Darkness.
Endless darkness.
Aarav bas girta hi ja raha tha.
Na upar kuch dikh raha tha.
Na neeche.
Sirf woh ek sentence uske dimaag mein baar-baar echo ho raha tha.
👉 "Us din... maine tumhari memories chura li thi."
Uska saans tez ho gaya.
👉 "Who... are you?"
Koi jawab nahi.
Sirf khamoshi.
Phir achanak..
THUD!
Aarav kisi hard surface par gira.
Usne dheere se aankhen kholi.
Aur jo usne dekha...
usne uska khoon jama diya.
Woh phir se base mein tha.
Lekin...
sab kuch alag tha.
Walls saaf thi.
Kahin koi damage nahi.
Lights normal chal rahi thi.
Screens on thi.
Jaise pichhle kuch ghante kabhi hue hi nahi.
Aarav confused hokar khada hua.
👉 "Main... wapas aa gaya?"
Tabhi..
👉 "Kya hua?"
Ek familiar awaaz sunai di.
Aarav ne mudkar dekha.
Kabir.
Bilkul normal.
Haath mein chips ka packet.
Face par wahi stupid smile.
👉 "Bhai itna shock kyun lag raha hai? Ghost dekh liya kya?"
Aarav ki aankhon mein disbelief tha.
👉 "Kabir...?"
Kabir hasa.
👉 "Haan bhai, duplicate nahi hoon."
Aarav turant Meera ki taraf dauda.
Woh laptop par kaam kar rahi thi.
Bilkul relaxed.
👉 "Meera!"
Meera ne surprise se uski taraf dekha.
👉 "Kya hua?"
👉 "Tum theek ho?"
Meera ne uska forehead touch kiya.
👉 "Fever toh nahi hai?"
Aarav ka dimaag ghoom gaya.
Sab...
normal kaise ho sakta hai?
Gate?
Kael?
Watcher?
The End?
Sab kahan gaye?
Tabhi Echo room mein enter hua.
Normal expression.
Jaise kuch hua hi na ho.
👉 "Mission ke liye ready ho?"
Aarav freeze ho gaya.
👉 "Mission?"
Echo ne confused hokar poocha.
👉 "Haan. First Fragment retrieve karna hai."
Complete silence.
Aarav ka dil zor se dhadakne laga.
First Fragment?
Matlab...
sab kuch reset ho gaya?
Usne turant wall calendar dekha.
Date.
Uski aankhen phat gayin.
Ye wahi din tha...
jis din unki journey shuru hui thi.
Bilkul Chapter 1 wala din.
👉 "Nahi..."
Usne dheere se kaha.
👉 "Impossible..."
Tabhi ek screen automatically on hui.
Us par koi signal nahi tha.
Bas static.
Aur phir...
screen par dheere dheere words appear hue.
👉 "Reality Reset Successful."
Neeche ek aur line blink hui.
👉 "Memory Retained: 1 Subject."
Aarav ka heartbeat ruk gaya.
👉 "Sirf..."
👉 "...main?"
Usi moment..
screen black ho gayi.
Aur us black screen mein...
Aarav ne apna reflection dekha.
Lekin...
woh uska reflection nahi tha.
Reflection muskura raha tha.
Jabki Aarav nahi.
Reflection ne dheere se lips move kiye.
👉 "Find me."
Aur screen normal ho gayi.
Usi waqt...
base ke bahar se ek loud explosion hua.
BOOOOOOM!
Sab bhaagkar bahar aaye.
Sky bilkul normal thi.
Na Gate.
Na Black Eye.
Na Heaven's End.
Lekin...
base ke entrance ke bahar...
ek chhota sa ladka khada tha.
Lagbhag 10 saal ka.
Simple black hoodie.
Golden eyes.
Aur uske haath mein...
ek purani diary.
Woh seedha Aarav ko dekhkar muskura diya.
👉 "Aakhir tum jaag hi gaye."
Kabir confused hokar bola..
👉 "Yeh baccha kaun hai?"
Ladka dheere se bola..
👉 "Tum log mujhe nahi jaante."
Pause.
👉 "Lekin..."
Usne diary Aarav ki taraf badhai.
👉 "...yeh diary tumne hi likhi thi."
Aarav ka chehra safed pad gaya.
👉 "Maine?"
Ladke ne sir hilaya.
👉 "Reset se pehle."
👉 "Is diary mein..."
Uski smile dheere dheere aur mysterious ho gayi.
👉 "...tumhari saari asli memories hain."
Aarav ne kaapte haath se diary pakdi.
Diary ke cover par sirf do words likhe the..
PROJECT REBIRTH
Aur jaise hi usne diary kholi...
pehle page par sirf ek sentence likha tha..
👉 «"Agar tum yeh padh rahe ho... toh iska matlab hai main haar gaya."»
Aarav ka saans andar hi atak gaya.
Kyunki us sentence ke neeche sign tha...
Aarav.
To be continued..