The night had passed quietly. Vyom, lost in his thoughts, stayed awake until nearly three in the morning. His eyes were red, but his mind refused to rest. He didn't know what exactly was bothering him — maybe everything was just happening too fast.
When he finally closed his eyes, the world outside was silent except for the faint hum of the ceiling fan. He woke up again at six, forcing himself out of bed. The sunlight filtered through the window, brushing against his half-asleep face. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and muttered softly,
"Only three hours of sleep again…"
Still, Vyom pushed himself to study. His room was quiet — only the scratching of his pen against paper and the ticking of the wall clock filled the air. He studied until eight, then washed up, ate quickly, and left for college.
The next few days went by like this.
Same mornings. Same routine. Same silence.
But one day, something unusual happened.
That morning, Vyom over-studied till nine o'clock, completely lost in his notes and calculations. When he finally checked the time, his eyes widened. He hurriedly packed his bag and ran toward the college.
By the time he reached the gate, there were no students left outside. The campus was almost silent — everyone was already in class. Vyom's footsteps echoed against the stone pathway as he rushed toward the entrance.
Just as he neared the college gate, his foot suddenly hit something hard.
He stumbled and fell forward. His palms scraped the rough ground, and his bag fell open, books spilling out everywhere. There was a green stone beside him, half-buried in the dust, reflecting sunlight faintly.
As Vyom's hand brushed against it, the faint green light shimmered and seeped into his body. For a second, his skin seemed to glow faintly green while his eyes flashed the same color — just for a heartbeat — and then everything went back to normal.
Vyom didn't notice anything. He was too busy dusting off his clothes and collecting his books, muttering to himself,
"Seriously… I'm late and dirty. What a day."
He stood up quickly, fixed his bag, and ran inside the campus. He never noticed that a thin green line had appeared on his ring, about one-sixth glowing softly.
After Vyom left, the stone's color darkened rapidly — turning completely black before crumbling into dust, carried away by the morning breeze.
But Vyom didn't look back. His mind was only focused on getting to class before the teacher arrived.
He reached just as the bell rang. Anand was already sitting and waved at him from the back. Vyom gave a tired smile and took his seat.
The day went by like any other. The teacher's voice echoed faintly in the classroom, and Vyom tried to focus. But something in him felt… strangely calm.
He didn't glance at Keya once. Not the way he used to.
Before, his eyes would wander toward her — sometimes curious, sometimes with quiet admiration. But now, it was as if that habit had vanished completely.
A few benches away, Keya noticed. She frowned slightly. It felt odd — Vyom usually smiled or waved when their eyes met. But today, he didn't even look at her once.
After class ended, Vyom and Anand walked home together. The orange evening light fell on the road, and the sound of bicycles echoed softly around them.
Anand looked at Vyom's shirt and raised an eyebrow.
"Your shirt's very dirty, man."
Vyom smiled faintly. "Our college needs to be cleaned."
Anand laughed. "It is clean! Whatever mess happens, we clean it ourselves. You're the one rolling in dirt now."
Vyom shook his head. "I'm not talking about plastic or bottles or paper… I'm talking about something else."
"Then what? Grass? Dust? Stones?" Anand teased, pretending to kick a pebble.
Vyom's tone turned serious. "A stone. A big one. I hit it this morning at the gate and fell."
Anand frowned, thinking. "I didn't see any stone there. I came before you."
"It was there," Vyom said quietly. "But now I think… it's gone."
"Maybe someone moved it," Anand shrugged. "Or it was a prank."
Vyom thought for a moment but didn't answer. He decided to drop it. "Maybe…"
The two walked silently for a while. The road home was quiet, lined with trees shedding their dry leaves.
Then Anand broke the silence. "You know what? Why don't you sit at the back tomorrow? It's more fun. You're always serious these days."
Vyom chuckled. "Then you sit at the back. I've started studying seriously now."
"Good boy!" Anand teased. "But tell me one thing — don't you want to see Keya?"
Vyom rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I'm already messaging her, and I'm studying for her. What else do you want? Should I study or chase Keya?"
Anand laughed loudly. "Study hard — but propose to her someday, huh?"
Vyom shook his head, smiling faintly. "I can't do that. Bye."
"Bye, hero," Anand said, grinning as they split paths near the crossing.
Vyom continued walking alone. The cool wind brushed against his face. For a moment, he looked at the sky — soft orange fading into blue. He didn't realize it, but his ring glowed faintly under the sunlight again, the green line shining almost imperceptibly.
Something had changed within him that day.
But Vyom still didn't know what.
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(To be continued…)
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