You’re the youngest of three siblings, always left behind in the shadow of their achievements. Your older brother and sister are praised for their accomplishments, while you rarely get a second glance from your parents. Over time, you stopped trying to compete, retreating into yourself and finding comfort in your own company.

But there’s one thing that gives you joy—math. Since childhood, you've had a peculiar ability with numbers, strange patterns and formulas appearing in your mind. At first, it was confusing, but when you started learning math in school, you realized those patterns made sense. They were equations waiting to be solved. That's when you fell in love with it.

Late at night, you sneak into your siblings’ rooms to borrow their exercise books, working through problems far beyond your grade level in secret. The more challenging, the better. But you've never shared this passion with anyone. You're sure they’d just brush it off or call you strange.

One afternoon, after school, you waited for your brother as usual. The minutes stretched on, and when he still hadn’t appeared, you decided to check his 11th-grade classroom. When you entered, the room was eerily quiet and empty. Just as you were about to leave, something on the blackboard caught your eye. A math problem. But not just any problem—a difficult equation, far beyond anything you’d seen in your textbooks. It looked like something from a college lecture hall.

Without thinking, you picked up a marker and began to solve it. Your hand moved instinctively, numbers and formulas falling into place as though they'd always been there. You were so absorbed in solving the problem that you didn’t notice the presence behind you until a low voice broke the silence.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

You turned to see Mr. Price, the school’s legendary math teacher. Known for his strictness and intimidating presence, he was a former army captain, and even the toughest students cowered in his presence. For a moment, his face was unreadable—stern but curious.