The second year at Aryavarta Union Medical College had only just begun, yet the situation inside Hostel 6 had already become chaotic.
In just three days, the dormitory had witnessed more fights than most hostels saw in a month.
The hallway floors were scratched from dragged chairs and broken tables. Bruised students walked quietly with their heads down, trying to avoid trouble. Doors were slammed open at random hours, and shouting often echoed through the building late at night.
Hostel 6 wasn't simply divided.
It was being exploited.
The main reason was the group inside the hostel that openly supported Hostel 1. These supporters acted like unofficial tax collectors. Every few days they would walk through the rooms of weaker students, demanding money in the name of "protection."
The price was always the same.
100€.
For many students, that amount was devastating.
Most of the weaker students in Hostel 6 were scholarship students or came from modest families. They were here to study medicine, not to pay criminals living in the same dorm.
But refusal wasn't an option.
Anyone who refused would face harassment, threats, or worse—public humiliation in the corridors.
Some students had begun skipping meals entirely just to gather enough money.
In the cafeteria, plates were left half-empty because students were trying to save every possible coin.
Fear had become normal inside Hostel 6.
And yet, quietly, something had started to change.
___________
One month passed
The atmosphere in the hostel was still tense, but there was now a noticeable difference in how the weaker students behaved.
Whenever arguments started, their eyes instinctively searched for someone.
A tall figure standing calmly near the staircase.
Akshat Aether.
Unlike most students who tried to stay invisible, Akshat never avoided the corridors or the common areas. He walked through the hostel with the same calm confidence every day, his long black coat moving slightly as he passed through the halls.
At first, the nerds had simply watched him from a distance. But over time, something unusual happened.
They began approaching him.
A student needing help moving furniture.
Another asking advice about dealing with bullies.
Someone else quietly warning him about which corridors to avoid at night.
Akshat never made a speech.
He never announced himself as a leader.
But his presence alone began organizing the chaos around him.
Slowly, the weaker students started gathering around him more often.
When conflicts broke out, they stood behind him.
When rumors spread about the next collection of protection money, they told him first.
Without any official title, Akshat had become the center point of Hostel 6.
Not because he demanded loyalty— But because the students needed someone strong enough to stand against the pressure.
Late one evening, several students sat around a table in the hostel's common room, whispering nervously.
"They're coming tomorrow again," one student said quietly.
"The Hostel 1 supporters?"
"Yeah… they want another 100€ per person."
A frustrated voice spoke from the corner.
"We can't keep doing this. We're already skipping meals."
Another student glanced toward the staircase. "…Akshat can handle it, but will he?."
Several heads nodded instinctively.
In their minds, the answer had already become obvious.
If anyone could stop this situation—
It was him. But above everyone in Hostel 6, there was still one person whose authority could not be ignored.
.....
The official leader of the hostel.
Ryuki.
At twenty years old, Ryuki was stronger than most of the students living in the dormitory.
She stood around 5 feet 7 inches tall, her posture straight and controlled like someone who had trained her body for years. Her movements were precise, quiet, and efficient.
Unlike the chaotic fighters who relied on brute strength, Ryuki was known for something far more refined.
She was a skilled kung fu martial artist.
Many students had seen her fight only once, but that had been enough.
Her speed and technique were frighteningly clean. Yet despite her strength, her leadership had created a strange contradiction.
Ryuki openly supported Hostel 1.
No one understood why.
Some students believed she had made a secret deal with them. Others thought she simply believed resisting Hostel 1 would lead to disaster.
But whatever the reason was, her decision allowed the supporters of Hostel 1 to operate freely inside Hostel 6.
Which meant the weak continued to suffer.
That evening, Ryuki stood alone on the balcony of the hostel's top floor, looking down at the courtyard below.
The cool night air moved through her hair as she observed the building quietly. From above, she could clearly see groups of students gathered in the courtyard.
And right in the center of them—
She noticed someone.
A 5.10 feet tall student speaking calmly with several others.
Even from this distance, his presence was impossible to miss.
Akshat Aether.
Ryuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
For weeks she had been hearing the same reports.The nerds were gathering around him.Students were starting to ignore the authority of the Hostel 1 supporters.
And slowly…
Akshat's influence inside Hostel 6 was growing. Ryuki leaned slightly against the railing, watching him in silence.
"A center point," she murmured softly.
Her expression remained unreadable.
Whether Akshat would become the salvation of Hostel 6—
Or the spark that ignited a much larger conflict—
Was something she intended to find out very soon.
End of ch 36
To be continue...
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