Morning light poured through the forest leaves as Maarun stirred. His limbs ached from the trials, but his mind was still locked in the fire—the way it flickered, died, and reignited through his will.
Guruji Vāyurāyana sat nearby, calmly sipping from a clay cup. His gaze met Maarun's.
"Get ready. We must return to Gurukul."
Maarun sat up slowly. "But... I thought I failed."
Guruji looked into the dying embers. "You did not fail. Your body did. Not your will. And that is what matters."
He stood and turned toward Maarun.
"Your house is Fire."
Maarun blinked. "Fire? But how? None of the elements responded to me. They were all silent."
"Exactly," Guruji said. "You were not chosen by them. You chose them. Through will alone, through persistence. You kept the fire alive long after your body gave up. That is fire—it doesn't surrender. That is why I claim it has chosen you, even if silently."
Maarun's voice trembled. "But the Principal... Will he even allow it? I wasn't chosen by the Dice."
Guruji placed a hand on Maarun's shoulder. "No. He will not. Not without explanation. That is why I will go with you."
As they walked the forest path back to Gurukul, Guruji spoke with grave honesty. "Maarun, understand this—people will not accept you easily. They will say you are not worthy. They believe only those chosen by the Dice belong here. To them, the Dice is nature itself."
Maarun nodded. He was ready to be seen as the outsider again.
They arrived at Gurukul by midday. Guruji sent Maarun to his dorm while he went to meet Principal Mahasthana.
Inside the Principal's Chamber
Principal Mahasthana's robe trailed the floor like storm clouds. His face was unreadable.
"Absolutely not," he said. "No house has ever taken one not chosen by the Dice."
Guruji remained calm. "And yet I ask you to make the exception."
"On what grounds?"
"I have seen something in the boy," Guruji said. "Something I cannot explain. He did not give up. He continued the fire trial until dawn without command, without supervision. His will is fire."
Mahasthana frowned. "This could cause uproar."
"So be it," Guruji replied. "But would you rather let blind tradition deny a soul that carries potential we've rarely witnessed?"
There was silence.
Finally, Mahasthana sighed. "Fine. But you will take full responsibility."
"Gladly," Guruji replied.
By evening, a loud bell rang through the Gurukul courtyard.
All four houses gathered. Murmurs spread through the students.
Principal Mahasthana stepped onto the stone platform.
"Students of Gurukul," he began, voice echoing across the walls. "Today, we welcome a new entrant into Agnigriha. One not chosen by the Dice, but by effort, endurance, and will."
Gasps spread across the crowd.
Maarun was called from his dorm. He walked slowly, heart pounding, eyes locked ahead.
"Maarun," the Principal announced, "shall enter Agnigriha by the endorsement of Guru Vāyurāyana, and through the trials he has endured."
Students began whispering—
"He didn't even pass the Dice."
"This has never happened."
"Is he even worthy?"
Others just stared in disbelief.
Maarun stood still in the center, flames of humiliation and strength rising together in his chest.
Guruji watched from afar. Calm. Certain.
In the city below, word began to spread. The boy with no fate had entered the fire.