*21st November 2025, on the night of a young moon.
"You won't even care if anything happens to me?" Vedika shouted over the wind.
I was standing on a terrace of her house.
Something felt strange.
The wind was surging and roaring in my ears.
It felt as if someone was calling me.
Vedika was standing in front of him, her face barely discernable in the dim light.
"Say something Zayed. What has happened to you?" she said, her voice brittle.
"Nothing has happened to me. It is you who is behaving like this" I shouted back at her.
I don't know why I just said that.
"Like what" she shot back, taking a step closer.
"Tell me, like what?"
"Like everyone is against you.
You are lashing out at everyone and—
Now you are coming at me, all of a sudden"
"I... I am not able to understand. Why are you doing this?" I replied.
My voice felt strained.
"Why am I doing this? You-
you tell me why would I do this, huh?"
"You always go about in your idiocy, and not even once, not even once, did you-" her voice broke.
"I am sorry if I did anything to hurt—"
"Did anything? you never did anything that is the problem. You bastard" she shouted her hands seized my collar.
"I don't even care anymore" she pushed me back as she said it.
"What do you mean? I am trying. That is why I came to meet you." I said as calmly as possible.
"I got busy—"
"BUSY? Busy talking to another girl?" her hands shook me demanding answer.
"She was getting robbed by some thugs,
That is why I intervened" I said my voice justifying itself.
I suddenly felt guilt crawling up.
I shouldn't be here.
I was doing something else...
yes... yes wake up.... we in danger, wind seemed to howl at me
"You are not the only one who needs help" I shot back at her.
Something inside me flinched and screamed as the words came out of my mouth.
But it was already too late.
You always were... I screamed in the back of my head.
Vedika laughed.
A small, broken sound.
And she went quiet before,
"Yeah," she nodded. "I guess every girl needs your help."
She looked away. Her eyes glistening with tears.
Her fingers tightened around her sleeve.
"Have you ever thought about... us? At least once?"
Of course I have, always and that is what I wanted to say but,
"Why should I be the only one thinking, huh?" I said, my voice taunting her.
"You... you always get angry thinking, overthinking every single time. And I am fed up with it."
"Okay?" my voice louder than usual.
Her head snapped towards him.
I knew I had broken something but,
"Overthink?"
She laughed.
"Is that what you think this is?"
Her eyes were brimming.
I didn't answer.
Because…
I didn't have one.
"You know what. Forget this, I don't wanna talk to you anymore" Vedika said stepping back to leave.
"Vedika-
"What?" Vedika snapped.
"Say what is bothering you." I said defensively.
"You always start it and then back off"
"Back off?"
Bitter smile appeared on her face.
"You are the one who always back out because you never considered us something"
"That is not true-
"That is the truth!" she snapped.
That hit harder than anything before.
Something started shrieking inside me.
Say sorry.... hug her... stop her, I was saying to myself,
But I wasn't able to move an inch.
"You always think about helping others—
but have you... have you ever thought that I needed your help too"
"Have you ever thought how much that stung me?" she kept shouting.
I didn't know what to say...
or how to fix this.
"What happened now, are you backing off" she retorted.
Don't reply back... don't...
"I'm not backing off… I'm trying, okay? But you—you just make it impossible sometimes.
No matter what." I shouted.
My hand clenched into a fist, nails digging in.
She didn't say anything, just silence. Heavy. Breaking.
"Yeah" she nodded.
"I... I am the problem I guess.
Yeah—" she broke.
I took a painful step towards Vedika. My mind breaking form constant hammering.
She took a step back.
Her hands trembling.
"I... just wanted some help and you-" her fist clenched.
Tears flowing down her cheeks reflecting moonlight.
Say it... move... I screamed at myself.
"I never meant—to say—"
But it was not enough.
She came forward and gave a slap.
"This is what you deserve" she shouted with a laugh and ran off.
The words hit harder than stone floor. I felt something pierce my heart.
don't say it... don't...
My mind was breaking.
Cracks were appearing in the sky. They were spreading like a web, violent and fast.
"No one will ever understand you. Ever" I shouted as she shut the door behind her.
My knees wobbled and I came down. Tears started to flow.
The cracks started whispering as they grew bigger.
Why did you say that?
Why?
You could have just hugged her?
Said sorry? was it that hard?
She was right, you didn't deserve anything.
You deserve to—
just wanted some help...
and you... never did anything...
Stop it. Please stop it.
I can't take it anymore.
The cracks became wider and everything started to come back.
And that made everything sting more.
"STOP IT"
The cracks split, the ground broke.
I fell... into an ethereal place.
My brain was still burning.
Memories still fresh.
I was on a platform, which was surrounded by crimson clouds.
On the clouds, which formed a large citadel, was a magnificent throne.
On it sat a figure shrouded in mist.
"Was it you?" I shouted at it. "You made me relive it?"
"Yes."
His voice felt hollowed, resonating... disgust and pity.
"But,
it was your own mind who replayed the moment you hated most." he said, unamused.
"As I had thought it was just another trivial moment of emotions,
Same as the other one." His voice descended.
Other one?
Was it Vedika...
It did not have any emotion to it.
Just... absoluteness.
"So what, all of this—"
My voice cracked.
meant nothing to you?" I bellowed
"No.
It was even below that. It was devoid of anything,
and somehow it has become a center of your life."
His voice went cold.
I wanted to get back at him,
How could he call it useless, insignificant.
But they didn't feel wrong.
And that was the problem.
I looked at my hands, marks of nails still fresh on it.
Was I this pitiful. Have my biggest regret turned myself into... something else.
Something settled inside as if... it acknowledged the fact.
"Now since you have realized what you regretted most,
It is time you face it"
I looked up.
He moved and... suddenly appeared before me, a crude-jagged club in hand.
His face was hidden behind a mask but his eyes were gleaming with enjoyment.
"Is this how you decide if people belong in your world." I asked him.
My voice still defensive of what I had just accepted.
"It is not same for everyone though sometimes it is.
I guess you know who I am talking about, right?"
As he said those words, his body started mutating.
It revolted, broke and changed till it started resembling...
Vedika.
"Why?"
"Why are you changing into her?" I shouted at him.
My breathing started to get uneven, hands freezing.
No, no, no,
it's fake. Just fake.
"What happened Zayed? Are you going to run away again?
Even the voice was same.
No I shouldn't attack her. No...
"Are you that sacred of getting hurt?"
"Shut up. Don't imitate her you—
you sadistic bastard" I shot back at him.
"What—
what is even all this about?" I asked him.
He turned his face back into who he was, but the body remained the same.
"If you want to go to that world you will have to..."
*After a pause.
"Kill your regrets."
I could feel his sadistic smile through the mask he was wearing.
"What is this test?
Why do I have to give such a test to go to some other world" I shot back at him.
"That is something you should ask to your master." he replied coldly.
Master.
What had he done?
"Now—
Are you really trying fix this, Zayed?"
I looked at my hands, they were shaking.
Something inside me screamed painfully as in...
shame.
I looked at that face again.
"Do you need a hug?"
I realized there was no sign of life in it's eyes.
This is not her... not her.
I took a deep breath.
I will hate myself for this, but...
He took the punch on his face and slid back.
"Zayed, why are you attacking me?"
"Don't do this, please" he said
My body went rigid.
The face that was once beautiful now had black spot.
It boiled my blood to see that, but I have to kill him.
"Do you really expect me to kill you with bare hands" I said in a a taunting voice.
"Why—
why do you want to kill me?"
"Have... have I ever made you angry, Zayed?" He said in her voice playful.
Bastard.
Then I just started hitting it in the face frantically.
It went on till it's face disfigured.
Something Inside me broke as I saw him heal back into her face.
My fists were dripping with blood.
My mind was starting to dissonate.
He is playing with us...
"Are you angry with me?"
"Can I do something to help you?" he said but his voice had a... different tune to it.
My whole body tensed again.
"I think if I kill you, all your problems will be solved.
Am I right?" as he said the same club appeared again in his hands.
"Come her darling, let me help you" as he said it he suddenly disappeared.
not with emotion, with mind...
He was nowhere on the platform, but I could feel his killing intent.
I peeled my eyes and ears, looking for any sign of being.
His intent was growing sharper and sharper, but he was nowhere me.
The floor was too tough for him to come from below.
So... he must come from above.
But there was no one there too.
"Where are you looking darling?" his voice came from right.
A laugh from left.
And he was there, about to swing his club.
I defended my head with my left arm, which was—
Taken out.
"Huh?"
Blood started gushing out from my left shoulder where once my arm was joined.
I didn't feel any pain, but my mind was in turmoil.
I tried to hold the bleeding with my right arm but it was of no use.
My breathing became ragged and fear crawling up but,
It soon subsided.
"Do you feel fear? Let me end it for you" he said with a sadistic smile.
"Fear? I left it long ago, bastard" I spoke with a sadistic voice.
Don't fight... break him...
Suddenly a memory flashed in my mind.
"We learn to live with regrets" Vedika has said to me once.
As the memory past by I was blinded for a moment.
I took a step back, suddenly unsure of his position.
As soon as I saw clearly again,
he was a breath away from me, his club thrusted forward like a spear.
I dodged it.
Barely by leaning my head back.
But it scratched my forehead leaving a mark on it.
I moved myself to his right, feinting a strike to his left.
But he saw through it and dodged backwards as I thought.
I lunged forward and hugged him.
"I am sorry Vedika.
I—I should have understood you back then." I said my voice breaking
"I... have no excuse for it. It—
was my fault. I... must have gone back to you, helped—"
No more words came out of my throat as if they were stuck.
So I just hugged him tight as I imagined him to be her.
"I just wished... you were real."
"Took you long enough"
And she hugged me back.
Her hands felt warm, as she rubbed it against my back.
I felt light and safe.
The illusion slowly started to break.
It was the same as before but it was way calmer
Or was it me...
"Thou hast passed the trial; wherefore, thou shalt proceed."
He was the same as before but his voice was more hollowed and... distant.
We were in a void space.
It was almost devoid of light but,
a glow was resonating from the god-figure.
"Thank you, sayyidi." I addressed with the only word of respect I knew.
"Follow thou but the light, and it shall lead thee forth."
He vanished to darkness as he said it leaving behind a faint light that was levitating like an orb.
I stood there for a moment thinking about the past and...
everything that has happened now.
My left arm was still missing. It wasn't an illusion then.
I guess that would be the price... of arrogance.
I don't how the journey will go but,
I followed the light into a new present.