Blackhunt Origins Arc – Part 3
Location: Earthside – Jaipur Combat Arena, Blackhunt Guild Testing Grounds
Time: 10 Days Before Tower Return
Rain lashed against the arena roof as the clash of fists and lightning echoed across the night sky.
Kaido stood shirtless, muscles etched like granite, bracing himself against the brute force of five mana-enhanced dummies charging at once. Around him, broken metallic limbs and burning circuits scattered like shrapnel.
A thunderbolt surged from above—BOOM!
It split the last dummy in half, sizzling through its core before it crashed beside him.
"You always steal my finishes," Kaido grumbled, cracking his knuckles.
Riya Singh floated down, her hair crackling with static, storm energy still dancing along her Storm Bracers. Her grin was smug.
"Maybe if you weren't such a meathead, I wouldn't have to."
Watching from the observation deck, Ankit smiled. These two had grown far more than just in strength—they were family now.
"They didn't just find power in the Tower. They found each other."
🥊 Kaido Verma – The Ogre Gauntlet
Kaido was born in a wrestling akhada in Jaipur. His father was a national champ. By age 10, Kaido had arms stronger than most adults, and by 12, his Soulmark carved itself into his skin like molten rock—a crimson spiral around his spine.
When he awakened, so did his Soul Weapon:
Ogre Spine Gauntlets—twin bracers that amplified strength and turned his muscles into mana-hardened armor.
But power came with a price.
Fighting mutated beasts for early Tower contracts caused Overdrive Mutations—twisting his body beyond human limits. Claws, bony spikes, red veins. People whispered:
"He's not a man. He's a monster."
His family, ashamed of his appearance, disowned him. Even among climbers, few dared to spar with him—until one girl stepped up without hesitation.
⚡ Riya Singh – Thunderchild of Lucknow
Riya was born to an academic family in Lucknow. She was a topper, a mathlete, a chess prodigy. And absolutely obsessed with power.
Her great-grandmother had returned from the Tower decades ago—a Floor 12 survivor with a legendary lightning bloodline. The gene skipped a few generations… until Riya.
At 12, during a rooftop argument with her cousin, her Storm Bracers awakened. A burst of uncontrolled electricity fried a transformer—and nearly killed the boy.
She never forgave herself.
Terrified of her own potential, her parents restricted her contact with society. But her Soul Weapon would not sleep.
"I didn't want to hurt people. So I chose to hurt myself instead."
When she entered the Tower, she isolated herself. Never trained with others. Never trusted anyone.
Until one day, on Floor 1, a monstrous rhino-beast broke through a camp.
She couldn't react.
Kaido did.
He took the charge head-on, broke the beast's spine—and walked away limping, laughing, asking, "You good, Lightning?"
That was the beginning.
🌀 Two Years Ago – Tower Floor 2: Arena of Iron Will
During the Floor 2 trial—a brutal gladiator-style survival pit—Kaido and Riya were pitted against each other.
The crowd roared. One of them had to go down.
But they refused.
Instead, they took down the other contestants in one brutal sweep, fighting back-to-back—storm and strength.
The overseers were so impressed, they bent the rules. They passed both.
That day, the Tower gave them a nickname:
"The Storm-Spine Duo."
🌌 Present Day – Under Blackhunt's Banner
Back at the arena, Riya plopped beside Kaido, both panting, staring at the sky.
"You know," Riya muttered, "for someone who fights like a beast, you actually have decent emotional control."
Kaido chuckled. "Coming from the girl who once short-circuited a toilet when she got nervous."
She slapped his arm with a spark. He roared in mock pain.
From the shadows, Ankit watched with folded arms.
"These two... they aren't just powerful," he murmured.
"They're unbreakable together."
And he needed that—for the hell waiting on Floor 3.
In the Tower, monsters evolved.
But so did bonds.
And Blackhunt's heart was now forged by lightning and steel.