The hallway of Indus High buzzed with the usual morning chaos — laughter, footsteps, and the murmur of students swapping stories. Yet the moment two figures appeared, the noise seemed to dull, replaced by whispers that rippled through the crowd.
"Look… those two, aren't they… them?"
"The smaller one's Ashi, and the bigger one's Tom."
Heads turned instinctively, curiosity and caution mingling in every gaze. Some students nudged friends, pointing discreetly, while others simply stared, unable to look away.
Ashi nudged Tom, grinning widely.
Ashi: "Hey, Tom, look! Everyone's staring at us. Did we finally become… 🤩?"
Tom: raises an eyebrow "Stars? But it's the first day of the new semester."
Ashi: "The students from last year are still here. They already know about us."
Tom: "Know what? That we're thugs or something?"
Ashi: "Whatever, let's change the topic."
Tom: "To what?"
Ashi: "Something fun."
Ashi, the smaller of the two, walked with a confident grin that seemed to radiate mischief. His athletic frame was compact, every movement controlled yet light, like a predator disguised as a carefree teen. Beside him, Tom's taller, broader figure cut through the crowd with a quiet, steady aura. Where Ashi thrived in energy, Tom radiated grounded strength. Two opposites, perfectly balanced.
Ashi: "Hey, you know what? I think we should find girlfriends this year. 😉"
Tom: "Girlfriends? For what?"
Ashi: 😑 "You seriously don't know what boys get girlfriends for?"
Tom: "You tell me."
Ashi: (dramatically) "To get someone who'll share your life's burden… who'll motivate you at your lowest… and who'll help you reach your peak."
Tom: "So… basically a second mother."
"…You killed the mood," Ashi muttered, rolling his eyes, though the corner of his lips twitched with amusement.
Tom smirked faintly, while Ashi was already plotting his next line of mischief, unbothered by the whispers around them.
---
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the hallway. Conversations faltered. Students rushed to the windows, pressing against the glass. The whispers escalated into murmurs of excitement.
"What a fight—on the first day of school?!" someone shouted, eyes wide.
Tom and Ashi exchanged a glance.
Ashi: "Unacceptable. Someone's trying to become a bigger star than us."
Ignoring him, Tom stepped closer to the window, his expression sharpening.
Tom: "Looks like a fight broke out."
Ashi: "What? So the audience likes action? Well… I like action too. Whatever, let's see."
Tom: "There are seniors involved. Could get messy."
From the window, the courtyard stretched out beneath them. In its center, a lone boy was taking on six seniors at once. His uniform was bloodied, his lip split, yet his movements were fluid, precise, and terrifyingly calm. Each strike, each block, carried a weight that seemed beyond human.
Ashi: "Hey… I think I've seen him somewhere."
Tom: "Same here. For some reason, he feels… familiar."
Ashi: "Let's go help him. Not that he seems to need it, though."
Tom: "No. We have to move. The commotion will attract the class captains soon."
Ashi: "Ahh… those annoying shitheads again…"
---
The two friends stepped away from the window, descending the stairs two at a time. Ashi's grin stretched wider, excitement in his every step.
Ashi: "Finally, a little chaos to start the semester. I was getting bored."
Tom: "You're always bored," he replied, but his eyes never left the courtyard below.
As they neared the bottom of the stairs, Tom caught the way the boy in the courtyard moved—subtle shifts, balanced stances, unpredictable yet precise. Something tugged at his memory, a distant image buried beneath years he didn't quite remember. A face. A presence.
Ashi: "Dude… why are you staring like that?"
Tom: "…Nothing. Just… pay attention. This isn't going to end quietly."
A faint wind swept across the courtyard, carrying the scent of dust and tension. The crowd around the fight parted slightly, forming a ring of anticipation. And for a brief moment, it seemed like the world itself paused.
Unseen by anyone, the boy in the center of the fight lifted his gaze. His eyes scanned the edges of the courtyard, sharp, calculating, and finally rested on the staircase where Tom and Ashi had appeared. Recognition flickered somewhere in that calm gaze — though whether it was curiosity, amusement, or warning, no one could tell.
Even from above, Tom felt the pull again — that strange, unshakable familiarity. Something from a time long buried… someone from a forgotten past.
And so, the first day of the semester was far from ordinary.
A spark had been struck. And neither Tom nor Ashi could yet know just how much the world was about to shift.