The way Samar watched him…It wasn't the look he used on people he wanted to break.It was worse.
It was the look of someone who'd found a puzzle piece where he didn't expect one.
The courtyard's noise faded around it.
A football thudded against a wall.Girls squealed near the water tap.A teacher yelled at a group of boys climbing the railing.
But all Arjun felt was that stare.
Samar leaned against the pillar like he had the entire school leaning with him.One foot crossed over the other, arms folded—casual, relaxed, dangerous in all the ways softness could be.
His eyes stayed on Arjun even when two seniors walked past and greeted him.
He didn't reply.He didn't blink.
He just watched.
Arjun exhaled slowly and pushed himself away from the shed. His ribs ached; every step felt like something shifting out of place inside him. The breeze tugged at his hair, blowing strands across his vision.
He tucked the hair behind his ear.A tiny motion.But Samar's eyes followed even that.
Arjun looked away first.
Students parted as he walked back toward the main corridor. Not out of respect—out of habit. A student who gets beaten often becomes something everyone avoids touching, like a wound you don't want to feel responsible for.
Whispers restarted.
"Dude… He's staring at him again.""Is Samar planning something?""My guess? After-school fight.""No chance Vale survives that.""Why did he even provoke him?""He said no.""…to Samar? What an idiot."
Arjun didn't answer any of it.He just kept walking.
But the world had shifted.He felt it in the way shoes scuffed behind him, how conversations went quiet when he passed, and how even teachers glanced at him with narrowed eyes as if sensing something was different.
The System hadn't shown again, yet its absence felt heavy—like holding your breath waiting for the next line of text.
He reached the end of the corridor and nearly collided with someone.
Meera.
Her braid swung forward like a misplaced pendulum, almost slapping his chest. She stepped back instantly, cheeks coloring.
"Uh—sorry," she murmured.
Her voice trembled.Not from fear.From something more complicated—worry mixed with curiosity.
She looked at him properly this time.Not quick glances.A real look.
Her gaze lingered on the faint bruise near his temple, the way he held his ribs as if bracing them, and his slightly uneven breathing.
"You're hurt," she said quietly.
He shrugged.
Saying yes felt unnecessary. Saying no felt dishonest.
"You shouldn't stand up to them alone," she added, eyes darting away. "People like Samar… they don't forget things."
Arjun didn't reply.
He wasn't used to anyone acknowledging him in full sentences.
Meera bit her lip again, then lowered her voice further."I… saw something. I don't know if it was just anger, or—something in your eyes changed."
Arjun stiffened.His heartbeat stumbled.
She didn't mean the system.She couldn't have seen the blue text.But still—
"What do you mean?" he asked, voice lower than he intended.
Meera hesitated.Her fingers clutched her notebook tighter.
"Like you woke up. Just for a second. Like someone flipped a switch."
She didn't know how close she was to the truth.
Before Arjun could respond, a shout echoed from the courtyard:
"VALE!"
Samar's voice.
Sharp.Clear.Commanding.
Every head turned.Every conversation paused.
Meera flinched.Some boys laughed nervously.Others whispered predictions.
Arjun forced himself to turn around.
Samar stood at the doorway to the courtyard, one hand still on the pillar, expression unreadable. Sunlight cut across half his face, shadow slicing the other half into something colder.
He jerked his chin once.
"Come here."
Not a threat.Not a question.
A summons.
Rishi and Danish stood behind him, arms folded, smirks ready, enjoying the attention. A small circle of curious students formed around them—not too close, just enough to watch without taking responsibility.
Meera's voice cracked into a whisper."Don't go."
Arjun didn't move.
His chest tightened.Not from fear—from the sense that something had shifted again.
A faint buzz behind his eyes.A flicker.
Just for a second—barely a blink—A blue line appeared in his vision:
[New Objective Pending…]
Then it vanished.
Samar tilted his head.
"Vale. I said, "Come."
Arjun took a breath.Slow.Steady.Not brave—just deliberate.
His steps echoed unnaturally loud as he walked toward the courtyard. Each one felt like crossing a line he didn't remember drawing. Samar's gaze tracked every movement, every flinch, every breath.
He stopped a few feet away.
Samar's eyes scanned him like a camera lens adjusting focus—starting at his face, sliding down to his posture, then back up.
"You looked me in the eye today," Samar said softly. "You don't usually do that."
Rishi snickered.Danish elbowed him.
Samar ignored them.
He leaned closer—too close—brows furrowing as he studied Arjun's face with surgical precision.
"What changed?"
Arjun swallowed.
He didn't know the answer either.
Behind Samar, the courtyard hummed—students pretending not to watchwhile watching everything.
The sky above shimmered with harsh sunlight.The smell of dust and sweat clung to the air.Somewhere, a crow cawed loudly, as if mocking the tension.
Arjun exhaled.
Nothing about him had changed.Except—
He lifted his chin a fraction.Small.Subtle.Barely there.
But Samar saw it.His eyes sharpened.
"There," Samar whispered. "That. See? Something's different."
Arjun didn't step back.Another small change.
Samar's lips curled slowly—not a smile, not a frown—just the expression of someone discovering a new variable in a familiar equation.
"Vale…" he said softly, almost thoughtfully.
"…don't make me interested."
The words hit harder than any punch.
Because Samar was telling the truth.
He wasn't angry.He wasn't offended.
He was curious.
And curiosity from someone like him was far more dangerous than violence.
The system flickered again.
A new message formed, sharp as a blade:
[NEW QUEST: ENDURE]Objective: Survive Samar's interest.Reward: UnknownPenalty: Severe
Arjun's breath caught.
The day had officially shifted.
And Samar hadn't even hit him yet.