Karan couldn't breathe.
The words on the mirror didn't fade.
Didn't blur.
Didn't disappear like everything else.
They stayed.
Dark.
Wet.
Real.
---
"YOU LEFT ME HERE."
---
His reflection stood behind those words.
Broken into pieces by the cracks in the glass.
Distorted.
Unfamiliar.
---
"I didn't…" Karan whispered.
His voice shook.
"I didn't leave anyone…"
But the sentence felt incomplete.
Like something was missing.
Like someone was missing.
---
Behind him—
The other Karan exhaled slowly.
Almost tired.
---
«"That's the problem," he said quietly.
"You don't remember what you did."»
---
Karan clenched his fists.
"No… you're lying."
---
«"Then prove it."»
---
Silence.
---
Karan opened his mouth—
But nothing came out.
Because he couldn't.
Because he didn't know.
---
His memories felt… hollow.
Like a book with pages torn out.
Everything before coming back to this house was fading.
Slipping.
Breaking apart.
---
"I remember my parents," he said quickly.
"My school… my life…"
---
«"Do you remember leaving this house?"»
---
Karan froze.
---
The question hit harder than anything else.
Because again—
When he tried—
There was nothing.
---
No memory.
No moment.
No goodbye.
---
Just a gap.
---
"…no," he admitted.
Barely audible.
---
The other Karan nodded slightly.
---
«"Exactly."»
---
The room felt colder.
Tighter.
Like the walls were listening.
---
Karan turned back toward the mirror.
The words were still there.
Watching him.
Accusing him.
---
"Who are you…?" he whispered.
---
No answer.
---
But something changed.
---
The mirror rippled.
Like water disturbed by a stone.
---
And slowly—
The words began to shift.
Twisting.
Rearranging.
---
Karan's breath hitched.
"What…?"
---
The letters moved unnaturally.
Sliding across the surface.
Until they formed something new.
---
A name.
---
"SHRISHTI."
---
Karan stared at it.
His heart pounding harder than ever.
"Shrishti…"
The name felt familiar.
Too familiar.
---
A sharp pain shot through his head.
Sudden.
Violent.
---
Karan gasped, clutching his temples.
"Ah—!"
---
Images flashed.
Fast.
Broken.
Incomplete.
---
A girl laughing.
A voice calling his name.
Footsteps running down a hallway.
A door slamming shut.
---
"Stop…" he groaned.
---
The pain intensified.
Like something was forcing its way through.
Something he wasn't supposed to see.
---
And then—
A memory.
Clearer than the rest.
---
Darkness.
The same room.
The same walls.
---
And someone crying.
---
"Please… don't leave me here…"
---
Karan's eyes snapped open.
His breathing erratic.
"That voice…"
---
He knew it.
He had heard it before.
---
The mirror flickered again.
---
For a brief second—
The room changed.
---
Not empty anymore.
---
There were scratches on the walls.
Deep.
Desperate.
---
And on the floor—
A girl.
Curled up.
Shaking.
---
Karan's heart stopped.
"…Shrishti?"
---
The vision vanished instantly.
---
Everything returned to normal.
Empty room.
Cold air.
Silence.
---
Karan stumbled backward.
"No… no, that's not possible…"
---
Behind him—
The other Karan spoke again.
---
«"You're starting to remember."»
---
Karan turned sharply.
"I didn't do that!"
---
«"Didn't you?"»
---
Karan's chest rose and fell rapidly.
"I would never—"
---
«"You already did."»
---
Silence.
---
Karan shook his head, backing away.
"No… no, you're wrong…"
---
The other Karan watched him carefully.
No anger.
No urgency.
Just… certainty.
---
«"Then why is she still here?"»
---
Karan froze.
---
The question echoed in his mind.
Louder than everything else.
---
Why is she still here?
---
Slowly—
Very slowly—
Karan turned his head toward the mirror again.
---
The name was gone.
---
In its place—
A reflection.
---
But this time—
It wasn't him.
---
It was her.
---
Shrishti.
---
Standing inside the mirror.
Looking directly at him.
---
Karan's breath caught.
"…you're real."
---
She didn't answer.
Didn't blink.
Didn't move.
---
Her eyes were empty.
But not lifeless.
---
Waiting.
---
Karan stepped closer.
Carefully.
His hand lifted.
Reaching toward the glass.
---
"Shrishti… I don't remember, but I'll fix it. I promise…"
---
His fingers touched the surface.
Cold.
Too cold.
---
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
---
Then—
Her hand moved.
---
She pressed it against his.
From the other side.
---
Karan's eyes widened.
Because—
He could feel it.
---
Pressure.
Real.
Solid.
---
"This… this isn't possible…"
---
Her lips parted slowly.
---
And this time—
He heard her.
---
Soft.
Broken.
---
«"You said that before…"»
---
Karan's heart dropped.
---
«"You promised…"»
---
The glass trembled slightly.
Cracks spreading outward from where their hands met.
---
«"…and then you left."»
---
Karan shook his head frantically.
"No! I didn't—I wouldn't—"
---
Her expression changed.
---
Not angry.
Not sad.
---
Something worse.
---
Disappointed.
---
«"You always leave."»
---
The cracks spread faster now.
The mirror shaking violently.
---
Karan tried to pull his hand back—
But he couldn't.
---
Something was holding him.
---
From the other side.
---
Her grip tightened.
---
«"Not this time."»
---
The mirror shattered.
---
Karan screamed as the glass exploded outward—
But instead of falling—
The pieces froze mid-air.
---
Suspended.
Unnatural.
---
And then—
Everything went dark.
---
Completely.
---
No room.
No walls.
No sound.
---
Just—
Darkness.
---
And in that darkness—
A voice.
---
Close.
Right next to him.
---
Familiar.
---
«"Welcome back, Karan."»
---
Karan's breath stopped.
---
Because this time—
He recognized it.
---
It wasn't hers.
---
It wasn't his.
---
It was—
---
Atharav.