CLASSHERO SESSION
Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past
A week after the warehouse incident, campus life slowly returned to normal.
Surya was back in the library.
Aditi buried herself in assignments.
Vikram had disappeared from campus.
But Aman had changed.
The cheerful boy who always smiled now sat alone during lunch, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
Surya noticed it immediately.
"You've barely spoken all day," he said quietly.
"I'm fine," Aman replied without looking up.
Surya wasn't convinced.
---
That evening, Aditi suggested everyone take a break.
"There's a music lounge near the university. We deserve one peaceful evening."
After some hesitation, Surya agreed.
The four friends—Surya, Aman, Aditi, and Rishi—spent an hour laughing, singing, and forgetting their recent troubles.
For the first time in days, Aman smiled.
As they stepped outside, that smile disappeared.
Across the street stood three young men.
Their leader, Karan Sethi, stared directly at Aman.
"Well... look who's here."
Aman's face turned pale.
"You know them?" Surya asked.
"They're from my old school," Aman whispered.
"They made my life miserable."
Karan walked closer, laughing.
"You ran away without saying goodbye."
His friends blocked the footpath.
"Still hiding behind stronger people?"
Aman clenched his fists but remained silent.
Karan shoved him hard.
"You've always been weak."
Before Aman could lose his balance, Surya caught his shoulder.
"That's enough."
Karan looked at Surya.
"And who are you?"
"A friend."
Karan smirked.
"Then stay out of this."
He reached for Aman again.
Surya stepped between them.
"I said..."
"That's enough."
Without warning, Karan threw a punch.
Surya slipped to the side, letting the punch miss completely.
The fight exploded.
Karan's two friends rushed in together.
One grabbed Surya's jacket.
Surya broke free with a sharp twist and pushed him into a parked scooter.
The second attacker swung wildly.
Surya ducked, stepped inside his reach, and drove him backward with a firm strike to the chest.
He fell onto the pavement, stunned.
Karan attacked again, throwing a series of fast punches.
Surya blocked the first, avoided the second, and answered with a clean body shot that knocked the breath out of him.
Karan staggered backward.
The street fell silent.
People stopped to watch.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Finally, Karan lowered his head.
"I..."
"I'm done."
He looked at Aman.
"I treated you badly back then."
"I can't change that."
"I'm sorry."
Without another word, he and his friends walked away.
Aman stood frozen.
He didn't feel relieved.
He felt small.
As they returned toward campus, Aman suddenly stopped.
"I never asked Surya to fight for me."
Rishi looked confused.
"He was protecting you."
Aman shook his head.
"Everyone keeps seeing me as someone who needs to be saved."
Surya heard every word.
He walked over calmly.
"I didn't fight because you were weak."
"I fought because they were wrong."
"But everyone will think you saved me."
Surya looked him in the eyes.
"What others think doesn't decide who you are."
Aman forced a smile, but deep inside, doubt continued to grow.
Later that night, Surya stood alone on the hostel balcony.
Aditi joined him.
"You're worried about Aman."
Surya nodded.
"He isn't angry at Karan anymore."
"He's angry at himself."
"And that's far more dangerous."
Far away, in a dark parking garage, a mysterious man watched a video of the street fight on his phone.
He smiled.
"So the famous Surya protects everyone..."
He deleted the video and whispered,
"Let's see what happens..."
"...when he can't protect the person standing closest to him."
End of Chapter 7