Jaise hi usne dekha ki vo wahan akela nahi h..
Uske sath koi or bhi tha...
Or vo dheere dheere uske pass aa rha tha...
Darkness phir se wapas aa chuki thi.
Aarav seedha khada tha.
Uska saans heavy tha.
Uske dimaag mein abhi bhi uske dad ke words goonj rahe the...
👉 "Trust mat karna…"
"Par… kisko?" Aarav ne dheere se bola.
Koi jawab nahi aaya.
Phir....
Ek halki si awaaz sunayi di.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Steps.
Wahi slow… steady steps.
Jaise koi uski taraf aa raha ho.
Aarav ka dil tez dhadakne laga.
"Kaun hai?" usne zor se poocha.
Darkness mein se ek shadow emerge hone lagi.
Slowly… clearly…
Aur phir...
👉 woh saamne tha.
Ek ladka.
Normal height.
Normal face.
Par uski aankhon mein kuch alag tha.
Bilkul cold.
Bilkul emotionless.
Jaise woh feel hi nahi karta.
Aarav ne dheere se poocha,
"Tum… kaun ho?"
Woh ladka thoda sa smile kiya.
👉 "Main wahi hoon… jisse tumhe trust nahi karna chahiye."
Aarav ka dil ek second ke liye ruk gaya.
"Matlab…?" Aarav ne poocha.
Woh ladka aage badha.
👉 "Tumhare dad ne warning di thi na?"
👉 "Par unhone naam nahi bataya."
Aarav ab clearly tense ho gaya.
"Tum… system ho?" usne poocha.
Woh ladka halka sa hasa.
👉 "Nahi… main system nahi hoon…"
👉 "Main system ka result hoon."
Aarav confuse ho gaya.
"Result?"
Woh ladka dheere se bola...
👉 "Main woh hoon jo system ne banaya hai…"
👉 "Aur jo system ko control karta hai."
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
"Control…? Par Dad ne kaha tha main.."
Woh ladka uski baat kaat ke bola...
👉 "Tum key ho… main lock."
Silence.
Aarav ke dimaag mein sab kuch ghoom gaya.
"Matlab…?" Aarav ne dheere se kaha.
Woh ladka seedha uske saamne aaya.
👉 "Tum system ko access kar sakte ho…"
👉 "Par main decide karta hoon kya hoga."
Aarav ka dil heavy ho gaya.
"Tum kya chahte ho?" usne poocha.
Woh ladka seedha bola...
👉 "Control."
Achanak...
Scene change hone laga.
Aas paas ke visuals distort hone lage.
Aur phir...
Aarav ne kuch aisa dekha jo usne kabhi imagine bhi nahi kiya tha.
City.
Log.
Normal life.
Par phir...
Sab kuch glitch hone laga.
Log freeze ho gaye.
Phir repeat hone lage.
Same actions… same words…
Again… and again…
"Yeh kya hai?" Aarav ne shock mein poocha.
Woh ladka dheere se bola...
👉 "Perfect world."
Aarav ne turant kaha,
"Yeh perfect nahi hai… yeh fake hai!"
Woh ladka thoda sa smile kiya.
👉 "Fake ya real… fark kya padta hai?"
👉 "Jab sab log khush ho."
Aarav ne gusse mein kaha,
"Yeh happiness nahi hai!"
Woh ladka seedha uski aankhon mein dekhta hai...
👉 "Tumhe kaise pata?"
Aarav chup ho gaya.
Woh ladka dheere se bola...
👉 "Pain… loss… fear…"
👉 "Yeh sab hata diya maine."
👉 "Ab sirf peace hai."
Aarav ne dheere se kaha,
"Yeh peace nahi… control hai."
Woh ladka thoda sa aage jhukta hai.
👉 "Exactly."
Silence.
"Tum log hamesha freedom ki baat karte ho…"
👉 "Par freedom ke saath pain bhi aata hai."
👉 "Main bas woh pain hata raha hoon."
Aarav ne sir hila diya.
👉 "Tum logon se unki choice cheen rahe ho."
Woh ladka thoda sa serious ho gaya.
👉 "Choice… overrated hai."
Aarav ne uski taraf gusse se dekha.
👉 "Aur main tumhe yeh karne nahi dunga."
Woh ladka halka sa hasa.
👉 "Tum rokoge mujhe?"
👉 "Tumhe toh abhi tak khud pe control nahi hai."
Achanak...
Aarav ke dimaag mein pain shoot hua.
Woh jhuk gaya.
"Ahh—!"
Woh ladka dheere se bola...
👉 "Tum abhi bhi system ke control mein ho."
Real world mein...
Kabir almost panic ho raha tha.
"Connection break hone wala hai!"
Meera ne zor se poocha,
"Pull him out!"
Kabir ne sir hila diya...
👉 "Nahi ho sakta!"
System ke andar...
Aarav ne struggle karte hue poocha....
👉 "Tum ho kaun…?"
Woh ladka thoda sa rukta hai.
Phir dheere se kehta hai...
👉 "Main woh hoon… jo tum ban sakte the.
Aarav freeze ho gaya.
👉 "Ek perfect version…"
👉 "Without weakness…"
👉 "Without emotions…"
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
"Matlab… tum…"
Woh ladka dheere se bola....
👉 "Main tum hoon."
Silence.
Aarav ka dimaag blank ho gaya.
"Yeh… impossible hai…"
Woh ladka dheere se smile karta hai....
👉 "System ne tumhe split kar diya…"
👉 "Aur jo part emotions se free tha…"
👉 "Woh main ban gaya."
Aarav ka dil toot gaya.
👉 "Tum incomplete ho…"
👉 "Aur main complete."
Aarav ne dheere se sir hila diya.
👉 "Nahi… tum empty ho."
Woh ladka ka expression thoda change hua.
First time...
thoda sa anger.
👉 "Phir prove karo."
Achanak...
System glitch hone laga.
Zoya ki awaaz aayi...
👉 "AARAV! Connection break ho raha hai!"
Woh ladka dheere se peeche hata.
👉 "Hum phir milenge…"
👉 "Aur next time… tum ready nahi hoge."
Darkness.
Sab kuch vanish ho gaya.
Real world mein...
Aarav ne jhatke se aankhein khol di.
Woh zameen par gir gaya.
Meera ne turant usse pakda.
"Aarav!"
Kabir ne relief ki saans li.
"Woh wapas aa gaya…"
Aarav ka saans control mein nahi tha.
Usne dheere se bola...
👉 "Woh… main tha…"
Zoya ne dheere se poocha..
👉 "Kya matlab?"
Aarav ne aankhein band kar li.
👉 "Woh mera hi version hai…"
👉 "Jo system ne bana diya."
Silence.
Kabir ne dheere se kaha...
👉 "Matlab… tumhara biggest enemy…"
Aarav ne aankhein kholi.
👉 "Main khud hoon."