Chapter One: Log In. Lock In.

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...POV: Saanvi Mehta...

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The glow of Saanvi Mehta’s laptop was the only light in the room, casting shadows across her soft brown face as her fingers danced across the keyboard. The silence of her dorm was pierced only by the occasional ping from her gaming console—a subtle reminder that the world inside the screen never slept.

> "RogueViper has entered the lobby."

Her lips curled.

He was always online when she was. Almost… eerily so.

Saanvi rolled her neck and sat up straighter. Her long black hair tumbled down her back like silk, slightly frizzy from her post-shower bun. She wasn’t one of those girls who dolled up for online gaming. She played for escape, not attention.

And yet… she always found herself anticipating this one username.

RogueViper.

Whoever he was, he played with surgical precision, spoke in clipped sentences, and rarely used voice chat. But he always seemed to know what she’d do next—like he was one keystroke ahead of her thoughts.

She told herself it was just instinct. Compatibility.

Still, something about him stuck.

Tonight’s arena was a three-hour coding-and-combat crossover tournament on ByteBattles, a gaming platform exclusive to top-tier Indian universities. Players coded traps, launched attacks, and defended bases using actual logic statements.

Saanvi had joined for fun.

Her partner? Assigned anonymously.

Of course, she was paired with RogueViper.

> [Viper]: I’ll cover the left flank. You handle the encryption trap.

Her fingers paused.

> [CodeQueen]: Got it. You always guess my play. Creepy, much?

> [Viper]: Guess? Or do I just know you too well? ;)

She blinked.

It was the first time he’d ever flirted.

Before she could respond, the round began, pulling her back into the storm. Her focus snapped into place—muscle memory and logic taking over. Lines of code blinked across her HUD as she launched commands and counter-hacks. Together, they moved like one being, coordinating with eerie synchronicity.

Their duo was unstoppable.

And they won.

Of course they did.

> [System]: Victory – CodeQueen + RogueViper

Prize: Invite to ByteSummit Pune – Final Round IRL

Her heart skipped.

The ByteSummit was real-world.

Physical.

Offline.

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Later that night...

Saanvi pulled on an oversized hoodie and wandered into the common room of her all-girls tech dorm at I.I.T.E.—Indian Institute of Tech & Engineering, Pune’s elite private university.

The students here weren’t just smart; they were legacy. Born from CEOs, politicians, and tech royalty.

Saanvi was one of the few on merit—not money.

“Playing with that Viper guy again?” her best friend Ananya asked, eyes still on her textbook, but voice edged with concern.

Saanvi flopped onto the beanbag beside her. “He’s good. Like… scary good.”

“Good how? Code-wise or stalker-wise?”

Saanvi chuckled. “It’s a game, Ana. Don’t be so paranoid.”

But Ananya wasn’t smiling. She pushed her glasses up, fixing Saanvi with a serious look.

“You realize he knows everything about your play style. And tonight? That ‘too well’ line? That’s not random.”

“I think he was just teasing,” Saanvi said, trying to sound casual.

But… the phrasing had replayed in her mind.

Ananya sighed. “Just be careful, okay? There are weirdos in this world. Especially in tech.”

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Across campus...

Rudra Malhotra sat in his minimalist room—back straight, face expressionless, hands resting on a mechanical keyboard that purred like a predator.

Dual monitors glowed before him—on one, the frozen game screen. On the other, lines of terminal code streamed endlessly.

Behind him: a wall of photos.

Saanvi.

Her smile in blurry frames.

Her walking through campus.

Her laughing with friends.

Every digital trace he could find, he had archived.

She didn’t know. Not really.

He found her during a routine crawl of the ByteBattles codebase. She was precise. Brilliant. Obsessive.

Just like him.

He never meant to fall into the spiral. But once he found her…

He couldn’t unfold her.

She has his algorithm now.

And tomorrow?

He’d meet her offline.

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Next Day – ByteSummit Computer Lab

Saanvi stepped into the high-security lab, badge clipped to her hoodie, heart pounding. Rows of sleek machines, security cameras, and a buzz of competition filled the room.

Then she saw him.

Tall. Sharp jawline. Unruly black hair. A charcoal hoodie with no logo. Eyes flickering between calm and unreadable.

He looked… normal.

Too normal.

“Hey. You’re Saanvi, right?” he asked.

Her brows lifted. “Yeah. And you are…?”

He smiled. And for a single flicker—just a heartbeat—something about it felt off.

“Rudra Malhotra. I’m your partner.”

She froze.

“You’re…” Her voice dropped. “You’re a RogueViper?”

His smile widened. Just slightly.

“Log in,” he said softly.