Bishnupriya_Parida

Aarav awakens in a world that defies logic—a place where time distorts, shadows move on their own, and the walls seem to whisper secrets. He doesn’t remember how he got here, but he knows one thing: he is not alone.

Then he sees her. A girl with piercing golden eyes who speaks in riddles and seems to understand the chaos surrounding them. She warns him—this place is not just a prison, it’s a test. And those who fail? They vanish.

As unseen forces close in, Aarav must navigate a labyrinth of shifting corridors and cryptic messages. Every step brings him closer to the truth, but also to something darker—a secret buried within himself, waiting to be unlocked.

The rules of reality no longer apply. If Aarav doesn’t escape soon, he won’t just lose his life—he’ll lose himself.

The Reflection Paradox

His feet barely touched the ground as he and the girl sprinted down the shifting corridor, the walls glitching and flickering between reality and nothingness.

Behind them, the Watchers pursued with an unnatural, fluid motion. They didn't run—they glided, their bodies phasing in and out of existence.

"We won't outrun them forever!" Aarav shouted.

The girl yanked his arm, pulling him toward a side passage. "We don't have to! I know where we need to go!"

They turned a sharp corner, and Aarav nearly tripped over his own feet as the floor beneath them rippled like water. His mind screamed that none of this was real, that this wasn't how the world was supposed to work.

But then—was he even in the real world?

The Watchers didn't slow down. Their glowing eyes burned like fire, locking onto him with a terrifying intensity.

Aarav clenched his teeth. "I don't care what they are! I'm not stopping!"

The corridor ended abruptly. A giant steel door blocked their path, marked with a red, flickering "RESTRICTED ACCESS" sign.

The girl pressed her hand against a scanner, her breath ragged. "Come on, come on!"

Aarav turned, raising his fists—not that it would help against these things. But he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The girl yanked Aarav inside, slamming the controls. The moment the door sealed shut, the hallway outside collapsed into a black void.

Aarav panted, pressing his hands against his knees. "What… was that?"

The girl didn't answer. She was staring ahead, her face pale.

The room they had entered was massive—stretching endlessly in every direction. Machines lined the walls, their screens flickering with strange symbols and numbers.

And every single one of them… looked exactly like him.

His own face stared back at him from within the glass tubes, frozen in sleep.

A shrill alarm blared through the room. A robotic voice echoed from the speakers.

"Security breach detected. Initiating containment protocol."

The girl grabbed his arm. "We need to go!"

He was staring at one particular capsule—the one closest to him.

The version of him inside suddenly opened its eyes.

The Watchers’ Trap