8:15 PM. The Abandoned School Gymnasium.
The fog outside is now so thick you could reach out and touch it. I pushed open the iron gates of the gym with a harsh, grating screech. Inside, the air was stagnant with dust and the stench of old rubber. A single neon light flickered overhead; the rest was swallowed by shadows.
"So, you actually showed up, Dog?"
Shaon's voice drifted from across the darkness. He was lounging on an old gym bench, clad in an expensive leather jacket, clutching the latest iPhone. Standing beside him were four others—players from the school's basketball team. Their arms were as thick as my thighs. Each held a wooden baseball bat.
"Record this," Shaon signaled to his friends. "Tonight's episode title: 'The Fall of the Scholar.' Let's see how much strength is left in Aryan's big brain."
I said nothing. Slowly, I set my school bag in a corner. I took off my glasses and tucked them inside. Everything in front of me became a bit of a blur, but my ears were now functioning like high-frequency radar.
I pulled the titanium brass knuckles from my pocket. As I slipped them on, the friction of metal against skin made a faint, sharp sound—click.
"Oh, look at that! He brought steel!" Shaon erupted in laughter. "Break him. Break his arms and legs so badly that he has to crawl to school tomorrow morning."
The first one charged. A tall, heavy-set guy named Rabbi. He raised the baseball bat over his head and swung it with all his might.
The familiar whistle of cutting air. Whoosh!
I ducked my head just an inch. The bat whizzed past my ear. My father's old training surged through my muscle memory. I stepped forward. His guard was wide open.
I slammed the brass knuckles on my right hand into the soft spot just below his ribs.
'Crack!'
The dry sound of snapping bone echoed through the entire gymnasium. Rabbi didn't even get the chance to scream. Every bit of air was knocked out of his lungs in an instant. He collapsed to his knees, white foam forming at the corners of his mouth.
"What are you doing? Why are you standing there? Get him!" Shaon sat bolt upright. There was a flicker of fear in his voice now.
The remaining three lunged at once. This wasn't a modern 2026 brawl; it was primal ferocity. Someone slammed a bat into my back. My spine felt like it was on fire. For a split second, the world went dark.
But then, I remembered last night. My mother crying in the other room, and Shaon spitting on my face in the corridor.
The 'Nihil' inside me woke up.
I spun around and grabbed the second guy by his collar. Before he could react, my left hand delivered an upper-cut to his chin. The titanium impact sent four of his bottom teeth skittering across the floor. He flipped backward, landing hard on an old gym ball.
The third and fourth became cautious. They circled me. My back was against the wall.
"Kill him!" Shaon screamed.
Just then, a flashlight beamed through the broken gym window. A thin, taunting voice followed: "Hey, brother? You gonna finish this all by yourself? Why didn't you call me?"
Perched on the window ledge was a boy with AirPods in his ears and a high-end gaming laptop in his lap. This was 'Bikash' (no one knew his real name; he got the nickname because he used to hack people's phones to send money via BKash). Aryan's only friend—and the future tech-master of the underworld.
"Aryan, move left! Number three has a switchblade in his pocket!" Bikash said, chewing casually.
Before Bikash could even finish, I stepped aside. Sure enough, the third boy had pulled a shimmering blade from his pocket. But he was too late. I grabbed his wrist and twisted.
'Snap!'
The wrist joint inverted. The knife clattered to the floor. I kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying.
Only Shaon was left.
Shaon was trembling violently. His expensive phone slipped from his hand. I walked toward him slowly. My brass knuckles were now smeared with blood. The sound of my shoes on the floor sounded like a death knell in Shaon's ears.
"Aryan... listen... I was just joking. I'll tell Brother Rudra to forgive you... please..." Shaon backed away until he hit the wall.
I stood before him. I grabbed his collar. The scent of his expensive perfume made me sick.
"Shaon," I said in a very calm voice. "Yesterday, you gave me a new name, didn't you? 'Dog'?"
I buried a solid punch into his gut. He crumpled.
"Dogs don't know how to bite, Shaon. They only know how to tear things apart."
I pressed the brass knuckles against his forehead. Shaon's pants were soaked. He began to sob in terror.
"I won't kill you today. Because if I kill you, I can't lure Rudra out. You tell Rudra that Aryan is dead. The person born in this gym tonight is named Nihil. And from now on, every cent and every alley in this city belongs to me."
I picked up his phone and looked at Bikash.
"Bikash, copy every bit of data on this phone. I want all of Rudra's contacts."
Bikash gave a devilish grin as his fingers flew across his laptop. "Done, brother! This digital revenge of 2026 has only just begun."
I walked out of the gymnasium. The fog was still there, but I didn't feel the cold anymore. The titanium on my hand was as hot as fire.
There are still a few hours left of January 3rd. But I just laid the first brick of my empire.