Nearly a month had passed, and Aaryan had not opened his eyes.

Sampoorna hadn't moved far from him in all that time. The cave's low glow flickered over the young master's motionless body, casting sharp lines across his face—gaunt, but no longer pale. The blood had stopped leaking from his pores weeks ago. The violent tremors that had wracked his body after the forced breakthrough were long gone. What remained was silence. Stillness.

Outside, the world went on. Disciples speculated. Elders whispered. Some believed he had perished. Others hoped. None dared approach the mist-veiled domain where he was hidden.

Sampoorna stayed.

He didn't sleep. Not truly. He sat beside Aaryan's resting form, cross-legged, hands clasped, meditating in long cycles that only broke when it was time to feed his young master a pill or force a diluted elixir down his throat.

Maya had been gone for twenty-three days.

She returned without a word, veiled in dust and silence, but her eyes burned with an inner fire. She had gone to bring the things left by their master for their only heir.

"You're not to spoil him," Sampoorna had said quietly when she offered it to Aaryan's bedside.

Maya's brows had furrowed. "It's not spoiling."

And so began the debate. Again.

They had spoken of it before—more times than they could count. What should Aaryan know? What should they give? Sampoorna favoured distance, the story of a wandering expert who found a talented but broken youth and lent a fleeting hand before vanishing again. A favor. A mercy. Nothing more.

Maya hated it.

"He is our young master, why does he need to struggle for scraps." she had argued that morning, voice sharp, though still controlled. "He had already faced enough troubles."

"Enough troubles?" Sampoorna's gaze didn't waver. "Give him safety? Give him comfort? Do you think he will be able to grow, become strong enough to face them?"

"He almost died, Sampoorna."

"Because we weren't there," Sampoorna said, his voice low but firm. "No harm will come to the young master now. But he needs these trials, Maya. Not comfort. Struggle is what will carve him into who he must become."

They fell quiet—not in agreement, but in quiet resignation. The kind of silence born from a thousand repeated arguments. They had said everything before. Maya paced. Sampoorna sat. And Aaryan remained still.

Then, his hand twitched.

It was the faintest thing. A tremor. A single finger shifting by less than a breath's width.

But both of them froze.

Sampoorna rose in a blink. Maya's veil snapped into place. Neither spoke. In a smooth motion, Sampoorna activated a concealment technique, and the cave rippled faintly as their presence disappeared.

Aaryan's eyes hadn't opened. But his body shifted again. This time it was more pronounced. A faint grimace formed at the edge of his mouth. His brows furrowed, then relaxed.

He was dreaming.

Maya and Sampoorna stood silent, each at a different side of the chamber, invisible and waiting. Watching.

The first thing Aaryan saw when he opened his eyes was a rock.

Grey. Rough. Slightly cracked, maybe.

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

"…Seriously?" he muttered, voice dry as sand. "Even the afterlife is cheap?"

He sat up with a groan, rubbing his temples. The stone beneath him was cold but smooth. A faint glow flickered along the cave walls. It wasn't heavenly. It wasn't beautiful either. Just... average.

"I knew it," he whispered solemnly. "I'm dead. This is the budget version of the afterlife."

He paused. Then looked around.

No gates. No judgement hall. No old man with a long beard weighing his sins and virtues.

"Oi! Old tomb guy!" he shouted at the ceiling. "You could've at least tossed me a spirit fruit before I croaked!"

Silence.

"Useless fellow. All that power and couldn't save little me? What a scam!" he grumbled, kicking a pebble that bounced harmlessly across the floor.

He sighed, shoulders slumping. Then, with great theatrical flair, he lay back down and folded his hands over his chest like a proper corpse.

"Well... if this is it, I'd like to submit a formal request," he declared loudly. "Next life, I want rich parents. A good sect. Maybe a divine bloodline. And—oh! At least three loyal maids who cook. None of this tempering nonsense!"

From the shadows, Maya's veil twitched ever so slightly.

Sampoorna, seated in silence, unsure of what to feel?

But Maya's gaze didn't waver. If anything, her lips were trembling—just a little—from holding back a smile.

Aaryan sat up again, brushing off his robes with a sigh. "Do they not even serve tea in the afterlife? No wonder ghosts are always grumpy."

Then came the sound—a footstep. Just one.

Aaryan froze.

He turned his head slowly. A tall, veiled figure in flowing white robes stood at the edge of the cave, her silhouette framed by the glowing wall behind her.

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"…Ghost?" he whispered.

No answer.

"Oh no," he muttered. "They've come to take me for judgement."

The figure didn't move. Didn't speak.

"…Wait. If I'm dead, then I'm a ghost too. So she can't hurt me."

He stood up a little straighter, cleared his throat, and puffed out his chest like a heroic spirit. "You there! Ghost lady! I don't know what sins I've committed—well, maybe a few—but I request leniency! Also, if there's a form I need to fill out, I prefer ink over blood."

The figure stepped forward.

Aaryan stepped back.

"Okay, okay! Maybe one small blood oath is fine. But none of that 'eternal servitude' thing!"

A soft chuckle escaped Maya before she could stop it.

Aaryan blinked. He tilted his head. "Wait… Ghosts don't laugh."

Maya pulled back her veil.

He stared.

She was beautiful. Calm. A little amused. But composed.

"You're not…?" he said cautiously.

"I'm not a ghost," Maya said, voice as smooth as spring water. "And you're not dead."

Aaryan blinked again.

"Not dead?" He looked around at the cave, then at himself. "Then this must be…"

He slapped his cheek. "Ow."

A second later, his expression lit up like a spark. "I'm alive?!"

Maya nodded.

"You—saved me?"

"Yes."

Aaryan's grin threatened to split his face. "Hah! I knew it. Fate wouldn't dare kill me off like that. I'm the protagonist! I mean—uh... thanks!"

Behind the concealment technique, Sampoorna buried his face in his hands.

Maya, however, just stood there, expression neutral, though her eyes softened.

"You were in critical condition. Almost dead, took a lot of rare herbs and pills to save you." she explained.

Aaryan was still grinning, stretching his limbs, twisting his back. "I feel great! Better than ever, actually."

Then he paused.

Something… felt off.

His expression dimmed just slightly. He lifted his hand, focused inward, and—

His brow twitched.

Nothing.

No trace of his previous cultivation. He couldn't determine what stage he had progressed to. It was blank.

Completely blank.

"…Oh no," he muttered.

Maya watched quietly.

"Wait wait wait," he said quickly, tapping his chest. "Where's my cultivation?! Where's the—my stage—my meridians—my aura?!"

He froze.

Then blinked.

"…Huh."

The panic eased. Not because the truth wasn't bad—but because, even without cultivation, his body felt different. Stronger. Balanced. Almost… comfortable.

Too comfortable.

His breath was easy. His bones didn't creak. His veins pulsed steadily, almost rhythmically.

"This doesn't make sense," he muttered. "It's gone, but I don't feel as weak as when I had started cultivating."

He sat down cross-legged, trying to circulate something—anything—but no response came. Still, a strange clarity lingered in his limbs, like the first breath after a fever breaks.

Maya watched him quietly, the amusement in her gaze briefly flickering into something unreadable.

She tilted her head. "Something wrong?"

He looked up at her, suspicious. "Wait. Did you reset me?"

"I stabilized you."

"That sounds like a reset."

"It was not a reset."

Aaryan narrowed his eyes. "You're being very evasive for someone who saved my life."

Maya smiled slightly under her veil. "You're breathing, aren't you?"

He grumbled, crossing his arms. "I want a refund."

She chuckled again.

And in the corner, hidden beneath an invisibility seal, Sampoorna finally let out a breath—half amused, half baffled. He had expected his young master to be calm, stoic… the kind of child born to carry the weight of the world with grace. But after what he'd just witnessed. He wasn't sure if the boy was a prodigy, a mischief-maker, or some chaotic mix of both.

Aaryan sat cross-legged, still poking at his meridians like a child inspecting a broken toy. His brow furrowed in brief thought.

Maya watched him for a moment, then spoke gently. "You're wondering why your cultivation's gone."

He glanced up, cautious. "…You're not going to say it was stolen by a ghost, right?"

"No," she said dryly. "Your body was completely reconstructed. Not just healed."

Aaryan blinked. "Reconstructed? As in… rebuilt?"

"Yes. The damage was too severe. The only option was to use high-grade pills and rare herbs to remake your foundation. Every muscle, every vein, every meridian—everything had to be restructured."

She paused. "Which means… you'll have to go through Body Tempering again. From the beginning."

Aaryan was quiet.

A long silence stretched.

Maya braced herself for the outburst. Any normal cultivator would panic. Rage. Despair. At the very least, sulk.

Instead, he tilted his head, expression unreadable for a beat— Then grinned.

"Hah! So, I'm rebooted, huh? Well, as long as I still got my old personality and charm, I should be fine."

Maya blinked. "You're… smiling?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said with a shrug. "I'm alive. Sure, I'm back at square one. But square one is still better than six feet under, isn't it?"

Sampoorna, still hidden, raised an eyebrow. Maya's surprise was more visible. Her lips parted, but no words came for a moment.

"You're... okay with this?"

Aaryan looked at her, this time with a strange calm in his eyes. "Whether I'm okay with it or not doesn't matter, does it? It already happened. Complaining won't undo it. Besides…" He stretched his arms with a relaxed sigh. "My new body feels great. It's like someone replaced my bones with silk-wrapped steel."

A flicker of admiration passed through Maya's gaze, echoed faintly in Sampoorna's hidden one. This level of acceptance—even optimism—was rare. Even among battle-hardened cultivators who had stared down death a dozen times.

Maya cleared her throat and masked her thoughts. "That body didn't come cheap, by the way. The pills and herbs used to reconstruct you… most people wouldn't be able to afford them in three lifetimes. You owe me."

Aaryan froze. His eyes widened. "Ah."

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

"…Look," he said slowly, hands raised in defence, "I'm grateful, really. But I'm not that kind of guy."

Maya blinked. "What?"

"I mean, I'm flattered you went so far to save me, but I'm just a kid," he said, leaning back nervously. "Still too young for that kind of repayment. Mentally and emotionally."

Her eye twitched.

From the shadows, Sampoorna let out a quiet, choking sound.

"That's not what I meant, idiot!" Maya snapped, her face turning as red as a beet. "I meant you owe me a favour! In the future!"

Aaryan blinked again. Then grinned. "Ohh, you should've just said that. I thought you were trying to turn this into some tragic romance. You've got the veils and dramatic timing for it."

Maya looked like she might combust on the spot. "You absolute—!"

"Ahem! Okay, okay!" Aaryan laughed, waving his arms. "You saved me, and now I owe you a favour. Got it. Totally unromantic. Perfectly noble. Very sect-approved."

Maya exhaled slowly through her nose. "When the time comes, I'll call on you. But for now, you're just a mortal again. Start rebuilding your strength."

"Back to the grind, huh?" Aaryan scratched his head. "Fine. How hard can Body Tempering be the second time around? I've done it once. It's like washing dishes again—tedious but familiar."

Maya didn't say anything. She simply stood there, hiding her amusement beneath a stern glare.

"And now I've got you investing in me," he added brightly. "So really, I'm like a startup with premium backing. A soon-to-be spiritual unicorn!"

Maya stared blankly.

She and Sampoorna had spent days worrying about how to justify giving away so many resources. Saving a dying youth on impulse could be explained away. But handing over precious pills and herbs without cause? That invited questions they didn't know how to answer.

Yet here he was—as carefree as one can be. Their young master clearly didn't share their concerns.

Still, Maya kept her expression flat and asked, "And why exactly would I be investing in you?"

Aaryan grinned. "Well, you said you saved me with rare herbs and pills, so either you're really powerful, or you belong to a powerful sect or family. And that favour? If it's not that thing, then it's either a suicide mission you don't want to do yourself, or a secret task your clan can't know about."

He shrugged casually. "Either way, you need someone strong enough to get it done and dumb enough to say yes. That's where I come in. You need me strong, so… investment."

Then, mock-serious: "Or maybe it really was that thing, and you're just waiting for me to make the first move. Scandalous."

Maya snapped, "It's definitely not that thing."

Then she went quiet.

In some ways, he wasn't wrong. Sampoorna insisted they leave the choice to him, but deep down… if their young master truly chose a quiet life and left his parents to be forgotten, neither of them could hide their disappointment.

After a pause, Maya asked, "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Aaryan kept grinning. "Oh, I'm terrified of it. I'll let you in on a secret—my entire life has been about survival since I can remember."

"Then?" she pressed.

"Sometimes you have to face what's in front of you, even if it scares the hell out of you." He shrugged. "Turns out, the only way to survive… is straight through."

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