[System Notification – Gate Entry Confirmed]
[World Penalty Gate: Muladhara Stage – Phase 1 Activated]
[Participants: 124 Awakened Registered – Republic of India]
[Success Conditions: Clear All 7 Phases Within 30 Days]
[Failure Condition: Elimination of All Participants OR Time Expiry]
[Final Warning: This Gate Cannot Be Re-Entered Once Sealed.]
---
The inside of the Gate was... a womb of nightmares.
Darkness did not describe it—it swallowed. Crimson walls pulsed like veins. The ground was stone and bone, glowing faintly with a sickly maroon light. The air hummed with an ancient chant, like something half-dead was remembering a war.
Dev Rajan adjusted the straps of his relic armor, his eyes scanning the corrupted land. Meera stood beside him, her fingers already sparking lightning in anticipation.
Behind them, over a hundred Indian Awakened emerged through the Gate's threshold. Warriors from across all 28 states. Sikhs in golden turbans. Naga sadhus wreathed in ash and flame. Scientists from Bengaluru wielding tech-enhanced relics. Villagers turned fighters. Healers. Strategists. All wore the same expression—grim resolve.
And then came them.
Aishani Rathore, the Celestial Binder—her silver eyes glowed with regal defiance.
Veer Jatav, the Slumborn Relic—his cracked knuckles and glowing tattoos humming with something ancient and wrong.
As the last Awakened crossed the Gate, the sky behind them collapsed into blood-colored mist.
The Trial had begun.
---
Phase 1: Muladhara – The Trial of Foundations
A booming chant rang out across the hellscape:
[Phase One: Survival]
[Objective: Reach the Heart Temple of Earth]
[Sub-Objective: Keep Casualties Below 20%]
[Warning: Phase Will Adapt to Player Decisions]
---
"Scout teams, spread by the formations," Dev commanded. "Keep lines of sight. No lone wolves. We don't know what adapts yet."
A hundred nods. Then the march began.
The terrain shifted with every step. Once-stable paths melted. New routes formed, only to vanish. The Gate was alive—and it hated them.
Meera walked beside Veer. "How do you feel, newbie?"
He smirked. "Like a punching bag with a purpose."
Aishani, ahead, spoke without turning, "Then let's make sure that purpose doesn't die with us."
Hours passed. The chanting in the air grew louder. The heat intensified. And then…
The first ambush.
---
Bloodworms of Muladhara
They erupted from the ground—maggot-thick worms the size of trucks, with rings of obsidian teeth and spines laced with fire.
Screams rang out. Seven were swallowed before anyone reacted.
"Form DEFENSE RINGS!" Dev shouted.
Veer leapt in, arms ablaze with molten-red relic runes. His fists tore through chitin. He laughed wildly, blood and ichor splattering his face.
"Come on, you overgrown tapeworms!"
Aishani floated above the battlefield, binding sigils weaving through the air. With a flick of her wrist, the worms froze midair—paralyzed by threads of celestial energy.
The Indian Awakened fought with grit. Archers launched relic arrows. A Tamil mystic chanted flame into existence. A Manipuri blade-dancer carved through beasts like a storm.
When the last worm shrieked and fell, 19 bodies lay still.
[System Notification – Sub-Objective Failed: Casualties > 20%]
[Gate Adjusting Difficulty – Tier Upgraded to Catastrophic]
The sky turned darker.
---
Phase 2: The Pulse of Rage
A city rose in the distance—red stone, molten streets, and statues with bleeding eyes.
They ran.
Monsters changed.
Now came humanoids—failed awakeners, their bodies stitched with relics and pain. Each one screamed in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu—voices from villages and cities all over India.
"They're us," Meera whispered.
"No," Aishani said firmly. "They were us. Now, they're warnings."
One Awakened broke rank—an old army general, trying to save a boy-like creature he thought he knew.
He was disintegrated.
Veer cursed. "This damn Gate isn't just a trial. It's a judgment."
And the judgment was merciless.
The city was a maze. Every wrong turn birthed another wave. Inside one tower, they found ancient Sanskrit warnings etched in blood:
"Only a nation that faces its own sins can ascend."
That was when betrayal struck.
---
One of their own, a high-ranking Guild Master from Mumbai, disabled the rear defense to escape alone.
He didn't get far.
Veer caught him. Broke every bone in his body. Threw him into the Gate's altar.
[System Notification – Sacrifice Registered. Phase Completion Accelerated.]
Aishani looked at Veer. "You didn't hesitate."
"He hesitated first," Veer replied.
---
Phase 3 to 6: Condensed
The remaining phases were hell.
Each tested something different: unity, sacrifice, history, memory.
One relic detonated in a misuse accident. 8 died.
A pair of Awakened turned on each other under illusion magic. Dev stopped them—barely.
Meera unlocked a new relic form—Lightning Lotus Mode. She burned an entire field of Phase 5 enemies in seconds.
Aishani's Celestial Binding evolved. She began to bind concepts—hope, fear, time.
Veer unlocked his true affinity: "Relic Fusion." His body merged with his equipment—turning him into a living weapon.
At Phase 7, only 71 remained.
Then came the final challenge.
---
Phase 7: Yama's Judgment – The Heart of Muladhara
A temple stood. Carved from the bones of giants. A throne at the center.
Upon it sat Yama—not a god, but a system-forged construct mimicking the Judge of Death. Twenty feet tall, armored in crimson steel, with the faces of the dead etched across his chest.
[Final Boss: System Construct – Yama Mk I]
[Clear Condition: Survive Judgment + Strike the Heart]
Yama stood.
"India. Prove you are worth existing."
And the battle began.
---
Yama's attacks weren't just physical—they were karmic. Every fighter's worst memory was weaponized. Failures. Sins. Losses.
Meera relived the time she ran from a collapsing Den.
Dev saw the faces of every subordinate he'd lost.
Aishani saw her family fighting over her throne, already dividing her legacy.
Veer… saw himself.
Poor. Dirty. Abandoned. Cursed.
He screamed, and then—he laughed.
He punched his memory in the face.
"Screw destiny. I make mine."
His laughter broke the illusion. The rest followed.
Then came the real fight.
Meera's lightning, Dev's command, Aishani's bindings, Veer's fists—they hit in sync.
Yama cracked.
The temple shuddered.
"One shot left!" Meera yelled.
Dev nodded. "Aishani! Bind the heart. Veer—punch it."
They moved.
Threads bound.
A fist collided.
Yama screamed—and exploded.
---
[System Notification – World Penalty Gate Cleared]
[India Has Passed the Trial]
[Global Penalty Cancelled]
[Rewards Allocated to Survivors. New Titles Earned.]
[World System Evolution Triggered: Future Events Will Now Include "Nation Trials"]
[New World Rank Assigned: India – Tier 1 Awakener Nation]
[Survivors: 62/124]
---
They fell to their knees.
Not in defeat. In deliverance.
They had done it.
They had survived the first Gate.
And the world would never be the same.
Not after Bharat's Rebirth.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION – GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT]
[India has successfully Cleared the World Penalty Gate.]
[World System Penalty: Cancelled.]
[India is now classified as a Tier-1 Awakened Nation.]
[All Indian Awakened will receive global privileges, increased relic compatibility, and prestige.]
[Glory Awarded: "Saviors of Humanity"]
---
Varanasi, India – Gate Ruins
As the Gate crumbled into golden dust, the skies above India cleared for the first time in weeks.
The crimson glow faded. Sunlight broke through the clouds.
Cheers erupted from the command post.
Support teams wept. Medics dropped their gear and hugged. Families watching the broadcast in refugee camps screamed with joy.
Dev Rajan knelt in the cracked earth, shoulders trembling. Meera placed a hand on his back, eyes full of silent victory.
Veer fell on his back, panting, grinning like a madman. "We did it. We freaking did it!"
Aishani looked up at the sky, arms open. "For once... I'm proud of who I am."
The System's golden light still shimmered faintly over their bodies.
India had survived.
---
New Delhi – Celebration Ignites
Within minutes, fireworks lit up the sky.
Temples rang bells. Mosques echoed with prayer. Gurudwaras served free langar to crowds that spilled into the streets.
From Rajasthan to Kerala, Kolkata to Kashmir, the nation exploded in joy.
Boys painted their faces with tri-color flags.
Girls sang ancient war ballads on rooftops.
Elderly people cried openly, kissing screens, chanting blessings.
News channels streamed headlines:
"THE GATE IS GONE – INDIA SAVES THE WORLD!"
"UR RANKED HEROES DEFY FATE – DEV, MEERA, VEER, AISHANI NAMED GLOBAL ICONS"
"Bharat Mata Ki Jai Echoes Across the Planet"
---
Global Reactions – Across the World
Tokyo, Japan
Kaito sipped his soda as Aya burst into laughter. "They actually pulled it off!"
He grinned. "Told you. Never bet against underdogs."
Vatican City
Xenovia and Elijah stood in silent reverence. "They've earned the heavens' attention now," she murmured.
Moscow, Russia
Dmitri cracked open a bottle of vodka. "To the Indians. Bastards surprised us all."
New York, USA
WAU headquarters held a moment of silence, followed by thunderous applause from delegates.
---
India – A New Dawn
That night, the tricolor flag was projected across the sky via drones.
Major cities installed massive holograms of the four heroes.
Children mimicked Dev's sword stance. Girls braided their hair like Meera. Veer's street fight clips went viral. Aishani's celestial wings became a national symbol.
For the first time in generations...
India wasn't just surviving.
It was leading.
It was celebrated.
And the world was watching.
---