Part 34 – The Door to the Truth

The cold metal door loomed before them, a silent challenge. Maya's pulse pounded as she stared at it, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.

"Don't listen to him," Arjun said, his voice low but firm. "He's manipulating you."

Aditya stepped closer, his gaze locked on Kael. "What's behind that door?"

Kael smirked. "Everything you've been searching for."

Maya clenched her fists. She wanted to believe this would finally give her the answers she craved. But could she really trust the man who had orchestrated all their suffering?

Arjun grabbed her wrist gently. "We don't need to do this. We can walk away."

Maya met his eyes. Walk away? After everything? No. She needed to know.

She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and reached for the handle.

Kael's voice was almost amused. "Brave girl."

She turned it.

The door creaked open.

Inside was a dimly lit laboratory, filled with old computers, medical equipment, and rows of filing cabinets covered in dust. A faint, humming noise filled the air.

Maya stepped in cautiously, Aditya and Arjun following behind.

"What is this place?" Aditya muttered, his eyes scanning the room.

Maya's gaze landed on a large glass chamber in the center of the room. Wires and tubes coiled around it like veins, and within it… was a single bed.

Strapped to the bed was a frail-looking figure.

Maya's breath hitched. "Oh my God…"

She rushed forward, heart racing. The figure barely moved, their chest rising and falling weakly. Their face was obscured by tangled hair and a breathing mask.

Kael's voice echoed through the room.

"Meet the first dreamer."

Kael let out a low chuckle. "You think there was only one?"

Maya's breath caught. "What do you mean?"

Kael gestured around the room. "The first dreamer… wasn't just one person. It was a project. A series of experiments conducted over decades. Some survived. Some didn't."

Arjun's jaw tightened. "How many?"

Kael sighed, as if recalling a long-lost memory. "There were originally five. Each one chosen after a near-death experience, just like you."

Maya exchanged a tense glance with Aditya. Five? They had only ever heard whispers of one.

She turned back to the frail figure strapped to the bed. "Who is this?"

Kael's smirk deepened. "One of the originals. But not the only one still alive."

A chill ran down Maya's spine. If more of them were still out there… what had happened to them? And why was Kael keeping this one locked away?