Chapter 17: The Abyss of Regrets

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You fall through darkness.

There's no wind.

No gravity.

No sound.

Only a sensation—like sorrow pressing against your skin.

Then, a light.

Dim. Blue. Flickering like a dying memory.

You land softly on a floor made of letters—handwritten and torn, scattered in chaotic spirals. Regret stains each word. The air smells of ink and old grief.

A woman sits in the center of the abyss, wearing a white mask with no mouth.

She rocks slowly, humming a lullaby that claws at something deep inside you.

You recognize the tune.

Your mother once sang it.

You try to speak.

She raises her hand.

Silence.

A tower of regrets rises behind her—tall and crumbling, made of every decision you never forgave yourself for.

She points toward it.

One step forward, and your chest tightens.

These regrets…

They're yours.

Every stone whispers.

"You should've helped."

"You should've stayed."

"You were the reason."

"You knew better."

The masked woman holds up a mirror.

Inside it, you see…

Someone crying.

Someone screaming.

Someone laughing.

All at once.

You.

And not you.

She lowers the mirror and offers a key. A single word is etched into it: "Undo."

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The Seventeenth Choice:

Do you:

A) Take the key and climb the tower—try to change what was done.

B) Leave the key. Let go of what can't be changed and walk forward.

C) Break the mirror—refuse to accept this as your truth.

D) Give the key back to the woman—ask her to undo something for you.

As you choose, the floor begins to tremble.

The letters around you catch fire—blue flame, cold and voiceless.

One word remains unburnt at your feet: "Why?"

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Quiz 17:

Which regret still haunts you the most?

A) Hurting someone who didn't deserve it.

B) Not speaking up when you should have.

C) Staying silent out of fear.

D) Letting go of someone too soon.

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The woman vanishes.

So does the tower.

But the key remains in your hand.

And a new door opens, shaped like a question mark.

You step toward it.

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End of Chapter 17