That night, Aarav couldn't sleep properly.
He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, eyes open but unfocused.
The same thoughts kept repeating.
The ruined city.
The monster.
The pain in his chest.
And that voice—
"You shouldn't be here yet."
Aarav turned to his side and let out a slow breath.
"Okay… if that was really a dream, then my brain deserves an award for best visual effects."
He stared at the wall.
"But if it wasn't a dream…"
A pause.
Then he shook his head.
"Nope. Not thinking about that."
He stretched his arms behind his head, trying to relax.
"Still… if some anime god is watching me right now and planning to send me to another world…"
A small grin appeared.
"At least send me somewhere cool."
The grin lingered—
Then slowly faded.
His thoughts blurred.
His body relaxed.
And eventually—
Sleep took him.
---
Cold wind.
That was the first thing he felt.
Aarav's eyes slowly opened.
His vision blurred—
Then cleared.
Broken buildings.
Collapsed roads.
Dust drifting through the air.
Aarav froze.
"…Not again."
He didn't move.
Didn't need to.
He already knew this place.
The ruined city stretched endlessly around him.
Silent.
Empty.
Dead.
He rubbed his face slowly.
"Okay brain… very funny."
He looked up.
"You're seriously continuing the same dream?"
No answer.
Of course.
He took a few careful steps forward.
The ground crunched under his shoes.
Too loud.
Echoing in the silence.
"Alright… at least this time there's no monster jumping at me—"
He stopped.
Something felt wrong.
The air.
Heavier.
Thicker.
Like something invisible was pressing down on everything.
Aarav slowly turned.
And then—
He saw it.
High above, on top of a destroyed building—
A figure stood.
Still.
Completely motionless.
No face.
No details.
Just a dark silhouette.
Watching.
The wind moved.
Dust shifted.
Debris rolled.
But the figure didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Aarav squinted.
"…Hello?"
No response.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Okay… this is officially creepy."
He took a step back.
The moment his foot touched the ground—
Something changed.
The air tightened.
Sharper.
Heavier.
The ground trembled.
Cracks spread beneath his feet.
Aarav looked down.
"…Uh… is the dream glitching now?"
The figure moved.
Just slightly.
Its head turned toward him.
And then—
The voice echoed.
Low.
Calm.
"You shouldn't be here yet."
Aarav's heart skipped.
His eyes widened.
"Wait—what?!"
Before he could react—
The world broke.
Buildings twisted unnaturally.
The sky cracked like shattered glass.
The ground beneath him collapsed.
"HEY—!"
Something pulled him back.
Not physically—
Something deeper.
Like reality itself was rejecting him.
"What does that even mean?!"
Everything shattered.
Light.
Sound.
Space itself.
And just before everything disappeared—
The voice spoke again.
"Go."
---
Warmth.
Soft.
Gentle.
Completely different.
Aarav's eyes slowly opened.
His breathing was uneven.
For a moment, he just stared upward.
The ceiling—
Was unfamiliar.
Wooden beams.
Clean.
Unbroken.
Sunlight slipped in through a nearby window.
The air smelled different.
Herbs.
Medicine.
Aarav blinked.
"…Where am I?"
He tried to move—
Pain shot through his chest.
"Ah—!"
He winced, falling back.
Footsteps approached.
Light.
Careful.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Surprised.
"Oh…"
Aarav turned his head slightly.
A girl stood nearby, looking at him.
"You're awake."
For a moment—
Everything else faded.
The pain.
The confusion.
The questions.
All of it.
And only one thought remained—
Something… had changed.
---
End of Chapter 4