Rivet sat quietly on the rooftop of his house, staring at the night sky. His body was exhausted beyond measure, yet somehow, sleep eluded him.
He leaned back, letting the cool breeze brush past him, and allowed his mind to wander.
Just a few days ago, he thought, I was so scared... scared of failing, scared of disappointing everyone.
But today, he had proved something — not to the world, but to himself.
He had faced his fears head-on and made it through Stage 2 of the tournament.
A faint smile appeared on Rivet's face as he thought of Keshav — his calm, strong friend who always carried himself with an effortless charm. Rivet couldn't help but think how hard Keshav's life must have been, growing up without parents. And still... he never shows his pain.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Rivet reminded himself that the battle was not over yet.
Tomorrow is Stage 3, he told himself. The final and toughest one. I need to rest.
As he got up to leave, a strange memory flickered in his mind. That morning, when he had been rushing to the tournament, his cycle's brakes had failed. He vividly remembered losing control, crashing onto the road, and feeling his leg get trapped under a moving car.
He was certain that his leg had been fractured. He could almost feel it... yet somehow, throughout today's intense challenges, he hadn't felt any pain at all. Not even a hint.
Confused, Rivet looked down at his leg.
It was perfectly fine.
Maybe, he thought, it was just a minor sprain that healed quickly during all the running and jumping.
Shaking his head, Rivet pushed the strange incident aside.
He walked into his room, lay down on the bed, and slowly drifted into sleep.
Unlike the previous nights, no disturbing dreams haunted him tonight.
Instead, there was a deep, eerie calmness in his heart — the kind of calm that comes before a raging storm.
The next morning, Rivet woke up early, feeling a strange mix of excitement and tension.
Today was important — more important than any other day.
If he failed, he would break his mother's faith in him. And Rivet had decided: failure was not an option.
He quickly got ready and headed to school.
On the way, he stopped by the same old temple he always passed. Folding his hands, he prayed sincerely:
"Please... help me today. I have to succeed."
As soon as he finished praying, a strong gust of wind swept past him, brushing against his face like a sign.
Feeling blessed, Rivet smiled and hurried toward school.
He reached earlier than usual today.
At the gate, he found Keshav waiting for him.
"Good morning, champ!" Keshav greeted with a grin.
Rivet smiled back, feeling lighter. They both chatted for a while, wondering what today's Stage 3 challenge could be.
"We should warm up a little," Keshav suggested.
They jogged together, stretching and preparing their muscles.
Suddenly, Keshav smirked and said, "Hey, how about a quick race? Just one lap before the real thing?"
Rivet hesitated for a moment — he didn't want to waste energy — but then nodded.
Why not?
They stood at the track, the rules simple: One lap. Whoever finishes first, wins.
The race began.
Rivet pushed ahead at the start, but soon Keshav caught up effortlessly.
In a flash, Keshav overtook him.
Rivet, feeling the competitive fire inside him, pushed himself harder, giving everything he had.
The finish line neared.
They crossed almost together — but Keshav barely edged him out, winning by just a few milliseconds.
Both of them collapsed on the ground, laughing breathlessly.
"You almost had me, yaar," Keshav said between gasps. "That was way tougher than I expected!"
He said it lightly, but deep inside, Keshav knew he hadn't even used his full strength.
Meanwhile, Rivet had gone all out.
Still, Rivet laughed along, not caring about winning or losing.
In that moment, the bond between them grew even stronger.
Just then, the other candidates started arriving.
An announcement echoed across the field:
"All candidates, please collect your options. Stage 3 will begin shortly!"
The crowd was buzzing with excitement.
The final stage was about to start, and everyone — students, teachers, even parents — had gathered to watch.
The school's social media pages were flooded with views and live comments.
The principal stepped up to the microphone.
The ground fell silent as he began speaking.
"First of all," the principal said warmly, "congratulations to all the candidates who have made it this far. You have already proven yourselves to be the best of the best."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"And now... let me explain the rules of Stage 3: Round 1..."
To be continued...