The shadows did not answer.
For a long moment, nothing moved.
The strange place around me felt endless, like a world made from silence itself. The ground beneath my feet was cold and smooth, almost like polished stone, stretching far beyond what my eyes could follow.
The shadows stood around me in a loose circle.
They had no faces, no bodies, no clear shapes—only tall, shifting forms of darkness. Yet I could feel their attention fixed on me. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like standing before invisible judges.
My heart began to beat faster.
"Who are you?" I asked again, my voice slightly louder this time.
Still nothing.
The silence pressed heavily against my ears.
I took a careful step back, unsure whether I should run or stay still. The moment my foot moved, the shadows shifted slightly. Not aggressively, but enough to remind me that they were aware of every movement I made.
A cold thought crossed my mind.
Am I a prisoner here?
Before panic could take over, one of the shadows moved.
Unlike the others, it slowly separated from the group. Its shape grew darker and more defined, as if the darkness around it was gathering into a single form.
My chest tightened.
The shadow stopped a few steps away from me.
Then, for the first time since I arrived, I heard a voice.
It did not come from a mouth.
It echoed directly inside my mind.
"You have arrived earlier than expected… Anshu."
My heart skipped a beat.
"How… how do you know my name?" I whispered.
The shadow shifted slightly.
"You hear us clearly."
A chill ran down my spine.
"You're… talking inside my head."
"Language is unnecessary here."
My breathing grew heavier. Everything about this place felt impossible. Yet the fear I expected to feel never fully came. Instead, there was a strange sense of familiarity.
Like my mind already understood more than it admitted.
I swallowed.
"Where am I?"
For a moment, the shadow said nothing.
The other shadows remained still, like silent witnesses to the conversation.
Finally, the voice returned.
"You stand between two states of existence."
The answer confused me even more.
"What does that mean?"
The shadow's form stretched slightly, like smoke moving through the air.
"Your physical body remains in your world."
The words struck me instantly.
The hospital.
The accident.
"So… I'm not really here?"
The voice paused before replying.
"You are here. But not completely."
My mind struggled to keep up.
"Then what is this place?"
For the first time, the shadows around me shifted together, as if reacting to the question.
The one in front of me answered slowly.
"This place exists where forgotten thoughts, unfinished choices, and broken timelines gather."
The explanation made little sense to me, yet something inside me reacted to it.
A faint pressure built inside my head, like a memory trying to break free.
Images flashed through my mind.
A road.
Bright headlights.
A loud crash.
Then—
The girl.
Her voice echoed again.
Why… why you?
I grabbed my head.
Pain spread through my skull.
"Stop… something's wrong…"
The shadow watched silently.
"Your mind is attempting to reconnect."
The pain intensified for a moment before slowly fading. My breathing steadied again.
"What… what is reconnecting?"
"Your memories."
The word hung in the air.
Memories.
That meant the girl was real.
"Who was she?" I asked suddenly.
For the first time, the shadow hesitated.
The surrounding darkness seemed to deepen.
"That question will answer itself."
"That's not an answer."
"It is the only one you are ready for."
Frustration rose inside me.
"Then tell me why I'm here!"
The shadows stirred again.
The one before me moved slightly closer. Its presence felt heavier now.
"Because a choice was made."
My heartbeat quickened.
"What choice?"
The shadow's voice grew quieter.
"A choice that changed more than one life."
The words struck me with strange weight.
Something about them felt personal… almost accusing.
Before I could ask anything else, the ground beneath my feet trembled.
The shadows reacted immediately.
They turned away from me and looked into the distance.
A low sound filled the air—deep and distant, like something enormous moving through darkness.
"What was that?" I asked nervously.
The shadow in front of me did not answer right away.
When it finally spoke, its voice carried a tone I hadn't heard before.
Concern.
"It seems your arrival has been noticed."
A cold sensation ran down my back.
"Noticed by who?"
The shadow slowly turned toward me again.
"Something that does not belong here."
The distant sound grew louder.
The darkness around us shifted violently.
Even the shadows seemed tense.
For the first time since I arrived, fear truly settled inside my chest.
"What is coming?"
The shadow answered in a calm but urgent voice.
"Run."
And suddenly—
The shadows scattered.