Darkness.
Not the kind you see when lights go out.
This was different.
Heavier.
Thicker.
Like it wasn't just around Aarav—
It was on him.
Inside him.
Pressing against his eyes.
Against his lungs.
Aarav tried to breathe—
But the air felt wrong.
Cold.
Empty.
"Hello…?" his voice trembled into the void.
No echo.
No sound returning.
Just silence.
Endless silence.
Then—
A faint glow appeared ahead.
Red.
The same red light from the door.
Flickering.
Calling.
Aarav swallowed hard.
"I… I need to wake up…"
His voice shook.
"This is just a dream… right?"
No answer.
Of course not.
Slowly, he forced himself to move.
One step.
Then another.
The ground beneath his feet felt solid—
But strange.
Like walking on something alive.
Every step echoed softly now.
Not around him—
But beneath him.
As he moved closer, the red light grew stronger.
Revealing shapes in the darkness.
Walls.
A corridor.
Long.
Narrow.
Endless.
Aarav's chest tightened.
"This… isn't my room…"
The walls looked wrong.
They weren't smooth.
They looked like—
Layers.
Like something had been built over and over again.
Scratched.
Marked.
Carved.
And as Aarav stepped closer—
He saw them.
Symbols.
The same ones from his wall.
Repeated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Endless.
Aarav stepped back slightly.
"…what is this place…?"
Then—
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
Aarav froze.
The sound echoed through the corridor.
Louder here.
Clearer.
It wasn't coming from one direction.
It was everywhere.
Every wall.
Every inch.
Knocking.
Answering.
Calling.
Aarav covered his ears.
"Stop… please… just stop…"
The knocking paused.
Then—
A voice.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"Why did you stop?"
Aarav's eyes widened.
"No…"
He slowly turned.
And there—
Standing behind him—
Was the copy.
The same one.
Same face.
Same smile.
Watching him.
Aarav stumbled back.
"You're not real…"
The copy tilted its head.
"You keep saying that."
Its voice was calm.
Normal.
Almost human.
"That doesn't make it true."
Aarav shook his head violently.
"No… no, you're not me…"
The copy stepped closer.
"Not yet."
Aarav froze.
His breath caught.
"What… what does that mean…?"
The smile widened.
"You opened the door."
Another step closer.
"You knocked back."
Another.
"You answered."
Aarav's chest tightened.
"No… I didn't—"
"Yes, you did."
The voice sharpened slightly.
And for the first time—
There was something dark in its eyes.
Something deep.
Hungry.
The corridor shifted.
Aarav blinked.
And suddenly—
There were doors.
Dozens of them.
All along the walls.
Black.
Identical.
Stretching endlessly in both directions.
Aarav turned in panic.
"They weren't there before…"
The copy chuckled softly.
"They were always here."
It gestured around them.
"You just couldn't see them."
Aarav shook his head, backing away.
"What is this place…?"
The copy leaned in slightly.
"This is where you come from."
Aarav froze.
"…what?"
The smile faded slightly.
Not completely.
But enough.
"This is where all of you come from."
Aarav's breathing stopped.
"All… of me…?"
The copy's eyes flickered.
And for a brief moment—
Aarav saw something inside them.
Not one reflection.
But many.
Different versions.
Different faces.
All his.
"Every door," the copy continued softly,"is a version of you."
Aarav's head spun.
"No… that's not possible…"
"You live one life," the copy said,"and forget the rest."
Another step closer.
"But we remember."
Aarav stumbled backward.
"We?"
The copy smiled again.
Wider.
Darker.
"Yes…"
It leaned closer—
Right to his face—
And whispered—
"The ones who didn't get out."
A sudden bang echoed behind them.
A door slammed open.
Aarav flinched and turned.
One of the doors—
Was now slightly open.
Darkness inside.
Moving.
Breathing.
A hand slowly reached out from within.
Pale.
Thin.
Shaking.
Then another.
And another.
More doors began to creak open.
All around them.
Aarav's heart pounded wildly.
"No… no, no…"
The corridor filled with whispers.
Voices.
All overlapping.
All familiar.
All his.
"Help me…""Don't leave…""It chose you…"
Aarav covered his ears, falling to his knees.
"STOP!"
The voices grew louder.
Closer.
Closer—
Then—
Silence.
Instant.
Aarav's breathing shook violently.
Slowly…
He looked up.
The copy stood right in front of him.
Closer than ever.
Watching.
Smiling.
Patient.
"…why me…?" Aarav whispered.
The copy tilted its head.
And for the first time—
It answered without a smile.
"Because you opened the right door."
Aarav's blood ran cold.
"…what happens now…?"
The smile returned.
Slow.
Unnatural.
Final.
The copy stepped back—
And pointed behind Aarav.
Slowly…
Aarav turned.
One door stood open.
Wider than the others.
The red light spilling out from inside.
Stronger.
Darker.
Calling him.
The voice echoed again.
But this time—
It wasn't from the copy.
It came from inside that door.
Deep.
Ancient.
Hungry.
"Come inside."