Anand quickly waved both hands in panic.
"Sorry, bro! 'In friendship, that is okay!' — a great person said that line. So I'll listen… but the person who said it never follows it himself."
Vyom let out a long sigh.
"Okay… okay…"
---
He looked ahead, then asked quietly,
"Tell me… have you ever gone into a dream-like space? A green-line dimension? A room with no exit?"
But Vyom didn't notice anything.
Anand suddenly froze.
The people on the road stopped mid-step.
The birds in the sky stopped mid-flight.
And the green line on Vyom's ring began to decrease again.
Vyom continued speaking, completely unaware — fully focused on explaining his situation to Anand.
After a moment, Vyom frowned.
"Hey… what happened? Give me an answer."
Anand blinked, suddenly moving again.
"What? Nothing, bro. First ask me, then I can answer."
Vyom looked confused. "Some time ago, I asked you ."
"First tell me, the important topic," Anand insisted.
Vyom sighed. "Okay, okay… I'll tell again."
"Did you even tell me anything before?" Anand asked.
"Listen then," Vyom said like he is annoying and began explaining again.
But once again — everything stopped.
The cars on the road.
The birds.
Anand.
And the green line on the ring kept decreasing.
The moment Vyom finished speaking, everything suddenly returned to normal.
The ring stopped glowing brightly and returned to its usual faint shine.
Anand frowned.
"Bro, you suddenly go so fast… slow down!"
"Okay, but give the answer," Vyom insisted.
Anand groaned.
"Are you kidding me? What are you even talking about? You keep saying 'give
answer.. give answer' but you didn't ask anything!"
Vyom's eyes widened. "I didn't ask? Okay, listen — last time I am really annoying but why I don't know I didn't angry."
He started speaking again…
But this time he glanced at Anand while talking.
And he froze.
Anand wasn't moving.
Not blinking.
Not breathing.
A statue.
"He stood in the same pose as he had in the morning, but now it didn't feel serious at all."
Vyom's heart dropped.
He quickly looked at his ring.
The green line was almost vanished.
He tried to speak again — and the line decreased further.
Fear shot through him. He immediately stopped talking.
Suddenly Anand moved again.
"Bro? What happened? Why are you drenched in sweat?"
Vyom forced a shaky smile.
"Nothing bro…"
He pointed at his ring.
"Look at this… ?
Anand leaned closer. "What happened? Is it really that good?"
"You… didn't see the green line?" Vyom asked, his voice trembling slightly, as if he were afraid of the answer.
For a brief second, the world around him froze.
The thin green line on the ring flickered to life—glowing softly—
and then vanished as everything returned to normal.
Anand stepped back, eyes wide. "Hey… what happened? Why are you drenched in sweat again?"
"Nothing, bro," Vyom replied, forcing a smile.
He looked at the ring again.
"You didn't see it…? It's too bad, right? Wearing a colourless ring like this…"
Anand sighed. "Is this the important topic? Okay then remove it. But… are you really okay?"
"Heh… yeah… I'm fine," Vyom lied. "I'm just thirsty."
"Oh bro, I don't have water," Anand replied.
"I'm not talking, bro… I'm really thirsty."
Anand shook his head, sensing something strange.
"Are you… afraid?"
"I'm thirsty, bro," Vyom repeated.
They both walked fast until they reached the point where they usually separated.
"Bye, see you tomorrow," Anand said.
"Bye," Vyom replied and started heading home.
---
AT HOME
When Vyom reached his room, he opened his phone and tried to type a message.
But every time he typed the words space, green line, or dimension,
the words automatically erased themselves.
He tried again.
Deleted again.
He tried to speak again. As he lifted his eyes, he noticed some birds flying across the sky — but the moment he opened his mouth, it happened again.
The birds froze mid-air, suspended in the sky like painted shapes on a canvas.
Confused, he closed the door and tried to speak normally.
He could speak…
but the moment he mentioned the dream or the green light — time froze.
And the green line on his ring finally reached the end.
Vyom took a breath, thinking, Maybe now I can—
But suddenly, his eyes shut on their own — as if someone else had taken control.
And when they opened again, he was no longer in his room.
He stood in a dark place — the same strange dimension, but this time the air felt evil.
Black mist seeped out from the walls.
And there, in the corner, a girl sat curled up — her entire body covered in swirling black mist.
Her face was hidden, shoulders shaking softly.
She was crying.
When Vyom noticed her, she slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes were red.
Her voice cracked as she whispered,
"Did you bring me to this prison…?"
Then she suddenly started laughing.
"He…he… ha…ha… haaa…"
The laugh was broken, unstable — almost inhuman.
She stood up slowly.
"What did I do? I only wished to go with my love… I only wished to stay with him.
But for a kingdom… everyone betrayed me."
She took a step toward him.
"They told me… 'You can go this way.'"
Her head tilted unnaturally.
"Can you bring me… back into his life?"
Then her laughter twisted into a chilling echo.
"He…he…ha…ha…HAAA…"
And she began walking toward Vyom.
---
(To be continued...)