It was a bright, sunny day.
The cheerful noise of children echoed in the air, occasionally interrupted by the distant honking of vehicles. There stood a school-large and welcoming. It had a decent park, a vibrant garden, a separate library building, a music hall, and a sports complex-all visible from the outside.
A boy walked slowly toward the school gates. It was Ayush; walking calmly, his posture upright, expression composed. His hair was neatly styled-short, side-parted, and combed back with a natural shine, giving him a clean and focused look. His school uniform was spotless and well-ironed, with a loosely fitted pair of pants that swayed slightly with every step.
Beside him strolled Rajesh, always more casual. His hairstyle was messier-slightly longer and tousled with effortless style. Though he wore the same uniform, it never quite matched Ayush's crispness. His shirt was untucked at one side, and his bag dangled on one shoulder. deep in conversation with his friend Rajesh as they reminisced about their earlier school days.
"Old is gold," Ayush said with a smile.
"Time passed so quickly, and now we're already in Class 10."
Rajesh nodded in agreement.
It was their third day in the new class.
Other students were also arriving-some riding in on their bicycles, some walking, while others got off the school buses. Ayush and Rajesh entered the class and instinctively took their place at a middle bench, keeping up with their proud middle-bencher tradition.
Just five minutes before the bell, as expected, Rakesh entered the class.
Slim build, sharp eyes behind rectangular specs, and hair that always looked like it had just been hand-combed five seconds ago - he had a calm, focused look that screamed "Brilliant", but never in a show-off way.
His shirt was tucked in neatly, sleeves buttoned, and a pen always clipped with precision.
Rajesh nudged Ayush, smirking,
"Our professor has arrived."
Rakesh; was the most brilliant student in their circle and one of the class toppers-yet somehow, always late. The teacher soon arrived, took attendance, and began teaching.
But today felt different. The air was unusually dull.
Even Rakesh, the most focused among them, seemed uninterested. Ayush and Rajesh exchanged glances, surprised at how a studious guy like him could seem bored of studying. Time crawled. It was as if the clock itself had grown tired, dragging each second like a turtle unwilling to reach its destination.
At last, the bell rang.
The students rushed to pack their bags and hurried out, eager for fresh air. That night, Ayush struggled to sleep. And just when he finally managed to drift off... the alarm rang. Morning had arrived.
At school the next day, Ayush was surprised to see Rajesh just as tired.
"You too?" Ayush asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rajesh just yawned and nodded.
Rakesh, however, didn't show up at all-likely caught up in the same restless night. Despite the weariness, Ayush and Rajesh stepped into class.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere today felt better.
Their teacher entered, took attendance as usual... And then, standing at the classroom door, were 2 girls of new faces. Clearly, they were new to the school.
Then, everyone's attention shifted to the classroom door. The teacher smiled and gestured for them to come in.
"Class, we have two new students joining us today."
The first girl stepped forward-Smriti. She had a soft but confident presence, with long, flowing brown hair that shimmered slightly in the light. Her uniform was perfectly tidy, and the way she stood, calm and composed, gave her a graceful charm.
Beside her stood Jyoti, wearing a proud expression. Her short, wavy hair framed her cute face well, and the slight pink streaks gave her a spark of personality. Her uniform had a more casual touch-still neat but styled in her own way.
The two girls looked comfortable with each other, like best friends. Their steps were synced, and their light smile hinted at their old friendship.
From the middle bench, Rakesh leaned in closer to Ayush, his eyes wide with curiosity.
He nudged Ayush lightly with his elbow and whispered,
"Bro... look at them. Especially the first one. She actually looks beautiful."
Ayush looked up for a moment. His eyes briefly saw Smriti and Jyoti, but his attention quickly returned to the notebook on his desk.
He was hunched slightly forward, scribbling the last few lines of his homework.
"Hmm," he muttered softly, barely reacting.
After the introductions, the teacher asked the girls to take their seats. Smriti and Jyoti walked gracefully across the classroom, scanning the rows. Eventually, they settled a few benches ahead of Ayush and his friends. As they sat down, a few curious murmurs rippled through the class, mostly from boys trying too hard to impress.
The day went on, and soon it was tiffin break.
Students burst into chatter and movement-benches scraped, laughter echoed, and snacks appeared from bags like clockwork. Some boys were busy showing off or cracking jokes, while others rushed to the canteen. In this moment of chaos, Smriti glanced around the classroom, her eyes slowly moving from group to group-until they paused.
Her gaze landed on Ayush, who sat calmly at his bench.
He wasn't laughing loudly or being loud like the others. He was relaxed-his elbows resting on the desk, talking to Rajesh in a quiet, composed tone. Something about him caught her interest-maybe it was the way he seemed unaffected by the noise, or how his presence was grounded. Out of curiosity, she stood up and walked over.
She reached the bench.
"Hi," she said with a gentle smile, her voice polite. "I'm Smriti. What's your name?"
Ayush looked up, slightly tilting his head.
With a calm expression and steady voice, he replied simply,
"Ayush."
No surprise, no overreaction-just composed as ever. Beside him, Rajesh almost froze-eyes bouncing between Ayush and Smriti like a ping-pong ball, his mind clearly racing. After a moment, Smriti smiled again, nodded politely, and returned to her seat without saying anything more.
Once she left, Rajesh leaned in immediately, grinning.
"Hmm... what just happened, bro? And I'm shocked at how you didn't even talk properly! You literally let such a golden opportunity walk away!" Ayush didn't even turn.
He just continued eating and replied coolly, "Listen, I'm not like you-who has time to keep eyes on girls all the time."
He continued chewing casually, then glanced sideways at Rajesh.
"And why does it feel like you got more energy after seeing them than from eating your tiffin, hmm?"
Rajesh gave a sheepish, idiotic grin-taken aback. The rest of the day passed without much else. After the final bell rang, everyone packed their bags and left for home, chatting and laughing as they poured out through the school gates.
Later that night, Ayush was sitting at his desk, focused on finishing the backlog of homework he had from the day before. It was already late-his table lamp the only light glowing in the quiet room.
Eventually, when he fell asleep, his mind decided to give him a strange dream.
He dreamt of Rajesh and Rakesh planning a prank.
In the dream, as they were walking to school and crossed the main road, something bizarre happened-the speed breakers wouldn't stop; they suddenly began multiplying.
Not only were they endless, but they were also growing taller with every step till they were like hills!
Ayush tried to walk, but the bumps turned into mini mountains, and he tripped repeatedly.
He jolted awake, confused by the absurd dream.
"What kind of dream was that...?" he muttered to himself. He glanced at the clock; It was 3 a.m.
Sleep didn't come easily afterward.
He ended up getting only around five hours of rest, but strangely, when morning came-he didn't feel tired at all. In fact, he felt... fresh. Alert. After getting ready, Ayush headed to school.
Upon entering the class, something unexpected happened.
Rakesh was already there-sitting calmly at his seat.
Ayush blinked in surprise. He walked over and sat beside him, still in awe. Rakesh noticed the look on his face.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ayush leaned in and whispered dramatically,
"Bro, what the hell just happened? You're here so early-even before me!?"
Rakesh chuckled and shrugged.
"Oh, that...." stretching his arms he replied, "See-actually, I planned to go for a morning walk the previous day but felt too sleepy today. Then I couldn't sleep again. So, I just came early. And weirdly, I'm feeling fresh now."
Ayush frowned thoughtfully. "Something similar happened to me. I couldn't sleep much either.... but I feel totally fresh. And by the way, what about the girlwatcher?"
Rakesh looked at the classroom door...
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: -
Hey everyone! 👋
Thanks for checking out Divine Blades of Destiny.
This is a story I've been building in my mind for a long time (For 5yrs!) - starting from a normal school life and slowly diving into something much bigger.
If you enjoy the characters or the vibe, feel free to comment, like, or share your thoughts! Every small bit of support means a lot!
Hope you enjoy the journey :)
~Author