Morning time.
Soft light filters into the room through the curtains.
A normal morning… but for Aditya, it doesn't feel normal at all.
He suddenly opens his eyes.
For a moment, his breathing stops.
His chest feels heavy, as if someone is sitting on it.
The ceiling is the same.
The sound of the fan is the same.
But his mind… is still stuck in what happened the previous day.
He still can't understand how they all passed out.
All he remembers is that they were charging toward him—
and the very next moment, everyone was unconscious.
Aditya sits up straight on the bed.
His hands are trembling.
"Did I… do this?"
he whispers.
Body Check
Aditya places his feet on the ground.
He stands up.
The balance… is perfect.
Too perfect.
He clenches his fist.
His grip tightens instantly.
"When did it become this tight?"
he wonders.
There's a strange calm inside him—
no excitement,
no fear.
And that is what disturbs him the most.
QI High SchoolClassroom Silence
No one in the school actually knows what happened,
but inside the classroom, a rumor spreads—
that Aditya alone beat Pulkit's gang
and that all of them are now in the hospital.
The classroom door opens.
Where there is usually noise,
a half-second of silence falls.
Pulkit's seat is empty.
So are his friends'.
Aditya walks to his middle bench and sits down.
His heart isn't racing.
His hands aren't shaking.
"Why am I not scared?"
That question feels more terrifying to him
than getting beaten ever did.
Dhruv slowly walks toward him,
as if he's thinking about every step.
His face looks even paler than usual.
Dhruv:
"Aditya…"
Aditya looks at him.
Aditya:
"Speak."
Dhruv stays silent for a moment.
Dhruv:
"Pulkit is in the hospital."
For a second, Aditya's mind goes blank.
Dhruv:
"Aman still hasn't regained consciousness."
Aditya lowers his eyes.
He doesn't feel happy.
He doesn't feel regret.
Just… confusion.
Dhruv (in a low voice):
"You're on their radar now."
Dhruv wants to say more,
but he doubts whether Aditya actually did all this.
From a distance, Swati is watching everything.
The classroom.
People's expressions.
And Aditya.
She walks closer.
Her voice is calm.
Swati:
"Are you okay?"
Aditya just nods.
Swati looks at his face.
He looks unusually calm.
Swati:
"Is all of this true?"
For the first time, Aditya looks directly at her.
Aditya:
"I don't understand it myself…"
Swati doesn't say anything.
Lunch Break
Aditya sits down with his tray.
But he isn't hungry.
So he goes to the washroom.
He stands in front of the mirror.
His reflection stares back at him.
Same face.
But the energy is different.
Then that voice echoes in his mind—
"I AM IN YOU."
Aditya closes his eyes.
"If you're inside me…"
"Then I want to talk to you."
For a second,
a faint smile appears at the corner of his lips.
And then it disappears.
Meanwhile
Outside the school gate…
Another student is standing there.
He is holding Swati's photograph in his hand
and talking to someone on the phone.
"She's his friend… Swati."
Pulkit.
TO BE CONTINUED…