After the first full week of testing, the second week immediately follows without a break, as there are even exams during the weekends, giving no time for rest. The second week of exams became even more tiresome, as while little changes, it feels as though the exams were becoming more difficult just by trying to stay awake through them.
The schedule never changed necessarily, but keeping up became more of a chore, trying to make sure he wouldn't oversleep and trying to make sure he'd reach every building in time given the minimum pause between exams.
The week is long as Rohan struggles to persevere, going through everyday only to have to prepare for the next and the day after tomorrow.
In the middle of the second week, one of Rohan's later exams happens to coincidentally take place in Mrs. Frieda's classroom, as she is one of the professors who'd have to be a proctor for a multitude of final exams, even for courses she wasn't teaching.
Inside the large auditorium-style classroom are different elevated levels that descend down from the door to the professor's side, with a row on each level, and hovering chairs behind the tables for different students. The white light illuminates the room from above at a perfect consistency, just as it normally would for any other class lecture.
On one of the rows closer to the front of the classroom sits Rohan, with his Connect projecting a single screen along with holographic peripherals to allow him to work on the examination.
He wears his varsity jacket once again, unbuttoned to reveal his shirt underneath, with the one today being an ombré of that begins with white on the top but shifts into a darker gray at the bottom.
He happens to be seated exactly on the same seat he'd normally sit in for class, which is either completely coincidental or something that the professor monitoring the exam chose after recognizing one of the students taking the exam.
Just like for the other exams, from Rohan's perspective, he is the only student inside the classroom.
Besides him, there doesn't appear to be any other students on the same row, just as there don't seem to be any other students on any of the other rows. Once again, he's alone and isolated from other life, restricted by the holographic bubbles to prevent cheating among students.
While the room isn't as large as the other halls, being inside a classroom he's been in before for classes but this time with nobody else feels just as if not more eerie. The only other time he had even been in the classroom alone had been the times he spoke with the professor, but those were under more relaxing and casual conditions rather than a formal assessment.
However, while there don't appear to be other students from Rohan's perspective, oddly enough he is able to see his old professor and current proctor sitting at her desk at the end of the room where her desk has always been. She's seated and seems to be typing on her computer in silence, likely doing work on her own while occasionally glancing at the rows.
It's likely that the professor had simply chosen to allow herself to be visible through the holographic bubbles, potentially so she could be seen by the students if she needed to get their attention for whatever reason. Whyever she chooses to make herself visible, it does alleviate part of the isolation from being alone in the room entirely, and her presence is relieving.
Although at the same time, as Rohan chooses different answer choices from his multiple choice portion of the exam, he can't help but to keep a subtle gaze on Mrs. Frieda while she works, contemplating what was going on in her mind.
Their last conversation together was after class when Mrs. Frieda checked up on Rohan on how he was doing, which occurred before Rohan's decision to dawn the suit, but he was getting closer to making that call at the time. She showed a deep compassion in trying to make sure he was doing alright, and even offered some advice that felt less like from a professor and more from a mentor, for that's more of what she became.
While her class lectures weren't poor by any means, the personal lectures she had given to Rohan about how to open himself up to people and act were far more substantial, and were lessons that he truly could take and learn from. There was a friendliness that emanated from her that was absent from all his other professors, as she seemed to be the only professor who truly cared about her students, even if it was abnormal.
Then again, she had never seemed to worry about deviating from the norm, as the way she composed herself on a regular basis was already unique in how much energy she drove into her lectures. While at first Rohan found it as childish and somewhat irritated, he later went on to appreciate how genuine she truly was, and how much more of an impact she had on him than the other professors who only did the bare minimum.
However, while he was fond of her lessons, it only corroborated in a guilt that he felt looming over him as he stares at Mrs. Frieda from the corner of his eye.
The reason for their final conversation was because Rohan wasn't paying much attention to the lecture as usual, as while he'd normally be attentive for every moment of the lecture and take excessive notes on every little bit said or shown on the board, on that day he didn't seem to take any notes but rather lounge in his seat aimlessly. For the first time, Rohan was slipping, and even that minor difference that only set him to the level of the majority of the class's students was enough to warrant Mrs. Frieda acknowledging and confronting it.
At the time, he was still in class, and there was even a chance he was still learning, even if he wasn't taking notes. Mrs. Frieda pointed out this difference, and Rohan had promised to improve from this mistake before leaving the classroom for the last time for the remainder of the course.
After that day, he never returned for another lecture. He left the seat empty, and he knew full well that if his lack of attention was noticeable, his complete absence would be picked up on. He went from promising to do better to doing the worst imaginable choice, completely evading the class.
Since he never returned, Mrs. Frieda was never able to confront him about it either. He never came back to speak to her, and the two never saw each other until this one exam day.
However, since the students were taking an exam, and since the windows were tight due to the many exams going on in close proximity to one another, even today Mrs. Frieda wouldn't have the chance to speak to him, thus losing her one opportunity to understand what happened.
Although, his returned presence would either provide some answers or supply more questions. While he is in her classroom, he is not taking the exam for her class, nor is he even taking an exam meant for a freshman.
He's instead taking an exam for one of the courses that are meant to be taken as a senior, as he's the only freshman in the whole class. He shouldn't be in the classroom taking the exam, yet he is, and the professor knows full well that he is.
As Rohan submits a decision for another multiple choice question, he notices that Mrs. Frieda's eyes dart to him, and for a moment, they cross glances.
Rohan's blue eyes shoot wide open in reaction, and he immediately turns his whole head away, forcing his eyes back on the holographic screen without wandering. He feels anxious knowing that she knows he was watching her, and decides to continue on the test without trying to glance another time.
He lightly shivers, which isn't visible to anyone else including her, and he chooses another answer and continues.
Since Mrs. Frieda knew that he was taking the exam, then she had to know that he was doing something abnormal. He was clearly taking a unique path, and was trying to take on more courses than she had previously thought.
Even if it may not directly explain his absence, it does tell her that he wasn't exactly skipping just to lounge around without care, but rather he was busy taking on greater challenges, challenges that surpassed her own class.
Although it didn't matter to her career, and if it was any other student she wouldn't even truly care, part of her feels a slight pain in knowing that Rohan was moving ahead past the class and everyone else.
It was no secret that she believed Rohan to be an exceptional student, she would even tell him on several occasions, but she never thought to herself that she'd be witnessing him trying to take on the exams for uppermost students during his first year. He wasn't holding back at all, as wherever he was heading to, it was beyond anything Mrs. Frieda expected.
Rohan frowns behind the holographic screen, knowing that this would be the final time he'd see the person who had arguably saved him, helping him gain the courage to speak with his friends and get the help he needed. She was the connecting piece that made his life feel whole again, even if temporarily.
He wonders if she knew about the friends, as while he's sure that she had heard the news that the Babylonians were finally captured and that their identities were of freshmen students from the SAT, that may not be enough information for her to connect the dots and realize they were his friends.
That was likely for the better anyways, as if she knew what he had to deal with, it'd surely cause her to be even more concerned. While getting help back then was a blessing, he knew that a secret like this had to stay with him, and it would be a burden he must bear himself.
After the long and toilsome week, Rohan eventually completes every single final exam he needs to, all of the exams he would've taken over the course of four years. He hardly had any breaks throughout the weeks full of excruciating days, as he spent far more time every day taking exams compared to sleeping.
In fact, he hardly had any rest, as he felt so exhausted that he couldn't even find the peace to sleep. He'd just lay in bed while staring at the ceiling, waiting for the night to pass so he could start another day of tests.
But alas, after the long two weeks, he finally reaches the final day, and ultimately pushes through each of the exams. He was dulled and sullied, but he made it to the end, and at least he knew that he put in a solid effort.
Now with the final exam complete, he could truly rest, and so he decides to spend some time during the late night in one of the lounges before going to bed. Even after all the work, he still doesn't feel like sleeping just yet, so he determines that it would be a good idea to take some time to relax in the lounge before heading off to sleep.
He chooses the lounge that he's most familiar with, which is one of the lounges on the fiftieth floor of his dorm building.
He specifically chooses the lounge that he'd hang out with his friends in after class, which has multiple sofas that form a square around a table, with the sofas being of different lengths and sizes to accommodate different groups.
It is a lounge he chooses knowing that hardly anyone uses it, which is why he and his friends would always go there, since they'd never need to worry about external forces intruding on their activities, and so they could relax in peace.
Everyday the six friends would spend time in the lounge together, taking time to loosen up or get necessary work done with the option of having help. While a great deal of the day was spent having to work alone, these times of collaboration allowed them to do whatever they wanted, whether it be work or play.
Most of the time when they were in the lounge, Ara and Vrey would be relaxing on their own; Ara would be playing games on his Connect with a holographic controller while displaying the game's screen on a larger screen, with the audio playing directly into his head to avoid creating distractions; Vrey would be watching videos on his Connect with the audio also going straight into his head or he'd be gazing around aimlessly while pondering to himself about whatever is in his mind.
Ari would be seated in front of Sriya, aiding him with any work whether it be misunderstandings about past lectures or complicated assignments. He'd be leaning back against the sofa while speaking in a soft and eloquent voice, explaining anything that Sriya had trouble with while Sriya would nod his head comprehensively.
Finally, Shuraj would be seated on one side of the table while getting help from Rohan over his own issues from different classes or needing help for assignments such as projects. Rohan would be leaning forward, pointing forward while trying to deeply explain the concepts that Shuraj was having issues connecting with, even showing him his own work for examples.
Shuraj would listen intently before then raising his own questions in response, as he'd normally need some time before reaching a true understanding, and in order to reach it he'd ask more specific questions until everything is accounted for. While sometimes the questions would flood all at once and give Rohan a tricky time dealing with them, Rohan was proud that Shuraj was truly trying to understand rather than just act like he's paying attention before asking for Rohan to do the work for him.
Over time there'd be more specific questions, and even if there were more, at least it showed that Shuraj was gaining a fundamental comprehension, and was only having issues with specifics that were easier to deal with. It seemed Rohan could always help him with any work, as Rohan would go out of his way to research the topics Shuraj was having difficulty on just to better aid him upon being asked for help.
It didn't feel like extra work however, as there was a satisfaction that came from the studying, as Rohan would be able to pay it off by watching Shuraj find stability in his work, and that joy gave him pride that made the work worth doing.
The six would always be together, as even if they weren't directly communicating to one another, they relaxed in their combined auras, being able to be themselves and do as they please while knowing only their good friends are around.
No matter what tribulations they faced, as long as they could come together and challenge as a team, they would always find themselves as victors. No matter what the battle was, they always had each other, and everyone was able to keep moving forward without a single man left behind.
Now, Rohan sits on the same spot of the same sofa he'd normally sit in to help Shuraj, however this time, he's the only person in the whole lounge. The lights are dim as nightfall approaches, leaving him in the dark lounge with him being the only man moving, and everyone else being left behind.
Without anything to do or say, Rohan just sits with his back against the sofa, staring at the sofa in front of him where Shuraj would've been. His head slowly moves as he observes the other sofas, where Sriya and Ari would've worked together, and where Vrey and Ara would've played.
He still wears the varsity jacket, his white sleeved arms laying on his lap. He lets out a soft sigh, his blue eyes staring weakly at the empty lounge, his hair a mess after not being able to treat it properly with all the work he's had to do.
He's fought long and hard from battle to battle without a break, but finally he's at the end, finally he can rest knowing that the last battle is over, and he'll be able to reap the rewards soon.
As Rohan stares in silence, he acknowledges that at this point without his friends, it would be best for him to just move on from the school entirely. Without them, everything felt so much more dreadful and lifeless, as he hasn't felt a single ounce of joy for the past weeks being back in school alone.
Even if his friends were terrorists who've committed horrible crimes, he couldn't lie to himself, for he did genuinely miss them, and trying to move forward without them felt strange. They were supposed to be by his side, he was supposed to be among them, but instead he was the last one left, the lone wolf.
The only relief he could find was knowing that soon, he'd be out of the university, having graduated and not having to look back. Of course he would anyways, but at least now that he'd soon be free, maybe he'd be able to start fresh.
While he loved having friends, the drama that spurred from this betrayal was one that he hoped to not have to repeat, as he hoped that once he'd be living the life he wanted to, he could find people who he knew would be on his side. Living this double life was a pain, and even though he'd have to work at a job, at least only needing to concern over coworkers felt more reassuring than possibly fighting friends he's effectively lived with.
To be victorious as Meditat yet defeated as Rohan was a feeling that showed just how hectic it was to juggle these two lives, and finding a sensible simplification was something he desired deeply. He wants to feel good about closing the case, and part of him does in knowing how many people are now safe from future attacks, but another part of him feels the loss of his friends.
He ponders if it's selfish to even feel bad for not having them, as having them just means everyone else is in danger of being attacked. Perhaps it is selfish, it's senseless and illogical at least, feeling bad for defeating people who didn't seem to hold any guilt for the lives they robbed.
However, this selfishness doesn't feel as though it's derived from logic or sense, but instead it's derived from another side of him, a side that doesn't seem to concern itself with what is right or wrong but rather what it experiences. It's that side that hurts, knowing that it made the right decision, but it led to the bad experience.
Eventually Rohan finds himself tired, and so he heads out of the lounge for the last time, knowing that he'd likely never see it again, the place that felt like a living room and like a home. He returns back to his room, ready to go back to sleep.
The dorm door dissolves open, casting a light from the end of the corridor into the dark room, however with the obstruction of a major shadow of a figure. The drained figure then steps into the room, approaching the end as the door closes behind him.
Rohan walks closer to the other side of the room as the room is completely dark once again from the absence of the light, and he approaches the window, which reveals the dark night outside, with an array of white stars dancing in the void. He approaches the bed as he slowly rolls his shoulders and begins taking his varsity jacket off, slipping his arms out of the sleeves. He then tosses the jacket aside and onto the chair in front of his desk, and continues towards the bed.
After such a long and tiring day, Rohan can't even find the energy to dress himself in his pajamas, as he can't stand for another second going through the inventory. With everything that's happened, he decides that it'd be more preferable to sleep with his day clothing, albeit less comfortable, than dress in his night clothes. All he wants to do is sleep, even if it's not the best sleep, because he knows it'll be a far more relaxing sleep than anything he's gotten in the past weeks.
So instead of changing, he opts to throw his body on the bed, and lay with his side on the mattress. He places his head on the bed as he grabs the Connect in his ear and takes it off before placing it on the bedside table in front of him, letting it recharge for the next day.
He then lets out a soft breath, and turns his gaze to the window in front of him, his blue eyes staring into the dark starry night ahead of him. He stares at the expansive infinity beyond him, and sees that the night is far more lively than it was during the long night of the storm. It's relieving to witness a beautiful night again, as he hopes there are more to come.
His eyes move to the distant silver city in the distance, which glows lightly, allowing him to see it more clearly against the darkness behind it. Even from such a distance, he knows just how great the city truly is, and how much life it contains even though all he can see are the small towers.
As he stares at the distant city, he hopes that sooner than later, he can truly call that city his home. Hopefully he can live in it, he can work in it, and he can fight in it. To do that requires him to put in a great deal of work and energy, but if he can become what he truly wants to be, then all that tiresome work will be worth it.
Rohan's eyes slowly close as they remain in the city, knowing that the city that's so distant from his bed now will soon be surrounding where he'll live. He'll be among his allies, living the life he's fought hard to have.
He had fought so long and hard to be able to shift from his old path and make another, one not predestined but one that he chose. Soon, he'll be able to be free to live his life, as even though it's a life with guaranteed hardship, it's a life that he knows is far more worth living to him.
He had to go through many turbulent trials to get this far, and he had to make many sacrifices along the way. To unplug himself from the body he's grown for so long in the attempt to make another wasn't easy, and along the way he had to rip a few cables to free himself.
He had to choose whether his friends were his enemies, and he had to choose what kind of man he wanted to be. He had many times he could've given up, he could've chosen never to try in the first place, never to put the suit back on, never to continue after knowing how complicated the case was, never to pursue the enemies knowing who they were, and never to chase them all the way into the city to stop them.
There were many times when he could've called it quits, and yet he didn't, he continued moving forwards, because even if it was slowly tearing Rohan apart it was helping to build the man he wanted to be, not the one he was born as.
Even now he couldn't exactly confirm if all the sacrifices were worth it; perhaps he will soon ultimately give up, and all this fighting would be meaningless. But if he never tried to keep going until then, then he'd never have the chance of being what he knew he could be, and who he knew he wanted to be.
Now, after all the fighting, he was on the cusp of achieving that freedom, the freedom to try and the freedom to live.
All he has to do is stand in front of the crowd and accept his degree.
Then, he'd finally be free.