"When the world is too perfect, humans stop being humans."
---
Aina woke up from her sleep.
The morning light penetrated through the wooden window, soft, warm and too perfect.
The sound of birds chirping outside the house and the wind carried the scent of flowers that did not exist in the world yesterday.
She woke up slowly.
The mirror by her bed reflected a calm face without dark circles under her eyes, without tears.
Everything was clean.
She smiled slightly… but her heart was empty.
Like her body was breathing, but her soul was not participating.
---
Outside, the world seemed new.
Kangar Road was now white and smooth, no mud, no dust.
Children walked to school singing, adults smiling all the time.
No horns, no noise, no fights.
However, there was one thing that made Aina stop in the middle of the road.
No one had a shadow.
She bowed. Her own feet were bare. She looked up. The sun was high in the sky, but its rays didn't warm her skin.
Her heart trembled.
"This world... why is it so lifeless?"
---
At school, all the students entered the classroom with the same smile. Their tone of voice was uniform, every word was spoken as if rehearsed. There was no difference between laughter and greetings. Their teacher stood in front, smiling with unblinking eyes.
"Good morning, students. Today we are learning about human perfection," she said.
Each student replied in unison,
"Perfection is the truth."
Aina looked around. Nothing was wrong on the outside, but too much was wrong on the inside.
She whispered to herself,
"This is not our world..."
---
During recess, she went into the school restroom, the quietest place.
She looked at the large mirror in front of the sink.
Her reflection smiled back at her... but the reflection's lips moved a little too late.
The smile was too long.
Too fake.
She turned away, swallowing, trying to calm herself.
When she looked back at the mirror, there was something written on its surface... blurred like water vapor
"PERFECT = EMPTY."
Aina was shocked, stepping back.
The writing slowly disappeared, but the impression remained on her chest.
---
The sound of water dripping from the sink tap, slowly but regularly. The drops reflected a small amount of sunlight on its surface, like living glass.
And from the reflection of the water, a soft voice could be heard.
Not an echo.
Not an illusion.
A voice she knew.
"Aina… you're not free yet."
Aina stiffened.
Tears fell without her realizing it.
"Harith…?"
The drops of water fell again, but this time they sounded like a heartbeat.
"This world… does not belong to us."
---
The wind outside suddenly stopped.
The smiles of the students outside the window became stiff, frozen, breathless.
Aina looked into the mirror again, but her reflection was gone.
All that was left was empty space,
and in that space, Harith's voice echoed again
"If the light is too perfect, that's a sign that the darkness is deceiving."