The stars looked closer than ever.
The space around, seemed like a void with barely a vibrant appeal.
But most of my sight was diverted by a colossal darkseid-like figure approaching towards a half-dead being with barely any life left for it to resist, on an outer surface of some planet or a detached rock locating a bit distant from the means of our regular solar system.
The figure's bare hand was buried in the dying being's abdomen.
And i was lying there behind motionless with my eyes open, beaten to death, struggling to live for a minute more.
The dying being retraced it's sight towards me.
"None of this would have happened....had you not lacked courage".
It gasped, struggling to draw another breath.
"My fate found it's way to me" It's voice weakened "yours…soon gonna find you".
Aryan suddenly woke up shaken in middle of night and gasped for a bit, realising it's just a bad dream.
He lowered himself onto the balcony floor, suspended high above the sleeping city.
Aryan looked at sky and murmured " The stars look closer... and i'm still not as courageous,... are my dreams... just metaphors? " to himself.
——————-THE BEGINNING——————
The not-so crowded city suddenly looks crowded and lively as it's past 9 am.
Employees hurried towards their workplaces, students made their way to colleges and schools, and the streets gradually filled with the familiar chaos of everyday life.
But the same city can look otherwise in the night, ..dreadful and flooded by criminals, psychopaths and serial killers, until few years ago.
The city was widely known as capital city of crimes and also a den of powerful rulers(politicians).
Its citizens were once treated as outcasts, burdened by folktales and rumours that painted them as a cursed people.
Outsiders believed these crimes were just the reflections of those tales.
But thanks to the improved and tighter security,
Stricter patrols and the closure of several blood-soaked streets after dark became Vladen's most effective defence against the darkness that had once consumed it.
These measures weren't perfect.
They weren't enough to wash away it's history.
Yet they offer enough light to pierce the darkness that injustice left behind.
The city's name itself ironically refers to it's state(condition) ['(vladen)': (vlad-rulers)||(den-house of) ].
Despite being in rich family, Aryan likes to go to college on walk though it's not very near.
His walk towards was halted by a sudden pat on his head by a woman.
" Ay! you look as if you're sleepwalking in daylight"-jean(his female best friend who patted on his head).
They started walking together.
"Nah, I'm just drowsy, you're late btw"- Aryan.
"I woke up a bit late, wait.. don't tell me you're planning to go by yourself because I was late"-jean.
"You know I wouldn't" Aryan replied spontaneously.
She reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a can of non-alcoholic beer.
Aryan glanced at it.
"Drinking non-alcoholic beer or cold drinks this early in the morning isn't particularly good for our health, you know".
Jean reached into her pocket again and pulled out another can.
"I got one for you, too. Your favourite flavour, grape."
She handed it to him.
"Well..." (clears his throat). "What I was trying to say is that you shouldn't believe in such baseless claims. There are no such restrictions."
She smiled a bit and asked him again why he was so drowsy and dull.
The convo exchange went in the same order.
" Don't tell me you stayed awake due to some bad dream again"
" i mean.....it's not just a regular dream, it was something beyond,... like a remainder or call"
" Ugh! Is it the fantasy chosen one or superhero-ish style dream again?, Aren't you little too old to be having such dreams".
She then added " Just because you're a bit obsessed with stuff like that, it's pretty common you have such dreams, stop overreading those"
"Hey come on! that was ages ago, I've matured a lot more ever since I said stuff like that and besides I don't view my dreams in that way anymore".
He took a second gap and said"...its just...they feel like pointing out my insecurity in disguise of different narratives and fantasy stories"
" What insecurity?"-jean.
Aryan held back himself for a second and said "It's nothing ".
jean gave a BOMBASTIC side eye and said "what?" in a bit serious tone.
Aryan told her that it's just some trivial thing but jean noticed something uncommon in him and rather than asking him right then, she wanted to wait until he feel free to tell her on his own.
They left off to their college and soon reached their university's main gate having this chit-chat.
Vladen's symbol of education-- JK University--founded by john keth, vladen's second most powerful ruler in disguise of a business corporate, just behind the cheif minister Sanjay vedulla.
They both major in the same department computer science and engineering, and are just months away from getting their final degree certificate.
Except one(Aryan)'s interested in studies and other(jean)'s interested in archery.
Jean is a state player in archery and she's attempting to participate and win the national race.
Jean noticed that Aryan looked troubled, unfocused, at unease and distracted by something she couldn't see, in class.
Right after the class ended, Aryan rushed to washroom and washed off his face while gasping a bit in fear.
"Am i hallucinating voices now?" Aryan said to himself while washing off his face.
He wiped his face with his hands.
Then he opened his eyes.
A figure stood behind him in the mirror.
Its face was a grotesque mixture of red and sand-coloured skin, as though it had been crushed repeatedly or left with countless scars.
Aryan went rigid.
The figure tilted its head.
A chilling voice emerged from behind him.
"Missed me?"
Aryan spun around.
There was nobody behind him.
He stared at the empty space.
His breathing grew heavier.
He turned back toward the mirror, dreading what he might find.
Only his own reflection stared back.
Aryan stumbled backwards.
Without wasting another second, he hurried out of the washroom, moving backwards for a few steps as he kept his eyes fixed on the doorway.
Then—
He collided with someone and.... it was jean.
Aryan stumbled, but Jean caught him by the arm before he could fall.
He was pale, trembling, and slick with sweat.
Jean questioned him what happened, but he still replied "Nothing".
(He took a small breath) and added "A spider fell on me in the washroom. I got freaked out, threw it away, and rushed out. That's it." in a scared voice.
But this time, Jean refused to wait or let him brush it aside.
"Aryan…..Is something wrong lately?".
Aryan felt bit surprised as it seemed bit out of blue.
She then added " I noticed something's wrong with you this morning, you usually stutter a bit in fear".
Not by default, but by fear.(There is no gap between upper and lower dialogue)
"And tries to coax me a bit when I give you the side eye if it's really something trivial or unserious, but you pretended to be normal"
She looked him in the eye.
"..I wanted to wait until you tell me by yourself, but how long are you gonna pretend?, I'll listen to you even if it's that fantasy shit again, but dont fight in your head alone and feel terrified, instead share it with me if you feel secure enough to let me know".
Aryan paused and drew a little breath, looking down, breaking the eye contact.
" Well... first of all i could be totally wrong, It was too dark so im not sure".
He slowly raised his head.
"...In my dream today, i saw someone ...someone or something that looked a bit like..my father, getting killed by some darkseid kind of figure that looked like..."
(stopped completing the sentence) and jumped on to another sentence.
"...and just now in washroom, i saw that...(stopped again)" Aryan expressed in a low, weak voice.
Jean's eyes widened in shock.
" Has your..PTSD triggered again? let's go to hospital and get checked again, is this the first time in recent or --".
Her words were interrupted by Aryan " Hey im totally fine! its been years since that happened....Im really fine".
But jean knew he wasnt.
Aryan went on again " I might be wrong about the dream description or it could be just that it's been too long since i thought or dreamt about it".
Jean felt bit perplexed.
He concluded "So it might have struck my head again just normally, it's nothing serious".
" But Aryan.... whatever happened that day. Wasn't your fault...you're a victim too, dont blame yourself ".
" That wasn't what I was insecure about, it was about my dream voicing loud about my lack of courage, it's just that's it, nothing serious, don't worry" Aryan replied.
"But even still--" jean was about to persuade him again to get a check up.
But she was interrupted again by " Im really okay, I just am having a bad sleeping schedule lately, that might be why Im seeing things, its nothing serious ".
Jean caught his hand just as he turned to leave.
" I'm telling you! we are meeting a psychiatrist this evening and you are going to get a check up again, there's no changing this " in a bit fierce tone.
Her expression left no room for argument. She wasn't going to back down.
" Im not giving up on you,...you know I wouldn't" said Jean, spontaneously.
TO BE CONTINUED.…