Arjun's shadow moved.
Not like a reflection.
Not like something bound to him.
But like something alive.
He stumbled back, his breath uneven, eyes locked on the wall.
"No… this isn't real…" he whispered.
But it was.
His shadow twisted slowly, stretching beyond his body, separating from him inch by inch.
Aanya stood silently, watching.
"It's chosen you," she said.
Arjun shook his head violently.
"I didn't choose anything!"
Aanya stepped closer.
"But you did," she replied softly. "The moment you came back."
A sharp pain shot through Arjun's chest again.
He fell to his knees, gripping his shirt tightly.
"Make it stop…" he gasped.
The room grew colder.
The lights dimmed.
And the crimson shadow on the ceiling began to stir again.
It sensed something.
Something new.
Something stronger.
Arjun screamed as the pain spread through his entire body.
It felt like something was pulling him from the inside.
Like his soul was being dragged into the darkness.
"AANYA!" he cried out.
For a moment—
Aanya hesitated.
Her expression flickered.
As if the real her was fighting to come back.
"Arjun… don't fight it…" she whispered.
His eyes widened.
"What?!"
"If you fight… it will break you," she said.
Behind him, his shadow rose higher.
Taking shape.
Becoming something more defined.
More human.
More… dangerous.
Arjun tried to stand, but his body refused to move.
"What is happening to me?" he whispered.
Aanya looked at him, her gaze deep and unreadable.
"You're becoming the bridge."
"Bridge… between what?" he asked weakly.
Aanya slowly turned her head toward the ceiling.
Where the crimson shadow watched.
Hungry.
Waiting.
"Between them," she said.
Suddenly—
The second shadow appeared again.
The still one.
The protector.
It moved closer.
Positioning itself between Arjun and the crimson shadow.
As if guarding him.
The crimson shadow reacted instantly.
It twisted violently, spreading across the entire ceiling.
The room shook.
Windows rattled.
A low, terrifying sound filled the air.
Arjun's shadow responded.
It rose completely off the ground now.
Standing beside him.
Facing the other two shadows.
For a moment—
Everything froze.
Three shadows.
Three forces.
One room.
Aanya stepped back slowly.
Her eyes moving between them.
"It's happening faster than I thought," she murmured.
Arjun looked up, his vision blurry.
"What's happening…?" he asked again.
Aanya looked at him.
This time, there was something different in her eyes.
Something almost… sad.
"Soon," she said softly,
"you won't belong to this world anymore."
A sudden burst of energy filled the room.
The shadows clashed.
Darkness spread like a storm.
Arjun screamed as the pain reached its peak.
And then—
Everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again…
He was standing.
Alone.
In complete darkness.
No hospital.
No Aanya.
Nothing.
Just endless black.
And his own shadow…
Standing in front of him.
"And for the first time… his shadow spoke his name."