"You're in danger," the girl declared.
"Danger? What do you mean? What kind?" Tamim questioned, intrigued.
"It's because of your power," the girl continued.
"I don't have any powers," Tamim retorted, and thought " How the hell does this girl know about this? ".
"That's a lie. I can prove it right now. However, I won't say more here. If you really want to know, meet me at the park where you fought that monster, 4:00 PM," she asserted, boarding a bus abruptly.
At Nextera E-sports, Fahim noticed Tamim's unease. "What's wrong? You don't look okay," Fahim inquired.
"I'm not feeling well. I think I need to go home," Tamim excused himself.
"It's okay. Take care, Tamim," Samia reassured him.
"Thanks," Tamim acknowledged before leaving the room.
-
As Tamim arrived at the park, his focus on unraveling the mystery grew stronger.
"I expected you here," the girl calmly stated as Tamim approached her.
"Alright, first things first. How did you know about me? Who are you? And what's this danger you're talking about?" Tamim inquired urgently, a mix of curiosity and concern in his voice.
"Those are a lot of questions, and I'm not the best at conversation. But I'll try to answer properly," she began. "I saw you fighting that transformed monster. I'm the one who saved you from that situation, but I can't reveal much about myself. As for the danger, it's complicated, and it'll take time to explain. That's why I called you here."
While they conversed, a sniper's bullet aimed at the girl was effortlessly intercepted by her hand. Another bullet headed towards Tamim was deftly dodged by his quick reflexes. Identifying the sniper, he tried to locate the attacker, but the girl swiftly used her portal abilities to reach the assailant.
Demanding information, she confronted the sniper pressing him for details about his motives and affiliations.
"What's your purpose? Who do you work for?" the girl interrogated Kabila, a note of urgency in her voice.
That sniper guy, visibly hesitant, seemed torn. "I am Kabila, I work for Doctor Shohan," he finally divulged, his voice fraught with tension. "He aims to create a superhuman drug, a formula using enhanced DNA."
"That's common knowledge. Tell me something new," the girl pressed further.
Before Kabila could reveal anything more, a sudden burst shook the area, resulting in his abrupt demise, his head exploding before their eyes.
"Unexpected," Tamim uttered, taken aback by the shocking turn of events.
"Don't misjudge me. None of this was my doing," the girl clarified, sensing Tamim's confusion.
"Wait, just tell me what's happening," Tamim urged, feeling a sense of urgency.
"It's not the time to explain. People from this building are coming to the roof. We need to escape quickly with the body, she instructed, including the body, and they vanished, leaving Tamim bewildered in the park.
"What in the world just happened? And where did she go?" Tamim questioned aloud, trying to piece together the unexpected sequence of events.
-----------
Tamim returned home and turned on the TV, tuning into a news channel for the first time in months. As sports news flashed on the screen, he decided to take a bath.
"Dr. Shohan, huh? If it's the same person I knew, I'll take him down with my own hands," Tamim muttered while taking his shower.
Exiting the bathroom, he entered the room where the TV was on.
"It's been a month, and the country's defense system is under threat from Dr. Shohan, also known as Dr. X for his criminal activities. Police are struggling to stop him despite his notorious actions spanning nearly eight years. His elusiveness showcases his extreme intelligence," the news report narrated.
The reporter continued, "82 years ago, the world witnessed the Soul Sorcerer, with incredible soul control powers, the world used to hate them before . Now, we're encountering superhumans with extraordinary abilities. Survivors of the sudden panic attack that killed millions are claiming superpowers. The world government aims to take swift steps to control them to prevent any potential corruption."
Turning off the TV, Tamim affirmed, "I also possess superpowers but who cares. None will know, no one."
Next Day -
At Dakka Business University, Tamim, masked as always, listened to a professor's lecture. A girl sought permission to enter the class, catching Tamim's attention—she was the same girl from their meeting yesterday.
"She studies here? That's how she found me. Good for me; she might know about Dr. Shohan. She confronted that Kabila guy, knowing Shohan's involvement. She's deeply tied to this," Tamim pondered.
When class ended, Tamim anticipated talking to her, but she seemed to vanish.
"What's with this girl? She definitely noticed me; we had an awkward eye contact during class. Where could she have gone?" wondered Tamim.
At Nextera E-sports:
"Dude, what happened? Are you okay? Are you hiding something?" Fahim asked Tamim.
"No, nothing," Tamim replied.
"I think he had a breakup with his secret girlfriend," Riya teased.
"Sometimes I wonder how an attractive guy like Tamim doesn't have a girlfriend, and Fahim, too," Rafi jokes.
Samia entered the room. "Well, guys, I spoke with her, and she'll be joining us tomorrow," she announced.
"Who? The new player?" Fahim inquired.
"Yes," Samia confirmed. "I think she plays better than Roky."
"A girl under 19 with better sniper skills than Roky—it sounds amusing," Tamim remarked skeptically.
"I was also an ex-sniper player, and I'm a girl, so how can you say that, Tamim?" Samia retorted. "You'll see how skilled she is with the sniper in-game. Just wait for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow's Friday, so let's start practice at 10:00 AM. Remember, we have less than a month left," Samia reminded them.
Next Day - 10:12 Am.
Fahim and Tamim walking together.
"Hey, are you okay, bro? I sense something's off with you, especially after the admission test. As best friends, there should be no secrets between us," Fahim said.
"No, I'm genuinely fine. You don't need to worry about me," Tamim replied.
"As you say. If you don't want to share, there's nothing more I can do," Fahim conceded.
They entered the e-sports faculty.
"You guys are late," Rafi remarked.
"We walked here; that's why we're late," Tamim retorted.
"Ah, when will she arrive? She told me it would take her 5 minutes to reach here," Samia wondered aloud.
"Who?" Tamim asked while grabbing a water bottle.
"It's probably the new player who'll join us today," Fahim informed.
"Yeah," Samia confirmed.
Tamim sat on his chair, donned his headphones, and started a match in training mode while the conversation flowed around him.
"May I come in?" a voice called from outside the door.
Samia opened the door, welcoming the new member. "Oh, you're here! Come in, Faria."
"Hi Faria, I'm Fahim, the Defense Unit player of the team," Fahim introduced himself.
"Hi, and wow, you're stunning, almost like a model, maybe even more than that. By the way, I'm Riya, the Healer," Riya greeted.
"Hello, I'm the support player, Rafi. Nice to meet you," Rafi introduced himself.
"Where's Tamim?" Samia asked.
As everyone looked back, they noticed Tamim engrossed in the game.
"Forget about him; he's usually like this. Most likely, he didn't notice you, Faria. Don't mind him," Samia assured Faria.
"It's fine," Faria responded.
"No, it's not fine. Wait," Fahim intervened, removing Tamim's headphones abruptly.
"What was that? I'm in an important match," Tamim protested, turning back.
"Huh? That girl, what is she doing here?" Tamim pondered.
"This is Faria, our new member and sniper player," Samia introduced.
"Hmm, hi," Tamim hesitated.
The room fell silent.
"Just 'hi'? You should introduce yourself properly. She might get the wrong idea about you," Samia nudged.
"No problem. I know all of you. I'm glad to be part of the team," Faria said, breaking the silence.
"Alright, share your gameplay techniques with her so we can build a great team. I'll be stepping out for a moment," Samia said, leaving the room.
A while later, as they were conversing:
"Where do you live, Faria?" Riya inquired.
"Bluefly Road, Third Lane," Faria replied.
"Oh, that's on the same road as Tamim's house," Fahim noted.
"I don't understand why you guys are discussing off-topic during practice. Don't you think practice is important right now?" Tamim redirected the conversation.
"Don't mind him. This friend of mine is an introvert and serious about esports," Fahim explained.
"That's okay. I think he's right; we are wasting time," Faria agreed.
Later, Fahim, Tamim, and Faria were walking home together.
"Wow, so you're Phoenix, the player ranked 12th on the national server game leaderboard. Many assumed you were a boy since you never appeared on camera," Fahim remarked to Faria.
"Oh," Faria responded.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable talking with me?" Fahim inquired.
"No," Faria replied.
"It seems you're also an introvert like Tamim, but you're not as much like him. Look at him; he hasn't spoken a word while we've been walking," Fahim observed. "I need to go this way. Nice to meet you," Fahim said, departing.
Faria continued walking, and Tamim called out to her from behind.
"Wait, we're not finished. You said you'd tell me what's going on, but you left suddenly that day, and now you've ended up being my teammate. So now, tell me. I hope you won't disappear now," Tamim urged.
"I thought you weren't interested, but I think you found interest in this," Faria remarked.
"No, I was interested from the start," Tamim insisted.
"No, you weren't. From the moment that Kabila guy mentioned Dr. Shohan, your expression changed, and I noticed it," Faria pointed out.
"She's complicated," Tamim thought.
"I know the reason," Faria added.
"What? I have no reason," Tamim countered.
"I understand. You don't want to open up, but I can see it in your eyes. Dr. Shohan... he's the reason you're so fixated. I know the story, Tamim," Faria said with a calm certainty.
Tamim froze, caught off guard by her words. His silence was deafening, his gaze fixed on her, searching for any sign of deceit or false assumption.
"How...how do you know about that?" Tamim stuttered, a mix of shock and curiosity evident in his voice.
Faria took a moment before responding. "You see, sometimes secrets aren't as hidden as you think. There are certain things that connect people, Tamim. We might not know each other's stories, but our struggles echo in the way we carry ourselves."
Tamim's eyes widened, trying to understand how this girl, a recent acquaintance, seemed to see through his carefully constructed facade.
"Look, Tamim," Faria continued, "I know about the incident with Dr. Shohan and your parents. That horrific memory, etched into your mind. The pain you've carried, the anger that smolders beneath your surface. It's something I've witnessed before, in a different form."
Tamim's mind raced with skepticism." How could she know? "
The air around them seemed to thicken with the weight of unspoken emotions and shared pain, as if two souls on diverging paths suddenly found a connection in the darkness of their pasts.
To be continued....