The clock ticked softly in the background.
Chinmay leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
His mind was strangely quiet.
For the first time in what felt like centuries, there was no war raging inside his head.
No endless cycle of fantasy and regret.
Just silence.
Heavy. Waiting.
---
But somewhere...
in the deepest corners of his mind...
something moved.
Not the old voice — the lazy one.
Something different.
Sharper.
Colder.
Smarter.
---
> "Congratulations,"
the voice whispered.
"You cleaned your room. You did one push-up. How grand. Truly, you're a warrior now, huh?"
It wasn't mocking like before.
It was calm.
Almost... surgical.
Chinmay sat up straight.
This wasn't the same enemy.
This one... was worse.
---
> "You're proud of yourself for this?"
"While others your age are building empires, mastering skills, lifting weights, starting companies — you're celebrating folding a t-shirt and not watching porn for ONE day?"
Every word cut deeper than the last.
Chinmay's fists clenched.
The flame inside him flickered.
---
> "Face it,"
the voice said smoothly.
"You're not built for greatness. You're just... average. Weak. Pretending otherwise won't save you. So why not surrender now and spare yourself the humiliation?"
---
The words crawled over his skin like insects.
For a second — just a second — Chinmay's heart trembled.
Maybe it was right.
Maybe he was just fooling himself.
Maybe all this effort was pointless...
Maybe...
---
No.
He sat up straighter.
A fire started rising in his chest again — hotter, wilder than before.
Because now he saw it.
This wasn't just laziness speaking.
This was Fear.
Fear dressed up in fancy words.
Fear trying to sound smart.
Fear pretending to be logic.
---
And Chinmay had finally seen through it.
> "You're right," he muttered under his breath, his voice shaking but clear.
"Maybe I'm nothing yet. Maybe I'm weak. Maybe I'm behind everyone else."
He stood up.
Looked into the mirror again.
Same hollow eyes.
Same tired face.
But behind them, a new fire was starting to rage.
> "But I'm NOT done yet."
"I'm not DONE, goddammit!"
---
The silence cracked.
Something in the room shifted.
And for the first time, he wasn't just fighting back.
He was declaring war.
---
In the mirror, for a split second,
he could swear he saw it:
Another version of himself.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Unbreakable.
Not smiling.
Not mocking.
Just... waiting.
---
Waiting for him to catch up.
---
TO BE CONTINUED...
---