The cold morning in Aravalli often found Arjun, who looked like just a ten-year-old boy, sweating hard in his family's small garden. Meeting young Dhruva, his betrayer, had made Arjun even more determined: he wanted revenge, precise and complete. But first, he needed power. In the Kingdom of Aravalli, power came from the Mage Academy in Indiranagar. It was strange, but he had to go back to the very place that trained mages, even though he knew more than its oldest teachers. His main goal would take years, but the first step was clear: get into the academy, so his magic, that faint warm feeling inside him, could truly wake up.
Starting Over: Body Training
His days were now a careful act. To his parents, the proud but tired Lord and Lady Varma, he was just a boy suddenly very interested in books and games. This was a good change from how quiet he used to be. His mother, Lady Leela, often worried about his sudden energy, thinking he had a fever or was growing fast. His father, Lord Dev, simply nodded, hoping his son would become a strong warrior. But every free moment, every time he was alone – in the dark mornings before anyone else woke up, in the old garden hidden by big trees, or late at night by a dim lantern – he worked hard on a secret plan.
Arjun started with his body. His seventy-year-old mind craved the strength and quickness he had when he was powerful, from years of fighting as a mercenary and using magic. But his ten-year-old body was like soft clay, hard to control. Simple stretches felt like huge tasks. Running for even a few minutes made him breathless, his small lungs burned, and his muscles ached intensely. He did simple exercises, push-ups where his face hit the ground, awkward squats, and stretches. He pushed past the tiredness and his clumsy movements. He made his old instincts guide his childish body, imagining himself as a skilled warrior, even as his small arms and legs protested. Every shake in his body reminded him how far he was from his old strength. This physical training isn't just about getting strong; it is about getting his old mind used to his new, small body, building a base for the magic he'd use later.
Learning Magic Again: Mental Training
At the same time, his mind training was nonstop. He went over basic magic ideas in his head, not to learn them, but to remember them perfectly, to do things instantly like he used to. He carefully imagined magic energy flowing through his new, small magic circle, feeling a faint, comforting hum inside. It was very frustrating; what used to take just a thought now felt like trying to push a huge rock uphill. He had three elemental affinities (earth, air, and fire). He spent hours sensing all these basic energies, pulling them into him, slowly, painfully, trying to make his undeveloped magic circle follow familiar patterns, to work in a way that didn't need the school's formal training yet.
His biggest challenge was his legendary summoning abilities. In his past life, these were incredibly powerful, but also made him very famous, which wasn't always good. These spells were ancient and difficult, often needing special agreements or forgotten ceremonies. He started secret research, first by remembering bits of old books and hidden libraries he'd found over seventy years. He wrote down symbols on old paper by moonlight, trying to figure out how to summon even the weakest of small magical creatures. He knew he couldn't actually cast full summoning spells – that would get too much attention – but he could understand the ideas, the patterns, the complex magic signals. He rigorously hid his full knowledge of summoning, keeping it a secret from everyone. The faint memories of old agreements, the sounds of the powerful creatures he once called, were a constant, tempting background noise to his hard work.
The Varma Name: A Family's Hardship
Getting magic to awaken in Aravalli was difficult, controlled by old rules and, even more so, by money. The Mage Academy of Indiranagar was famous, its walls filled with magic from many generations. But it was expensive. His family, though nobles, didn't have much money. Their manor, while still looking grand to common people with its old stone and worn towers, constantly reminded them of their shrinking wealth. Sending Arjun to the academy needed not just talent, but also power and a lot of money for tuition, an amount Lord Dev could barely imagine.
His parents talked about it with both hope and sadness. "If only young Arjun showed more magic ability," Lady Leela would sigh, watching him draw complex designs in the dirt. "Maybe a job in the Maharaja's government, instead of a mage." Lord Dev would just frown, looking at his account books that always showed a loss. They knew it was an almost impossible dream, a luxury their poor noble family couldn't afford anymore.
This is where Arjun's past life was most helpful. He knew the academy's tough lessons, its strict teachers, its hidden politics, and most importantly, the exact way its entrance tests worked and what the teachers secretly expected. He couldn't just ask to go; he had to prove he was a prodigy, a truly amazing talent that would force them to let him in, maybe even gives him a special scholarship – the only way his family could afford it. His plan was to impress them, not with raw, uncontrolled power – which he barely had anyway – but with a deep understanding of magic theory and a natural, almost shocking, skill with elemental magic. This was far beyond what any ten-year-old could normally do.
The Academy Tests: A Careful Show
The chance came with the yearly Aspirant Trials. Noble families, even struggling ones like the Varma's, were encouraged to send their children. The academy's big hall was filled with nervous energy, the hopeful faces of children mirroring the worried looks of their parents, their dreams clearly visible. Young Dhruva, already surrounded by his many royal siblings and praising courtiers, looked very important. He was there, probably, to see the future talent of his kingdom, to see which young mages would one day serve his throne. Arjun looked at him from across the crowded hall, giving a practiced, innocent smile. Dhruva, completely unaware of the old hatred simmering inside Arjun, smiled back genuinely. This warmth only made the cold fire in Arjun's heart burn stronger.
The tests were varied, designed to find true talent: basic magic sensing, questions about magic rules, and showing elemental magic skills. Arjun waited calmly, watching other children struggle, their spells clumsy, barely able to make a spark. When it was his turn, he approached with surprising calmness. He didn't show off huge displays of power; he focused on being precise, controlled, and efficient. When asked to make a spell, he only demonstrated his common earth magic, meticulously hiding his command over air and fire. In Aravalli, it was exceptionally rare for a mage to possess more than one elemental affinity, and many struggled to even master one. He didn't just lift a small rock, but subtly changed its density, turning it from rough stone to shiny black rock and back again. This was something that usually took years to learn. Possessing three elemental affinities was almost unheard of and would draw far too much unwanted attention. His legendary summoning abilities remained his deepest secret.
His answers to the theory questions left the examiners, some of whom he remembered from his past life, openly amazed. He quoted old books they barely knew, offered clever answers to difficult magic problems, and spoke about mana flows and Formations with a depth that suggested decades of practice, not just a child's interest. He purposely focused on elemental magic, specifically earth, in public – it was common, impressive, and he had a natural talent for it even in this new body. It was a gift he hadn't fully appreciated in his first life, as it was overshadowed by his more dramatic and destructive summoning powers.
His performance was a planned risk. He showed enough brilliance to demand entry, but not so much that it would reveal the true depth of his past, the old mind hidden behind his young face. The examiners, after quiet talks, disbelieving looks, and frantic note-taking, announced he was accepted. A full scholarship, unheard of for a family as modest as his, was given. Lord Dev and Lady Leela cried tears of joyful disbelief; their son, against all odds, was now on the path to becoming a mage. Arjun simply gave a humble bow, a flicker of triumph in his eyes. He had passed the first gate.
The Snake in the Nest: Life at the Academy
Life inside the Mage Academy of Indiranagar was its own world, a small kingdom of people seeking power and beginning political movements. Arjun, now a student, worked tirelessly. While his classmates struggled with basic spells and magic exercises, he used the formal training to rebuild his foundation. The academy's approved rituals and lessons were a perfect cover for him to push his small magic circle, feeling its warmth grow steadily, strengthening, moving towards the true awakening he needed. He soaked up knowledge like a sponge, but his real learning happened in the hours he stole. He went into the academy's huge, ancient libraries, carefully checking information about all elemental magic and, more importantly, secretly researching anything about legendary summoning abilities. Most scholars dismissed these as myths, old stories, but Arjun knew the terrible truth. He looked for forgotten rituals, broken texts, anything that could help him master what had once been his greatest, and most dangerous, power again. He diligently practiced his hidden elemental abilities (air and fire) in secret, away from prying eyes, ensuring they grew alongside his publicly displayed earth magic.
He remained quiet, watchful, keeping a sharp eye on the other students, especially those from the royal family. He saw Dhruva, often surrounded by his princely siblings – Varun, the strong warrior prince; Rohan, the quiet scholar; and the princesses, Anya, Ira, Siya – already forming alliances, showing a sharp mind and natural leadership that, to others, would seem impressive. But Arjun saw the hidden cleverness, the spark of ambition behind the friendly smiles, the same qualities that had led to his own death. He was now inside the serpent's lair, a silent, calculating shadow, watching, and carefully preparing to strike.
Distant War Cries: The Kingdom's Danger
Even inside the protected walls of the academy, the distant sounds of war couldn't be ignored. Messengers brought news of increasing border fights with the aggressive kingdoms around Aravalli. Young nobles, many of them students, talked about their fathers' armies being sent out, about towns on the border being attacked. The kingdom was indeed surrounded by enemies, a constant, low level of danger that affected all court decisions. Arjun, with his past life's strategic mind, began to analyze these reports. He noticed the weaknesses in Aravalli's defenses, the predictable movements of its armies, and how different court groups tried to use these outside threats for their own gain inside the kingdom. He noticed Dhruva's keen interest in these reports, the way his eyes would gleam with a strange mix of excitement and calculation when news of conflict arrived. It was clear even then that the prince saw opportunity in chaos. Every lesson, every observation, every quiet moment of practice in the academy's shadowed corners, was a step towards not just his unavoidable revenge, but perhaps, Aravalli's very existence and true spirit.