"It felt you."
Luna's words didn't fade.
They stayed.
Stuck.
Heavy.
"…What does that mean?" I asked.
Kiara didn't answer.
For once.
That alone told me—
This wasn't good.
"It means," Luna said slowly,
"you're no longer just a signal."
My chest tightened.
"…Then what am I?"
A pause.
Then—
"You're recognized."
Silence.
Cold.
Uncomfortable silence.
"…That sounds worse," I muttered.
"It is."
Of course it was.
I pushed myself up from the floor.
My legs still felt weak.
But they held.
Barely.
"…So what now?" I asked.
Kiara ran a hand through her hair.
"Now?"
She looked at Luna.
Then back at me.
"Now we hope it doesn't escalate too fast."
"Hope?" I repeated. "That's your plan?"
"It's part of the plan."
"I don't like that plan."
"No one does."
Great.
Just great.
Before I could say anything else—
Something changed.
Again.
Subtle.
But enough.
That same pressure.
That presence.
Closer.
Much closer.
"…No," I whispered.
"Not again."
Luna's eyes sharpened instantly.
"It's not from the door."
"What?" Kiara said.
"Then from where?"
Silence.
That was answer enough.
My heartbeat started rising.
Fast.
Heavy.
The air felt wrong.
Like something was already here.
"…Behind us," I said.
I didn't know how I knew.
But I did.
And slowly—
All three of us turned.
Nothing.
Just the classroom.
Normal.
Students.
Teacher.
Everything back to usual.
"…You've got to be kidding me," Kiara muttered.
"It's blending," Luna said.
"That's worse."
"Much worse."
I swallowed.
Hard.
"…What does that mean?"
"It means," Luna said,
"it doesn't need the door anymore."
My blood ran cold.
"…No."
Before either of them could reply—
A voice.
Soft.
Clear.
Right next to my ear.
"Ayaan…"
My entire body froze.
That wasn't distorted.
That wasn't layered.
That—
Was clear.
Human.
"…Did you hear that?" I whispered.
Kiara's expression changed.
"…No."
Luna shook her head.
"No."
My heart dropped.
"…It said my name."
Silence.
That kind of silence—
That meant something was very wrong.
"Ayaan…"
Again.
Closer this time.
Inside my head.
Not outside.
Not around me.
Inside.
"…Stop," I muttered.
"What?" Kiara asked.
"It's talking to me."
Luna stepped closer.
"Don't respond."
"I'm not trying to!"
"Ayaan…"
That voice—
It wasn't threatening.
Not aggressive.
Almost—
Calm.
That made it worse.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
Instant regret.
Kiara cursed.
"Idiot."
"I didn't mean to—"
Too late.
The moment I responded—
Everything shifted.
The world didn't stop.
It… blurred.
Like reality lost focus for a second.
Then—
Snapped.
I wasn't in the classroom anymore.
Darkness.
Again.
But different this time.
Not empty.
Not silent.
Something was there.
Waiting.
"…You shouldn't have answered," I muttered.
Too late for that.
"Ayaan…"
That voice again.
Clear.
Right in front of me now.
A shape formed.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
Not distorted.
Not broken.
Stable.
That alone—
Was terrifying.
"…You're not like the others," I said.
It tilted its head.
Almost curious.
"No," it replied.
Its voice—
Perfectly clear.
Almost human.
My chest tightened.
"…What are you?"
A pause.
Then—
"Something closer."
That didn't help.
At all.
I stepped back slightly.
"You said my name."
"Yes."
"How?"
A faint smile.
"You showed it."
My stomach dropped.
"…When?"
"Every time you responded."
That—
That made sense.
And I hated it.
"…What do you want?" I asked.
A pause.
Then—
"You."
My heart skipped.
"…That's not happening."
"Not like that."
That didn't make me feel better.
"What then?"
It stepped closer.
Not aggressive.
Not rushed.
Just—
Confident.
"Come with me."
Yeah.
No.
"Hard pass."
"You're already halfway there."
"I didn't sign up for that."
"You did."
"When?"
"When you chose."
My chest tightened.
"…The door."
"Yes."
Of course.
Of course it was connected.
"Then here's another choice," I said.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Silence.
The thing studied me.
Carefully.
Then—
"You resist well."
"That's kind of my thing."
"Good."
There it was again.
That word.
"Why do you keep saying that?" I snapped.
"Because it matters."
"How?"
A pause.
Then—
"Because you'll need it."
Before I could respond—
The darkness cracked.
Just like before.
Reality—
Breaking.
"Wait—"
Too late.
Everything snapped back.
I gasped.
Back in the classroom.
Kiara grabbed my shoulder.
"Ayaan!"
Luna was right in front of me.
"What happened?" she demanded.
I blinked.
Breathing uneven.
"…It talked to me."
"We figured that part out."
"No," I said.
"It was different."
"How?" Luna asked.
I looked at her.
Then Kiara.
Then—
Said the one thing that made both of them freeze.
"…It knew my name."
Silence.
"And it wasn't distorted," I continued.
"It was clear."
Kiara stepped back slightly.
"…That's not possible."
"That's the third time I've heard that," I muttered.
Luna didn't speak.
That was worse.
"…Luna," I said.
Slowly.
"…what is it?"
A pause.
A long one.
Then—
She said:
"…That's not an entity."
My stomach dropped.
"…Then what is it?"
She held my gaze.
And answered—
"It's something higher."