📅 Thursday, 24 August – Devgarh School
🎙️ The Guest Who Knew Too Much
The intercom crackled mid-morning.
"All scholarship class students, report to the seminar hall in 10 minutes. A special guest has arrived."
The eight shared a glance.
Simran raised an eyebrow. "Another boring talk on future careers?"
But this wasn't boring.
He was a tall man in a dark maroon kurta, silver hair tied loosely, eyes too sharp for his calm tone.
"Call me Vedant sir," he smiled, looking directly at Ishanvi and Abhay before anyone else.
The session began typically: motivation, study strategies, college options.
But then… he said something strange.
"Some students have more inside them than they know.
Some are not just here for exams.
Some carry… elements."
Ishanvi's breath hitched.
Abhay looked down at his palms.
Only Simran noticed.
Vedant walked past rows. He stopped near them and smiled again.
"Fire… and Water.
You should both be careful.
Dreams can spill into reality when not contained."
No one understood what he meant. Except three of them.
The moment passed.
🥋 The Sibling Rivals Return
Friday morning brought more news. A karate guest match was scheduled as a sports demo — a brother–sister pair from the Delhi circuit.
When they walked into the school courtyard in white belts with black sashes, Ishanvi almost dropped her notebook.
Rehan and Rehana.
They bowed to the crowd. Their smiles were polite — but their eyes immediately sought out one boy and one girl.
"Still hiding behind notebooks, Abhay?" Rehan smirked.
"Didn't expect you to leave without saying goodbye, Ish," Rehana added.
The eight stood frozen.
Simran's eyes darted between the four.
⚔️ Jealousy and Unspoken History
Later at lunch, the courtyard was unusually quiet around their table.
"So who are these belt twinners?" Simran asked, poking at her food.
"Old dojo rivals," Aariv muttered.
"Rivals?" Meera asked. "Or something else?"
Abhay kept his head down.
"He and Rehana were always paired," Ishanvi muttered.
"Like you and Rehan," Abhay said back, too quickly.
The air turned stiff.
"Oh," Simran said, grinning. "Now this is fun."
Even Vaidehi giggled.
But beneath the teasing, something stirred — a protective storm in Abhay's chest, and a warm fury in Ishanvi's core.
---
🌙 That Night – A New Whisper
While walking past the Sudarshini riverbank, Ishanvi heard it again.
The voice from the dreams.
Only now, it was louder.
"Do not forget the fire you were born in."
Across the river, Abhay stood under the banyan.
"And do not fear the water that made you."
The two looked across at each other.
And something ancient echoed between them.