The night felt… wrong.
Armaan stood at the edge of the abandoned corridor, his breath uneven. The events of the last chapter still echoed in his mind—the shadow he saw wasn't just a hallucination. It moved. It watched.
And now… it was calling him.
A faint whisper crawled through the silence.
"You can't escape me…"
Armaan froze.
"Who's there?" his voice cracked, but the darkness didn't answer—at least, not directly.
The lights flickered. Once. Twice.
Then everything went black.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sound, no movement—just an overwhelming pressure, as if the air itself had turned heavy.
And then he saw it.
A pair of glowing eyes opened in the darkness.
Not human. Not even close.
Armaan tried to step back, but his feet wouldn't move. It felt like the shadows had wrapped around him, holding him in place.
"You've awakened me…"
The voice wasn't outside anymore.
It was inside his head.
Memories he didn't recognize flashed before his eyes—burning cities, broken skies, and a figure standing at the center of it all… wearing his face.
"No… this isn't real…" Armaan whispered.
But deep inside, he knew the truth.
This wasn't a nightmare.
This was his past.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him cracked. A dark energy surged through the floor, wrapping around his arms like living chains.
He screamed—but no sound came out.
The eyes came closer.
Closer…
Until they were right in front of him.
"Accept it… or be consumed."
And in that moment, something inside Armaan broke.
Or perhaps…
Something finally awakened.
A surge of black energy exploded from his body, shattering the invisible chains. The corridor lit up in a violent flash—and for a second, his eyes glowed the same way.
Not with fear.
But with power.
The darkness stepped back.
For the first time… it hesitated.
Armaan collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. The whispers faded, the presence disappeared—but the feeling remained.
Something had changed.
Something irreversible.
He looked at his trembling hands.
They weren't normal anymore.
A faint shadow clung to his skin… moving on its own.
And deep inside, a new voice spoke—calm, cold, and terrifying.
"This is only the beginning."