After that moment by the riverside, Arian's world was no longer the same.
He knew Neela existed.
But the way she existed… was not easy to understand.
Since that night, Arian had started to feel Neela's presence more often—sometimes in a soft breeze, sometimes in the ripples of water, sometimes within his own breath.
But the strangest thing was—
She appeared more clearly when he was alone.
As if silence itself called her.
One evening, Arian sat by the river again.
The sky was painted in red, the sun slowly setting. Its light was breaking across the water.
He whispered,
"Are you here?"
Silence for a moment.
Then—
"I was never very far."
Arian closed his eyes.
This voice was no longer unfamiliar to him.
He said softly,
"Why do you hide yourself?"
Neela's voice floated in the air,
"I don't hide… people just can't see me properly."
Arian shook his head.
"I've seen you."
For a moment, all sounds around them stopped.
"Is that true?"
There was a softness in Neela's voice for the first time.
Arian opened his eyes.
In front of him—
through a light mist over the river, Neela's figure slowly appeared.
This time, she was clearer than before.
Arian's heart began to race.
"You… you're really here,"
he said.
Neela stepped a little closer.
"But do you understand… I am no longer the same person you saw on the ship that first day?"
Arian remained silent.
"I am tied to that place,"
Neela said,
"where I last 'existed.'"
The air suddenly turned cold.
"What do you mean?"
Arian asked.
Neela spoke slowly,
"This river is not just water. It is a boundary… where some stories don't end, they remain trapped."
A strange chill ran through Arian.
"Are you saying… you're bound to this place?"
he asked.
Neela nodded.
"Yes… and the day you saw me, that boundary opened again."
A heavy silence fell.
Arian said softly,
"Then… can I free you?"
Neela looked at him.
There was deep pain in her eyes, but also a hint of hope.
"People don't free me,"
she said,
"they remember me… that is enough."
Arian stepped closer.
"I won't forget you,"
he said firmly,
"never."
Neela smiled gently.
"Then you've already become a part of this story."
Just then—
The river water suddenly trembled in a strange way.
A distant rumble echoed.
Neela's form began to blur.
"No…"
Arian moved forward quickly,
"wait…!"
Neela looked at him.
"Something is changing,"
she said, her voice filled with warning,
"this place is no longer stable."
Arian realized—
This was not just about their connection…
This was a reality that was breaking apart.
"What do you mean?"
he asked.
Neela said slowly,
"When truth and memory become intertwined… reality itself starts to tremble."
For a moment—
Everything stopped.
The river waves, the wind, even the sound of birds.
And then—
Suddenly, everything resumed again.
But something had changed.
Neela was no longer stable.
Her presence was now more irregular, more fragile.
Arian understood—
Time was running out.
This story was no longer just about feelings.
It was a battle—
against memory, reality, and time itself.
And in this battle…
The risk of losing everything was always there.