AUTHOR'S POV
The night had settled over the campus like a silent witness.
Ruhi sat alone in the dim glow of her desk lamp, the encrypted files from the hidden server still open on her laptop. Lines of code flickered across the screen like a language that refused to be understood.
Outside her window, the law school building stood dark and still.
But Ruhi knew better now.
The building was not empty.
It was hiding something.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, replaying the events of the last few days.
The hidden server room beneath the archives.
The encrypted drives.
The sudden attack.
And Manan.
Always Manan.
He appeared moments before danger.
He knew things he shouldn't.
And worst of all… when she looked at him, something inside her stirred — something that felt less like suspicion and more like memory.
That frightened her the most.
Because Ruhi trusted logic.
Evidence.
Facts.
And none of those explained the strange familiarity that crept into her chest whenever he was near.
Earlier that evening.
Ruhi and her team had gathered in the abandoned seminar hall, whispering over the scattered files they had extracted from the server.
Rohan leaned over the laptop.
“This encryption isn’t normal,” he muttered. “Whoever built this system didn’t want it cracked.”
Aalia crossed her arms.
“So someone is running a secret network under a law school?”
Ruhi's eyes remained fixed on the screen.
“Not someone,” she said quietly.
“Something bigger.”
Rohan scrolled through a file.
“These codes… they look like case IDs.”
“Case IDs?” Aalia asked.
“Yes,” Rohan said slowly. “But none of them exist in the court database.”
Ruhi felt the familiar cold prickle of danger crawl up her spine.
“Then they’re not legal cases,” she whispered.
Rohan looked at her.
“Then what are they?”
Ruhi didn’t answer.
Because the answer had already begun forming in her mind.
Operations.
Secret operations.
Someone was using the law school as a cover.
A sudden creak echoed from the corridor outside.
All three of them froze.
Aalia whispered, “Did you lock the door?”
Rohan nodded.
But the footsteps outside continued.
Slow.
Measured.
Like someone searching.
Ruhi closed the laptop instantly.
“Lights off.”
The room plunged into darkness.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then—
A sharp metallic click.
The lock began turning.
Rohan whispered urgently, “That’s impossible.”
The door burst open.
Two masked men rushed inside.
Everything happened in seconds.
One of them lunged straight toward Ruhi.
Instinct took over.
Ruhi grabbed a chair and swung it toward him, forcing him back.
But the second attacker moved faster.
His grip closed around her arm.
“Give us the drive,” he hissed.
Ruhi struggled.
Her mind raced.
How did they know we were here?
The attacker tightened his grip.
Pain shot through her wrist.
And then—
A sudden force slammed into the man.
He flew backward.
Ruhi staggered in shock.
Manan stood between her and the attackers.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
The attackers recovered quickly and rushed him.
Ruhi expected chaos.
Instead—
Manan moved with terrifying precision.
He blocked the first punch effortlessly, twisting the attacker’s arm and sending him crashing into a desk.
The second man swung a knife.
Ruhi gasped.
But Manan disarmed him in a single motion.
The knife clattered to the floor.
Within seconds both attackers were on the ground.
Unconscious.
The room fell silent.
Ruhi stared.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Manan straightened his sleeve as if nothing unusual had happened.
“You should leave.”His voice was firm.
“Now.”
Ruhi didn’t move.
She was staring at Manan.
Not as a professor.
Not as an ally.
But as a mystery.
A dangerous one.
When the others left, the silence between them grew heavy.
Ruhi crossed her arms.
“You fight like a trained operative.” “Most law professors don’t disarm knives in three seconds,” she added coldly.
Manan didnt respond
Ruhi stepped closer.
“And you arrive exactly when the attack starts.”
His eyes met hers.
Calm.
Unreadable.
“That’s suspicious, you are very suspicious professor ” she said.
For the first time, something flickered in his gaze.
Not anger.
Not guilt.
Something deeper.
Something almost… painful.
“You shouldn’t be digging into the server,” he said quietly.
Ruhi laughed bitterly.
“So you know that we were digging into it .”
Of course he did.
“How?” she demanded.
“How do you keep knowing things before they happen?”
Manan looked away for a moment.
As if choosing his words carefully.
“Some dangers are predictable.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No,” he said softly.
“It’s a warning.”
Ruhi felt frustration burn through her chest.
“Who are you ? and what are you hiding ? ”
Silence.
“You appear before danger.”
Silence.
“You fight like someone who’s done this before.”
Still silence.
Ruhi stepped closer.
“And every time I look at you…”
Her voice faltered.
Something strange twisted inside her chest.
“…it feels like I’ve met you before.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Manan froze.
For the first time since she had known him, his composure cracked.
Just slightly.
His eyes searched her face.
As if looking for something lost.
And then—
For a split second—
A memory. something new. flashed through Ruhi’s mind.
Rain.
Dark streets.
Running footsteps.
A voice shouting her name.
Not Ruhi.
Another name.
And a hand pulling her away from danger.
She staggered back.
The image vanished as quickly as it came.
“What was that…” she whispered.
Manan looked shaken now.
“Ruhi—”
But she cut him off.
“No.”
Her voice hardened.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what’s going on.”
His silence was answer enough.
Ruhi’s thoughts raced.
Why does he look at me like he knows me?
Why do I feel like I know him?
And the most terrifying question of all—
Why did that memory feel real?
She stepped back.
“You knew about the attack,” she said slowly.
Manan didn't deny it.
“You knew we were digging into the server.”
Still nothing.
“And you saved me.”
The last words came out softer.
That part confused her the most.
Because if he was involved in whatever secret network existed…
Why would he protect her?
Ruhi looked straight into his eyes.
“Who are you really, Manan?”
For a moment, it seemed like he might finally answer.
But then the distant sound of approaching security guards echoed down the corridor.
Manan stepped away.
His expression returned to its usual calm mask.
“You’re asking the wrong question,” he said quietly.
Ruhi frowned.
“Then what’s the right one?”
Manan hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then he said something that sent a chill down her spine.
“You should be asking why someone is trying so hard to make sure you never remember your past.”
Ruhi’s breath caught.
“What do you mean?”
But Manan was already walking toward the door.
He paused only once.
Without turning around, he said softly—
“They’re watching you now.”
Then he left.
Ruhi stood alone in the dark seminar hall.
Her mind spinning.
Her heart unsettled.
Because now the question was no longer whether Manan was hiding something.
That much was obvious.
The real question was far more dangerous.
Why did it feel like he already knew the truth about her… before she even did?
And somewhere deep inside the encrypted server beneath the law school…
A new file had just been activated.
File Name:
RUHI — SUBJECT MEMORY LOCK
Status:
Compromised.
Thank you
Gratitudes,
Author✨
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