Prologue

This is my choice. Not theirs.

Every time I end up receiving a punishment like this, I'll have to keep this in my mind. Seriously? 500 squads in 5 minutes? Do they genuinely think I have machines strapped to my body rather than muscles? Despite not forgetting to breathe, I was still unable to walk for two days following the last punishment. And now? I suppose I can no longer feel my legs; it feels as though I am paralyzed from the hip down.

What more do you need to make your life miserable, when you are asked to take this punishment during a breakfast break that barely lasts 10 minutes? Well first of all, this academy is constructed in such a way that it would literally take 1,000 steps (almost 1 mile) to make the journey from one hall to another within the building, which makes the journey from the field that is situated some 10 miles away from the academy to the 'Hall of Delicacies' take another lifetime.

I bet my teammates wouldn't have even reached the HOD by now when there are now only 4 more minutes for the breakfast break to end. And that reminds me of the 2 minutes that I have left to finish my 500 squads.

But I did sign up for this, right? I was mindful of the fact that being a soldier will be nearly impossible for me to do. And I had no effing clue what awaited me at the most esteemed army institution in the country, "DHARMA." I quickly collected my thoughts before getting too lost in them to black out on the field and notice that a shadow was looming over me.

I don't see his face. But I don't think I have to; Since no one else could possibly be mistaken for this human shape that has been flawlessly molded to perfection at every inch standing behind me, I don't think I need to see his face. It's him. Hey Mahadev! Please don't make me regret this choice now; have some mercy on me.