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Chapter 9 - Ch-8 The Door That Shouldn't Open

The silence after the door unlocked was worse than the whispers. Aarav sat on the floor, chest heavy, black veins still crawling under his skin. He didn't move. He didn't breathe.

Click.

The door slowly pushed itself open. No one entered. The hall outside looked empty, but the darkness there felt heavier than his own room. It was like the shadows were waiting.

"Who's there?" Aarav whispered, his voice breaking. No answer.

He stood up on weak legs. His palm still burned where the object had fused with him. The black mist around it had faded, but the veins pulsed like they had their own heartbeat.

The mirror on the wall gave a faint crack sound again. Aarav turned his head. His reflection wasn't moving anymore. But it was smiling. Wide. Wrong.

"No…" Aarav shook his head. "This isn't real. This isn't me."

The reflection mouthed something. He couldn't hear it. He stepped closer, and his stomach dropped.

It was saying: "Behind you."

Aarav spun around.

The faceless figure stood in the doorway. Its presence filled the room like ice in his veins. It didn't step in. It just stood there. Watching. Waiting.

The whispers returned, soft at first, then louder—like a crowd pressing into his mind.

"Choose…"

"Choose now…"

"The Abyss is already yours."

The figure raised its hand, pointing at Aarav. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and the veins on his arm spread faster, racing toward his chest. He felt something breaking inside him—his mind, his body, maybe his soul.

And then the lights died completely.

All that remained was the sound of his own heartbeat… and the whisper of the faceless figure breathing right next to his ear:

"…This is only the beginning."

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