A New World, Old Shadows
Finally, the long journey came to an end.
Yash's eyes sparkled with joy. This was the first time he had ever seen a city. The roads, the tall buildings, the noise, the lights — everything felt completely new to him.
He checked his phone and decided to head straight to his rented house first. After a short walk, he reached the place. An aunty was waiting for him there, who handed him the keys and said,
"Go to bed early, son. There won't be any late-night parties or anything here."
Yash smiled and replied, "Of course, aunty."
The moment he entered his room, Yash sat on the bed and whispered to himself,
"From tomorrow begins my new college life… and I'm truly happy about it."
The night passed, and morning arrived. Yash got ready and left for college. He took the bicycle he had brought from his village and set out. On the way, people stared at him with surprise and curiosity.
As soon as Yash reached the college, his eyes suddenly caught a familiar face — Deepti. She was talking with her friends. Yash couldn't contain his happiness. He quickly pulled out a cap from his bag and put it on so no one would recognize him.
When he parked his cycle at the stand, the other students were left astonished.
"Who's this guy? And how did he even dare come to college on that old cycle?"
People started whispering among themselves. Deepti and her friends laughed as well.
Yash, still wearing the cap, walked straight up to Deepti and said,
"Surprise, Deepti!"
The students around laughed and looked at each other. "How could a poor boy just walk up and talk like that to a girl?" they thought. Deepti looked embarrassed and tried to ignore him.
Yash smiled and said,
"What happened, Deepti? Why are you so quiet?"
Deepti didn't reply. Just then, one of her male friends pushed Yash lightly and said,
"Hey! What's your problem? Why are you trying to mess around here?"
Soon, four boys surrounded Yash, ready to pick a fight. But none of them knew Yash's true identity. Yash stood like a stone — firm and unshaken. The boys tried to shove him, but he didn't even budge an inch. They were startled by his immovable stance.
Seeing the tension rise, Deepti shouted,
"Enough! Let's just go to class already."
She looked back at Yash and added,
"Come on, the class is about to begin. I'll see you there."
Yash smiled and replied,
"Alright."
Deepti and her friends walked away toward their class, while Yash started searching for his. After about ten minutes, he found his classroom — Room 27. By then, the lecture had already begun.
He entered and said,
"Sorry, ma'am. It's my first day, so it took me some time to find the class."
The students inside looked at him with surprise — after all, everyone knew he was the one who had come to college riding a bicycle. Yash scanned the room, searching for Deepti, but she wasn't there.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Deepti too was waiting for Yash. She thought to herself,
"I should have brought him along… did he really take admission in my college?"
She didn't know that Yash had been admitted to a superior class, meant only for toppers and the children of the rich. Yash's father had informed the school authorities that his son was exceptionally talented, and because of that, Yash had been granted a scholarship.
Yash felt a bit disappointed not finding Deepti in his class, but he decided to sit anyway. He moved to the front row, but a rich student said,
"Don't sit here. My partner is coming."
Without arguing, Yash quietly shifted backward. No one wanted him near them. Eventually, he ended up sitting at the last bench, ignored by everyone. But Yash didn't mind. His thoughts were only occupied with Deepti.
During lunch break, another scholarship student came to Yash and struck up a conversation. Yash gladly shared his story. The boy chuckled and said,
"Look, Deepti isn't saying anything… maybe because of your little craziness!"
Both laughed. Yash opened up about his first day, and that moment marked the beginning of a strong friendship.
After lunch, Yash went around searching for Deepti again but couldn't find her. Tired, he finally returned to his room and thought,
"From tomorrow, I should start working part-time too, just like Papa said."
---
Meanwhile, in the Outerworld, a mysterious force was keeping its eyes fixed on Earth.
A power greater than the gods themselves was draining their energy. The Supreme Lord felt a strange disturbance, but he didn't yet know the full truth. The other gods, however, were ready to begin their game on Earth. They just waited for the right moment.
And so, Yash's first day in the city came to an end — with new places, new people, and his hidden powers still buried within him.
But in the higher realm, the danger kept growing silently…
The next morning arrived. It was Sunday, so Yash went out in search of work.
He reached a factory and started looking for a job that might suit him.
The supervisor noticed him but refused to hire him. He said—
"Look, here you need to lift heavy iron pieces, and you won't be able to do that. On top of that, after coming here tired from college, how much strength will you even have left? Better find some other work."
But Yash didn't give up. Smiling, he said—
"Don't worry, sir. I'm very strong."
Just as he gave a light smile, suddenly a nearby worker, while carrying an iron piece, lost his grip and dropped it.
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
The supervisor shouted angrily—
"Hey! Be careful! Do you think I pay you for free?"
The worker, embarrassed, said, "Sorry, sir," and bent down to lift the fallen iron piece again.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The fallen piece of iron landed on the machine's control buttons.
Because of that, the machine lost balance and suddenly went out of control.
The supervisor, standing right beside it, trembled with fear.
A thought flashed in his mind—
"Looks like I won't be able to fulfill my duties as a father anymore… Forgive me, my family."
And then—
DHADAMMM!!!