Echoes of the Unseen

Aarav's breath came in short, shallow gasps. His legs felt rooted to the ground, every instinct screaming at him to run—but he couldn't. His own reflection had just smiled at him, completely independent of his own movements.

"This isn't real," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Just a trick of the mind."

When he opened them again, the reflection stood still, mirroring him like it always had. The unsettling smirk was gone, replaced by the familiar blank expression he knew so well.

Aarav let out a shaky breath. Maybe he had imagined it. Maybe sleep deprivation was messing with his senses.

But just as he turned away, he caught something in his peripheral vision—his reflection hadn't moved with him.

Aarav's blood ran cold.

Slowly, he turned back to face the mirror, dread curling in his stomach. His reflection was still standing there, staring at him—except this time, its expression had changed.

It wasn't him anymore.

The reflection tilted its head, a strange curiosity flickering in its eyes. Then, it lifted its hand—but Aarav hadn't moved at all.

Panic surged through him. This was wrong. Impossible. His fingers trembled as he took a hesitant step back.

The reflection took a step forward.

Aarav's pulse pounded in his ears. His breath quickened.

Then the reflection raised its hand and placed it against the mirror's surface.

Aarav didn't know why—maybe it was fear, maybe it was something else entirely—but his own hand moved involuntarily, hovering just inches away from the glass.

A sharp, icy sensation shot through his fingertips as soon as they touched the surface. The mirror rippled like water, distorting his reflection for a brief second before settling again.

But this time, the reflection was gone.

Aarav yanked his hand back. His own image had vanished, leaving only an empty, dark void where his reflection should have been. The air in the room grew colder. A faint, almost imperceptible whisper filled his ears, like static murmuring through an old radio.

Then—

A hand reached out from inside the mirror.

Aarav barely had time to react before an invisible force pulled him forward. The glass shattered outward, yet instead of falling to the floor, the shards froze mid-air, hovering in place as though time itself had fractured.

Aarav tumbled forward, but instead of hitting solid ground, he felt himself falling—as if being dragged into a void beyond the mirror. The world around him twisted and blurred, colors melting into streaks of silver and black.

Then, suddenly—he stopped.

Aarav gasped, landing hard on what felt like cold metal. His hands scrambled against the smooth surface beneath him as he tried to regain his bearings. His heart was racing, his skin prickling with fear.

Where was he?

The air here was different—denser, heavier. A faint humming sound pulsed through the silence, rhythmic and unnatural. He forced himself to his feet, his eyes adjusting to the dim surroundings.

He was not in his bedroom anymore.

Towering metallic walls enclosed him, lined with pulsating veins of blue light. The floor beneath him wasn't wood, but something sleek and reflective, mirroring his distorted reflection. The room felt too perfect, too artificial, as if it wasn't built but engineered.

Then he noticed the mirror.

It stood in the center of the room, identical to the one from his home. But unlike before, it didn't reflect his image anymore. Instead, it showed a massive futuristic city, stretching far beyond the horizon—a city he had never seen before.

The buildings were impossibly tall, glowing with neon streaks, their architecture sleek and unfamiliar. Hovering vehicles zipped through the air, leaving behind trails of blue light. At the center of it all was a towering structure, pulsing with energy, radiating a power he could feel from where he stood.

A low, mechanical hum vibrated through the floor beneath him.

Then, behind him—a voice.

"You shouldn't be here."

Aarav whirled around.

A girl stood in the doorway. She looked his age, her silver hair shimmering like liquid metal under the dim light. Her golden eyes glowed faintly, unreadable yet intense. She wore a fitted, futuristic suit that pulsed with the same blue light as the walls.

Aarav's mind reeled.

"Who—where—?" His words faltered.

The girl exhaled, studying him with a mix of curiosity and caution.

"You're not the first," she said quietly. "But if you don't listen to me, you'll be the last."

Aarav barely had time to process what she meant before the humming in the room grew louder.

From beyond the walls, a distant, mechanical growl echoed through the space.

Something was coming.

And he had no idea what.