra asked flatly.

The one-armed man's face twisted into a scowl, his anger flaring. "You think you can negotiate with us now? We're all in this together!"

Rudra didn't flinch. He simply stared at him, unmoved. "No. You don't have anything to offer," he said calmly. "But I do." His gaze shifted back to the "No. 1 Member" badge. "That badge. It's what I want."

The one-armed man's expression soured even more. "You're out of your mind, kid. We don't even have our belongings. Why would I give you my badge?"

Rudra's lips curled slightly in what might've been a smirk, though his eyes remained cold. "Who said I wanted it for free? We can exchange badges."

There was a long pause as the man processed Rudra's words, his eyes narrowing. "You think I'll just hand over my badge to you like that?"

Rudra didn't reply, only looked at the badge with an expression that made the one-armed man visibly uncomfortable.

Before the one-armed man could retort, a third voice cut through the conversation, smooth and intelligent.

"Boy, how old are you?" The voice came from deeper within the crowd. Rudra's eyes flickered toward the speaker. It was a tall, handsome young man, his expression serious but not hostile.

Rudra turned his head slightly, still detached, and answered with the same calmness he always had. "Eight years old. I'll be nine in a month."

The one-armed man interjected again, his voice growing more irritated. "Kid, you haven't even gone through the ceremony of the keys yet . How can we listen to you?"

Rudra blinked, his gaze narrowing as he turned back toward the handsome young man. "What is the ceremony of the key?" he asked, genuinely curious but still entirely uninterested in the way others might react.

The young man smiled apologetically and explained, his voice calm. "The ceremony of the key is called Ra-Hi. Every living being is born with these keys attached to them —they're like living spirits To access them, we need Ra-Hi energy, which is released when the body reaches the age of nine."

Rudra processed the information silently, his expression still as blank as ever. "And what do we gain from acquiring these keys?" he asked, as if it were the most obvious question in the world.

The young man smiled again, the corners of his lips lifting in amusement. "Every living being holds a unique key, but these keys are categorized into several major types. The power granted by them is... considerable."

Before the young man could continue, the one-armed man interrupted impatiently. "We don't have time for explanations, kid. We need answers now. If what you say is true, prove it. Show us."

Rudra turned his emotionless gaze on the man, and with a slight tilt of his head, he took a step back. "I will prove it," he said simply. "First, I'll remove my device."

The crowd fell silent as Rudra placed his hand on the device around his neck, his fingers brushing against it with slow deliberation. Murmurs rose from the crowd as people speculated whether it was some trick, a false show.

"Stop talking," Rudra suddenly commanded in a quiet but firm tone. His voice cut through the chatter like a blade, and the crowd fell silent.

The sound of a soft *click* echoed through the room.

Rudra's device fell to the ground with a soft metallic thud. The air around him seemed to shift, and a spark of freedom lit the faces of those around him. They stared, wide-eyed, as the realization hit them all at once. Rudra had done what they thought impossible—he had freed himself.

His gaze moved to the badge of No. 1. Without a word, he reached out and gripped it firmly.

As his fingers closed around the badge, a wave of relief washed over him. The tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying melted away.

The No. 1 member hesitated, then handed over the badge, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Undo my restrictions."

Rudra nodded, and as he turned away,...

The air in the room seemed to grow thick. A distant sound reverberated through the space—footsteps, slow and deliberate. The ground trembled under the weight of something approaching.

Rudra's eyes widened slightly as he turned toward the source of the sound. The presence that had arrived was... otherworldly. The pressure in the room grew unbearable with each step that echoed closer. His body went rigid, the air turning suffocating, as if the very atmosphere itself was being crushed under the weight of the entity's presence. Before rudra moved his head too look at the person he was kneeling before him . It's wasn't only Rudra every being on that area was kneeling before him

Every person in the room, frozen in place, felt the same overwhelming pressure. It was not fear, but a quiet, crushing certainty. This was no ordinary being. This was something... else.

And Rudra, ever the calm observer, was the first to feel it fully.