Chapter 3: A Monster, A Mask, and A Mistake

The classroom buzzed quietly as students relaxed during the free hour.
I leaned back, feeling the weight of fatigue in my bones. Just as I was about to doze off, a shadow loomed over me.

Tap. Tap.

I opened one eye lazily—and nearly jolted awake.

It was Deeksha, standing right behind me with a sharp, curious look.
“What are you doing, Ash?” she asked.

My mind raced. I couldn't tell her the truth about everything—not yet. So I forced a lazy smile and said,
“Nothing much… stayed up binge-watching movies till two in the morning. I’m dead tired.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, suspicious, but before she could press further—
RUMBLE.

The floor trembled. The windows rattled.
An earthquake? I panicked and immediately ducked under my desk.

But something felt off.
The tremor wasn’t natural. It was rhythmic—like something massive was approaching.

BOOM!

A monstrous figure smashed through the classroom wall.
Humanoid but grotesque, with a twisted grin and crackling energy around its limbs, it charged toward Deeksha with terrifying speed.

"Deeksha, watch out!" I yelled.

Before she could react, Ram—our fiery class rep—leaped between her and the creature.
The monster's blow hit him square in the chest.
Ram was thrown back like a ragdoll, hitting the ground hard.

"Ash!" Deeksha shouted, panic in her voice.
"Take Ram to the infirmary! There's a healing potion there!"

Without thinking, I rushed to Ram's side, hoisted his heavy body onto my shoulders, and sprinted toward the infirmary.

But as soon as I reached the door, an eerie silence greeted me.
The hallway was empty.
No teachers. No students. No staff.
It was too quiet.
Something's wrong.

I laid Ram down gently and pulled out the healing potion.
The golden liquid shimmered as I poured it onto his wounds. His breathing stabilized—but he remained unconscious.

My gut twisted. I couldn't leave him here.

Wrap.

With a quick whisper, I activated my short-range warp magic and teleported Ram safely back to his home.
One less thing to worry about.

Now it was time to face the real threat—the monster back in the classroom.

I needed a plan.
I couldn’t use Time Dock carelessly; its full power only lasted five hours, and many abilities were still locked.

Instead, I decided to fight using my own magic.

I slipped into my battle attire—a black hoodie and a golden mask that concealed my identity perfectly.
Since I wasn’t using Time Dock, the color of my magic naturally shifted to a brilliant golden glow—a bonus ability I'd recently discovered.

Time to test my new skills.

Focusing, I conjured a spell combining four status effects:
Paralyze, Freeze, Burn, and Sleep.
I called it Status Spell.

As I returned to the battlefield, the monster spotted me and lunged forward, swinging a jagged sword aimed straight at my head.

I dodged sideways and, mid-air, cast Status Spell.

The magic surrounded the monster like a golden storm—but it smirked at me.

"So, you’re the hero without the Dock," the monster snarled.
"Pathetic. Your magic is weak. I’ll finish you with a single blow!"

Fear gripped me.

I panicked.

What followed next was pure chaos—a real-life Tom and Jerry chase inside the classroom.

The monster smashed blackboards, overturned desks, and broke windows trying to catch me.
I ducked, weaved, teleported short distances, anything to stay alive.

In the middle of all the chaos, I caught a glimpse of Deeksha laughing behind a pile of desks, her usually stoic face lit up with amusement.

She was laughing at me—at the hero running scared.

Despite everything, her smile was... kinda pretty.

But then—
I noticed something.

The monster’s movements were slowing down.
Frost crept up its legs.
Its arms twitched.
It stumbled, then fell hard onto the cracked floor.

My spell worked!

The monster’s strength and speed vanished.
Within moments, it slumped into sleep—and disappeared into thin air.

I stood there, panting heavily, while Deeksha approached me, brushing dust off her skirt.

"Thanks for saving me," she said with a small nod.

And then she frowned.

"Wait a minute..."
Her eyes dropped to my chest.

I followed her gaze.

My school ID card.

Crap.
I had forgotten to remove it.

"Ash...?!"
Her voice cracked between shock and laughter.

There was no point denying it now.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

"Well... surprise?"

She shook her head with a sigh, but there was a smile tugging at her lips.

"After class, you're coming with me."
Her tone turned strict.

"We’re doing real battle practice. No more running around like cartoons."

I gulped.

"Also," she continued, "keep mine and Ram’s powers a secret. Ice and Fire heroes aren’t supposed to reveal themselves."

I gave her a small salute.
"Got it. Also, Ram’s fine. Time Hero sent him home safely."

Deeksha tilted her head curiously.
"Wait, Time Hero?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Why didn’t Time Hero give you a Dock too?"

I grinned sheepishly.

"I asked him not to. I wanted only a small amount of power... less responsibility, you know?"

For a second, her expression softened.
She smiled warmly—before quickly hiding it behind a rigid, serious face.

"Too bad," she said.
"You’ve just earned yourself a full-time training partner."

I groaned inside.

I had walked straight into my own trap—and now, there was no escaping it.

Still, I couldn't help but smile.

Maybe... this wasn't such a bad thing after all.

[To be continued…]