Raat ka waqt tha.
Base ke andar sab so rahe the… ya kam se kam sone ki koshish kar rahe the. Aaj ka din khatam ho chuka tha, par jo hua tha uska asar abhi bhi hawa mein tha.
Kabir finally thak ke so gaya tha. Zoya apne system logs check karte karte chair par hi aankhein band kar baithi thi. Meera apne room mein thi… par uski neend baar baar toot rahi thi.
Aur Aarav…
woh jaag raha tha.
Control room ke andhere kone mein khada, woh bas blank screen ko dekh raha tha. Par uska focus bahar nahi... andar tha.
👉 "Tu sun raha hai na?" Aarav ne dheere se poocha.
Kuch seconds tak silence raha.
Phir..
👉 "Ab sun raha hoon," Collapse ki awaaz aayi.
Aarav ne aankhein band ki. "Woh kya tha?"
👉 "Residue?" Collapse ne calmly kaha, "ya sach?"
Aarav ne irritate hoke kaha, "Mujhe answers chahiye."
👉 "Answers simple nahi hote," Collapse ne reply kiya.
👉 "Par hint de sakta hoon."
Aarav chup raha.
👉 "Jo tune aaj dekha… woh future nahi tha."
Pause.
👉 "Woh past bhi ho sakta hai."
Aarav ka dimaag ek second ke liye ruk gaya.
👉 "Matlab?"
"Matlab… hum unique nahi hain," Collapse ne dheere se kaha.
👉 "Hum repeat hain."
Silence heavy ho gaya.
Aarav ne aankhein kholi. "Aur Residue?"
👉 "Shayad… woh kisi failed version ka bacha hua hissa hai."
Aarav ka saans slow ho gaya. "Aur main?"
👉 "Tu decide karega ki tu kya banega."
Achanak se....
system blink hua.
Wahi signal.
Phir se.
Is baar... stronger.
Aarav turant screen ke paas gaya.
Coordinates change ho chuke the.
👉 "Phir bula raha hai…" Aarav ne dheere se kaha.
Is baar...
usne kisi ko jagaya nahi.
Woh akela nikal gaya.
Vo bahar aa chuka tha.
City dark thi. Lights kam thi. Hawa thodi thandi thi.
Aarav seedha us location ki taraf badh raha tha.
Is baar uske steps hesitate nahi kar rahe the.
Jaise woh ready ho.
Ya phir…
jaise woh khinch raha ho.
Location pe pohonchte hi...
woh ruk gaya.
Yeh jagah pehle wali jagah se bhi zyada khali thi.
Sirf ek broken structure… aur beech mein..
Residue.
Jaise woh already wait kar raha ho.
👉 "Expected," usne dheere se kaha.
Aarav uske saamne aaya. "Tu mujhe yahan kyun bula raha hai?"
Residue ne seedha jawab diya, "Kyuki ab tu ready hai."
👉 "Ready for what?"
👉 "Sach ke liye."
Silence.
Aarav ka expression tighten ho gaya.
👉 "Bol."
Residue dheere dheere uske paas aaya.
👉 "Tu sochta hai tu special hai… kyuki tu control aur collapse dono ko handle kar raha hai."
Pause.
👉 "Par sach yeh hai…"
Woh Aarav ke bilkul paas ruk gaya.
👉 "…tu pehla nahi hai."
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
Or usne kaha...
👉 "Matlab?"
Residue ne uski aankhon mein dekha.
👉 "Multiple attempts hue hain."
👉 "Multiple versions."
👉 "Multiple failures."
Aarav ka dimaag race karne laga.
👉 "Impossible…"
👉 "Reality," Residue ne correct kiya.
👉 "And har baar… end same tha."
👉 "Destruction."
Silence.
Aarav ne dheere se poocha, "Aur tu…?"
Residue ki aankhon mein ek ajeeb si shine aayi.
👉 "Main un sab ka result hoon."
👉 "Jo bacha… jo reh gaya… jab sab khatam ho gaya."
Aarav ka heart fast beat kar raha tha.
"Matlab tu..."
"Main proof hoon," Residue ne uski baat kaat di.
👉 "Proof ki system fail hota hai."
Aarav ne apni fists tight ki or kaha...
👉 "Main fail nahi honga."
Residue ne halki si hansi ke saath kaha...
👉 "Sab ne yahi kaha tha."
Ek second ke liye silence.
Phir...
Residue ne apna haath uthaya.
Aur suddenly...
Aarav ke aas paas environment change hone laga.
Jaise reality distort ho rahi ho.
Images flash hone lage.
Broken cities.
Destroyed structures.
Log… girte hue.
Aur beech mein...
ek figure.
Aarav.
Par alag.
Zyada dark.
Zyada unstable.
👉 "Yeh kya hai?" Aarav ne shock mein poocha.
👉 "Possible futures," Residue ne calmly kaha.
👉 "Ya phir… repeat hone wale outcomes."
Aarav ne aankhein bandh kar li.
👉 "Band kar yeh sab!"
Images aur intense ho gaye.
👉 "Face it," Residue ne kaha.
👉 "Yeh sab tere andar hai."
Andar...
Collapse silent nahi tha.
👉 "Dekha?" usne dheere se kaha.
👉 "Yeh sab sach hai."
Aarav chillaya, "Nahi!"
Usne zor se energy release ki.
Aur...
images break ho gayi.
Reality wapas normal.
Aarav heavy breathing.
👉 "Main yeh nahi banunga…"
Residue ne usse dekha.
Kuch seconds tak.
Phir...
usne slowly sir hilaya.
👉 "Good."
Aarav confused.
👉 "Good?"
👉 "Resistance hi difference create karta hai," Residue ne kaha.
👉 "Par…"
Pause.
👉 "Kitni der tak?"
Silence.
Aarav jawab nahi de paya.
Residue peeche hatne laga.
👉 "Next phase start hone wala hai."
Aarav ne turant poocha, "Kaunsa phase?"
Residue ne halki si smile ke saath kaha..
👉 "Jahan tu choose nahi karega…"
👉 "Jahan tujhe choose kiya jayega."
Ye sunke aarav ek second ke liye freeze ho gya or usne kaha...
👉 "Matlab?"
Residue ne seedha jawab nahi diya.
Bas ek line kahi..
👉 "Jab woh aayega… tab tujhe samajh aayega."
Aur phir...
woh dheere dheere shadow mein dissolve ho gaya.
Gayab.
Complete silence.
Aarav wahan khada tha.
Akela.
Par pehli baar..
usko feel ho raha tha ki...
yeh game uske control se bahar ja raha hai.
Andar Collapse ne dheere se kaha..
👉 "Prepare ho ja…"
👉 "Kyuki agar woh sach mein aaya…"
Pause.
👉 "…toh na tu bach payega…or na hi yeh duniya."
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya or usne irritate hote hue kaha..
👉 "Woh… kaun hai?"
Silence.
Phir...
ek naam.
Slow.
Heavy.
👉 "Origin."
To be continued...