The morning buzz on campus was as electric as ever, but today was different for Aaryan. The sun filtered weakly through the windows of the computer science building, illuminating the shiny corridors and cutting shadows on the floor. Today, he wasn't simply attending a class—he was stepping into something greater.
He arrived early outside the Applied Tech Lab, the place he'd been dreaming of since orientation. His assigned common labs were always chaotic with activity, but this one was off-limits to everyone but star students or those with faculty approval. His heart pounded not out of fear, but anticipation.
Professor Deshmukh, the man himself, peered out from his office door at the appointed time, the usual stern but fair expression on his face. Aaryan stepped forward before some other student did.
"Professor," he said respectfully, "I was hoping I could have access to the lab for a little personal research project. I've already roughed out a design, and I'd like your okay to prototype something small."
Deshmukh shoved his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and looked up and down at Aaryan. "Not many first-years ask to come into this lab in their first month. What exactly are you doing?"
Aaryan rummaged in his backpack, pulling out a printed schematic he'd worked on during the weekend. It was a hybrid device: wearable, yet medical diagnostic device. Clean, minimalist, and modular. Deshmukh studied it in silence for a few moments.
"This… is sophisticated. You designed this yourself?"
Aaryan nodded. "Based on something I read. I'd like to design an adaptive, AI-driven health band for emergency diagnostics—more along the lines of rural healthcare use.".
A spark of excitement flashed in the professor's eyes. He handed back the paper. "You'll need supervision. But… I'll allow it. Begin small. Keep records. And if something goes wrong, report immediately."
Aaryan's face spread wide with a grin. "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."
He stepped into the lab with renewed purpose. The room hummed quietly with the thrum of equipment powered down—oscilloscopes, 3D printers, diagnostic stations, and high-end processors.
The moment he settled into an unused workstation, the glowing panel coalesced in his peripheral vision.
> **SYSTEM NOTICE**
> New Environment Detected: Registered Academic Laboratory
> Task Unlocked: Prototype Development Challenge
> **Objective**: Make preliminary design within 2 hours.
> Reward: Access to Advanced Design Tools (Basic Level)
> Time Remaining: 1 hour 59 minutes 52 seconds
Aaryan smirked. "Now we're talking."
He opened the default CAD program on the terminal and started drawing the casing of the wearable. While he worked, the panel of the system quietly changed to imply streamlined materials and circuit patterns, providing him with feedback without overstepping—such as a whisper from a master ghost coder.
Each keystroke was more precise, more confident. He could feel his brain synchronizing with the instruction of the system—his fingers operating by rote, but his mind as sharp as ever.
Twenty minutes passed, then forty. He did not stop to breathe.
When he secured the power supply to the biosensors, the system beeped again.
> **Task Complete.**
> Reward Granted: Access to Enhanced Design Tools (Basic Level)
> New Task: Begin Hardware Simulation
> Timeframe: 3 Days
The programs now open, the lab terminal's software interface shifted imperceptibly—more simulation power, larger allocations. Nobody else was aware, but to Aaryan, it was worlds apart.
Saving his work, he smiled. The prototype was in its most rudimentary stage, yet now, it seemed real.
Logging off, a voice shouted from behind him, one he recognized.
"Did not take you long to turn this place into your second home."
He spun around to see Ishika Rajvanshi standing with one hand on the doorframe, the other on her hip, a faint smile playing on her lips. She was wearing a simple black kurta and jeans today, her confident demeanor firmly in place.
"I could say that about you," he replied, standing tall.
"I just happened to walk by and saw you from the glass. You were. intense."
Aaryan smiled. "Yeah, I get that when I'm working on something I love."
She stepped in and gazed at the screen where his wearable design was still up. "That's not a first-year project. What is this?"
"Just something I've been working on," he said casually. "Trying to solve real-world problems."
Ishika raised an eyebrow. "Ambitious. I like it."
They shared a moment of silence, but it was not awkward. It was reflective—questioning. As if both were aware that something greater had begun between them, taking shape slowly, much like Aaryan's invention.
"I should go," she said, stepping back. "But hey… keep experimenting on whatever you're experimenting on. I think it's going to matter."
And with that, she disappeared down the hallway, her presence still echoing even after she had left.
Aaryan went back to his chair, with a whirl of feelings—relief, purpose, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.
The world was beginning to shift.
And he was ready to shape it.