The light faded slowly, like a curtain being drawn back after a long night. Arash blinked several times, letting his eyes adjust.
He expected a forest.Or darkness.
Or some strange otherworldly place.
But instead…He found himself standing in a small, silent room.
Stone walls.No windows.
No doors—except the one behind him, which had now vanished.
Only one thing stood in the room:
A mirror. Tall. Old.
Framed with the same river-like carvings he had seen on the wooden door.Arash felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The mirror did not reflect the room.
It reflected only him.
But not the him of now.
The reflection showed a younger Arash
maybe eight or nine years old.
Eyes filled with fear. Clothes torn.
Hands covered in mud and dried river water.
The younger Arash looked terrified…
as if he had seen something unspeakable.
Arash stepped closer.The boy in the mirror stepped back.
Arash whispered, Who are you?
The reflection trembled, lips quivering.
I'm… you, the boy said softly.
Arash's breath caught. The boy continued, voice shaking:
You left me…alone…here.
Arash touched the mirror.
His fingers passed through the surface like water.
A shock ran through him
and suddenly, memories he never knew he lost crashed into him:
A river at night. A wooden bridge collapsing.
A child falling into the dark water. A man shouting his name.
Cold hands dragging him out.
A door. A blinding light.
And then—nothing.
Arash stumbled back, gasping.
The boy watched him silently.
You forgot, the child whispered.
You promised you wouldn't… but you did.
Arash tried to speak. No words came out.
The boy stepped forward, emerging halfway from the mirror—
like a memory forcing itself back into reality.
You ran away, the child said.
You hid from the truth.
And he tried to warn you…but you never listened.
Arash felt tears sting his eyes.
What did I forget? he whispered.The boy's expression shifted—
fear replaced by sadness.
You forgot… the day the river chose you.
Arash's heartbeat stopped for a moment.
The river… chose me? The boy nodded, wiping his eyes.
It took something from you…
and it gave something back. But the price… was your memory.
Arash approached slowly.What did it take?
The room trembled softly, as if the walls were afraid to hear the answer.The boy lowered his head, voice cracking:
It took… me.Arash froze.
His younger self looked up—eyes full of heartbreak.
I'm the part of you that drowned that night.
The room went silent.
The echo of those words felt heavier than anything he had faced so far.
The boy stepped forward completely, standing in front of him now—
not a reflection not a hallucination
but a real, breathing part of his soul.
You didn't survive alone, the child whispered.
You survived because I didn't.
Arash collapsed to his knees, breath shaking.
The truth hit him like a storm:
He had forgotten the darkest day of his life.
He had buried the child he once was.
And the river—the strange river the old man spoke of—
had taken his fear, his innocence, his past…
and turned it into a silent shadow of memory.
The boy knelt in front of him.
You came back, he said softly.
You finally came back to take me home.
Arash reached out with trembling hands.
The boy smiled weakly— as if finally freed after years of silence.
Their hands touched. And the room shook with a sound like a thousand echoes merging into one.
Light exploded around them—
not blinding but warm comforting
like a memory returning to its rightful place.
Arash held the child close.
No more forgetting, he whispered. No more running.
The boy nodded, closing his eyes.
And slowly—he dissolved into light.
The light wrapped around Arash like a second heartbeat, sinking into his chest.The lost part of him had returned.
The room faded.The mirror cracked silently.
And Arash stood alone again—
but for the first time, he felt whole.
When the light faded, Arash found himself standing on a familiar path
one he had not seen in years, yet recognized instantly.
The forest was gone. The mist was gone.
The room of echoes had disappeared.
Before him stretched the edge of a quiet river.
Its surface shimmered like silver under a pale sky.
Not violent, not wild— but calm, almost peaceful.
Yet Arash felt a weight in his chest.
This was the river from his forgotten memory.
The river that had taken something from him.
The river that had chosen him.
He stepped closer, feeling the soft soil beneath his feet.
The water rippled gently, as if greeting him.
A faint whisper rode on the wind—
Welcome back.He swallowed hard.
I remember now, he murmured.
I remember you. The river responded with a soft wave.
Arash closed his eyes, and the full memory surfaced with painful clarity:The bridge collapsing.
His young self falling into the swirling dark water.
The fear. The cold.
And the moment when the river pulled one version of him under—
and spared another.He opened his eyes again.
Why me? he asked softly.
Why did you take… that part of me?
Why did you leave me with half a soul?
The river remained silent for a moment.
Then the wind stirred, and a voice—gentle, ancient, and distant—rose from the flowing water:
Because you were not meant to die that day.
Arash's breath caught.
The river spoke again, its voice like many voices together:
A life must continue its journey.
But sometimes… a part of it must stay behind.
Arash stepped closer until the water touched his toes.
You kept him, he said.The child version of me.
The one who drowned.The river glimmered.
I kept him safe.Until you were ready to face him.
Arash's chest tightened.
And now?
The river's surface calmed, becoming so still it looked like a mirror.
Now you are one again.
Whole. Ready for what comes next.
Arash stared at the reflection of himself on the water—
but this time, his reflection felt right.
Complete.No missing pieces.No forgotten fears.
He knelt at the riverbank, touching the cool water with his fingertips.
Thank you, he whispered.
The river responded with a gentle ripple—
a touch, a blessing, a farewell.
But the voice of the river spoke once more, deeper this time:
Your journey does not end here.
The truth you seek… lies beyond memory.
Arash frowned.
Beyond memory? What does that mean?
The river gave no answer.
Instead, the sky above him shifted—
growing darker, swirling with gray clouds that moved in unnatural patterns.
The river pulled back slightly, revealing the muddy ground beneath—
as if something beneath the surface was awakening.
Arash stood up, heart pounding.
Is something coming? The water trembled.
You have awakened what sleeps in the shadows of time.
Arash felt a cold breeze brush against his neck.
A familiar presence…
but not comforting like before.
Something watching him. Something waiting.
He turned sharply—
And saw a figure standing on the opposite side of the river.
Tall. Silent.Wrapped in darkness like a cloak.
No face. Only a shape.
The river whispered urgently:
The one who remembers what you forgot…
Arash felt his blood run cold.
The figure stepped closer to the water's edge.
Its voice echoed across the river—
deep, hollow, and chilling:
We meet again… Arash.Arash's heart nearly stopped.
Again? Who was this? Where had he seen it before?
The river surged. Go, it whispered.
Your path continues beyond fear.
Arash backed away slowly, eyes locked on the shadowy figure.
The forest behind him opened—
a new path forming where none existed before.
A path meant only for him.
Arash turned and began walking, each step heavy yet determined.
Behind him, the river fell silent.
The shadow waited patiently at its edge.
The journey was far from over.
Something ancient had awakened.
And Arash was no longer the fractured soul he once was.
He was whole—
and the truth ahead would demand everything he had become.