Shadow & Storm

The Professor's Class

The next day, Arjun arrived at the university as usual.

The previous night's phone call still remained in his mind.

The hacker had given him twenty-four hours.

And with every passing hour, the time was running out.

But Arjun had decided not to let the situation affect his normal life.

At least, not in front of everyone.

He entered the lecture building and checked his timetable.

His next class was an elective.

Since students from different departments could choose the same elective, the classroom was usually filled with unfamiliar faces.

But when Arjun reached the classroom, he noticed something unusual.

There were far more students than he expected.

Especially girls.

Several of them were standing near the entrance.

Some were talking excitedly.

Others were looking toward the corridor every few seconds.

Arjun frowned.

He looked at the classroom number again.

This was definitely his class.

He walked inside.

The moment he entered, several girls immediately looked up.

A few of them whispered to each other.

"He's here."

"That's him, right?"

"Yes."

"He looks even better in person."

Arjun heard bits and pieces of the conversation.

He looked around, confused.

He had no idea what they were talking about.

He simply walked toward an empty seat at the back of the classroom.

A few minutes later, Ananya entered.

She stopped near the door and looked around.

The classroom was unusually crowded.

She frowned.

"Why are there so many people here?"

Nobody answered.

She looked for an empty seat.

Then she noticed the seat beside Arjun.

After hesitating for a moment, she walked toward it.

"Is this seat taken?"

Arjun looked up.

"No."

Ananya sat beside him.

She looked around the classroom again.

"Is this always this crowded?"

"No."

"Then why are there so many people today?"

Arjun shrugged.

"I don't know."

Ananya gave him a suspicious look.

"You're not very helpful."

"I answered your question."

"Technically."

Arjun turned toward the front of the classroom.

Ananya quietly observed the room.

Several girls were still glancing toward Arjun.

She noticed it almost immediately.

One girl looked at him.

Then quickly whispered something to her friend.

The friend looked at Arjun too.

Ananya raised an eyebrow.

She looked at Arjun.

Then at the girls.

Then back at Arjun.

Arjun seemed completely unaware of what was happening.

Ananya almost smiled.

So that was the reason.

The professor entered the classroom.

The students immediately became quiet.

He placed his books on the desk and looked around the room.

His eyes moved across the classroom.

There were many unfamiliar faces.

The professor raised his eyebrows.

"I'm seeing so many new faces in my class today."

The students looked at each other.

He smiled.

"Is there some special occasion?"

The classroom became strangely quiet.

Then, one by one...

Several students began looking toward Arjun.

Arjun noticed.

His eyebrows slowly came together.

Why was everyone looking at him?

He glanced behind him.

There was no one sitting behind him.

He looked to the side.

Ananya was looking at him too.

Arjun turned toward her.

"What?"

Ananya tried to hold back a smile.

"Nothing."

"Why is everyone looking at me?"

"I don't know."

"You do."

"I really don't."

The professor observed the entire scene from the front of the classroom.

He understood immediately.

He looked at the students.

Then at Arjun.

Then back at the students.

A small smile appeared on his face.

Finally, he said:

"Well..."

The entire classroom became silent.

The professor casually adjusted his glasses.

"I suppose I was also handsome when I was younger."

For a second, there was silence.

Then the classroom burst into laughter.

Arjun froze.

His eyes slowly moved toward the professor.

The professor continued as if he had said nothing unusual.

"What?"

The laughter grew louder.

Arjun looked down at his desk.

Ananya covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Arjun noticed.

"You're laughing too?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm trying not to."

"That's the same thing."

Ananya finally smiled.

The professor watched the reaction from the front of the room.

He hid his own smile.

But he said nothing more.

He simply turned toward the board.

"Alright. Let's begin."

The class started.

The professor began explaining the subject.

For the next few minutes, everyone paid attention.

Or at least, most of them tried to.

A few girls who had come to the class continued stealing glances toward Arjun.

Ananya noticed every single one.

She looked at Arjun.

He was completely focused on the lecture.

He didn't even seem to realize that half the room was watching him.

She shook her head.

How could someone be so unaware?

The professor continued the lesson.

Then he wrote a question on the board.

He turned toward the class.

"Can anyone answer this?"

The classroom became silent.

The students looked at the question.

No one raised their hand.

The professor waited.

"Anyone?"

Still no answer.

He looked around.

"Nobody?"

A few students lowered their heads.

Arjun already knew the answer.

But he had no intention of answering.

He preferred remaining unnoticed.

The professor looked around the room again.

His eyes moved from one student to another.

Finally, they stopped on Ananya.

She was sitting beside Arjun.

The professor pointed toward her.

"The student in the red hoodie."

Ananya looked around.

The professor smiled.

"Yes, you."

Ananya slowly pointed toward herself.

"Me?"

"Yes."

The professor nodded.

"The girl in the red hoodie sitting beside that handsome gentleman."

The entire class immediately turned toward Arjun again.

Arjun closed his eyes for a moment.

Ananya looked at him.

The professor continued:

"Can you answer the question?"

Ananya turned toward the board.

She read the question carefully.

The class waited.

After a few seconds, she gave her answer.

The professor looked at her.

Then he looked at the board.

His expression changed.

"Correct."

A few students looked surprised.

The professor nodded approvingly.

"Very good."

Ananya smiled politely.

"Thank you, sir."

The professor looked at her with genuine interest.

"What's your name?"

"Ananya."

"Ananya."

He nodded.

"Excellent answer."

Arjun looked at her.

He already knew that she was ShadowFlame.

He knew how brilliant she was inside the game.

He had seen her make decisions in seconds.

He had seen her defeat players far stronger than her.

But watching her answer the question so confidently in front of the entire class still surprised him.

Ananya noticed him looking at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you staring?"

"I was just surprised."

"That I knew the answer?"

Arjun paused.

"Yes."

Ananya narrowed her eyes.

"Do I look like I don't study?"

"No."

"Then?"

He thought for a moment.

"You're full of surprises."

Ananya looked at him for a second.

Then turned back toward the professor.

"You should pay attention to the class."

Arjun almost smiled.

The professor continued teaching.

The atmosphere slowly returned to normal.

But Arjun's phone suddenly vibrated.

His expression changed.

He discreetly took it out.

A message from Vijay had arrived.

WE FOUND SOMETHING.

Arjun immediately opened it.

Another message appeared.

CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE ALONE.

Arjun's eyes narrowed.

He looked at the time.

16 HOURS REMAINING.

The hacker's twenty-four-hour challenge was still running.

And now Vijay and Ashok had found something.

Something that might finally lead them to the person behind the screen.

Arjun locked his phone.

Beside him, Ananya was still listening to the lecture.

She had no idea that the person sitting next to her was trying to uncover the hacker who knew her biggest secret.

And Arjun had no idea that the professor standing at the front of the classroom...

Was about to become a much more important part of Ananya's life than either of them could imagine.

The class continued for another thirty minutes.

Ananya remained focused on the lecture.

Arjun, however, was no longer listening.

The message from Vijay kept repeating in his mind.

WE FOUND SOMETHING.

He needed to know what it was.

But he couldn't simply walk out of the classroom.

Not now.

Not when his father was teaching.

And definitely not when Ananya was sitting right beside him.

Arjun glanced at the clock.

16 HOURS REMAINING.

He slowly leaned back in his chair.

His phone vibrated again.

This time, it was a message from Ashok.

Ashok: We traced something from the call.

Arjun's eyes narrowed.

Another message arrived.

Ashok: But it's not what we expected.

Arjun quickly typed:

Arjun: What did you find?

The reply came after a few seconds.

Ashok: Call us when you're alone.

Arjun frowned.

Why were they being so mysterious?

He looked toward the professor.

The lecture was still going on.

Then he glanced at Ananya.

She was writing something in her notebook.

Arjun wondered if he should tell her.

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

She didn't need to know.

Not yet.

The professor finally finished the lecture.

"That's all for today."

The students immediately began packing their bags.

Arjun stood up.

Ananya closed her notebook.

She looked at him.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I have somewhere to go."

Ananya nodded.

Then she looked toward the classroom door.

Several girls were still standing near the entrance.

A few of them glanced toward Arjun.

Ananya noticed.

She looked at him.

"You seem popular."

Arjun stared at her.

"What?"

She pointed subtly toward the girls.

"Nothing."

Arjun looked toward the entrance.

The girls immediately looked away.

He frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Ananya smiled slightly.

"Nothing."

"You're the second person today to say that."

"Maybe you're asking too many questions."

Arjun looked at her.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Then Ananya picked up her bag.

"I'll see you later."

"Okay."

She walked away.

Arjun watched her leave for a moment.

Then his expression became serious.

He immediately took out his phone.

IN TECH

Arjun entered the secured office.

Vijay and Ashok were already waiting for him.

The moment he entered, he knew something was wrong.

Neither of them was joking.

Vijay turned toward him.

"You're here."

"What did you find?"

Ashok looked at the screen.

"We found a partial trace from the call."

Arjun walked toward the desk.

"Where?"

"That's the problem."

Vijay turned one of the monitors toward him.

A map appeared on the screen.

Arjun looked at it.

"What am I looking at?"

"The call was routed through several locations."

"Like yesterday."

"Yes."

Ashok shook his head.

"But this time, there was a difference."

Arjun looked at him.

"What difference?"

"The final connection wasn't hidden."

Arjun frowned.

"What?"

"The hacker deliberately allowed us to trace it."

Vijay nodded.

"He wanted us to find this location."

Arjun stared at the screen.

"Why?"

"We don't know."

Ashok zoomed in on the map.

The final location appeared.

Arjun looked at it.

His expression slowly changed.

It was not an abandoned building.

Not a secret facility.

Not some unknown location.

It was a public place.

A place he knew.

Vijay looked at him.

"Do you recognize it?"

Arjun remained silent.

Ashok turned toward him.

"Arjun?"

He finally answered.

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

Arjun stared at the map.

"Near the university."

Vijay and Ashok exchanged a glance.

The hacker had deliberately brought them close to the university.

Too close.

Arjun's phone suddenly rang.

A private number.

The same number.

The room became silent.

Vijay immediately looked at him.

"Answer it."

Arjun picked up the phone.

He didn't say anything.

The hacker spoke first.

"You found the location."

Arjun's eyes narrowed.

"You wanted us to find it."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to see how quickly you could find me."

"Then why aren't you here?"

The hacker laughed quietly.

"Because you still haven't found me."

Arjun looked at the map.

"Tell me who you are."

"Not yet."

"You gave me twenty-four hours."

"And you still have time."

Arjun looked at the clock.

15 HOURS REMAINING.

"Then tell me what you want."

The hacker became silent.

Finally, he said:

"I want to know something."

"What?"

"How far are you willing to go to protect her?"

Arjun's expression hardened.

"Don't talk about her."

"You don't like it when I mention Ananya?"

Arjun froze.

The hacker continued.

"You know what I find interesting?"

Arjun said nothing.

"She has no idea who you really are."

Arjun's eyes narrowed.

"Don't involve her in this."

"But she's already involved."

"Then tell me what you want."

The hacker laughed softly.

"You're asking the wrong question."

"What should I ask?"

"Ask yourself why I chose you."

Arjun became silent.

The call suddenly ended.

He stared at the phone.

Vijay looked at him.

"What did he say?"

Arjun looked at the map.

"He wants to know how far I'm willing to go to protect Ananya."

Ashok frowned.

"That's not a normal threat."

"No."

Arjun looked at the screen.

The hacker had deliberately allowed them to trace the location.

Then called them.

Then asked a question.

It wasn't about money.

It wasn't about revenge.

It was personal.

But Arjun still didn't know why.

Vijay suddenly looked at another screen.

"Wait."

Arjun turned toward him.

"What now?"

Vijay began typing.

"I found something else."

Ashok moved closer.

"Another trace?"

"No."

Vijay opened a file.

"This is from the university tournament."

Arjun looked at the screen.

A list of players appeared.

Vijay pointed toward one name.

"Look at this."

Arjun stared at the screen.

The hacker had accessed the tournament database before the competition.

Ashok frowned.

"Why would he access the player database?"

Vijay scrolled further.

"He wasn't looking at every player."

Arjun's eyes narrowed.

"Who was he looking at?"

Vijay turned toward him.

"ShadowFlame."

The room became silent.

Arjun stared at the screen.

The hacker had been monitoring Ananya before the tournament.

Before the messages.

Before the threats.

Before the wedding.

He had been watching her.

But why?

Arjun's expression became cold.

"Find out everything about this access."

Ashok nodded.

"We'll try."

"Not try."

Arjun looked at both of them.

"Find out."

Vijay nodded.

"Understood."

Arjun turned toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Ashok asked.

"Back to the university."

Vijay looked at him.

"Why?"

Arjun paused.

He thought about the hacker's words.

How far are you willing to go to protect her?

Then he thought about Ananya.

She had no idea what was happening.

She was still living her normal life.

Still attending classes.

Still playing games.

Still talking to StormKnight without knowing who he really was.

Arjun looked at his phone.

15 HOURS REMAINING.

He needed to find the hacker.

But until then...

He needed to stay close to Ananya.

"Because I have something to do."

And somewhere nearby, the hacker was watching the countdown.