IT ALL STARTED THAT DAY — THE DAY I CAN NEVER FORGET
Two months before the incident
It was a quiet, pleasant morning.
ASHRAF lay on his bed, half-asleep, half-dreaming, when the soft chirping of birds and warm rays of sunlight fell across his face. For a moment, life felt calm—too calm.
Then reality struck.
College. First day.
He jumped out of bed in panic. Time was already slipping away. While ASHRAF was in the bathroom, JAKE arrived at his place. Seeing ASHRAF enjoying a hot shower, Jake did what any true friend would do—he switched off the hot water.
ASHRAF screamed, grabbed a mug, and threw water at him.
Chaos achieved.
Because of that legendary act of betrayal, both of them were late.
Honorary mention: SINU HAN—who was busy talking to his crush on the phone and didn't even notice the time. Priorities.
All three idiots rushed to college and arrived with barely a minute to spare—messy hair, half-tucked shirts, and confidence they absolutely did not deserve.
ASHRAF whispered,
"Guys… which block?"
JAKE pointed randomly.
"Trust me."
They walked in. JAKE spotted a classroom and confidently pushed the door open.
Inside: around 50 students.
All girls.
The lecturer stopped mid-sentence and looked up.
"Yes?"
ASHRAF whispered urgently,
"JAKE… this isn't our class."
JAKE replied confidently,
"No chance, bro. I'm 100% sure."
The lecturer adjusted her glasses and said calmly,
"Unless your subject is English Literature, you're in the wrong classroom."
The room exploded with laughter as the trio slowly backed out.
SINU shook his head.
"Next time, follow directions—not feelings."
They finally reached the main block and asked for directions. The office mistress sent them to the seminar hall in the 6th block—Block NOVA.
Inside, seating was segregated by department:
CSE (Core), Data Science, AI/ML, EEE, ECE, Civil, Mechanical…
Luckily, they found empty seats and were handed a booklet with a pen attached.
ASHRAF looked around.
"Why does this feel like an exam center?"
JAKE shrugged.
"College likes to scare us early."
A senior stepped onto the stage.
"Good morning, freshers!"
The hall replied in unison,
"Good morning, sir!"
Rules. Discipline. Attendance.
Half the students listened.
The other half mastered the art of pretending.
SINU, meanwhile, smiled at his phone.
JAKE leaned in.
"Bro, orientation means introduction—not conversation."
Suddenly, a faculty member began calling names.
Silence.
"ASHRAF?"
ASHRAF stood up in panic.
"Yes, sir—present!"
The faculty frowned.
"Sit down. I meant Ashraf from CSE AI& ML."
JAKE whispered,
"Wrong Ashraf. Wrong department. Wrong life."
A few names later—
"SINU Han?"
Still lost in his phone, SINU replied loudly,
"Love you too!"
The entire hall burst into laughter.
The faculty raised an eyebrow.
"Whoever that was—welcome to college. And keep your phone away."
SINU quietly slid his phone into his pocket.
Ashraf leaned back and sighed.
"Day one… and we're already famous."
JAKE smiled.
"This is just the trailer."
The orientation was paused for lunch, and the entire batch poured toward the cafeteria like a hungry wave. Everyone was starving.
The cafeteria had that perfect college vibe — crowded, loud, chaotic, and strangely alive. Students from different majors sat together, seniors who had just finished their classes lounged around, and the air buzzed with laughter, arguments, and the clatter of plates.
ASHRAF, JAKE, and SINU grabbed their plates and moved ahead in the line.
That's when they noticed a senior loading his tray — not one plate, not two, but four full plates of food.
At first, they assumed it was for his friends.
But no.
He sat down… and started eating all four plates himself.
Watching this, JAKE raised an eyebrow and muttered,
"If this guy stops eating, the Earth's rotation might actually speed up."
A few tables away, a group of confident, stylish boys sat surrounded by girls, laughing effortlessly like they owned the place.
SINU let out a dramatic sigh.
"Some people are born with premium access to life."
Near them, a heated debate was happening among a group of rookies. They were passionately arguing over a movie — whether the hero should have died or lived. Their food lay untouched, but their excitement was unmatched.
At another table sat a group of introverts, completely silent, barely looking up.
ASHRAF whispered,
"Sitting with them feels like watching a silent film by Sir Kamal Haasan."
Then there were the toppers — deeply serious, discussing placements, internships, and strategies to crack tech giants. For them, nothing mattered except marks and rankings.
And finally, there were the chill guys — leaning back, eating slowly, observing the entire cafeteria like spectators in a stadium.
They laughed at others, enjoyed the chaos, and looked completely stress-free.
JAKE nodded with approval.
"These guys… these are the ones who'll actually survive college."
The trio finally found an empty spot and sat down. In front of them sat a man who didn't even look like a student. He appeared to be in his late twenties — well-built, with a deep beard and long hair falling to his shoulders.
Curious, JAKE raised his hand for a handshake.
"What's your name, bro?"
The moment the man lifted his spoon… the entire cafeteria fell eerily silent.
Even the dripping water from the tap became audible.
Slowly, he looked up and said in a calm, commanding voice,
"I am JAMES SAMEJIMA, final year, CSE."
The atmosphere changed instantly. There was an undeniable aura around him — confidence, authority, and something mysterious.
For a split second, ASHRAF and SINU panicked, fearing that he might have overheard their earlier comments.
But JAKE, as always, was completely unfazed. He casually introduced himself and his friends and began talking freely about college life.
By the time JAMES finished his meal, one of the rookie students walked over, picked up his empty plate, and threw it into the dustbin.
JAMES looked at JAKE, smiled slightly, and said,
"I like you, boy."
He asked JAKE to save his number in case he ever needed help. JAKE thanked him.
Then JAMES extended his hand once again.
"Nice meeting you."
And just like that — he left.
The moment he walked out, the cafeteria erupted back into noise, as if someone had unpaused reality.
The three of them sat there in stunned silence.
They were still uneasy — not just because of his presence, but because they knew nothing about him.
Who was JAMES SAMEJIMA?
Why did everyone go quiet when he spoke?
They didn't know… but they were determined to find out.
After lunch, they returned to the orientation. Once it ended, they headed outside.
ASHRAF insisted that he had to leave early — he wanted to visit his mother, who was admitted to St. Theresa's Hospital.
SINU asked softly,
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
ASHRAF forced a small smile.
"Yeah… trees keep growing. No problem."
They told him to pass their regards to his mother, and he left alone.
On his way, suddenly — BAM.
Someone struck him from behind.
Everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer on the road.
He was inside an old, abandoned factory — broken walls, shattered glass, and eerie silence.
In front of him stood GARRY.
GARRY held a deep grudge against ASHRAF — because during an exam, ASHRAF had not shared his answers.
Coincidentally, both of them had been in the same exam center.
Because of that, GARRY scored less marks and ended up in a low-ranking college.
He showed no mercy.
No apology.
No explanation.
Just rage.
ASHRAF was beaten badly — until he fainted again.
They left him there, unconscious and helpless.
And then… something strange happened.
The ring on his finger — the same ring he always wore — began to glow red.
Not bright.
Not magical.
But dark… and unsettling.
Almost as if it was reacting to his blood and pain.