No one moved.
No one even breathed.
The girl stood in the center of the room.
Smiling.
Not like before.
Not human.
"…I lied," she repeated softly.
Her voice echoed—
Layered.
Like two people speaking at once.
"…Just once…"
The others stepped back.
Instinctively.
Because they understood now.
This wasn't fear anymore.
This was confirmation.
Aarav moved first.
Slow.
Careful.
"…What did you lie about?" he asked quietly.
The girl tilted her head.
"…Does it matter?"
A pause.
"…A rule is a rule."
Meera clenched her fists.
"…Fight it," she said sharply.
"…You can still fight it!"
The girl laughed.
Soft.
Broken.
"…That's the problem…"
A step forward.
"…I don't want to."
Silence.
That hit harder than anything else.
"…What do you mean?" the tall guy whispered.
The girl's eyes shifted.
Dark.
Empty.
"…It's easier," she said.
"…Not thinking."
"…Not choosing."
"…Not being… me."
Aarav's expression hardened.
"…That's not you talking."
The girl smiled wider.
"…Then who is?"
Her reflection stepped out.
Fully this time.
Standing beside her.
Identical.
Perfect.
"…You broke your rule," it said calmly.
"…So I finished it for you."
The room felt suffocating.
The air too heavy to breathe.
The tall guy shook his head.
"…No… no, we can fix this—"
"Step back," Aarav said.
His voice—
Sharp.
Absolute.
Everyone froze.
Even the girl.
Aarav stepped closer.
Toward her.
Toward it.
"…You don't get to take her like this," he said quietly.
The reflection tilted its head.
"…She gave herself."
"…No," Aarav replied.
"…She slipped."
A pause.
"…That's not the same thing."
The thing smiled.
"…In this world…"
A step closer.
"…it is."
Silence.
Aarav clenched his fists.
"…Then I'll change that too."
The air shifted instantly.
Meera's eyes widened.
"…Aarav, don't—"
Too late.
His voice echoed—
"New rule."
The room froze.
The shadows stopped moving.
The reflection paused mid-step.
Aarav's eyes glowed faintly.
Stronger than before.
"…Rule 10," he said.
"…A broken rule can be repaired."**
Silence.
Then—
Everything reacted.
Violently.
The air cracked.
The girl screamed.
Not in pain—
But in conflict.
Her body shook.
Her reflection flickered—
Unstable.
"…No…" it said.
"…That's not allowed."
"…It is now," Aarav replied.
The world trembled.
The cracks in the sky above—
Spread faster.
Meera grabbed him.
"…You're making it worse!"
"…I'm giving them a chance!" Aarav snapped.
The girl dropped to her knees.
Holding her head.
"…I… I didn't mean to…"
Her voice—
Her real voice—
Came through.
"…I didn't mean to lie…"
The reflection screamed.
Its form breaking apart.
"…You can't go back!"
Aarav stepped forward.
"…She can."
The room shook violently.
Reality tearing again.
The girl gasped—
Her eyes clearing.
"…I… I remember…"
Silence.
Then—
The reflection collapsed.
Shattering into nothing.
Gone.
The room fell still.
Completely.
The girl looked up.
Tears in her eyes.
"…I'm still… me?"
Aarav didn't answer.
Because he was staring at his hand.
Shaking.
Unstable.
The cracks outside—
Had doubled.
Meera saw it instantly.
Her voice dropped.
"…You did it…"
A pause.
"…but look what it cost."
Aarav looked up.
The sky—
Breaking faster than ever.
"…Every change you make…"
Meera continued—
"…breaks the system more."
Silence.
"…Then we don't have much time," Aarav said quietly.
The group stood there.
Shaken.
Terrified.
But now—
Something else too.
Hope.
"…So what now?" the tall guy asked.
Aarav looked at all of them.
Then said—
"…Now we learn how to fix ourselves…"
A pause.
"…before everything else breaks."
Outside—
The crack in the sky split wider.
And for the first time—
Something began to come through.
🔥 END OF CHAPTER 21