Tamim strolled through the university hallway, lost in thought. "The tournament is postponed, and Samia gave us a break from our activities. I barely started attending university and already have a 3% attendance. I'll have to show up every day now to improve that percentage," he pondered.
Entering the classroom, all eyes turned toward Tamim. He quickly realized he wasn't wearing his mask and swiftly put it on.
"Wait, he's a student here too?" remarked a girl.
"I didn't know dedicated university students followed e-sports," Tamim overheard, feeling slightly puzzled, and took a seat at the back.
The teacher arrived, and the lecture began. Tamim listened attentively and noticed Faria sitting alone on a nearby bench.
As the classes concluded for lunch, Tamim spent the break absorbed in his phone, unfazed by hunger or thirst.
The lunch break ended, and another teacher entered, announcing, "We'll be taking your assignment next Monday, so be prepared," initiating a lecture that left Tamim bewildered. "I have no idea what he's talking about. I haven't been attending these days," Tamim thought to himself.
Once the university day concluded, Tamim walked outside, stopping at the bus stop. Faria soon joined him.
"Do you know about the assignment?" Faria asked.
"No, I have no clue," Tamim replied.
"It's an analysis on the farmland company's business strategy," Faria explained.
"Why are you telling me this?" Tamim questioned.
"Oh, nothing, I just assumed you weren't aware," replied Faria.
"Yeah, I don't know, but I didn't ask you anything," Tamim responded.
After boarding the bus, Tamim and Faria found their seats. As the bus progressed, an elderly lady stepped in but there were no available seats. Faria promptly stood up and offered her seat, but Tamim chose to ignore the situation.
Arriving home, Faria opened the door to find a shadowy figure in the room. As she stepped in, she was surprised to see a man cooking.
"Dad?" Faria called out.
"Oh, Faria, my baby! It's been so long. Come here, let me give my little girl a hug," the man greeted, revealing himself to be Foisal.
"I'm glad you're here, but please, don't treat me like a child. I'm 18, not 8," responded Faria.
"You'll always be my little child," chuckled Foisal. "I made some food for you."
"Just a moment, let me freshen up," Faria replied.
---
"So, what happened at the tournament? I heard it got canceled," inquired Foisal.
"It was due to cheating issues involving the Bloodstrok team," answered Faria.
"Forget about it, Dad," Faria tried to dismiss the topic.
"Alright, sorry I couldn't meet you earlier; I had some problems," Foisal apologized.
"Dad, there's something I want to talk to you about," Faria began.
"Is it that you hacked into my phone and accessed the documents about Dr. X's mission?" Foisal asked Faria with a slightly happy face.
"What? How did you find out?" Faria's astonishment was palpable in her voice.
"I've known all along. You're the one who saved me that day. I just pretended not to know,"
- Foisal confessed, his tone a mix of understanding and concern. "But I need you to step back from this now."
"Dad! You know why I'm doing this," Faria interjected, her urgency apparent. "I'm following your path. My only concern is to protect those who are vulnerable."
"It's not the same. I've been a professional in this for my entire life,"Foisal insisted, his voice tinged with concern.
"So, if someone offered me money for this, you'd let me do it?"Faria's question cut through the air.
"No, that's not what I meant," Foisal clarified hastily.
"Then why can't I? I'm not an ordinary human. I've spent eight years learning to control my powers just to lead a normal life? I want to be like you. If you won't allow me, it would be a disservice to all the heroes in the world. A hero sacrifices for others. You taught me that,"Faria pleaded, her voice wrought with conviction.
"I don't know what to say but it would be better if you stay away from this. The reason i came home today was to tell you this '' Says Foisal
" First tell me from when you knew all this about me " Says Faria
" Basically from the very beginning and to be honest you've helped a lot. Still I won't let you interfere farther. " Says Foisal
" Why? " Says Faria
" Because I don't want to lose you. I love you more than anything " Says Foisal
" Lets reverse the context. If I tell you to stop your job because I care about you and I don't want to lose you, would you do that? I know you won't because you have a responsibility for the country and society. " Says Faria
" You are not understanding what i actually trying to say " Says Foisal
" Just like the way you promised me, we can keep the promise mutual. Nothing will happen to me, believe me. " Says Faria
"Alright, I'll let you proceed. But promise me you'll stay safe." Foisal implored, his voice tender.
"Thank you, Dad. I won't let your world crumble," Faria assured with determination.
------
The next day, after classes, Tamim stood at the familiar bus stop, waiting for his ride home. Faria appeared beside him, her expression carrying a sense of urgency.
"Tamim, I need to talk to you," she began, her tone serious.
"What about?" Tamim asked, noticing the intensity in her eyes.
"Let's find somewhere more secluded," Faria suggested, steering them away from the bus stop and onto the quiet university walkway.
"I confided in my dad," Faria admitted as they walked, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Your dad? How did he react?" Tamim prodded, curious about her father's response.
"He already knew everything but kept it hidden from me," Faria confessed, surprise evident in her tone.
"Hmm, I had my suspicions. It's odd to gather information that easily without alerting the police," Tamim remarked, pondering the revelation.
"Do you have any leads?" Tamim inquired, hoping for some crucial information.
"Not much, but we're working on it. Some spies are out there, tirelessly seeking any hint of their base or lab," Faria replied earnestly.
"The police seem incapable; they haven't located a single base yet," Tamim criticized, growing frustrated with the lack of progress.
"Finding a hidden base isn't child's play. Why don't you try finding the base yourself if you think it's that simple?" Faria said, her tone reflecting both frustration and determination.
Few days Later
Amidst the lecturer's monotonous drone, Tamim found himself struggling to focus. As he scribbled notes, a subtle vibration startled him—the glow of his phone screen revealed a message from Faria.
"We need to go somewhere now," Faria's text flashed across his screen.
"Middle of lecture?" Tamim typed back, a touch of disbelief in his response.
Faria, in a quick move, rose from her seat. "May I go to the toilet, sir?" she asked the teacher, her voice both polite and urgent.
"Sure, and if anyone else needs to go, don't disturb the lecture," the teacher responded, engrossed in the lesson.
As Faria slipped out of the classroom, a subtle stir among the students began. Tamim seized the opportunity, swiftly making his way outside, scanning the area for Faria's presence.
"What's going on?" Tamim inquired, catching up to her.
"Someplace with potential for a secret lab—a location where some spies mysteriously vanished during their investigation," Faria explained. "I'm heading to one of the spots my dad suggested," she added, a hint of urgency in her voice.
"Where is that place?" Tamim queried, trying to gather more details.
"I just received the picture; I don't have the exact location," Faria admitted.
"So, how are we going to get there?" Tamim inquired.
"It's somewhere within the woodland mountain area," Faria replied.
"It'll take us a day to reach there," Tamim calculated.
"If it's an issue, don't come. I didn't ask you to join me. As promised, I'll share the information related to Dr. X. That's all," Faria retorted. "But if you decide to come, grab a costume that can conceal your identity. Meet me at the mountainside, I'll be waiting for five minutes."
"What? I have to go home first to get a costume, and that'll take me half an hour," Tamim said
Faria uttered, "Come with me," and set off. Tamim trailed behind, an uneasy thought lingering: "I'm following her instructions as though I'm being directly manipulated."
As Faria led the way into the garage, Tamim couldn't help but question, "What are we doing here?"
With a deft move, Faria conjured a portal beneath Tamim, and in a blink, he stood in front of his own home. "Ah, so she found an empty spot and teleported me using her powers," Tamim deduced, observing his worn-out attire. "This won't suffice," he pondered, unlocking a concealed room with a secret key.
Inside his house, Tamim sought the costume he wore that day, finding it in a dire state. "This won't do," he thought, opening a previously locked room to retrieve a hidden key.
Emerging from his house, Tamim spotted Faria waiting outside. "How did you know where I live?" he questioned, surprised by her knowledge.
"It's not necessary for you to know; I found the location," Faria replied cryptically.
Soon after, Faria made her way toward the rear of the house, prompting Tamim to ask, "Where are you going?"
"Follow me," urged Faria, taking out her phone and scrutinizing a photo. She began observing the image, conjuring a portal. With resolve, she stepped through it.
"I had a feeling she'd do this," Tamim mused, joining Faria as he entered the portal, disappearing into the unknown.
Tamim stepped out of the portal and found himself in a forest, startled by the fleeing deer.
"Who would set up a base in a place like this? It's got tigers, bears, and even lions," Tamim voiced his concern.
"I'm not sure, but we have to find out," replied Faria.
Tamim remembered something and asked, "The other day, you said you needed to physically see the place to teleport. How did you get here with only a photo?"
Faria explained, "I can teleport by seeing a photo, but it's less reliable if the picture was taken a while ago. The photo I have was taken this morning by a spy before he vanished into this forest."
Transforming her outfit, Faria took to the air, scanning the area using her X-ray vision. Observing this, Tamim quickly donned his costume over his clothes.
Faria noticed his attire, commenting, "This fabric looks familiar."
Puzzled, Tamim asked, "What do you mean?"
"Never mind. I've found an unusual spot in the middle of the forest; I think there's something odd about it," Faria said, taking off with Tamim following behind.
While running, Tamim pondered, "How can someone fly? Do they defy gravity or something?"
As they reached the location, Tamim attempted to move forward, but Faria abruptly stopped him.
"Why?" questioned Tamim.
"My X-ray vision shows a barrier, but my normal vision sees nothing," Faria explained.
"How do I use X-ray vision?" Tamim inquired.
"It's an ability; try concentrating hard until your vision blurs, and you might access X-ray vision. It works for me, but I'm not sure about you," she instructed. Suddenly, a soul monster attacked Tamim, and Faria swiftly intervened.
"I can't see anything," Tamim exclaimed.
"It was an invisible entity, possibly a soul, that attacked you," Faria explained.
"What are souls doing here?" Tamim wondered.
"There's not just one, there are many, and they've combined to create an invisible barrier," Faria informed.
to be continued...