The golden sun dipped below the horizon as Aarvansh sat at his desk, staring at scattered books and notes. The end-semester exams were approaching fast, and the pressure was mounting.
"Why did I waste so much time thinking about Mr. Albert?"
he muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples. The conversation with Albert Lam still echoed in his mind, but he knew he couldn't afford to lose focus now.
Exams were around the corner, and Aarvansh had always taken pride in his academic performance. With a deep breath, he grabbed his pen and started solving equations, pushing every distraction to the back of his mind.
Aarvansh worked tirelessly, pushing through fatigue and distractions.
The faint echoes of Albert's words still lingered in his mind, but they were pushed to the background. For now, academics came first.
After days of back-to-back exams, the final paper was finally over. Aarvansh walked out of the hall, feeling light for the first time in weeks.
As the evening sky turned a soft orange, Aarvansh strolled down a quiet street, his phone pressed to his ear as he spoke to Shaurya.
Shaurya (on call):
"Hey man, the exams are finally over. Let's go watch a movie to celebrate!"
Aarvansh:
"Yeah, sounds good. What about the latest WCU film?"
Shaurya:
"You mean that superhero universe? Honestly, they've been putting out pretty bad movies for the past three years. But hey, if the reviews are good, I'm in. Not much of a WCU fan these days though."
Aarvansh:
"Come on, you love superheroes! If the movie gets positive reviews, I know you'll enjoy it."
Shaurya:
"True, man. You know, sometimes I wish I had superpowers. Imagine being able to fly, or stop time... I could help so many people. And hey, I'd be famous too!"
Aarvansh (chuckles):
"You don't need powers to be a hero, Shaurya. And honestly, being a superhero isn't as glamorous as it seems. It comes with a huge burden. I'd never want superpowers."
Shaurya:
"There you go again with your mature talks! Chill, bro, I was just kidding. But yeah, every superhero movie shows how their lives turn into one big curse after getting powers."
Aarvansh:
"Exactly. But you know, you can still help people—become a doctor, start a business… maybe even build something great like Mr. Albert Lam did."
But then, a faint glow caught Aarvansh's eye—a flickering light reflecting off the nearby glass window.
Aarvansh:
"Hold on, Shaurya. There's a crowd gathered here…"
He lowered his phone slightly and stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he approached a group of people huddled around a television screen displayed in a shop window. Shaurya's faint voice could still be heard on the phone.
The screen flickered as the anchor's voice echoed through the speakers:
"Renowned entrepreneur and public figure, Mr. Albert Lam… has gone missing."
The words hung in the air like a shadow, cold and unyielding.