When Arjun reached school the next morning, the air held a strange pressure. Like the sky was lowering itself onto the campus brick by brick.
Even the security guard glanced at him twice.
Students flowed toward the building in loose clusters. Their chatter sounded normal, but the tone wasn't. Conversations dipped when Arjun walked by, then resumed louder than before.
It was the kind of whispering that tried to seem harmless but wasn't.
Rahul jogged up behind him, gym bag bouncing. "Bro. Something's going on."
Arjun didn't need the confirmation.
He saw it in the looks.
Short. Sharp. Evaluating.
A group of 9th graders huddled around a phone. When Arjun passed, one of them quickly turned the screen away. Too late—he saw a freeze-frame:
Him. In the alley. Blocking a knife.
The footage was grainy, shot from a balcony, but the moment where his body moved on its own was unmistakable.
His ribs tightened.
"Someone recorded it?" he whispered.
Rahul exhaled. "Worse. Someone sent it to the senior WhatsApp groups."
Arjun felt the ground lurch under him.
Rahul lowered his voice. "They think you… awakened or something."
Awakened.
The word stung. Not because it was wrong—but because it was too close.
The hallway buzzed louder as they entered the building.
Meera approached quickly, braid bouncing against her back, brown eyes wide.
"Arjun, your video is everywhere."
His breath sharpened. "Everywhere?"
"Yes. Even teachers are talking about it."
He froze.
Teachers whispering was never a good sign.
Meera stepped closer, lowering her voice. "And… Samar saw it."
That hit harder than the knife had.
Class 10B was louder than usual.
Desks vibrated with gossip. Girls adjusted their hair in nervous patterns. Boys sat straighter, watching the door like spectators waiting for a wrestler to enter.
Arjun stepped inside.
All eyes turned.
He pretended not to notice, moving toward his seat near the window. His long black hair fell forward, hiding part of his face. His grey-brown eyes felt too exposed.
Whispers tracked him like shadows.
"That's him…" "Knife guy…" "Samar's going to kill him today." "No—did you see how he moved? Samar might lose."
That last line chilled Arjun.
People didn't fear Samar losing. They feared the consequences of someone making that possible.
Rishi and Danish sat near the back, snickering. Their uniforms were wrinkled, and their hair was unkempt. Danish made a slicing motion across his throat when Arjun passed.
Rahul growled. "Ignore them."
Arjun tried.
Then the door opened.
The room fell silent.
Samar walked in slowly.
Today, his uniform was perfect as always—crisp shirt, sleeves rolled to mid-forearm, collar straight, and hair styled with deliberate precision. But something was different.
Not in his appearance. In his eyes.
They locked onto Arjun instantly.
Not angry. Not mocking.
Calculating.
Meera stiffened beside Arjun. She whispered, "He's… focused."
Rahul muttered, "This ain't normal."
Samar walked past his own seat, past the front row, past the girls pretending not to stare, and stopped right beside Arjun's desk.
He didn't speak.
He just looked.
Arjun forced himself to meet that gaze.
Dark brown eyes. Calm surface. Danger underneath.
A micro-expression flickered across Samar's face—one brow twitching up slightly, jaw tightening for half a second.
Not aggression.
Recognition.
Samar leaned closer.
"Where," he whispered, voice soft enough only Arjun heard, "did you learn to move like that?"
Arjun swallowed. "I didn't learn."
Samar studied him for two heartbeats that felt like minutes.
Then he straightened, expression unreadable.
For the first time, he didn't smirk. He didn't threaten. He didn't insult.
He walked back to his seat slowly, sitting down with the precision of someone planning his next ten steps.
That scared Arjun more than punches ever could.
Meera exhaled shakily. "What did he say?"
Arjun shook his head slightly.
She placed her hand on his forearm gently. Her braid brushed his shoulder as she leaned in. Her voice trembled. "Be careful today."
Her touch was warm.Too warm.
Because everything else around him felt cold.
The system pulsed.
[Threat Level Increased] Instinctive Counter: 28% → 34%
His pulse quickened.
When Mrs. D'Souza entered, her sari fluttering from rushing down the hallway, something in her expression struck Arjun immediately.
Fear.
Do not panic. Not alarmed.
A teacher's fear—controlled, hidden, but leaking around the edges.
She placed her books down and cleared her throat. "Class… settle."
No one moved.
She glanced at Arjun.
Then quickly away.
Arjun's stomach tightened.
She knew.
She definitely knew.
Mrs. D'Souza pretended to take attendance, but her voice wavered on certain names. When she called "Arjun Vale," she paused mid-word, eyes flicking toward him again.
He answered quietly, "Present."
Her throat bobbed in a hard swallow.
Then something unexpected happened.
Samar's hand rose.
The whole class froze.
"Yes, Samar?" the teacher said carefully.
Samar leaned forward slightly, brown eyes sharp.
"Ma'am," he said, "I think something's wrong with Arjun."
Arjun's chest constricted.
Meera's eyes widened. "No…"
Rahul clenched his fist under the desk.
Mrs. D'Souza hesitated. "In what way?"
Samar didn't look malicious.
He looked… curious.
Dangerously curious.
"He's moving differently," Samar said. "Reacting differently. Almost like—"
He stopped.
Arjun's breath hitched.
Don't say awakened. Please don't.
Samar's lips pressed together.
"...like he's not the same person as last week."
Silence exploded.
Every student turned to Arjun again.
Meera leaned closer to him. "This is bad," she whispered. "Really bad."
Samar leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving Arjun's face.
"Something's happening to him," he said softly.
The system pulsed violently.
[High-Level Attention Detected] Instinctive Counter: 34% → 40% Adaptive Instinct: 13% → 17%
Arjun clenched his jaw, breath trembling.
He felt something inside him coil. Tight. Ready.
Not anger. Not fear.
Survival.
Mrs. D'Souza's voice finally cut through the tension.
"We will… discuss this after class," she said sharply, clearly wanting to escape the moment.
She began writing on the board.
No one looked at the board.
All eyes were still on Arjun.
Break Time
Arjun exited the classroom quickly, with Meera following close.
"Arjun—wait!"
He didn't stop.
He pushed through clusters of students whispering louder now.
"Did you hear?" "Samar said he changed." "Awakened student?" "Impossible." "Or… maybe not." "What if the video wasn't fake?"
Even teachers looked at him oddly as he passed.
In the courtyard, Arjun rested his hand against a pillar, trying to steady his breathing.
Meera caught up, braid bouncing behind her, eyes shining with worry.
"Arjun, you have to tell me what's happening."
He shook his head. "I can't."
She stepped closer. "Is someone threatening you? Is Samar—"
"It's not Samar," Arjun said softly. "He's not the danger."
Her breath caught. "Then who?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
But he felt it.
Something bigger. Something is watching.
Samar appeared in the courtyard then—too close for comfort.
He approached slowly, hands in pockets, expression unreadable. His dark eyes locked onto Arjun with a strange intensity.
Rahul instantly stepped between them. "Back off, Samar."
Samar didn't even look at him.
His gaze stayed on Arjun.
"I need to talk to you," Samar said.
Arjun's heartbeat stuttered.
Meera whispered, "Don't go."
Rahul added, "Say no, bro."
But Arjun knew this moment was inevitable.
He straightened slightly. His grey-brown eyes met Samar's.
And the system pulsed one more time.
[New Quest: Confrontation] Objective: Face SamarReward: Stability +? Penalty: Severe Unknown
Arjun exhaled.
"I'll talk," he said quietly.
Samar's eyes flickered—surprise, then interest.
A dangerous interest.
He nodded once.
"Follow me."
Arjun stepped forward.
Meera grabbed his wrist. "Arjun—please."
He gently freed his hand.
"I have to," he whispered.
He walked toward Samar, heart pounding.
Because this wasn't a fight.
It was a crossing.