Panic and dread crawled through my body like a cold sweat. I couldn't move; I could only stare at the holographic screen as two streaks of motion collided in the center of the arena.

  The monster let out a deafening roar that seemed to vibrate the very air of the infirmary, launching itself forward just as Divyansh dashed to meet it. Both pulled their arms back, fists loaded with enough force to shatter concrete. When they connected, the air between them didn't just move—it crackled. The shockwave was so violent that the soldiers trying to reach Mr. Khan were tossed backward like broken dolls. Khan himself barely managed to dive behind a jagged piece of debris, hunkering down to stay on his feet.

  I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Neither Divyansh nor the monster gave an inch. They stayed locked in that collision, muscles straining, a nightmare of bone and "milky-eyed" power. My hands were slick with sweat as I gripped the edges of the hospital bed, my eyes glued to the screen.

  When the initial clash failed to break either of them, they unleashed a rain of punches. They moved so fast my eyes couldn't even track the blur of their limbs. Even through the speakers of the hologram, the sound of the air being whipped and torn reached my ears.

  There was no strategy here. No dodging, no blocking. It was pure, raw offense—taking hits to give hits. It was Wild vs. Wild.

  I watched, terrified, as the logic of the fight became clear. The monster was huge, its body already a mess of rotten, damaged flesh—there was nothing left to "injure," only a life to end. But Divyansh... he was still human. He was powerful, yes, but he had skin that could tear and bones that could break. His endurance had a limit.

  Suddenly, Divyansh’s fist whistled past the creature’s head—a missed punch. The monster didn't hesitate. It slammed a heavy, brutal blow into Divyansh’s stomach, sending him skidding across the floor until he crashed through a heavy metal door, the sound of warping steel echoing through the room.

  The creature began to limp toward the wreckage. Its left arm, the one it had used to strike Divyansh, was hanging lopsidedly, clearly broken from the force of the impact.

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  Divyansh stirred. He dragged himself out of the debris, forcing his body to stand.

  His milky-white eyes were bleeding at the corners, and his handsome features were terribly gashed, blood masking his face. They both stood there for a heartbeat, two wounded predators, before charging once again.

  Divyansh went low, sliding between the monster's legs. He delivered a sharp kick to its back and used the momentum to spring onto its head. The creature began to jerk and thrash, trying to shake him free, but Divyansh held on. He raised his fist and brought it down on the monster's skull with a sickening thud.

  The creature howled in a frequency that made the screen flicker. Divyansh didn't stop. He pounded his fist into the monster's head over and over until the skin on his knuckles was gone, raw bone meeting rotten flesh.

  In a final, desperate move, the creature dashed toward a reinforced metal wall and slammed its back against it. Divyansh was crushed between the beast and the steel. He finally lost his grip, falling motionless to the floor.

  As he lay there, his eyes faded back to their normal color. He let out a scream of such unbearable agony that I had to look away. I wanted to reach out, to break the holographic screen and help him, but I was trapped in my own skin.

  The creature turned, looming over Divyansh. Its head was caved in, a jagged crater of bone and slime, but it was still moving.

  Oh no. Is this it? Will we all die here? I thought, my mind spiraling. What can I even do? I’m just a writer!

  BOOM.

  A loud explosion rocked the screen. I snapped my head up to see the creature’s head vanish in a spray of gore. Its massive body slumped forward, falling just inches from Divyansh’s feet. Through the subsiding smoke, Mr. Khan appeared. He was panting heavily, a grenade launcher still smoking in his arms.

  He dropped the weapon and scrambled over the creature’s carcass, kneeling beside Divyansh. He scooped the boy up, pulling him close to his chest as he checked for a pulse. I let out a long, shaky sigh of relief. We were safe.

  But in this place, luck is never on your side for long.

  Military men began emerging from the shadows of the arena, their rifles raised and leveled directly at Mr. Khan.

  Khan slowly lowered Divyansh back to the ground and put his hands up. The soldiers parted, making way for a figure I recognized instantly. It was the General—Mira.

  Mr. Khan’s face curdled, turning sour with a mixture of shock and hatred. "You?! How?!"

  Mira smiled. She stepped forward, reaching out to take Khan’s chin in her hand, forcing him to look her in the eye.

  "Long time no see, Khan," she said softly. "Or do you prefer 'Dad'?"