The next morning came too early.
Mumbai didn't wake gently.It slammed itself awake.
Horns blared from the main road, dogs barked at nothing, and street vendors yelled prices before sunrise. The city smelled of exhaust, cut onions, and last night's rain evaporating from cracked pavement.
Arjun stood in the small mirror, brushing his long black hair back into a neater tie than usual. His reflection still looked tired—dark shadows under the grey-brown eyes, jaw tense from sleep that wasn't really sleep.
But something was different.
His eyes.
They weren't brighter.They weren't sharper.They were… aware.
Like someone had turned on a second eyelid inside his brain.
Behind him, his mother placed a hot roti on a plate and glanced over.
"Your eyes again…" she murmured.
He didn't respond.He didn't know how.
She gently touched the bruise near his ribs. Her fingers were featherlight, but his breath hitched.
"Be careful today," she whispered.
He nodded, grabbed his worn bag, and stepped into the humid morning.
The bus was louder today, or maybe his mind was quieter, making every sound sharper.
A conductor shouted for change.A baby wailed.A student argued with her boyfriend over a cracked phone.Someone in the back hacked up a cough that sounded like it belonged to another century.
Arjun gripped the metal pole.
The cold metal felt too cold.
He tried breathing evenly, but each inhale felt measured, like his lungs had a new awareness of air weight.
[Micro-Stability: +1%][Instinctive Counter: 20% → 22%]
He blinked.
The bus jerked violently.
Arjun didn't fall.
His foot shifted instinctively, redistributing weight, hugging balance with almost unnatural precision. He landed softly while three students slammed into each other.
A boy stared at Arjun."What was that? You didn't even flinch."
Arjun forced a small shrug.
If he spoke, his voice might betray the truth.
I didn't move. My body did.
The school gate felt heavier today—like walking into a storm before the clouds gather.
Uniforms flapped in the warm wind.Girls tied their hair quickly.Boys cracked their knuckles, bragging about nothing.But eyes shifted toward Arjun repeatedly.
Not mocking.Not cruel.Not pity.
Curious.
Fearfully curious.
He passed a group of 8th graders whispering:
"That's him.""No way that small guy fought off three men.""My cousin said he saw the alley clip!""He moved like—like a movie dude."
Arjun paused.
Alley clip?
Someone filmed yesterday's encounter?
He swallowed.
If it got around—
Then Samar would know.
And Rudra.
And whoever was watching these changes from the shadows of Mumbai.
Arjun entered the classroom cautiously.
The usual smells: chalk dust, old wood, too-strong deodorant, and faint sandalwood from Meera's hair. Fans spun lazily overhead, doing more noise than cooling.
Meera looked up quickly.Her neat braid slid off her shoulder as she leaned closer, eyes searching his face.
"You look… different again," she whispered.
Arjun forced a smile. "Just tired."
"No," she said softly. "Your eyes… they're tracking everything."
He froze.
Before he could respond—
Samar walked in.
Silence rippled like electricity.
Samar's hair was styled even sharper today, with uniform sleeves rolled perfectly, exposing toned forearms. His dark brown eyes found Arjun instantly—not with anger, not with threat.
Interest.
Deadly interest.
He walked straight toward Arjun's desk.
Every student flinched.
Rishi and Danish followed behind like shadows.
Samar stopped in front of Arjun, hands in pockets.
He tilted his head slightly—a micro-expression of a predator assessing prey.
"You alright? " he asked casually.
The air froze.
Why is he asking that??
Meera stiffened beside Arjun. Rahul straightened in his seat. Even the teacher entering paused mid-step.
Arjun swallowed. "I'm fine."
Samar kept watching him.Studying him.
His eyes lowered to Arjun's right hand—the hand that steadied itself instinctively.
"You're moving different," Samar murmured.
Arjun felt heat crawl up his neck.
Samar leaned closer, breath warm, voice low so only Arjun could hear:
"Don't do anything stupid in the next three days."
Arjun's heart skipped.
Rudra had said, "72 hours… something will happen at school."
Samar walked away, leaving confusion and tension buzzing through the classroom like trapped bees.
Rahul dragged Arjun to the school backyard, where broken benches and old tires lay forgotten. The sun was too bright, the air thick and shimmering.
Rahul crossed his arms. "Show me your stance."
"I don't have one."
"You do," Rahul said. "You had one in the alley."
Arjun blinked. "I don't remember moving."
"That's the point. Your body remembers."
Rahul stepped closer.He looked serious for once.
"Arjun… What's going on with you?"
Arjun hesitated. His grey-brown eyes flickered subtly.
"I don't know."
But he did know.And he didn't want to drag Rahul into it.
Rahul sighed. "Fine. I won't ask. But let me teach you how not to die."
He raised his fists.
"Throw a jab."
Arjun shook his head. "I don't—"
"Just try."
Arjun extended his left fist weakly—
Rahul grabbed his wrist and pulled it down gently.
"Bro, that's not a jab. That's a knock on a door."
Arjun exhaled shakily.
But as Rahul corrected his shoulders, hips, and feet—
Something clicked inside him.
A flash.A memory?A reflex?
[Instinctive Counter Progress: 22% → 28%][Fine Motor Control: +2%]
Arjun stepped forward, fist shooting out—
Perfectly aligned.
Rahul's eyes widened.
"What the—?"
Arjun blinked, startled by his own accuracy.
"Do it again," Rahul demanded.
Arjun jabbed.
Fast. Clean. Sharp.
Rahul stumbled back. "Arjun… people don't learn that fast."
Arjun's chest tightened.
He didn't learn it.
He remembered something he'd never learned.
Arjun tried again, slowly—
And the moment his fist aligned, the air in front of him shimmered faintly.
A blue flicker.
[Skill Activation Detected]Instinctive Counter (Lv.0)—Controlled ModeAccuracy: 12%Stability: Low
Arjun's breath caught.
He stepped back, dizzy.
Rahul grabbed his shoulder. "Hey—what happened?"
"I… I think I'm changing."
Rahul frowned. "You're scaring me, bro."
Footsteps approached.
Arjun looked up.
Meera stood there, braid swaying lightly in the hot wind, brown eyes filled with fear.
"I heard… Something might happen… in the next few days," she whispered. "People are talking."
Arjun froze.
"How do you know that?"
Meera bit her lip. "Someone from senior year overheard teachers whispering. Something about—'an incident.'"
Rahul looked between them."What incident?"
Arjun's stomach twisted.
Three days.Rudra knew.Samar hinted.
Something was coming.
Arjun felt his heartbeat accelerate—
And the system reacted instantly.
[Adaptive Instinct Progress: 9% → 13%][Threat Response: +1%]
He staggered.
Meera rushed forward, gripping his arm."Arjun?"
He forced a breath.
"I'm fine."
But his eyes said otherwise.
Because for the first time—
He felt the school… watching him.
Not the people inside it.
The building.
The campus.
Like something beneath the classrooms, beneath the floors, beneath the air itself—
was aware of him.
And waking.
As they headed back inside, Arjun glanced toward the main gate.
A black van was parked across the road.
Tinted windows.No markings.Engine idling.
A silhouette sat inside—barely visible.
But the outline of the face…The stillness…The way the head tilted slightly…
A cold shiver ran down Arjun's spine.
It was looking exactly at him.
He blinked—
The System exploded with notifications.
[High-Level Presence Detected]Instinctive Counter: +10%Awakening Acceleration: +2%Warning: Unidentified Observer]
Arjun's breath left him in one sharp gasp.
The van drove away.
No sound.No rush.Just… gone.
Meera touched his arm gently. "Arjun… why do you look so scared?"
He didn't answer.
Because he finally understood something:
The next 72 hours weren't dangerous because of Samar.Or bullies.Or school gossip.
Something bigger had started looking at him.
Something that made Rudra appear.Made Samar watch.Made the system accelerate.
And he wasn't ready.
Not even close.