"Choose."
The word echoed in the broken world around me.
Everything was falling apart.
The sky cracking louder.
The ground breaking beneath my feet.
And in front of me—
Me.
Or… the part of me that refused to move on.
"If you leave…"
The shadow said quietly.
"You lose him forever."
My heart felt like it stopped.
"Aarav…" I whispered.
His name alone made my chest ache.
I looked around desperately.
"Aarav!" I shouted.
But there was no answer.
Just silence.
Heavy.
Endless.
The shadow stepped closer.
"He doesn't belong to your world anymore," it said.
"Only here… he exists."
Tears filled my eyes.
"No…" I shook my head.
"That's not true…"
"Then where is he?" it asked calmly.
I had no answer.
Because deep down…
I knew.
Every time I woke up—
He disappeared.
Every time I returned—
He was there.
Waiting.
"Stay," the shadow said softly, extending its hand again.
"You won't lose him here."
My heart trembled.
For a moment…
Everything else faded.
The fear.
The guilt.
The confusion.
Only one thing remained—
Him.
His voice.
His smile.
The way he looked at me like I was still the same person.
"I'm not leaving this time."
His words echoed in my mind.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
"I don't want to lose you…" I whispered.
The shadow's expression softened slightly.
"Then don't."
Its hand was still there.
Waiting.
All I had to do—
Was take it.
And everything would stop hurting.
No more memories.
No more pain.
No more losing him.
My hand slowly lifted.
Shaking.
Moving toward it.
Closer.
Closer.
And then—
A voice.
Soft.
But clear.
"You're choosing wrong."
My breath caught.
"Aarav…?" I whispered.
I turned around—
And for a second—
I saw him.
Standing far away.
Fading.
"No…" I stepped back.
"You said you wouldn't leave!" I cried.
He smiled faintly.
"I'm not leaving," he said.
"I'm just not where you think I am."
My heart ached.
"I don't understand…"
He looked at me.
Deep. Steady.
"You're not supposed to stay here for me."
The words broke something inside me.
"But I'll lose you!" I shouted.
He shook his head slowly.
"No," he said softly.
"You'll lose yourself."
Silence.
The truth hit harder than anything else.
"I don't want to forget you again…" I whispered.
"You won't," he replied.
"How can you be so sure?"
He smiled gently.
"Because this time… you're choosing to remember."
Tears blurred my vision.
The shadow's voice cut in sharply—
"He's lying!"
But I didn't look at it.
I only looked at Aarav.
"Do I stay… or do I go?" I asked, my voice breaking.
For a moment—
He didn't answer.
Then—
He said the one thing I wasn't ready to hear.
"Go."
My heart shattered.
"But—"
"If you stay here…" he continued softly,
"You'll only hold on to a version of me that never gets to live."
My hands trembled.
"And if I go?" I asked.
His eyes softened.
"Then maybe… one day…"
He paused.
"You'll find me again."
Tears fell freely now.
"I don't want a 'maybe'…" I whispered.
"I want you."
His expression turned sad.
"I know."
The world around us started collapsing faster.
Time was running out.
"Please…" I said, my voice breaking completely.
"Tell me what to do…"
Aarav looked at me one last time.
And whispered—
"Choose yourself."
Silence.
My heart pounded.
My mind screamed.
But deep inside—
I knew.
Slowly…
I turned away from the shadow.
And stepped back.
"No."
The word felt heavy.
But right.
"I'm not staying here."
The shadow's expression twisted.
"You'll regret this."
"Maybe," I said, tears still falling.
"But at least it'll be my choice."
The moment I said that—
Everything shattered.
The world broke apart.
Light consumed everything.
And the last thing I saw—
Was Aarav.
Smiling.
Before he disappeared.
I woke up with a gasp.
My room.
My world.
But something was different.
The silence felt heavier.
Emptier.
"Aarav…?" I whispered.
No answer.
Tears slipped down my face.
I held my hand tightly.
The mark…
It was gone.