Central chamber ke andar hawa tak heavy ho chuki thi.
Sab kuch distort ho raha tha. Walls crack ho rahi thi, lights continuously flicker ho rahi thi, aur center mein khadi woh dark figure poore room ki energy ko absorb karti hui feel ho rahi thi.
Aarav move tak nahi kar pa raha tha.
Kyuki pehli baar..
Collapse darr raha tha.
Aur agar Collapse jaise entity ko fear feel ho raha tha…
toh saamne wali cheez kitni dangerous hogi?
Meera slowly Aarav ke paas khadi ho gayi or unse dheere se aarav ko kaha..
👉 "Yeh… kya hai?"
Echo ne dheere se jawab diya..
👉 "Beginning."
Silence.
Kabir comms par almost frustrated ho gaya tha.
"Bhai riddles band karo koi!"
Par iss baar kisi ne uski baat ka reply nahi diya.
Kyuki sabka focus us creature par tha.
Darkness dheere dheere stable hui.
Aur ab woh clearly visible tha.
Human shape.
Tall.
Black cracked skin jaise uske body ke andar pure void bhara ho.
Aur woh red glowing eyes…
unn aankhon mein kuch human nahi tha.
Woh directly Aarav ko dekh raha tha.
Observe kar raha tha.
Jaise koi apni creation ko finally dekh raha ho.
👉 "Interesting…" usne dheere se kaha.
Uski awaaz room mein echo hui.
👉 "Tum expected se zyada stable ho."
Aarav ne finally himmat karke poocha..
👉 "Tu… kaun hai?"
Creature halka sa hasa.
Aur uski smile disturbingly calm ho gyi.
👉 "Names change hote rehte hain."
Pause.
👉 "Par tum log mujhe First Collapse keh sakte ho."
Room silent.
Andar Collapse growl ki tarah bola..
👉 "Uski baat mat sun."
First Collapse ki smile aur widen hui.
👉 "Still resisting me?"
Aarav freeze ho gaya.
👉 "Kya…"
Us creature ne seedha Aarav ke chest ki taraf point kiya.
👉 "Woh jo tere andar hai…"
Pause.
👉 "…woh mera hi fragment hai."
Silence.
Meera ka face pale.
Echo ne aankhein band kar li jaise woh already yeh expect kar raha tha.
Aur Aarav…
uska dimaag blank ho gya tha or usne kaha..
👉 "Nahi…"
Andar Collapse chillaya..
👉 "JHOOT!"
First Collapse calmly bola..
👉 "Fear makes you loud."
Aarav ki breathing uneven ho gayi.
Matlab… usne poocha..
Collapse origin nahi tha?
Vo sirf ek fragment tha?
Then actual monster…
yeh hai?
Origin finally bola.
Cold.
Controlled.
👉 "Tumhe sealed rehna tha."
First Collapse ne us direction mein dekha jaise woh directly Origin ko feel kar sakta ho.
👉 "Ah…"
Uski smile dangerous ho gayi.
👉 "The traitor speaks."
Aarav instantly confused hua.
👉 "Traitor?"
Echo ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Origin ne ise betray kiya tha."
Silence.
Aarav ne instantly Origin se poocha..
👉 "Kya yeh sach hai?"
Kuch seconds tak silence.
Phir..
👉 "Yes."
Room aur heavy ho gaya.
Kabir comms par bola..
👉 "Mujhe lag raha hai main wrong anime mein aa gaya hoon."
Zoya ne finally comms join kiya. "Aarav, stabilize yourself. Energy spikes increasing."
Par Aarav sun hi nahi raha tha.
Uska focus sirf truth par tha.
👉 "Kyuuun?" usne Origin se poocha.
Origin ka answer slow tha.
👉 "Because he wanted evolution through destruction."
First Collapse hasa.
👉 "And he wanted control."
Suddenly...
poore chamber mein pressure blast hua.
Walls aur crack.
Meera balance lose karte karte bachi.
Aarav ne feel kiya..
andar Collapse violently react kar raha hai.
Usse pain ho rha tha..
👉 "Sharp pain"
Jaise woh khud ko tod raha ho.
👉 "Aaah..!"
Aarav knees par gir gaya.
Meera instantly uske paas gayi. "AARAV!"
First Collapse calmly uski taraf chalne laga.
Ek ek step ke saath room darker hota ja raha tha.
Echo instantly tense ho gaya.
👉 "Stop!"
First Collapse ne uski taraf dekha bhi nahi.
👉 "Tum failed copy ho."
Echo ka expression dark ho gaya.
Par woh chup raha.
Creature ab Aarav ke bilkul saamne tha.
Usne dheere se kneel down kiya.
Aur first time..
uski eyes soften hui.
👉 "Poor child…"
Meera instantly Aarav ke saamne aa gayi.
👉 "Door reh usse!"
First Collapse ne usse dekha.
👉 "Human attachment…"
Phir Aarav ki taraf.
👉 "Yahi weakness har version ko destroy karti hai."
Aarav ne heavy breathing ke saath upar dekha.
👉 "Main… tera version nahi hoon…"
Creature smile kiya.
👉 "Abhi nahi."
Andar Collapse suddenly panic mein bola..
👉 "Usse touch mat karne dena!"
Par late.
First Collapse ne Aarav ke forehead ko lightly touch kiya.
Aur us moment..
everything black.
Aarav ne aankhein kholi.
Par woh chamber mein nahi tha.
Woh ek completely dark world mein khada tha.
No sky.
No ground.
Sirf endless void.
Aur saamne..
thousands of shadows.
Human shapes.
Broken.
Destroyed.
Aarav ka heart sink ho gaya.
👉 "Kya… hai yeh?"
First Collapse ki awaaz har direction se aayi..
👉 "Previous versions."
Silence.
Aarav slowly peeche hata.
Impossible.
Thousands.
Matlab..
itne attempts hue the?
Ek shadow dheere dheere uske paas aayi.
Aur jab uska face visible hua..
Aarav freeze ho gaya.
Woh…
uska hi face tha.
Par dead eyes ke saath.
Dusri shadow.
Phir teesri.
Sab Aarav.
Different versions.
Different failures.
Some corrupted.
Some broken.
Some completely monstrous.
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
Or vo jor se chillaya...
👉 "Nahi…"
First Collapse ki awaaz phir aayi..
👉 "They all tried to resist."
Pause.
👉 "But they all failed."
Suddenly..
saari shadows ne ek saath Aarav ki taraf dekhna start kiya.
Aur ek hi line boli..
👉 "You will fail too."
Aarav ka body freeze ho gaya.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Aur ussi moment..
ek familiar voice darkness ke andar se aayi.
👉 "Not this time."
A bright golden light suddenly void ke andar explode hui.
Aur darkness ke beech..
Origin appear hua.
Directly Aarav aur un shadows ke beech.
First Collapse ki voice growl mein badal gayi..
👉 "You chose him again…"
Origin calmly bola..
👉 "Yes."
Silence.
Aur phir..
First Collapse ne woh line boli jisne Aarav ka khoon thanda kar diya.
👉 "Then this time…"
Pause.
👉 "…I'll kill him before he evolves."
👉 To be continued...