(Avni POV)
Avni always thought she was good under pressure.
Crisis decks?Last-minute presentations?Investors stalking the WhatsApp group chat at 2AM?Cakewalk.
But this—sprinting through a supposedly "smart" building with drones chasing them like they all forgot to clock out—yeah, no, this was not in her JD.
Her heels hammered against the glossy marble like a broken metronome.Kiyan ran ahead, breath sharp.Nivaan held her wrist like he was scared she'd disappear again.
Bold of him, considering he was the one who vanished first.
Her lungs burned.But her guilt burned hotter.
Because she knew something the others didn't.
She still had it.The thing he entrusted to her.
The thing she never destroyed.
The thing that made all of this her fault.
"Elevator—there!" Kiyan shouted, pointing to the far end of the corridor.
Three drones zipped after them, smooth and silent, like corporate assassins with KPIs.
The elevator doors slid open on approach—like the building wanted them inside.
Trusting this building = bad corporate governance,but they were out of runway.
Inside, Kiyan slammed the panel.Buttons didn't exist—just glass.The elevator moved anyway.
No destination.No readout.
Just motion.
Avni's chest heaved.Her mind ran harder than her legs.
She glanced at Nivaan.
His eyes weren't scared.They were focused—like his mind was unlocking old code.
He didn't look fragile.He looked dangerous.
She remembered a night—him at her apartment door, trembling, bleeding, whispering:
"If they come for me, don't try to save me.Just destroy the key."
She remembered saying okay.But she never did.
Because she couldn't.
Because part of her knew whatever was happening mattered—more than her job, her safety, her life.
The elevator stopped.
Not with a ding.Just… stopped breathing.
Doors slid open to a long floor.Wide.Empty.Lights low.
"Where are we?" Kiyan asked.
Nobody answered.
This level felt wrong.Not abandoned—but restricted.Like an expensive graveyard.
Nivaan stepped forward.No hesitation.
Avni grabbed his arm.
"Slow down," she said quietly."You don't know what's here."
He met her eyes."Funny coming from you."
The jab hit home.She deserved it.
"Why didn't you tell me about the key earlier?" he pressed.
Kiyan spun. "Key? What key?"
Oh great. Transparency hour.Favorite.
She swallowed."It's a physical key. I've had it since… before you left."
Kiyan looked betrayed."Why didn't you tell us?!"
"I didn't trust anyone," she snapped.
Corporate truth bomb:No one here is trustworthy.Including her.
Nivaan stepped closer, voice low."Do you have it with you?"
She nodded.
Of course she did.She never let it leave her side.
He exhaled, shaky.
"Show me."
She hesitated.Not because she didn't want to—but because she was terrified of what it would do.
But then—the ceiling lights flickered.
Drones.
Somewhere above.Too close.
So yeah—no time for brand-building hesitation.
She reached under her blazer—to the inner pocket.
Fingers closed around a cold metallic shape.She pulled it out.
Not digital.Not pretty.Just a thin, black metal key with an etching:
00:00
Time zero.
Kiyan stared."That's it? Looks… disappointingly analog."
"Same," she muttered.
But Nivaan—he stared at it like it was his heartbeat.
He reached for it.
Avni pulled back."Are you sure?"
"I'm done letting other people decide for me."
Fair.Brand empowerment.
But when his fingers brushed the key—every light in the hallway snapped on.
Like the building saw him.Recognized him.
Welcomed him.
Nope.Hate that.
A low hum vibrated through the floor.The walls shifted—panels sliding open like petals.
More doors.More paths.None labeled.
Kiyan cursed."This is a maze."
"No," Nivaan whispered."It's reacting to the key."
Avni stared.
"He shouldn't hold it," she said.
Kiyan barked, "Based on what?"
"Based on the fact that the last time he touched it—he disappeared."
Nivaan's head snapped toward her."What?"
She hadn't meant to say that part yet.Oops.
Corporate honesty over-indexing today.
She stepped back."Six months ago—you told me if you ever touched the key again, you'd vanish."
Kiyan looked horrified."And you brought it with you?!"
"I WASN'T—"She clenched her jaw."I didn't know he'd come back."
Nivaan turned the key in his hand."What does it unlock?"
"No idea," she whispered.
He frowned."You kept it without knowing what it does?"
She held his gaze."I kept it because you trusted me with it.And because I—"
Her words folded into themselves.
Feelings.Great for poetry.Lame for survival.
Nivaan's gaze softened—just a fraction.
"Thank you," he said.
Corporate emotional milestone: unlocked.
Then—a loud clang echoed down the hallway.
All three turned.
A figure stepped into view at the far end.
Tall.Still.Face obscured by shadow.
Not Zareen.Not security.
Something worse.
Avni's pulse spiked.
"Run," she whispered.
Kiyan didn't need convincing.They sprinted—key in hand—down the newly opened paths.
The building shifted as they moved.Walls rearranged.Floor vibrated.Like the place was alive.
Avni's heart was a metronome of regret and adrenaline.
They turned a corridor—and hit a dead end.
Great UX, MindMesh.So intuitive.Love agile failure.
Kiyan cursed."We retrace!"
But the path behind them—gone.Sealed.Smooth wall.
They were boxed in.
Light flickered overhead.
Footsteps approached.
Slow.Deliberate.
Nivaan pressed the key into the wall—desperation trying to spark a miracle.
Nothing.
He closed his eyes—and whispered:
"Open."
A soft click.
The wall behind them slid open.
No logic.No mechanism.Just obedience.
They slipped inside.
Darkness swallowed them.
The wall sealed shut.
Everything went silent again.
No footsteps.No drones.Just a dead-air void.
Kiyan leaned on the wall, breath shaking."What now?"
Nivaan stared ahead.
There was something in the darkness—glowing faintly.
A door.Circular.Etched with the same numbers:
00:00
The key pulsed in his hand.
And Avni knew—they were no longer running from the truth.
They were walking straight into it.
UNKNOWN POV — END STING
The building dimmed, sensing them.
He watched from the security feeds—twelve screens, all grayscale.Their frantic silhouettes flickered like ghosts.
He leaned forward, smiling.
"So you kept the key, Avni.Predictable."
His eyes lingered on Nivaan.
"And you came back.Even better."
Static whispered across the monitors—a voice layered over itself.
Time is resetting.
He tapped his finger against the desk, thoughtful.
"Let's see if you survive it twice."
The feed distorted—before everything went dark.