Darkness.
But not empty.
Not silent.
This time—
Aarav could feel something.
A pull.
Deep inside his mind.
Like something was dragging him… backward.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
The sound echoed through him.
Not painful anymore.
But stronger.
More… connected.
"…I have to go back…" Aarav whispered.
Then—
Light.
A flash of red.
The corridor.
Aarav collapsed onto the cold ground, gasping.
"I'm… back…"
The endless hallway stretched out again.
Doors on both sides.
Watching.
Waiting.
But something was different.
The doors were open.
Not one.
Not a few.
Many.
Aarav's heart dropped.
"…no…"
Inside each open door—
Darkness moved.
Hands.
Faces.
Shapes pressing outward.
The whispers returned.
Louder than ever.
"Too late…""Too late…""He's coming…"
Aarav covered his ears.
"STOP!"
Silence.
Instant.
His breathing shook violently.
"…I need to find my door…"
But how?
Every door looked the same.
Every path identical.
"…think…"
Then—
A memory.
Mira's voice.
"You don't need your body… you need your mind."
Aarav froze.
"…my mind…"
He closed his eyes.
Forced himself to focus.
To ignore the corridor.
Ignore the whispers.
Ignore the fear.
"Think… what was different…?"
The knocking.
The first night.
The wall.
The scratches.
Something about it—
Wasn't random.
His eyes snapped open.
"…the mark…"
The symbol.
The one carved into the wall.
Aarav turned quickly.
Scanning the corridor.
Door after door.
Endless.
Identical.
Until—
He saw it.
One door.
Different.
Faint scratches on its surface.
Same pattern.
Same symbol.
Aarav's heart pounded.
"…that's it…"
He stepped toward it slowly.
But then—
A voice stopped him.
"Found it already?"
Aarav froze.
Slowly—
He turned.
The copy stood there.
Closer than ever.
But now—
It looked complete.
Its presence felt… real.
Heavy.
Stable.
Its eyes locked onto him.
Sharp.
Alive.
"You're learning fast."
Aarav clenched his fists.
"You're not taking my place."
The copy smiled.
Calm.
Confident.
"I already am."
The corridor trembled.
The doors creaked.
Aarav stepped back.
"No… I still have time—"
"Do you?"
The copy tilted its head.
"Feel your heartbeat."
Aarav froze.
The knocking—
It had changed.
Slower now.
Fading.
His chest tightened.
"…no…"
"That's your time running out."
Aarav's breath broke.
"I won't let you win."
The copy's smile widened.
"You don't have a choice."
A pause.
"None of you ever do."
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"…what do you mean… 'none'…?"
The copy didn't answer.
Instead—
Another voice did.
Soft.
Calm.
Familiar.
"…because it's already happened."
Aarav's body froze.
That voice—
Mira.
He turned.
And saw her.
Standing in the corridor.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Her eyes.
They weren't normal.
They were… hollow.
Like the others.
Aarav's breath stopped.
"…Mira…?"
She looked at him.
Expression unreadable.
Then—
She smiled.
Not warm.
Not human.
The same smile.
Aarav stepped back.
"No… no, that's not—"
"You finally see it."
The copy's voice came from beside him.
Aarav shook his head violently.
"She helped me—!"
"Yes."
The copy nodded.
"She always does."
Aarav's mind broke.
"…what…?"
Mira stepped closer.
Slow.
Controlled.
"I told you the truth," she said softly.
"My brother was taken."
A pause.
"And I tried to stop it."
Another step.
Closer.
"But I failed."
Aarav's breathing turned uneven.
"…what are you…?"
Mira stopped in front of him.
Her eyes locked into his.
And for a moment—
He saw it.
Not one reflection.
But many.
Different versions.
Different faces.
All trapped inside her.
Her voice changed.
Deeper.
Layered.
"…I stayed."
Aarav's blood ran cold.
"…stayed…?"
Mira nodded slowly.
"I found my door."
A pause.
"But I didn't leave."
The corridor shifted.
The doors trembled.
Aarav stepped back.
"…why…?"
Her smile widened.
"Because someone has to guide the next one."
Silence.
The truth hit.
Hard.
"…you're part of this…" Aarav whispered.
Mira didn't deny it.
"I'm part of the system now."
The copy stepped beside her.
"Just like me."
Aarav's chest tightened.
"…how many…?"
Mira's eyes flickered.
"More than you can imagine."
The whispers grew louder again.
"Stay…""Join us…""Don't leave…"
Aarav turned toward his door.
The marked one.
His only chance.
Mira's voice followed him—
"You can still go."
Aarav hesitated.
"…and you…?"
For a moment—
Her expression changed.
Something human.
Something real.
"…I already lost."
Silence.
Then—
The copy spoke.
"But you don't have to."
Aarav clenched his fists.
The knocking in his chest—
Almost gone now.
He had seconds.
Maybe less.
Mira stepped back.
"Choose."
The door stood in front of him.
Open.
Waiting.