—Some punishments aren't spoken—they're written in the silence between commands.
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Heinrich Von Falken University – IT 3rd Semester Classroom
9:03 AM | A Morning with No Mercy
The second the classroom door creaked open, a hush swept across the room like a wave of discipline crashing into chaos.
Professor Lukas Richard stepped in—tall, poised, in a crisp black shirt tucked into matching slacks, a silver watch hugging his wrist, and a laptop bag slung casually over one shoulder. His walk was slow, deliberate, the kind that made your posture correct itself involuntarily.Chairs scraped slightly as students straightened up. Conversations died mid-sentence. Everyone stood up and bowed slightly, murmuring a low—"Good morning, sir."Everyone except Henry Vinson.Henry remained in his seat, arms folded, one leg lazily crossed over the other. His eyes locked on Lukas with cool defiance.
Lukas said nothing.Not a flicker of irritation, not a shift in tone.He walked straight to the front, placed his laptop and a thick pile of papers on the desk, and opened his device with practiced ease.Then, without glancing up: "Mr. Vinson."Henry's leg uncrossed slowly. His back straightened, not from respect, but instinct."Go rub the board. Now."There was no sarcasm in Lukas's voice. No emotion. Just sharp instruction. The kind that felt more cutting than shouting.
The room held its breath.Henry didn't respond.He just stood, grabbed the duster, and walked to the board.With slow, deliberate motions, he began wiping the faded marker off the glass whiteboard, his posture irritated but obedient.His shirt rode up slightly as he stretched his arm high over the board—exposing the sharp lines of his toned waist, a tattoo teasing at the skin just above his belt.From the corner of his eye, Lukas's gaze flickered—for less than a heartbeat—toward Henry.
To that same waist he remembered from years ago—once soft and childish, now carved into something older, sharper.
Then his eyes snapped away.Cold. Detached.Lukas didn't allow himself distraction.Instead, he opened the six folded 20-times assignments placed neatly on the side."Let's see what six of you thought yesterday's punishment meant," he said, his voice echoing through the room.He flipped through them quickly—eyes scanning, lips tight.Then, to the surprise of many:"Good. Neatly done. Some of you actually listened."
The class murmured faintly. That was probably the closest thing to a compliment they'd ever hear from him.Henry placed the duster back down, brushing chalk from his fingers.Lukas didn't even look at him.
"Go sit down."Henry walked back to his seat silently, jaw tight. The strange thing was—he didn't feel humiliated.He felt… watched.
But not by Lukas.By his past self, whispering from some dark corner of his memory.
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Lukas placed both palms on the desk.
"Today's topic—System Architecture Layers in Secure Networks."He glanced around the class once more. "Everyone takes notes. No excuses. Questions will be asked. A quiz will be given tomorrow."His fingers tapped the table once."No mercy for laziness. Let's begin."As he spoke, drawing diagrams on the digital board, not a single eye dared wander—except one pair.Henry's.He wasn't watching the lesson.He was watching Lukas.
And behind the cool professor's eyes, Henry could still feel that old version of Lukas staring back at him.Not with kindness anymore.But with distance.—When the teacher becomes the audience, the stage reveals who truly commands the room.
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Heinrich Von Falken University – IT 3rd Semester Classroom
9:39 AM | A Test That Wasn't on the Paper
The lecture was in full swing. The digital board flickered as Lukas Richard stood before the class, sharp marker strokes building layer after layer of a secure system architecture. The classroom was eerily focused—no one dared to blink wrong.
Until Lukas paused.He turned, eyes slicing through the silence like a scalpel. "Berger. What are the three core protocols in the transport layer?"Timo Berger, who had just whispered something under his breath to Felix, sat up straight like he'd been jolted by lightning. "Uh—TCP... UDP… and… uh…"
"And?" Lukas asked, one brow slightly raised.Timo blinked. "That's… that's all I remember right now, sir."
Lukas said nothing—just moved on. "Felix."
Felix Arendt adjusted his collar, lips twitching "Sir, it's TCP for reliable, UDP for faster transmission, and SCTP for advanced multi-streaming."Lukas nodded once—barely a millimeter of approval. "Reidel?"Max's throat bobbed. "It's, um… TCP, UDP… and—uh, I think—STMP?""No."Lukas's voice was sharp. "That's mail protocol. Not transport layer."Max flushed as a few giggles sparked from the back rows. "Jonas?"Jonas answered quietly but correctly. Lukas moved on without comment.Then—A slow yawn.
All eyes turned to the back, where Henry Vinson, half-sunken in his seat, stretched lazily and rubbed his eyes.Lukas turned toward him with predator-like precision.
The room went still. "Mr. Vinson," he said coolly. "Since you seem bored—come forward and teach."Henry blinked. "Excuse me?""You're a topper, aren't you?" Lukas said, folding his arms. "Let's see that brilliance in action. Teach the class. Explain what I've just covered."Whispers rippled across the classroom. This wasn't punishment.This was a challenge.Henry stood slowly, the corners of his mouth curling upward. Not in mockery—but in confidence. "Fine."He walked to the front. As he passed Lukas, their shoulders brushed—and for just a second, the tension between them was almost visible, like static in the air.
Lukas didn't speak. He walked to Henry's seat at the back and sat down—arms folded, eyes fixed.
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At the front, Henry grabbed the marker.
The classroom shifted.He didn't stutter.
Didn't hesitate.Didn't fumble once.
"So, this right here—" he pointed to the multi-layered architecture Lukas had drawn, "—is the standard OSI framework. What Professor Richard covered so far was mostly in the transport and network layers, and how security protocols like IPsec play a role in tunneling and encryption."He underlined two blocks, speaking smoothly."TCP guarantees delivery, UDP trades that for speed. SCTP combines both. But what's more interesting is how these layers interact during handshake protocols, especially in systems that are designed for end-to-end encryption."The class was leaning forward now, eyes wide.Even Felix mouthed, "Holy sht."*Henry was good. Dangerous-good. Smart not because he studied—because he understood. His casual rebellion had made people forget: he was still top of the class.
At the back, Lukas remained still.
His jaw didn't tighten. His hands didn't move.
But his eyes… narrowed, just slightly.Henry turned, smirking faintly."And that's why choosing the right protocol isn't just about data—but about the system's goal itself."
He placed the marker down."Any questions?"Silence.Then a few claps. Someone whistled. Timo fist-bumped Max.
Henry turned to Lukas, voice low but laced with challenge. "Was that good enough, Professor?"Lukas stood slowly, walked back to the front with precise steps.He didn't smirk.He didn't praise.He just leaned closer, so only Henry could hear— "Clever boys with sharp minds often forget—discipline isn't proven by brilliance, but how long you can survive without it."Then louder, to the class: "Sit down, Mr. Vinson."And just like that, the power returned to Lukas's voice.
But for a fleeting moment—Henry had owned the room.