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

Aarav stumbled backward, his breath caught in his throat.

The capsule in front of him hissed, its locks disengaging. The version of him inside—the smiling one—tilted its head slightly, eyes locked onto Aarav with an expression that sent ice crawling through his veins.

"Why is he awake?" Aarav whispered, his voice barely audible.

The girl grabbed his arm. "We need to move! Now!"

The other capsules remained still, their occupants frozen in eerie silence. But the smiling one stepped forward, bare feet touching the cold metal floor.

"Leaving so soon?" it asked, voice identical to Aarav's. But something about it felt wrong. The way it spoke was too controlled, too measured—like it was testing the words rather than speaking them.

Aarav took an involuntary step back. "Who are you?"

The doppelgänger's grin widened. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

A loud clank echoed behind them. The doors were sealing shut. The girl yanked at Aarav's arm with full force. "We do not have time for this!"

She pulled him toward the far end of the room, where a blinking green EXIT sign pulsed against the metallic walls. But the Smiling One simply watched them go, not moving.

Aarav knew—he just knew—that if it wasn't stopping them, it was because it didn't need to.

They bolted toward the exit. Aarav's pulse pounded in his ears. Just a few more feet—

The walls bent. The floor tilted. And suddenly, they were no longer running forward—they were running down, as if gravity itself had changed.

Aarav crashed to the ground, his mind reeling from the impossibility of what had just happened. The girl barely managed to hold herself upright, grabbing onto a railing that hadn't been there a second ago.

Laughter echoed through the chamber.

The Smiling One stood at the center of the warped room, watching them like a scientist observing lab rats. "You still don't understand, do you?"

Aarav gritted his teeth. "Understand what?"

The Smiling One spread its arms. "That you were never supposed to leave. None of us were."

Aarav's skin crawled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The capsule chamber darkened. One by one, the other versions of Aarav flickered to life inside their capsules—eyes snapping open in perfect unison.

And every single one of them was smiling.

The girl yanked him up. "We have to go—now!"

This time, Aarav didn't hesitate. He sprinted after her as she leaped through an open hatch on the floor—just as the first of the capsules cracked open.

The last thing he saw before the hatch slammed shut was dozens of figures stepping forward—each one a perfect copy of himself.