No one slept that night.
Not in the city.
Not anymore.
The sky remained cracked.
Visible.
Permanent.
Like a wound that refused to heal.
Inside the abandoned building—
No one spoke.
The group sat in silence.
Five strangers.
Now connected by the same fear.
And one truth.
They had seen.
Meera stood near the window.
Watching the city.
Lights flickering.
People stopping in the streets.
Looking up.
"…It's spreading faster," she said quietly.
Behind her—
Aarav stood still.
Not moving.
Not blinking.
Just watching them.
"…Of course it is," he replied.
"…You broke the loop."
Meera turned sharply.
"…You said that like it's a bad thing."
A pause.
"…It's not good or bad," Aarav said.
"…It's uncontrolled."
Silence.
"…Then control it again," the tall guy snapped.
Everyone looked at him.
"…You made this, right?" he continued.
"…Fix it."
Aarav looked at him.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Just… distant.
"…That's not how it works anymore."
"…Then explain it!" the guy shouted.
Aarav stepped forward.
Slow.
Measured.
"…Before," he said,
"…there was one system."
"…One loop."
"…One version of reality trying to stabilize itself."
A pause.
"…Now?"
He looked at each of them.
"…There are many."
Silence.
"…What does that mean?" the girl asked softly.
Aarav's voice dropped.
"…It means each of you…"
A pause.
"…is becoming your own loop."
The room went still.
"…No," Meera said immediately.
"…That's not possible."
"…You've already felt it," Aarav replied.
"…The gaps."
"…The memories slipping."
"…The voice that isn't yours."
One by one—
They all reacted.
Because they had.
"…That's how it starts," Aarav continued.
"…Not with them."
"…With you."
The tall guy stepped back.
"…So we're just… turning into them?"
Aarav shook his head slightly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…You're turning into something unstable."
Silence.
"…And they…"
His eyes darkened slightly.
"…are what happens next."
The weight of it hit.
Hard.
"…So what do we do?" someone whispered.
Aarav didn't answer immediately.
Because this time—
The answer mattered.
Then—
He spoke.
"…We create rules."
Meera froze.
"…No."
The others looked confused.
"…That's how this started," she said.
"…Rules are what created the loop."
Aarav nodded.
"…Exactly."
"…Then why would we do it again?!" she snapped.
A pause.
"…Because now," Aarav said quietly,
"…we're not trying to trap it."
He looked at all of them.
"…We're trying to survive it."
Silence.
"…What kind of rules?" the girl asked.
Aarav's expression hardened.
"…Personal ones."
"…What?"
"…Rules that only apply to you," he said.
"…Rules that define who you are."
A pause.
"…Because if you don't define yourself…"
His voice dropped—
"…something else will."
The air went cold.
"…So we just… make rules?" the tall guy said.
"…Like what?"
Aarav looked at him.
"…Something you won't break."
Silence.
"…Ever."
The group fell quiet.
Thinking.
For the first time—
Not about survival.
But about themselves.
"…I won't lie," the girl said softly.
Everyone looked at her.
"…No matter what."
Aarav nodded slightly.
"…Good."
"…I won't look in mirrors at night," another said.
"…I won't answer voices," someone else added.
The tall guy hesitated.
Then—
"…I won't forget my name."
Silence.
That one—
Hit differently.
Aarav looked at him.
For a moment—
Almost proud.
"…That's the first real rule," he said quietly.
Meera watched all of this.
Uneasy.
"…And what about you?" she asked.
Aarav didn't answer immediately.
He looked out the window.
At the broken sky.
At the spreading cracks.
At the world—
That no longer made sense.
Then—
He spoke.
"…I won't become what I was."
Silence.
Meera's breath caught.
Because that rule—
Was the hardest one of all.
Suddenly—
The air shifted.
Sharp.
Violent.
The lights flickered.
Then—
One of them screamed.
Everyone turned.
The girl.
The one who said she wouldn't lie.
Her body froze.
Her eyes wide.
"…I—"
She stopped.
Her expression—
Changed.
Subtly.
Then—
She smiled.
"…I lied."
Silence.
Aarav's eyes widened slightly.
"…No…"
The girl's head tilted.
Slowly.
"…Just once."
Her reflection appeared beside her—
In the air.
Smiling wider.
"…That's all it takes."
🔥 END OF CHAPTER 20