THE NINTH HERO

Chapter-1

Earth- 2023

In a cramped room in a rundown house somewhere in Northern India, a boy sat on a crappy chair; next to him was a desk with many books on it.

The boy wore a serious expression as he concentrated on the sheets of paper in front of him. He was reading about current events from the last two months.

It was the month of June, and only a ceiling fan was present in the room, giving off warm air because there was no air conditioning in the room, which is why the boy was covered in sweat. But he still continued to focus on the sheets of paper in front of him.

Only after an hour had passed did he stop studying.

He appeared exhausted. The boy sighed as he looked at his smartphone to confirm that it was 2 p.m.

Looking at the fissured screen of the phone, the boy had a look of anticipation. Today was the result of the government exam he had given to secure himself a government job.

Karna, a 21-year-old man with an unassuming appearance and brown skin with black hair and eyes, stood at an average height of 178 cm. His family's financial situation was modest, with both of his parents in their late 40s.

Karna was an unremarkable young man, devoid of any extraordinary talents. His parents, however, were his greatest assets, always motivating him to work hard and do his best.

Thanks to their unwavering support, Karna had grown into the person he was today. His parents had toiled tirelessly throughout his life, providing him with the best they could offer.

Now, the time had come for Karna to potentially repay their years of love and support.

Although Karna knew that the results might already be available on the website, he chose not to check them himself. Instead, he relied on his only friend, Arun, believing that this friend brought him good luck.

"Ahh! Why hasn't he called me yet? The results were supposed to be uploaded at 1 PM, and it's been an hour now."

"What on earth is he doing? Why hasn't he called me? Wait, what if I..."

"No, I should call him," Karna decided, dialing Arun's phone number.

Beep-Beep… The call rang for only two seconds before it was answered.

"Hel-"

Arun couldn't even complete his greeting before Karna interrupted him with an anxious voice.

"Why haven't you called me about my results?!"

"…."

"Whoa, man, calm down. You're sounding like my crazy ex-girlfriend," Arun quipped in a relaxed manner.

"Ugh...."

"First of all, Ria wasn't crazy. It was you who was crazy for suggesting all those wild Kamasutra moves in bed. And second, you were supposed to call me like an hour ago to share my results."

"Hey! I shared those things in confidence. And the Kamasutra is our heritage. If we're not going to use it, who will? The Americans?"

"…."

"Oh! As for your results, I've already checked them."

"Then why haven't you called... Wait, Oh no... Did I fail?"

"Relax, man. I wanted to call you as soon as I checked the results, but I just couldn't gather the courage."

"Ugh, it's not your fault."

Karna's voice quivered as he spoke.

"I mean, what if you had a sudden heart attack due to excitement?"

"What would I say to Uncle and Auntie? They would never forgive me," Arun sighed melodramatically.

Karna, barely holding back tears, squinted his eyes when his friend's words caught his attention.

"Wait, why would I have a heart attack from excitement? I failed." Karna spoke slowly.

"Hm... who said anything about you failing?"

"Isn't that why you didn't want to call me?"

"No, no. The reason I didn't call you immediately after checking the results was because I was trying to build suspense. I also wanted to see how long you'd hold out before your patience ran out. Hehe."

"You-!"

Hearing his friend's ridiculous excuses, Karna was tempted to unleash a flurry of curses. However, he refrained because he had more pressing questions for his idiotic friend. Karna took a deep breath to quell his frustration and, teeth gritted, inquired.

"So, did I pass?"

"Hehe, you'll find out soon."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Karna, you goof, if you had failed, would I be messing with you like this?"

Karna responded immediately, as if it were a well-established fact. "Yes."

"Hey, I'm not that cruel."

"Really? If my memory serves me right, last time you told me I passed, I cried tears of joy, and just as I was about to share the good news with my parents, you started laughing in my face. And that's when you revealed the truth—that I actually hadn't passed."

"…." Arun fell silent.

"Cough, cough. I apologize for that again. That was truly heartless of me. But I'm not lying today, man; you really passed."

"Hmm."

"Oh, come on.... You know what? I'm just going to send you a screenshot of the result." With that, he placed the call on hold.

Karna raised an eyebrow at the mention of a screenshot. He tapped the cracked touchscreen of his old phone to open the messaging app they typically used. As he was launching the app, his phone vibrated, signaling a new message.

Upon opening the message, he saw a list of names with corresponding roll numbers. A blue circle adorned one of the names and roll numbers. Karna's eyes widened in astonishment as he read the name and the roll number, and soon his face lit up with excitement.

"I really passed," he murmured to himself.

"I told you, didn't I? You did it, man. Congratulations," Arun's voice came through the phone, which Karna held in his trembling hands.

Upon hearing his friend's voice, Karna held the phone closer to his ear. "I really did it."

"Yes, you did it, my friend."

Karna was on the brink of tears when he remembered something important.

"Mom and Dad! I have to tell them this good news."

"Where's you Mom? Aunty should be at home with you," Arun asked.

"No, she went to visit a friend. She said she'd be back by 6 p.m. I should call my dad and tell him."

"No, no, don't do that. Share this fantastic news with both of them when they're together. You should also buy a cake to celebrate," Arun urged excitedly.

"You're right. I should do that."

"Of course I'm right. When was the last time I was wrong? Hehe," Arun boasted with a hint of smugness.

Amused by his friend's arrogant words, Karna chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Praise be to Mr. Right. Okay, I'm off to buy the cake. Thanks a lot, my friend, for the great news."

"Well, I couldn't have delivered this delightful news without you, buddy." Hearing that, Karna burst into laughter and ended the call.

After ten minutes, Karna set out from his home on his bicycle, driven by the desire to purchase a cake. 

The nearest bakery was a mere ten minutes away, but he opted not to go there. The cakes sold there, although inexpensive, were notorious for their lacklustre taste. 

Today, Karna decided not to cut corners and ventured instead to a bakery located on the bustling market side of the city.

The journey from his house to the market took him around 25 to 30 minutes, and he finally arrived at the bakery he had heard about from his friend Arun. 

Arun had praised the bakery's cakes after his father had brought one to celebrate his promotion.

Upon entering, he was immediately captivated by the ornate decorations that adorned the interior.

As he stood there momentarily, a sweet voice spoke from behind him.

"Excuse me." Karna turned to find two girls of his age standing behind him. 

One had a fair complexion, while the other possessed an olive skin tone.

The fair-skinned girl appeared somewhat annoyed, and she requested that Karna step aside from the door so they could enter. He quickly complied, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

He intended to apologize for the inconvenience to the girls who were moving towards the counter. But halted when the fair-skinned girl's next words reached his ears. 

"Where did this guy come from? And what's he even doing here? Does he even have the money to buy cake from this place?"

Her friend hearing this, joined in the mockery, suggesting that he might be a servant sent to purchase the cake.

Karna's expression darkened, and he was on the verge of retorting to their comments when he caught sight of his reflection in the shop's glass mirror. He had left his house in excitement, failing to check his appearance. 

Typically, being an introvert, Karna didn't usually aim to look stylish or handsome, but still he always dressed properly when going outside. 

But his haste had led him to leave the house in old sweatpants and a worn out T-shirt, and as the result of cycling in the scorching summer heat his body had been drenched in sweat.

Luckily, all that sweat had dried upon entering the air-conditioned shop, but unfortunately the lingering odour remained.

Karna realized he appeared out of place, but it was no justification for the girls' unkind remarks. He shook off the incident, focusing on the bakery's interior instead. 

Trying his best to forget what happened as not wanting to ruin his good mood, Karna redirected his attention towards the shop around him. 

As he shifted his focus away from the ornate decorations, he noticed that the shop was bustling with activity, a sight he had missed earlier.

"Alright, Karna, let's get a cake," he muttered under his breath, determined to enjoy a delicious treat, he proceeded to the counter, where a variety of enticing cakes were on display.

****