AUTHOR’S POV
Night had deepened over the Navora Group of Law & Institutions.
The campus that once echoed with debates about justice and law had now fallen into an eerie quiet. Tall trees swayed under the wind, their shadows stretching across the stone pathways like silent watchers.
But beneath this silence…
a game had already begun.
A game of observation, deception, and patience.
And two of the players had already noticed each other.
RUHI’S POV
I didn’t sleep.
Agents rarely did on their first night in hostile territory.
The message from the anonymous teammate replayed in my mind.
“Someone inside the campus already knows who you are.”
That meant one thing.
The spy had either recognized me…
or someone inside the system had leaked information.
Neither option was comforting.
At 2:13 AM, my phone vibrated again.
Aalia.
I answered immediately.
“Report.”
Her voice came through the earpiece, calm but excited.
“Your instinct was right, Ruhi. Someone tampered with the campus security logs tonight.”
I leaned against the hostel wall quietly.
“How?”
“Two cameras in the west corridor went offline for exactly forty-seven seconds.”
“Coincidence?”
Aalia laughed softly.
“You don’t bring a team of spies for coincidences.”
Fair point.
Before I could reply, another voice joined the encrypted call.
Aaron.
“Boss, Rohan and I are inside the campus perimeter.”
“Already?”
“We like dramatic entrances.”
Typical Aaron.
Then Rohan’s deeper voice came.
“Ruhi, there are fresh footprints near the academic block.”
My pulse sharpened.
“Direction?”
“Rooftop access.”
I looked toward the dark silhouette of the academic building from the hostel window.
The same rooftop where Manan had stood the previous night.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“Stay hidden,” I said calmly.
“I’m coming.”
AUTHOR’S POV
Within minutes, a shadow slipped out of the girls’ hostel.
Silent.
Swift.
Precise.
Ruhi moved through the campus like someone who belonged to the darkness itself. Every step calculated. Every movement controlled.
She reached the courtyard where Aaron and Rohan waited behind a row of stone pillars.
Aaron grinned when he saw her.
“Hyderabad suits you, boss.”
Ruhi ignored the comment.
“Report.”
Rohan pointed toward the staircase leading to the rooftop.
“Someone went up ten minutes ago.”
Aaron crossed his arms.
“And whoever it is… moves like a trained operative.”
Ruhi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Her instincts whispered one name.
Manan.
But instincts were not evidence.
“Positions,” she ordered.
Rohan moved toward the left corridor instantly.
Aaron climbed silently onto a low wall to monitor the courtyard.
Ruhi started toward the staircase.
Just then—
Aalia’s voice echoed in the earpiece.
“Wait.”
Ruhi stopped.
“What now?”
“I’m tracking movement inside the academic building.”
“How many?”
A pause.
Then Aalia said slowly—
“Three.”
Aaron frowned.
“Three?”
“Yes.”
Rohan whispered from the corridor.
“But only one went upstairs.”
A tense silence followed.
Which meant…
Two others were still inside the building.
RUHI’S POV
My heartbeat slowed.
Not from fear.
From focus.
“Split,” I whispered.
Aaron sighed.
“You love chaos.”
“Just move.”
Rohan disappeared into the eastern hallway.
Aaron vanished toward the archive rooms.
That left the rooftop path…
for me.
I climbed the staircase slowly.
Each step creaked faintly under the old stone.
When I reached the top…
the rooftop door was slightly open.
Wind rushed through the gap.
I pushed it gently.
The rooftop stretched wide under the moonlight.
And someone stood there.
Tall.
Still.
Facing the city skyline.
Professor Manan Singh Rajput.
I folded my arms.
“You patrol rooftops too?”
He didn’t turn immediately.
Almost like he had already known I was there.
Finally he spoke.
“Following your professor at night?”
His voice was calm.
Annoyingly calm.
I stepped closer.
“Interesting hobby for someone who teaches criminal law.”
Now he turned.
Moonlight reflected in his sharp eyes.
“And sneaking around campus at 2 AM is normal student behavior?”
I smiled faintly.
“Depends on the student.”
His gaze lingered on me for a moment.
Then he said quietly—
“उद्यमेन हि सिद्ध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः।”
Success comes from effort, not merely from wishes.
I tilted my head.
“Quoting philosophy at midnight?”
“Observation.”
He looked toward the courtyard below.
“Some people here work too hard for things they shouldn’t have.”
A strange tension filled the space between us.
Then suddenly—
A loud crash echoed from inside the building.
Aaron’s voice burst through the corridors .
“Ruhi!”
My body reacted instantly.I saw Alia running towards me
“Location!”
“Archive room. Someone just attacked Rohan.”
I turned toward the staircase.
But before I could move—
Manan grabbed my wrist.
The motion was fast.
Too fast.
My eyes widened slightly.
That was not the reflex of a normal professor.
“Wait,” he said quietly.
“Why?” I snapped.
“Because whoever attacked your friend…”
His gaze sharpened.
“…is still inside.”
For a moment our eyes locked.
A silent calculation passed between us.
Then we ran.
Together.
AUTHOR’S POV
Inside the archive corridor—
Rohan was fighting two masked figures.
His defensive style was controlled but powerful.
One attacker swung a metal rod toward him.
Rohan blocked it and pushed the man back against a shelf.
Just then—
Aaron jumped down from the upper railing.
“Miss me?”
He kicked the second attacker hard.
The masked figure stumbled.
But before they could capture either of them—
Both attackers threw small smoke devices onto the floor.
The corridor filled with grey smoke instantly.
By the time Ruhi reached the scene—
the attackers were gone.
But something else caught her attention.
Manan had moved beside her.
His breathing steady.
His posture balanced.
Like someone trained for combat.
Not like a law professor.
Ruhi looked at him carefully.
“You fight?”
Manan wiped dust from his sleeve calmly.
“Self-defense.”
Aaron whispered to Ruhi quietly,
“Your professor punches like a military officer.”
"so professor is it normal for the campus to have these kind of attacks "
Manan looked at Ruhi and said " its often the kind of students that bring trouble"
Ruhi didn’t respond.
Instead she studied Manan again.
His movements.
His stance.
His awareness.
This man…
was hiding something.
And he knew she had noticed.
Their eyes met once more.
A silent challenge.
Then Ruhi said coldly,
“Interesting campus you work at, Professor.”
Manan replied just as calmly.
“Interesting student you are, Ms. Rai.”
The tension between them crackled like electricity.
And somewhere in the darkness of the campus—
the real spy watched everything unfold.
Thank you
Gratitudes,
Author✨
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