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's consciousness drifted through a void that felt endless. His body—if he still had one—felt weightless, yet the crushing sensation of something unseen pressed against him. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, but he could feel.

He gasped, air rushing back into his lungs as his body solidified. His vision swam, colors bleeding into one another before snapping into place. He was standing—no, floating—in a space that defied logic.

Above him, the sky was cracked, like shattered glass, each fragment reflecting different versions of reality. Some showed his past, others an unfamiliar present.

She stood in a dimly lit corridor, her back turned to him, her shoulders trembling.

"Saira!" Aarav called out, his voice echoing unnaturally.

She stiffened. Then, slowly, she turned.

Her eyes weren't the warm brown he knew. They were black—pools of ink that reflected nothing.

"You shouldn't have come," she whispered, her voice layered with something else, something inhuman.

Aarav felt his pulse quicken. "Saira, it's me. We can leave together."

She took a step forward. The walls of the corridor shifted, revealing twisted, contorted figures hidden in the darkness. The shadows stretched toward her, like chains coiling around her wrists.

"You don't understand, Aarav," she said, her tone eerily calm. "I'm not trapped."

"I was never taken," she continued. "I chose this."

The weight of her words crushed him.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "That's not possible. They took you. They—"

"They showed me the truth," Saira interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper. "And now, I belong here."

The sky cracked further, the pieces falling away into an endless abyss.

"Saira, please!" he shouted, stepping toward her. But the moment he moved, the shadows lunged.

Dark tendrils wrapped around his arms, his legs—pulling him away.

Saira didn't move. She just stood there, watching.

"I told you," she said softly. "You don't belong here."

The last thing Aarav saw was her smile—a sad, knowing smile.

Then, the darkness swallowed him whole.

The Fractured Reality