The Hunger

The house was peaceful, far too peaceful compared to the chaos Parvat had just survived. The contrast made his head feel heavy. He sat on the couch, staring at the television, but he wasn't watching it. The images flickered, bright colors flashing across the screen, but his mind was still in that dungeon.

The weight of bodies. The smell of blood. The feeling of bones shattering under his fists.

His fingers curled slightly, remembering the sensation of combat, of instinct taking over. It had been a fight for survival. There was no thinking—only reacting, only attacking, only ensuring he was the last one standing.

His brothers, Hunni and Sumit, were in the room with him. They were laughing about something, maybe a match they'd watched earlier or a joke from school. The noise felt distant. It was like there was a wall between them, like he was just a spectator in his own life.

Then Hunni's voice broke through the fog.

"You good, Parvat?"

Parvat blinked. The question hung in the air.

"Yeah," he said quickly.

Hunni narrowed his eyes. He was always the one who noticed things first. "You sure? You look like you just ran a marathon in your head."

Sumit chuckled. "Maybe he saw a ghost or something."

Parvat forced a smirk. "Maybe."

Hunni wasn't convinced. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Come on, man. What happened today?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Hunni repeated. "You look like hell for nothing?"

Parvat shrugged. "Just school stuff. Training. It was exhausting."

Sumit scoffed. "Since when has training ever exhausted you?"

Parvat didn't answer. He didn't want to lie, but he couldn't tell the truth either.

Hunni sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. Keep your secrets."

Sumit leaned back, stretching his arms. "He's probably just stressed. Maybe one of his little training sessions finally humbled him."

Parvat smirked at that, but it faded quickly. If only that was all it was.

The conversation moved on without him. His brothers started talking about other things—sports, school drama, whatever. He listened but didn't contribute much. He just sat there, nodding along, feeling like an outsider in his own home.

After some time, he excused himself and went to his room.

Closing the door, he let out a deep breath. He peeled off his shirt, revealing his perfectly healed skin. It was almost eerie. Hours ago, he had been covered in blood, some of it his, most of it not. Now, it was like nothing had happened.

But something had.

Parvat sat on his bed, staring at his hands. They looked normal, but he knew what they had done.

What just happened today?

He had killed people. Not one, not two—many. Too many.

And the worst part?

It hadn't felt wrong at the time.

In that moment, surrounded by enemies, it had felt… natural.

Survive. Eliminate threats. Move forward.

But now, in the quiet safety of his room, it felt different. It felt real.

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. What kind of person was he becoming?

He tried to push the thoughts away, but they lingered. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep easily tonight.

The day started like any other. Parvat walked into the classroom, his expression unreadable, his mind still lingering on yesterday. His movements were precise, controlled—as if he was deliberately avoiding anything that might provoke a reaction.

No fights. No unnecessary conversations. Just another normal day.

He sat at his bench, ignoring the chatter around him. His body was present, but his mind was somewhere else.

That's when she appeared.

"You were spending too much time with her," she said, standing right in front of him, arms crossed.

Parvat didn't even flinch. He slowly looked up. "She was spending time with me," he corrected, his voice calm but detached. "I don't want to talk to her."

She smirked, tilting her head slightly. "Ah, but look who's coming. Say that to her face."

Parvat followed her gaze.

Haromi was approaching, her usual confident stride making it clear she had no intention of ignoring him today.

"So," she said, stopping in front of his desk, "are you angry? Angry with me or something?"

Parvat sighed. He wasn't in the mood for this. "No," he replied simply.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You didn't eat anything, did you?"

"Huh?"

"You skipped breakfast. And probably dinner too."

Parvat frowned but didn't answer.

Haromi folded her arms. "You're the kind of person who doesn't eat when something's bothering them."

"I don't need it," Parvat said, looking away.

The girl beside him raised an eyebrow. "Wow. So you do have a weakness. Food."

Before Parvat could reply, another voice called out from the doorway.

"Hey, Parvat! What's up?"

Heads turned toward the classroom entrance. A tall, red-haired student stood there with an easy-going grin.

Parvat's eyes widened slightly. "Tahun?"

Tahun walked in, ignoring the stares of other students. He moved with confidence, the kind that came from years of training.

Haromi glanced between them. "You two know each other?"

Parvat nodded. "Yeah. He's the son of my dojo instructor."

Tahun smirked. "It's been a while, huh?"

Haromi looked at Tahun, then back at Parvat. "Interesting. I think Miko knows him. His father, I mean."

Tahun chuckled. "Miko, huh? Yeah, my dad has a few connections."

The tension in the room shifted.

Haromi's expression darkened just a little. "Connections, huh?"

Tahun noticed. "What? You got a problem with that?"

Haromi smirked. "Maybe I do."

Their eyes locked.

A fight was brewing.

Parvat sighed. He could feel it. The air between them was getting heavier. He had just wanted a normal day.

Then—

The classroom door slid open again.

"Alright, everyone, sit down," the teacher said, walking in.

Tahun and Haromi held their glares for a moment longer before finally backing down.

Parvat exhaled slowly.

Finally. A little peace.

Parvat sat at his desk, arms crossed, staring out the window as the lesson continued. For the first time in what felt like forever, he didn't feel the weight of survival pressing down on him. His mind wasn't racing, strategizing about his next move or how to avoid a fight. Instead, he found himself thinking about something unusual—he actually felt good.

"I felt good when I talked to them…" he thought, tapping his fingers on the desk. "So maybe… let's do something else. Let's enjoy this feeling a little more."

His stomach rumbled, snapping him out of his thoughts. He sighed. It wasn't like he was starving, but since yesterday, he hadn't really eaten much. He didn't feel like eating after what had happened in the dungeon. Yet now, as he sat there, the hunger hit him all at once.

"When does lunch even start?" he muttered under his breath, checking the time.

As if answering his unspoken request, the bell rang.

Haromi turned to him, grinning. "You didn't eat anything, huh?"

Parvat hesitated. "Yeah, but I don't really need—"

Before he could finish, she placed a container on his desk. "Eat."

Parvat looked at the neatly packed food in front of him. Then another container appeared. And another.

"…More food?"

Haromi smirked. "Of course. You didn't eat anything, right? You need to eat properly."

Parvat stared at the pile of food, confused. "Why are you—"

"Ah, don't worry about it." She leaned back, arms crossed. "Just take it. You can use points to pay me back later."

Parvat frowned. "Wait, so you're keeping score now? How many points is all of this?"

Haromi shrugged. "I'll decide later."

Before he could argue, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the canteen.

The cafeteria was already bustling with students, but Haromi led the way like she owned the place. She walked straight to the counter and swiped a sleek black card.

Parvat narrowed his eyes. "Okay… What's with the card?"

"Oh, this?" She held it up, flipping it between her fingers. "It's my dad's. He's rich, so he just told me to spend however I want. No limits."

Parvat raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Are you just flexing your money now?"

Haromi laughed. "Nah, I just like buying food. And besides, now you owe me even more points."

Before Parvat could argue, Tahun showed up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Wait, wait, wait… is she treating you? Or is this some kind of party?"

Parvat sighed. "I have no idea what's going on anymore."

Haromi smirked. "You wanna join?"

Tahun grinned. "Well, if there's free food, of course I'm in."

As if the group wasn't big enough already, AI and Isen walked in, spotting them immediately. AI nudged Isen and whispered something before making her way toward them.

"Oh?" AI raised an eyebrow. "Are we celebrating something? Or is this just a random feast?"

Haromi smirked. "Just feeding the hungry."

AI folded her arms. "Well, if that's the case… we're joining too."

Parvat sat there, looking around at everyone. For once, he wasn't thinking about fighting, survival, or getting stronger. He wasn't alone. He wasn't on guard. He was just… here, enjoying the moment.

And for once, he actually wanted to be trapped in this moment forever.

After finishing their meal, the group started discussing what to do next.

"Let's play something," Tahun suggested, stretching his arms. "We've been sitting for too long."

"I'm in," AI said, leaning back with a smirk. "But what are we playing?"

Parvat was about to say something when, suddenly, Haromi grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the group.

"Hey—wait—where are we going?" he asked, surprised.

"Just come with me," Haromi said, dragging him toward a more secluded spot behind the school building, away from prying eyes.

She finally stopped, turned to him, and crossed her arms. "Alright, I have something important to say."

Parvat raised an eyebrow. "…Okay? What is it?"

"I want to spend my points."

Parvat blinked. "…Huh?"

"You heard me," Haromi said, grinning. "I want to spend the points I earned."

Parvat narrowed his eyes. "And how many do you even have?"

Haromi tapped her chin, pretending to think. "About 300, I guess."

"Three hundred?! What did you even do to earn that much?"

She smirked. "Feeding you, obviously."

Parvat sighed. "Alright, so what do you want to use them for?"

Haromi's grin widened. "My wish is… my points don't get deducted."

Parvat stared at her, confused. "Wait, what? That makes no sense. That's like getting an unlimited cheat."

She shook her head. "Nah, I don't mean it like that. I mean… if I hit you, or do something fun to mess with you, or even accidentally hurt you, you can't deduct points from me."

Parvat's eye twitched. "…So, basically, you just want the right to hit me without consequences?"

Haromi nodded with a completely innocent expression.

Parvat sighed. "Fine. Whatever. I don't even know why you think that's a good deal, but sure—"

Before he could finish his sentence, BAM!

A solid punch landed right on his face.

"Ow—what the hell?!" Parvat stumbled back, rubbing his cheek. "Why did you just punch me?!"

Haromi shrugged. "Because I like hitting you." She turned around and started walking away casually.

Parvat stared at her, utterly baffled. "…I think you just scammed me."

Haromi waved over her shoulder. "No take-backs! Now, c'mon, let's go play something."

Parvat sighed, shaking his head. "What kind of lunatic likes hitting people…?"

And yet, despite everything, he found himself smiling.

Chapter ends...