Vyom sat up suddenly.
"…What?"
He rubbed his face, breathing slowly.
"What a dream…" he muttered.
"I haven't seen a dream like that in so long."
He lay back down, staring at the ceiling
"Maybe my punishment is over. Yesterday was just a dream…"
----
Some time later, Vyom got out of bed and washed his face. Than his mother served him breakfast. He ate quickly and rushed to college — it was already 8:45 a.m.
He worked hard through all his classes.
By the time the day ended, he had almost forgotten everything about the previous night.
At daybreak, when the final bell rang, Vyom and Anand walked home together as usual.
Anand glanced at him.
"What happened to you last time?" he asked.
Vyom frowned.
"What?"
"Yesterday," Anand clarified.
"Oh… nothing," Vyom replied casually. "Just a headache."
"Don't push yourself too much," Anand said.
Vyom made a funny face.
Anand sighed. "Okay, okay. But what was your important topic ?"
Vyom hesitated.
My prison time is over, he thought.
If I tell him now, maybe that thing won't happen again…
He opened his mouth to speak.
But he suddenly realised—
Everything stopped.
The world froze around him.
Vyom's eyes dropped to his ring.
The green line was only half full… and it was slowly decreasing.
Fear gripped him.
But this time, he controlled himself.
He already knew — there was nothing he could do.
If Anand notices this… he'll keep asking, Vyom thought nervously. He'll tell Keya… maybe even my mom and dad.
"Hey bro," Anand said, confused. "What happened?"
"No—nothing," Vyom replied quickly. "I forgot."
"Then walk slower,"
Anand said.
"Okay, okay."
Their conversation drifted to random things.
(They had already forgotten what they had talked about yesterday — even that morning — just like every other day.)
Soon, they reached the three-way road.
"Bye, bro," Anand said.
"Bye," Vyom replied.
They went their separate ways.
When Vyom reached home, he was exhausted from the whole day.
He took a bath. His mother had already served lunch in the dining room.
After eating, he went to his room, played some mobile games, and watched anime.
Later, he attended classes on his phone.
After some time, his mother came in with tea.
Once he finished drinking it, Vyom started messaging with Keya and Anand.
Eventually, he lay down on the bed. It was about 12 pm
Bzz… bzz…
His phone rang.
A message from Anand.
Vyom frowned.
What happened to him at this time?
The message read:
"Bro… everything is over."
"What happened?" Vyom asked.
"Bro… what date is tomorrow?" Anand replied.
"8th January," Vyom said casually.
Anand paused.
"Did you complete your assignments?"
"What—!" Vyom froze. "Oh no… tomorrow is the last date! What do I do?"
"Bro, ask Keya for her assignments," Anand said quickly.
"Okay, bro. I'll try." Vyom said
"Thanks, bro." Anand said
Vyom opened his phone and messaged Keya.
Vyom: Hello, Keya.
After some time, she replied.
Keya: Hi. What happened? Aren't you sleeping today?
Vyom: What are you doing?
Keya: Just having dinner.
Vyom: What's was in dinner?
Keya: Eggs and salad. What are you doing?
Vyom: Talking to you.
Keya: Okay… but I'm going to sleep now. We'll talk in the morning.
Vyom: Wait—please send me your assignments.
Keya: Okay, no problem.
Vyom: Thanks.
Keya: But tell me—did you finish your work?
Vyom: I'll complete it tonight.
Keya: Vyom, what?!
Vyom: Keya, I don't have time to argue. Please.
Keya: Okay… but be serious now.
Vyom: Okay. Bye. Good night.
Keya: Good night.
Some time later, Keya sent him nearly fifty photos of assignments.
Keya: Are you sure you can do this?
Vyom: I'll try.
Keya: If you need help, you can tell me.
Vyom: It's okay. Bye.
Keya: Bye. Don't be stressed.
Vyom forwarded the photos to Anand.
Anand: Bro, are you serious? We can complete this.
Vyom: I'll try.
Anand: I've already finished two subjects. Only one left.
"What?!" Vyom typed.
Anand: Bro, I'll complete your physics assignment.
Vyom: No, bro. I'll do it.
Anand: Are you serious?
Vyom: Bye. I've got a lot of work.
Vyom began writing.
But sleep weighed heavily on him.
He forced himself to continue, eyes moving over the photos, hand writing automatically.
His thoughts drifted—toward his dreams… the ring… the other world.
Without realizing it, he whispered aloud.
"I think… my ring and that other world are linked… and our world....."
Suddenly—
Time stopped—
But Vyom didn't notice.
He kept writing, trapped in a strange state between sleep and wakefulness.
He didn't even understand the topic he was writing about—yet the words flowed.
The green line on his ring began to decrease.
Then—unexpectedly—it filled again.
But something was wrong.
Normally, the green line decreased 1% in nearly ten seconds.
Now… 1% took nearly fifteen minutes.
Hours slipped by unnoticed.
Vyom suddenly stopped speaking.
"Why was I talking for so long?" he muttered.
"But… it was worth thinking about. I didn't even feel the time pass."
Now fully awake, a strange energy filled him.
By 1:00 a.m., he completed his first subject.
He moved to the second.
Thoughts flooded his mind—too many, too fast.
Yet he couldn't tell where they were coming from.
The ring… the dreams…
It felt as if someone had placed these thoughts directly into his head.
Again, he slipped into that half-dream state, murmuring softly while writing.
When he finally snapped awake—
"What did I just complete?" Vyom whispered.
"When did this happen…? Whatever. Next subject."
He continued.
But now the green line on his ring was already half gone.
After finishing the second subject, he began the third.
Some time later —
He noticed something and afraid.
Time had stopped again.
Vyom's breath caught.
The clock showed 1:15 a.m.
Almost all assignments were complete.
But that wasn't what terrified him.
Only a little of the green line remained.
"This isn't overthinking," Vyom whispered, panic rising.
"That girl… or... that being… put something in my head—"
Before he could finish—
The green line vanished completely.
And Vyom collapsed into sleep.
---
(To be continued...)
her world? Am I… the hero?
He raised his hand, focusing hard.
"Fireball… water magic… anything…"
Nothing happened.
Exhaustion finally claimed him.
The long day weighed heavily on his body.
Vyom fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, soft morning light filled the room.
"6:00 a.m."
He was back.
In his own world.
Vyom sat up suddenly.
"…What?"
He rubbed his face, breathing slowly.
"What a dream…" he muttered.
"I haven't seen a dream like that in so long."
He lay back down, staring at the ceiling.
"Maybe my punishment is over. Yesterday was just a dream…"
---
(To be continued...)