The world continued.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then months.
Nothing happened.
No shadows.
No whispers.
No 12:03.
No rules.
Meera lived normally.
Or at least—
She tried to.
She got a job.
Met people.
Smiled.
Laughed.
But sometimes—
She would stop.
For no reason.
And feel…
Empty.
Like something was missing.
"…Strange," she whispered one evening.
Standing in front of a mirror.
Her reflection looked back.
Normal.
Perfectly normal.
But—
For a split second—
It felt unfamiliar.
She stepped back.
"…I'm just tired."
She turned away.
The reflection didn't.
It smiled.
Elsewhere—
Far from the city—
A boy sat alone in his room.
Staring at his phone.
The time read:
12:03 AM
He frowned.
"…Why am I awake?"
Silence.
Then—
A sound.
Tap…
He froze.
"…Hello?"
Tap… tap…
Closer.
Behind him.
His heart started racing.
"…No… that's just—"
His phone lit up.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
"Rule 1:"
The boy's breath hitched.
"…Rule?"
The message continued—
"…Don't look behind you."
Silence.
The boy laughed nervously.
"…Very funny."
But his hands were shaking.
"…This isn't real…"
Then—
A whisper.
Soft.
Right behind him.
"…It never ended."**
The boy's body went stiff.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
He began to turn.
Elsewhere—
At that same moment—
Meera stopped walking.
Her breath caught.
Her heart—
Started pounding.
A memory.
Not clear.
Not complete.
But something—
A voice.
Familiar.
"…Aarav?"
Her eyes widened.
"…Who is that?"
Her phone buzzed.
She looked down.
A new message.
"Rule 1:"
Her hands trembled.
"…No…"
The text flickered.
Glitched.
Changed.
"…Don't forget."
Silence.
The air shifted.
Subtle.
But real.
The world—
For just a moment—
Flickered.
And somewhere—
Far beyond sight—
A crack formed.
Tiny.
Almost invisible.
But not gone.
🔥 END…?