Later that day,
The day had thinned out, leaving behind only the stragglers and the quietly overwhelmed.
Parth had taken a wrong turn looking for the boys' common room and ended up near the administrative block. The halls were quieter here, the lights older, flickering with that dull yellow hum.
As he passed an open door marked "Records Temporary Sorting – Restricted Entry", he caught sight of a file teetering near the edge of a cart.
It slipped.
Reflexively, Parth reached out and caught it before it fell.
His eyes flicked to the label:
> SUBJECT: 027 — SUDDEN COLLAPSE — EMF ANOMALY
Department: Internal Investigation | Location: Room 3B
Beneath it, a blurred black-and-white photo of a young man. Pale. Lifeless. His skin had a faint unnatural hue. His eyes were closed, but something about the image made Parth's stomach knot.
> "Excuse me—!"
The voice came sharp, clipped.
Parth turned. A professor — the same one who had taken attendance in Anatomy that morning — stood at the door, brows furrowed in alarm.
> "That file isn't meant to be out," he said quickly. "Give it here."
Parth handed it over without protest.
> "Sorry. It fell."
The professor took it almost too fast. He shoved it back into the stack and gave a tight smile.
> "Must've been misfiled. Happens sometimes. Try not to wander into restricted areas, hmm? These aren't for student eyes."
Parth nodded, but his eyes lingered on the file cart.
There—barely visible at the corner of the folder—was a faint pencil scrawl:
> "3B – do not digitize yet."
The next morning began with anatomy again.
Parth arrived early, his bag slung over one shoulder, the other hand in his pocket. The hall smelled of disinfectant and ambition. Rows of students filed in with half-slept eyes, coffee breath, and hastily ironed clothes.
Aarav plopped down beside him, hair still wet, hoodie half-zipped.
> "Bro, I had the weirdest dream last night,"
Parth raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"
> "There was this battlefield. Not modern—like ancient. Proper horses, chariots, bow and arrow types. And I was there, but not me. You know what I mean? Like…I felt like me, but also... not."
Parth stiffened immediately.
> "We were fighting something. But it wasn't human. And I saw you too, I think. Or someone like you."
Parth didn't answer right away.
Instead, he studied Aarav for a heartbeat longer.
This loud, excitable, energy-drink-fueled boy—this random stranger—was dreaming of a war from another age?
> "Why him?" Parth thought, a flicker of confusion crossing his mind. "Why is someone like Aarav remembering pieces of that past?"
He kept his voice light. "Dreams are strange."
Aarav shrugged, unbothered. "Yeah, but it felt too real. Like a memory I've never lived. Also… why was I crying in it?"
Parth didn't respond.
But the question stayed with him.
Why was Aarav crying?
And why did that somehow feel familiar?
The class began. The professor explained the skeletal system with dry wit and a stylus. Diagrams floated in the air as the digital board flickered.
Parth took notes. His pen moved automatically.
Until—
> "Hey," someone whispered from behind. "Is this seat taken?"
A boy slid into the row. Calm eyes. Neatly combed hair. Dressed a bit too formally.Weird that he was late for class.
"I'm Neel," he said quietly, to no one in particular. "First-year."
Aarav leaned over. "Hey, man. I'm Aarav. That's Parth. We're friendly unless it's biochemistry."
Neel gave a soft smile. "Good to know."
Parth glanced sideways.
There was something familiar in Neel's gaze.
Like someone who had seen too much… and spoken too little.
---
Post-class.
A notice popped up in the student portal: "Volunteers needed for Health Records Digitization Drive – Room 3B."
Aarav groaned. "Ugh, more admin stuff. Want to skip?"
Parth didn't answer. He was staring at the screen.
Room 3B.
The same number he had seen scrawled faintly at the corner of a medical file he had accidentally glimpsed yesterday — the one the professor quickly snatched back with a frown.
> "Room 3B."
"Actually," Parth said slowly. "I'll go."
Aarav blinked. "You? Volunteering? You barely speak."
Parth gave a tiny shrug. "Thought I'd try."
Neel chimed in quietly, "I'll join too."
Aarav sighed in mock defeat. "Fine. I'm not missing out on a group trauma bonding experience."
---
Room 3B, Later That Day
The room smelled like old paper and mothballs.
Stacks of half-sorted medical records were piled onto desks, marked by age and coffee stains. A tired assistant gave them a rundown and promptly left.
Parth sifted through dusty files while Aarav played music under his breath. Neel silently worked beside them.
And then Parth saw it.
A plain manila folder, misfiled under "Dermatology."
He pulled it out with caution to not alert anyone.
Inside: Photos. Victim reports. Scans.
All teenagers. All reportedly healthy. All dead within hours of first symptoms—except there were no symptoms.
Just sudden collapses. Strange blood discoloration. And one line at the end of every report:
"Subject's body emitted faint electromagnetic fluctuations at time of death."
> "Not normal," Neel said quietly, reading over his shoulder.
Parth looked up.
Aarav had gone quiet too.
Then Neel added, "I've seen this before."
Parth frowned. "Where?"
Neel stared at the papers. "Not here. Not in this life."
---
That evening, they sat under the same peepal tree.
Wind stirred. Clouds gathered low.
> "You ever feel like… you've done all this before?" Aarav asked. "Like this campus, these moments—none of it is really new?"
Neel nodded silently.
Parth didn't speak.
But deep inside, something stirred.
Old instincts. Ancient oaths.
And a strange sense of timing.
> "This city's not sick," Parth finally said. "It's being warned."
Aarav and Neel looked at him.
Not confused. Just… waiting.
---
From a faraway rooftop, the crow returned.
It landed on a power pole and cawed once, sharp and echoing.
In a hospital not far from campus, a boy coded unexpectedly.
The machines around him glitched.
And somewhere beneath the Yamuna, something old moved again.
Watching.
Waiting.
The trio had formed.
And the wheel had begun to turn once more.
---
Spoiler alert ⚠️: Don't read the below portion if you don't want to make this story boring.Only a bit.lol:)
Question✨️
Do you want me to add girl characters and romance?I can make it work.But I would not rush it.
Personally I like it without romance and girls.Before anyone gets offended,I am a girl too🙃✨️
Let me know!