Eternal Storm: Volume 1 – The Awakening

The next day unfolded much like the one before it—another endless cycle of whispers, stares, and suffocating loneliness. Aryan stepped through the school gates, shoulders hunched, his mind bracing for the inevitable. The moment he set foot inside, the hushed voices rose again, as if rehearsed.

"Look at him. He still comes to school?"

"If I were him, I'd just disappear. Imagine the shame."

"I heard his parents don't even talk to him anymore. I mean, why would they? He's a disgrace."

Aryan's grip on his bag tightened, his nails digging into the fabric. He wanted to scream at them, to tell them to shut up, but what good would that do? They weren't lying. His parents barely acknowledged his presence at home.

As he walked past a group of students, one of them muttered just loud enough for him to hear, "Man, I still can't believe he failed. And he used to act so smart."

Another laughed. "Yeah. And he thought he could impress Anaya, too. What a joke. She probably dodged a bullet."

Aryan froze for a second at the mention of her name. Anaya.

There was a time when she had been one of the few people who still spoke to him, even after he confessed his feelings for her. She had turned him down, but she had been kind about it. They had remained friends—at least, he had thought so.

But after his failure, even she had stopped talking to him. No messages, no accidental glances in the hallways. She had erased him from her life as if he had never existed. Maybe she had only been nice to him out of pity. Maybe she had always known he was a loser before he even realized it himself.

He lowered his head and walked faster, trying to escape the weight of their words.

Classes dragged on. He sat at the back, barely listening, the teacher's voice blending into meaningless noise. No one spoke to him, not even by accident. It was as if he had become invisible. And yet, the whispers continued. Always the whispers.

At lunch, he found himself once again sitting alone, staring at the untouched food on his tray. Across the cafeteria, Rishi and Anaya sat together, laughing. Once, that had been his seat. Once, they had been his friends.

"You see him? Still trying to act like a student. Doesn't he get tired?"

"Maybe he has nowhere else to go. No one even wants him at home."

A sharp pang struck Aryan's chest. They're right, aren't they? His parents rarely spoke to him anymore, except for the occasional reminder of his failure. Even the walls of his own home felt suffocating.

He swallowed hard, his throat dry. He wanted to cry. Not just a few silent tears, but to break down completely, to scream until his voice gave out. But there was no one to listen. No one who would care. He clenched his jaw, forcing the emotions down like poison.

As the final bell rang, Aryan knew he couldn't go home. Not yet. He didn't want to hear his father's sigh of disappointment or see his mother's cold gaze. He needed to be anywhere but there.

His feet carried him toward the forest near the edge of town, where an abandoned ruin stood—an old temple long forgotten by the world. It had once been a place of worship, but now, only cracked pillars and broken stone remained. It was the only place where he could be alone, truly alone.

He sat on the cold stone floor, hugging his knees to his chest. The whispers in his mind were louder here, without the noise of school to drown them out.

What's the point of all this? Will it ever stop? Will I always be this failure, this joke?

The thought lingered, heavy and suffocating. Maybe if he just disappeared, everything would be better. Maybe if he never went back, no one would even notice. He imagined his parents' reaction. Would they even care? Or would they just be relieved that they didn't have to deal with him anymore?

Exhaustion settled over him like a thick blanket. His body was drained, his mind heavier than ever. Before he realized it, his eyes fluttered shut, and sleep claimed him.

In his dream, he was back in school, standing in front of the giant board displaying the exam results. His fingers trembled as he searched for his name. And then he saw it.

FAILED

The word burned itself into his mind. Around him, whispers turned to laughter. Rishi stood beside Anaya, shaking his head.

"I always knew he wouldn't make it," Rishi said. "Guess I was right."

Anaya sighed. "I feel bad for him, but… what can you do? Some people just aren't meant to succeed."

His teachers, his parents, strangers—everyone was there, their voices overlapping.

"He's just a failure."

"He doesn't belong here."

"He's nothing."

The voices swirled around him, growing louder, suffocating him. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. He tried to run, but his feet wouldn't move. The world closed in around him, trapping him in his own despair.

Aryan woke up with a sharp gasp, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The air around him was different—heavy, electric. The forest was dark now, the sun long gone. And then he saw it.

A bright light in the sky, cutting through the darkness. A streak of silver and blue, growing larger by the second. His first thought was a shooting star. But as the seconds passed, he realized it was something else.

An asteroid.

The air vibrated with an eerie hum, the ground beneath him trembling ever so slightly. It was coming down fast, too fast. His breath caught in his throat as he scrambled to his feet. He should run, he should do something, but his body refused to move. He was frozen, watching as the light descended.

For the first time in a long time, the whispers in his mind stopped. There was no past, no failure, no pain. Just the blinding light of the unknown hurtling toward him.

And for the first time in a long time… Aryan felt something other than despair.

He felt fear.

He felt awe.

He felt… alive.

END OF CHAPTER 2