Scene — Examination Hall
The bell rang.
The examination began.
Vaibhav sat still, pen in hand.
A little nervous.
But not lost.
Rotational Motion — done.
Centre of Mass — revised.
Gravitation — unfinished.
He inhaled slowly.
I've read the notes. Solved the questions, he reminded himself.
That had to be enough.
He turned the page.
The paper was… fair.
Not easy.
Not cruel.
Just honest.
A few seats ahead, Shlokh scanned the questions calmly.
Moderate level — nothing unexpected.
Then—
A sudden sting rose in his throat.
Cold.
Sharp.
Not pain exactly… more like frost biting from inside.
He paused.
Fingers tightened around the pen.
The golden stone buzzed faintly.
For a second, his voice felt frozen — locked behind ice.
Then, just as suddenly, it faded.
Shlokh exhaled.
Focus, he told himself.
And continued writing.
Shourya leaned back in his seat, careless as ever.
He glanced at the paper and smirked.
Easy.
He began answering without rush.
Then—
His left eye burned.
His pupil darkened… then vanished.
For a heartbeat, everything went blank.
White.
Thin veins flared faintly around his vision.
And then—
Sight returned.
Sharper.
Clearer.
Almost too clear.
Shourya blinked rapidly.
"What the…" he muttered under his breath.
But the answers were still there.
So he kept writing.
Laughing quietly to himself.
Unaware that frost had already begun to settle —
Scene 2. Last Minutes
The ticking of the clock echoed in Vaibhav's head.
Outside, raindrops hit the ground softly.
Then—
The bell rang.
After the Exam
Outside the school gates, the three met again.
Shourya stretched and said casually,
"Bro, paper was easy. Piece of chocolate. Not even cake."
Vaibhav smiled.
"I'll pass comfortably."
Shlokh sighed,
"At least ask about me."
From behind, Shourya smirked,
"Oh ho—so even the popular guy can mess up exams now?"
Vaibhav laughed.
"Carnival opening is after exams. You guys coming?"
Both replied instantly,
"Obviously."
The cold air thickened.
Winter had begun.
Scene 3 — Aftermath
At home, Vaibhav felt unusually relaxed.
Only one paper left, he thought. Physical Education. No tension there.
The next day at school, confidence stayed—until the last question.
Most of the paper was easy.
Too easy.
Then his eyes froze on the final question.
If you were a P.E. teacher and had to train a blind student, a mentally disturbed student, and a physically challenged student for thirty minutes using the same exercise—what would you choose?
Vaibhav exhaled sharply.
Seriously?
The bell rang before his thoughts could settle.
Outside, Vaibhav and Shourya met—both equally irritated by that last question.
Shlokh, on the other hand, laughed casually. His subject had been AI, not P.E.
By 4:25 PM, the three of them stood together again on the school road.
Same place.
Same faces.
But the exams were over.
And something else… felt close...
Vaibhav reached the school road first, dressed unusually neat—almost aesthetic.
Shlokh was already there.
Vaibhav glanced around and sighed.
"Shourya being late again. Classic."
"Right on cue," Shlokh said.
A voice came from behind them.
"Legends arrive fashionably late."
Shourya grinned, joining them.
The three of them started walking toward Sagar's famous winter carnival, laughing as if nothing in the world could touch them.
Even while walking, Vaibhav and Shourya were still stuck on the same question.
"That PE question was messed up," Shourya said.
"One workout for all three? Even a genius can't answer that."
Shlokh smirked.
"See? Proof that overthinking exists."
Vaibhav laughed, shaking his head.
The carnival gates rose before them—
lights glowing, music drifting, voices blending into joy.
They entered.
Food stalls.
Laughter.
Warm lights reflected on the frozen lake like a golden mirror.
They walked onto the frozen surface, standing still for a moment.
And then—
Vaibhav felt it.
A sudden discomfort.
The black stone in his chest flickered—
faint… then glowing.
Shlokh stiffened.
The golden stone in his throat vibrated.
Shourya blinked hard.
His vision blurred.
The laughter around them faded into distant noise.
All three of them slowly turned their heads—
Toward the carnival gate.
They didn't see a face.
Only a pair of feet, standing just outside the lights.
Still.
Waiting.
Voice of Creation (low, distant):
A spike has begun to rise.
The carnival music continued.
The lights still shone.
But something had stepped closer.
Chapter 8-FROST : FATUITY
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