Vidyut strode down the corridor, his steps sharp, his thoughts sharper. The scene replayed in fragments—his outburst, Kruti's rejection, Yug's calm. Reckless. He clicked his tongue under his breath. He should've handled it differently—pulled them apart, not pushed them closer. But the moment had slipped, and he had lost control.
Yug's image lingered stubbornly in his mind. The blindfold. The stillness. The way he had moved. It didn't add up.
"He said he's not blind…" Vidyut muttered. "He hasn't even seen my face yet."
A pause.
A thin smile tugged at his lips.
"Maybe I should fix that. Beat him a little."
As he moved forward, something stirred in his chest—a brief, electric thrill that made his heartbeat spike.
Excitement.
It lasted only a second.
"Excuse me—"
The voice cut through it cleanly.
Vidyut pivoted at the sound, only to find a hotel receptionist stepping into his path. She wore a deep violet uniform, her slim frame moving with a quiet, deliberate grace. Her presence was striking—almost too composed. Even her hair mirrored the exact shade of her eyes, an unnatural symmetry that made her hard to ignore. She stopped directly in front of him, measured and precise.
His gaze narrowed. He searched his memory for her face, but nothing surfaced. The suddenness of her appearance left him slightly off balance, though he didn't show it.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Afternoon. How may I help you?" Vidyut replied evenly. The room was already paid for. There was no reason for staff to approach him.
A faint smile touched her lips. "My apologies. You misunderstand." Her eyes flicked briefly to the crease forming on his forehead. "I'm not here as a hotel employee."
That made him pause.
"I came because I have something that will interest you," she continued smoothly. "Something that can help you."
A brief silence followed.
"But it comes with a price."
The bluntness caught him off guard. Her words were clear—too clear. Yet the intent behind them remained completely obscured, like a deal offered in the dark.
"What do you mean?" Vidyut asked, a thin edge of uncertainty slipping into his voice. He was new to the city—no connections, no allies. There was no way to place her, no way to read her intentions.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed her face, subtle but unmistakable—the look of someone who had just found an opening. "I mean I have information about Yug," she said smoothly. "Something that could elevate your standing with Kruti. Would you like to hear it?"
She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "It would help you… greatly."
Vidyut's eyes narrowed.
She's strange. Why approach me like this? Does she really think I'd fall for something so obvious?
The thought formed easily—but didn't hold.
Something about her didn't match the simplicity of a scam. The confidence in her posture, the steadiness in her gaze—it didn't feel like a bluff.
Then it clicked.
Yug's name could be explained—hotel staff would know. But Kruti?
She hadn't checked in. No introductions. No reason for her name to be known.
A crack formed in his doubt.
Maybe… she actually has something.
He lifted an eyebrow, masking the shift. "Why do you think I need anything?"
Even as he spoke, instinct pulled in the opposite direction. Beneath the skepticism, a quiet spark of curiosity—no, hope—began to take hold.
"Do you really not want to hear about that creep?" she pressed, frustration slipping through as she turned to leave. But she paused just long enough to drop one last hook. "Fine. You're on your own. Just don't regret it when your friend is left crying helplessly. When that happens, remember this moment—when you chose to walk away."
The words lingered.
A sharp grind of teeth broke the silence. Vidyut held his ground for a second longer, trying to ignore it—but something twisted deep in his chest. The image formed too easily. Too vividly.
Kruti… crying.
The thought alone made his stomach turn.
He exhaled heavily, the resistance finally cracking.
"Alright," he said, voice low. "Let's hear it."
Even though Kruti had never truly liked him, she remained deeply important to Vidyut. When he transferred into the school in his second year, he hadn't expected to meet anyone who could even stand beside him—let alone surpass him.
But Kruti didn't just match him.
She eclipsed him.
Effortlessly.
That was the first time he understood how vast the world really was—and instead of breaking him, it pulled him toward her. He wanted to stand beside that strength. To be acknowledged by it.
Then the rumors began.
She was tied to someone powerful. Someone untouchable. By their final year, the whispers turned into certainty—Kruti and that figure had fallen for each other. Soon after, a warning spread through the student body.
Stay away from her.
Vidyut ignored it.
Fear was never an option.
Instead of stepping back, he walked straight toward her.
"Hello, Kruti. I'm Vidyut."
She didn't even reply.
She turned—and left.
The silent rejection didn't discourage him. If anything, it sharpened his interest.
It meant she was real.
He refused to believe in some faceless "big shot" who had already graduated. Rumors meant nothing. If someone wanted to stop him, they could come do it themselves.
So he kept going.
Every time someone tried to block him—people tied to Yug—he met them head-on. Fights broke out. Again and again.
And every time, he won.
Eventually, they stopped coming.
And somewhere along the way, persistence turned into familiarity. Familiarity into something quieter.
A bond formed.
A friendship.
…I was sure the rumors were a lie.
For two years, she stayed distant from everyone. No attachments. No signs of anything real. Just the occasional message, brief conversations with him, and an unwavering focus on her own path.
That had to mean something.
It had to.
The sharp click of her heel against the marble floor snapped Vidyut out of the memory.
"Not so fast," she said, folding her arms. The smirk on her lips deepened as she held her ground. "What do I get in return?"
"Something you won't be able to reject." His reply came instantly—firm, without a trace of hesitation.
Her eyes narrowed.
For a moment, she said nothing. He could almost see the calculation behind her gaze—measuring risk against reward, weighing whatever he might offer against the danger of leaking information tied to a VIP room. The lack of immediate money clearly disappointed her, but it didn't outweigh her greed.
After a brief pause, she made her choice.
Stepping closer, she lowered her voice.
"We need to leave," she said quietly. "It isn't safe here."
***
Fingers intertwined, ice cream in their free hands, they walked along the pedestrian path beside the highway. Yug's thoughts were nowhere near the present. He replayed every moment from earlier—the way Kruti had reacted, the way she had stayed close. It didn't match his memories. Not even slightly. She had never been this affectionate, never this… near. The inconsistency gnawed at him, slowly turning into something darker.
Maybe I should end it now.
The thought surfaced quietly, but it carried weight.
If I don't… she might be the one who destroys my chance at a complete life.
His grip tightened slightly around her fingers.
And I still know nothing. Just her name. Her face. That's it.
There was no foundation. No understanding of the "story" he was supposed to rely on.
If I could just see… maybe I'd find something.
The idea came naturally—and was crushed just as fast.
Yug's head snapped in a sharp shake, his breath tightening. No.
The temptation was there. Strong.
But the moment he imagined removing the blindfold—seeing the world again—
A spike of raw, suffocating fear shot through him.
Not yet.
He wasn't ready to face that despair.
"What happened?" she asked softly, turning toward him. His hand had gone clammy in hers, and the faint crease on his forehead didn't escape her notice.
"Nothing," Yug replied lightly. "Just thinking about you." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, stretching his lips into a warm, practiced smile to hide the flicker of panic beneath. "I'd never met anyone like you before I confessed. You're… incomparable. The most remarkable person in my life."
His tone remained smooth, steady—almost too perfect.
"I always see you as someone who's prepared for everything. You understand things before others even notice them. Even though you're younger, you've helped me with studies, sports… even martial arts."
He let the words slow, softening the edge of his smile.
"I don't know how I'll ever repay that. Honestly… I still feel like I'm dreaming. I could search the whole world and never find someone like you."
"Then don't search." The reply came instantly, her voice calm and unwavering. "If you want to repay me, just stay with me. I'll take care of you."
Yug let out a small laugh. "Yeah… I wasn't planning to search." His tone stayed light, almost casual. "Though a few people like you did show up anyway. Real geniuses."
The words lingered.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and fell silent.
Kruti stilled.
The shift was subtle, but it hit her hard. She couldn't tell if he was serious or just playing with words. Her gaze studied him carefully, searching for something—anything—but he gave nothing away.
The silence stretched.
It grew heavier with each passing second.
In the end, she couldn't hold back.
"So…" she asked quietly, her voice betraying just a hint of strain, "did you meet someone else like me?"
Her heart pounded, waiting—
afraid of the answer.
"Oh, yes. Five of them, actually," Yug said with a small chuckle, though a faint tremor slipped into his voice. "They had the same qualities as you—it was frustrating. Not exactly like you, of course… but all of them were geniuses far beyond my level. That same… sense of superiority."
Kruti's hand tightened into a fist at her side, hidden from view.
A spark of something sharp flared within her.
"So… that's how it is," she replied quietly.
Her tone remained smooth, controlled—but beneath it, emotions clashed violently. Satisfaction and irritation rose at the same time. After all these years, she had finally uncovered something she had been searching for.
And yet—
the thought of others standing near him, sharing even a fraction of what she had—
didn't sit well.
Still, she showed none of it. On the surface, she accepted it calmly. It wasn't strange. University life, new people, new connections…
It made sense.
Even if she didn't like it.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot to tell you. I'm meeting one of them tomorrow."
Yug kept his tone casual, but the line was deliberate. He was testing her—measuring her reaction, searching for any shift. If those people carried the same presence as her, then they weren't random. They were tied to something larger… possibly even to the path surrounding her. And if they were useful to Kruti, they could be useful to him.
He didn't let the moment settle.
"Will you come with me?" he asked. "It'd be better if you were there."
He stopped walking and turned slightly toward her. Though the blindfold sealed his vision, he focused on her presence, anchoring himself to it—just for now.
Because beyond that—
there was Nitya.
And just the thought of her made something tighten in his chest. Her overwhelming kindness wasn't comforting—it was suffocating. One of the reasons he had wanted to leave everything behind.
He wasn't ready to face that again.
Too strange.
Yug had changed.
Kruti watched him closely, reading the subtle shifts in his behavior. He wasn't the same—not in the way he spoke, not in the way he moved. Something beneath the surface had sharpened.
"Of course," she said smoothly. "I'll come with you."
A faint smile curved his lips, unguarded this time—clear enough for her to see. It pulled at her more than she expected. His caution was new, but she buried that thought just as quickly.
"Why are you still wearing the blindfold?" she asked, her voice quieter now. "When are you going to take it off?"
Yug froze.
A brief silence followed before he answered, his voice low—almost lost.
"When I face my third despair… or reward."
The words were barely above a whisper.
But she heard all of it.
"…"