The college auditorium buzzed with electric energy, a kaleidoscope of colorful outfits and excited chatter. All the friends had arrived, dressed in their best, the afternoon's tensions momentarily forgotten in the thrill of the event.
The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers. "First to come on stage are – Sadhya and Nisha!"
A wave of applause erupted as the couple took the stage. Soft, ethereal lighting descended, and a slow, melodic tune began to play. Their dance was a beautiful conversation without words—Nisha's graceful movements perfectly complemented by Sadhya's strong, rhythmic steps. They moved as one entity, their eyes locked, lost in a world of their own making. From the wings, their friends cheered loudly, "Sadhya! Nisha! Wow!" As the music faded, thunderous applause filled the hall. Nisha bowed, a shy blush on her cheeks, while Sadhya held her hand firmly, his proud smile saying everything words could not.
In the midst of the celebration, Anvesh glanced at his phone, his face tightening. "Oh man, getting a call from home… gotta step out for a bit," he muttered, and before anyone could respond, he quickly slipped outside.
The announcer's voice called out again. "Now coming on stage are – Anvesh and Kavya!"
Kavya stepped forward, her eyes scanning the crowd nervously. Anvesh was nowhere to be seen. She tried his phone—it was busy. Panic began to set in. Kavya: (Her voice laced with worry) "Where did Anvesh go?"
Ruhan, ever the quick thinker, assessed the situation. "Hey, it's time. Do one thing – Neerav will dance with you instead of Anvesh."
Neerav: (Eyes wide with surprise) "What? Me? But… this is Anvesh's partner."
"Bro, he's not here right now. People are waiting. Come on, don't leave the stage empty," Ruhan insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Kavya looked at Neerav, her initial disappointment melting into a plea. Kavya: (Voice soft but firm) "Okay… Neerav, come."
Seeing her resolve, Neerav's hesitation vanished. He nodded. Ruhan quickly handed them two elaborate, feathered masks. "Wear these. No one will recognize you. Especially you, Neerav."
They donned the masks, their identities hidden, and walked onto the stage.
On Stage – A Dance of Destiny
The music started—a passionate, rhythmic number. What began as a substitute performance quickly transformed into something magical. Kavya and Neerav moved in perfect sync, their bodies interpreting the music as if they had practiced for weeks. But it was their eyes that told the real story. Behind the masks, Neerav's gaze never wavered from Kavya, full of an intensity and admiration he usually kept hidden. And Kavya, caught in the flow of the dance and the depth of his stare, found herself getting lost in him, her earlier heartache momentarily forgotten.
The audience erupted. "Kavya! Anvesh! Wow! What a dance!" they shouted, mistaking the masked Neerav for Anvesh.
In the dance's climax, Neerav lifted Kavya effortlessly, holding her aloft. For a suspended moment, time seemed to stop. Their masked faces were inches apart, breaths mingling, a silent understanding passing between them that was louder than any applause. The spell was broken only by the roaring cheers. Neerav gently set her down, and they exited the stage, the crowd none the wiser.
Meanwhile, Anvesh returned, looking flushed. Anvesh: (Surprised) "Hey, Kavya… your dance is over already?"
Kavya: "Yes, but where did you go?"
Ruhan: "Bro, you left at the main moment. Our reputation would have been ruined. Good thing Neerav handled it."
Anvesh looked at Neerav, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes before he masked it with a laugh. Anvesh: "Got a call from home, so I went out. Anyway… Neerav, you did a good job."
Neerav: (He lowered his gaze, his voice modest) "Oh no, everyone insisted, so I had to do it."
Anvesh: (Chuckling, though it didn't quite reach his eyes) "It's okay, when did I ever stop you?"
Kavya: (Forcing a light tone) "You two, the Laila-Majnu act has started again!"
All the friends laughed, the sound weaving a fragile veil of normalcy over the strange undercurrents of the evening.
Outside – A Storm Erupts
Needing a moment of quiet, Nivan stepped outside near the water cooler. The peace was short-lived. Suddenly, Atharv and his gang materialized, blocking his path.
Atharv: "Where are you going all alone? Take us with you too." His friends snickered menacingly.
Nivan: (Fear clutching his throat) "Atharv, let me go."
Atharv: "First tell me, how did you make me fall that day? What kind of black magic was that?"
Nivan: "I didn't make you fall… you're misunderstanding."
Atharv: (His anger erupting) "You talk too much?" He shoved Nivan hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Nivan scrambled to get up and run, but Atharv's friends caught him, holding him fast. Atharv began throwing punches, each blow landing with a sickening thud.
At that moment, Ruhan also stepped out for water. His eyes widened in horror at the scene. Ruhan: (Voice a roar of pure fury) "Hey! Let him go!"
He sprinted forward and delivered a powerful kick to Atharv's back, sending the bully stumbling forward. Atharv turned, his face contorted with rage. Atharv: "So you came too… I'll show you now!"
A brutal fight broke out between them. Blows were exchanged in a frenzy. Suddenly, one of Atharv's cronies swung a heavy object, striking Ruhan squarely on the head. There was a sickening crack. Blood instantly streamed down Ruhan's temple, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Nivan: (A scream tearing from his very soul) "RUHAN!!"
Something inside Nivan shattered. A surge of raw, untamed power erupted from his core. His eyes, usually so gentle, blazed with an unearthly golden light. He thrashed violently, breaking free from the boys holding him. An invisible force emanated from him, throwing Atharv's friends aside as if they were ragdolls, without Nivan even touching them.
He turned to Atharv, his expression one of primal fury. He landed a punch that felt like it carried the weight of mountains, then grabbed Atharv and hurled him against a brick wall. Atharv's body hit the wall with a crushing impact and he slid to the ground, unconscious. The remaining boys stared in terror before scattering into the night.
The golden light in Nivan's eyes faded as quickly as it had appeared. He stumbled to Ruhan's side, his own body trembling violently. The moment his fingers brushed Ruhan's arm, a final wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he too collapsed into unconsciousness.
From the shadows of a faraway tree, the mysterious masked man observed it all. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his hidden lips. He focused his will, mentally seizing control of a random boy nearby, and compelled him to run with a message. His task complete, the masked man seemed to dissolve into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
The controlled boy ran into the auditorium, his eyes wide with panic. "Nivan and Ruhan are lying unconscious! Outside!"
Pandemonium ensued. All the friends rushed out, their hearts in their throats. They found the grim scene—Ruhan bleeding, Nivan unconscious beside him, and Atharpv slumped against a wall. Working quickly, they carried Ruhan and Nivan to a quiet college room, bandaging their wounds as best they could.
Ishika: (Tears streaming down her face as she knelt by Ruhan) "Ruhan, what happened to you?"
Neerav: (His voice tight with worry as he checked on Nivan) "Bro, you're okay, right? And Nivan, you too?"
Anvesh: "Leave it for now. Rest. You can tell us everything later."
Ruhan: (Groggily, wincing in pain) "It's nothing… Atharv was bothering Nivan. I intervened, that's all."
Ishika: (Her fear and frustration boiling over) "You got into trouble again because of this Nivan! I was waiting for you here and you went off to save him. This happens every time. Why did he even come into our lives?" Her words were sharp, born of terror.
Ruhan: (His voice, though weak, was loud and firm) "Shut up, Ishika! It's not his fault!"
Ishika: (Hurt and angry) "You never see any fault in him. The fault is always mine!" Choked by sobs, she turned and ran from the room.
Kavya: "Sorry, guys… Ishika got scared, that's why she spoke like that."
Nivan: (Now conscious, his voice faint) "It's okay, I can understand."
Sadhya: "But one thing is worth thinking about – Atharv was also unconscious. If you two didn't hit him, then who did?"
Ruhan and Nivan exchanged a long, heavy look, a silent conversation passing between them about the power Nivan had unleashed.
Nisha: "Yes… if you didn't do it, then who did?"
Anvesh: "Leave it, let it go. We don't need to think about that right now."
Neerav: "Yeah, we should just be happy that our friends are okay. Let's go to the hostel now."
Ruhan: "But… the dance?"
Neerav: "We got it canceled. Maybe that's why Ishika got even more upset."
Ruhan: "I'll calm her down."
Neerav: "Okay, bro. Let's go now, you two need to rest."
Together, the group made their way back to the hostel, the night's events casting a long, dark shadow over them.
The Phantom in the Photograph
Back at the hostel, Ruhan, his head throbbing but his mind clear, went to Ishika's room to apologize. He knocked softly. "Ishika?" There was no answer. He pushed the door, and it creaked open to reveal an empty room.
His eyes were drawn to a photograph on her table—a snapshot from the college event, capturing Kavya and Neerav's mesmerizing dance. But his breath caught in his throat. There, in the blurred background, stood a man in a black mask. And the little of the face that was visible… it looked eerily, terrifyingly similar to Nivan's.
A chill shot down Ruhan's spine.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, gentle and familiar. "What are you looking at, Ruhan?"
He spun around. Nivan himself stood there, a simple, innocent smile on his face, his eyes clear and questioning.
Ruhan glanced back at the photo in a panic, his heart hammering. The masked man was gone. The background was now just a crowd of indistinct faces. As if the figure had never been there at all.
Was the photograph just a trick of his mind, haunted by the day's violence and the blow to his head?
Or was some unseen force using Nivan's face to hide in plain sight,a phantom puppeteer pulling the strings?
And the most chilling question of all, one that would haunt his dreams—what would Ruhan find in that photo when he dared to look at it again in the cold light of morning?