Everyone rushed back to their classrooms, whispering among themselves.
Aarohi leaned toward Ayaan. "Hey, do you have any idea what's going on?"
Ayaan shrugged casually. "I guess something must've happened. Classes are started after 20-25 minutes… we've got plenty of time."
From behind them, Reyansh spoke, "Let's just wait for the teacher. She'll tell us what's actually going on."
About ten minutes later, the teacher entered the classroom.
She looked slightly nervous.
"Students," she began, "due to a sudden fire in the principal's office, all the fire alarms in the school were triggered. We are not sure about the exact yet. A special investigation team is on the way."
The class fell silent.
"That's why all classes have been suspended by the principal. You may leave."
As soon as she finished, murmurs spread across the room.
Reyansh leaned toward Aarohi and whispered, "Wait… what? How did all the alarms go off? We were in the corridor-we didn't hear anything. Why does this feel…off?"
Some students question the teacher about why is she lying?
The teacher said, "You must have not listened the alarm, I am in total hurry I have to leave."
Before anyone could question further, the teacher quickly walked out, her nervous expression still visible.
(School Gate)
Ayaan stood near the school gate, waiting for Reyansh Aarohi.
Just then, a random girl approached him.
He glanced at her as she gave a nervous smile.
"Hey… do you have a girlfriend?" she asked hesitantly.
"Are you serious?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "First tell me-which class you are in?"
The girl froze for a moment, then asked, confused, "H-how do you know that I like you?"
Her friend slightly hit her arm. "If you act like this, of course he'll figure it out. You idiot!"
The girl looked embarrassed. "Actually… I'm in class 5."
Ayaan raised ab eyebrow. "Do you even know which class I'm in? I'm in class 11."
Her face turned pale.
"I…I'm sorry. Please forget everything," she said quickly before turning and running away.
Aarohi and Reyansh arrived a few moments later.
Reyansh ran a hand through his hair, offering a small, apologetic smile.
"Sorry for being late."
Aarohi looked at him for a second-calm, as if her mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Now… shall we go?" she looked at Ayaan.
They started walking together, footsteps syncing unconsciously.
After a few silent steps, Aarohi spoke again, her voice lowers this time, carrying a hint of curiosity…
"Do you all know that… Mayor's daughter and a girl named Dikshita saw Shadow Hunk from so close as he had saved them?"
Ayaan raised an eye, "Oh… really?"
Reyansh said, "I already know I have also heard from news."
(At Ashi's House)
Ashi lay on her bed, phone pressed to her ear. It was her friend's call.
She received it.
Her friend said, "Everyone's saying different things," her friend's voice crackled through the call. Some say nothing happened… but the teacher said the alarm rang. It doesn't make sense."
Ashi sighed, turning to her side.
"I know… I don't understand anything either. It's all so confusing."
After a pause.
Then her friend's tone changed-lighter, almost excited.
"Anyway, leave it. At least classes got suspended. Today would've been so boring."
"Hey…I heard you and Dikshita saw Shadow Hunk from really close."
Ashi's fingers tightened slightly around her phone.
"Can you tell me…how he looks?" her friend continued eagerly. "I want to put it on my channel."
For a moment, Ashi didn't answer.
Because how do you describe someone…
Who appears out of nowhere…
Saves you…
And disappears like a shadow?
Her voice, when it finally came, was softer than before…almost lost in thought.
"He's not just…normal."
"I didn't see his face," Ashi said quietly, her voice almost lost in the call.
"He wears a mask."
She paused.
A breath.
"He didn't look like anyone I've ever seen."
"He wore this…black jacket- but not normal black.
It was matte, almost absorbing light…except for these faint lines across it."
"No designs…no patterns."
"More like…broken constellations. They only appeared when he moved."
"Under it a black hoodie- loose, effortless…like he didn't care how he looked, but somehow…everything still looked perfect."
"His sleeves were slightly pushed back…and there was this thin metallic band on his wrist."
"No brand. No shine."
"And his pants…" she hesitated, searching for words.
"They weren't regular. No jeans, no cargos…"
"Something in between. Fitted…but with these uneven pockets and straps-not for style… they looked used."
"He moved quietly."
And-
Before could say more, her friend's voice cut in:
"Okay okay, mysterious boy… but what about weapons? Did you see anything?"
Ashi went silent for a second.
"…Yeah."
"At first, I thought it was just shadows."
"But then I realized-he was holding something."
"It wasn't a gun."
"And it wasn't a knife either… not exactly."
"It was… shaped like a blade, but slimmer… almost too clean."
"And the way he held it…"
She frowned slightly.
"Not like someone showing it off…
but like someone who used it a hundred times."
"There was something else too."
"Near his side… attached to those straps-''
"I don't even know it was."
"Small…I guess Compact and Metallic."
"But it didn't look like anything I've seen before."
"It didn't feel like weapons you buy…"
Her voice lowered.
"It felt like… something you're not have. I mean it's dangerous… and I don't think we can get those weapons so easily. It's almost impossible to get them."
"And the strangest part?"
"I didn't even see him take them out."
"One second his hands were empty…"
"The next-everything was already over"
Her voice softer this time-
"I don't know who he is…"
"But I am sure about one thing."
"He doesn't just hide in the shadows…"
"…he belongs there."
Then her friend said from the call-
"Okay okay, will you write a paragraph about him or what?"
Ashi replied, "Oh… sorry I guess I said too much."
Her friend laughed, "It looks like are being crazy for him. Tell is he handsome?"
Ashi blurted, "I am not crazy upon him and how do I know he is handsome or not?"
She cut the call.
(School- Day Time)
The next day the school felt normal.
Students chatted, laughed, and moved on as if nothing had happened.
Ayaan walked down the corridor, hands in his pockets, half-listening to Aarohi.
"…and everyone's still talking about the fire," she said. "Some are saying it was serious."
"Hmm," Ayaan replied casually.
As they passed by the staff area, a maintenance worker stood near the wall, opening a small metal panel.
Wires, switches, the fire alarm system.
Ayaan's eyes flickered toward it-just for a second.
"…strange," he muttered under his breath.
Aarohi stopped. "What?"
"Nothing."
But he slowed down slightly.
The worker mumbled, "System was fine… no damage… weird."
Ayaan heard that.
(Later- Lunch Break)
During break, Aarohi sat beside him.
"You were saying something earlier," she said. "About it being strange."
Ayaan stayed quiet for a moment.
Then leaned slightly closer.
"Yesterday… the alarms didn't fail."
Aarohi blinked. "Then why didn't we hear them?'
He looked straight ahead.
"…I also don't know, I just came to know that the alarms didn't rang actually."
Aarohi's eyes widened. "What?"
Ayaan leaned back, expression calm again.
"Forget it," he said lightly. "Doesn't matter,"
Suddenly Reyansh enters-
Reyansh dropped into the seat in front of them. "What doesn't matter?"
Ayaan smirked. "Your overthinking."
Reyansh frowned, "What you were talking about, tell me?"
Aarohi looked at Ayaan.
Ayaan shrugged, "Nothing?"
Aarohi stayed silent this time.
Reyansh looked at them with his suspicious eyes.
Ayaan said, "What now??"
Reyansh replied, "Okay…"
Suspicion was till there in his mind, but he went away.
After he went away, Aarohi looked at Ayaan.
Aarohi whispered, "Seriously? Why should he not know?"
Ayaan smiled, "Because if he will know, his over observant eyes can disturb more and who knows if he tries to find out in his own way. You know very well how his ways are."
Aarohi said, "Okay."
(Streets of Vyantara- Night Time)
Streetlights flickered like dying stars, casting broken halos across the empty road. And through that fractured light-
-She ran.
Her hair, dark as ink spilled into water, streamed behind her in restless waves, catching the dim glow in soft, silver glints. Each strand moved with a strange grace, as even the wind hesitated to touch her. Her skin carried a quiet luminance-not fragile, not distant, like moonlight that refused to belong to the earth.
Her eyes-
They didn't look back once also.
Because anyone being followed would look back, get panic or call for help.
She did nothing out of it.
Her breath came in sharp, controlled bursts. Her fingers tightened slightly against the fabric near her chest.
Footsteps echoed somewhere behind.
Getting closer.
She didn't turn.
A turn too sharp, a step too fast.
And then-
She collided into someone-solid, unmoving, as if she had run straight into a wall.
The force faltered her momentum, her balance slipping for the briefest second-
-but a hand caught her wrist.
Her breath hitched.
Slowly, she looked up.
And for a moment-
The night itself seemed to gather around him.
Shadow Hunk…
He stood there, his expression was calm.
"Why are you running?"
His voice was low, steady-cutting clean through the night.
But she didn't react.
Her eyes widened- not with relief… but with something sharper.
Was it-
Recognition?
Fear?
No.
Her grip twisted suddenly.
She pushed him-harder than expected.
The eye-contact broke.
And before the moment could settle-
She ran away and faster this time.
As if stopping for even a second had been a mistake.
Shadow Hunk didn't move, he didn't even follow or call out again.
Then-
Something shifted.
The shadows at his feet stirred faintly. Not with the wind or with the trembling streetlight.
With intent.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
And without a word-
He moved.
Each step precise, silent, controlled as if the ground itself had learned not to betray his presence.
Up ahead-
She had slowed.
Not by choice but circumstance.
Two figures stood in her path.
Dark at first, then clearer under the weak glow of a streetlamp. They didn't grab her. Didn't lunge.
They simply… stood.
She stopped.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but her expression didn't break into panic. Instead, her eyes sharpened-focused, alert.
One of the men slowly reached into his coat.
Shadow Hunk's pace reduced.
He was still watching. Calculating.
The man pulled out a folded paper.
He opened it carefully and held it in front of her.
A few words were written on it.
From the distance, Shadow Hunk couldn't read them.
But he saw-
He reaction.
There were no fear or relief in her eyes.
Something far more controlled.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
For a second, it almost looked like she would run again.
But she didn't.
The second man gestured toward the car parked behind them.
He was almost…obedient.
A strange contrast to the chase from moments ago.
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then-
She stepped forward and get into the car.
Shadow Hunk stopped.
Still watching.
The car door closed.
The Engine started.
And within seconds they were gone.
Silence returned.
But it didn't feel the same anymore.
His gaze remained still on the empty road where the car had disappeared.
Yet something beneath that stillness had changed.
He thought for a second.
He said to himself, "I have seen she was running from this people. But if they meant no harm- then why was she running?"
That question remained-
Unanswered…