đ The Train That Wasn't There
The next morning, Aarav woke up convinced that the phone call had been a dream.
But his phone still showed it.
Unknown Number â 11:47 PM
No recording. No message. Just proof that something had happened.
Or someone wanted him to think it had.
Outside his window, the sky was grey. The world looked normal. Too normal.
But Aarav wasn't the same anymore.
Ever since that night at Platform 7, something felt⊠different.
Not outside.
Inside him.
đ«ïž The Return to Platform 7
By evening, he couldn't control himself.
He went back.
Platform 7 looked ordinary. People were eating snacks. Porters were shouting. Trains were arriving and leaving.
No fog.
No glowing signs.
No mystery.
He felt foolish.
"Maybe I'm losing my mind," he whispered.
Thenâ
He noticed something strange.
The digital board above Platform 7 flickered.
For one second, it showed:
11:59 â Arrival: N.S.E. Express
He blinked.
The board went back to normal.
There was no such train in the timetable.
He quickly checked the official railway app.
Nothing.
No N.S.E. Express.
đ The Sound No One Heard
At exactly 11:59 PMâŠ
The lights around him dimmed slightly.
A cold wind passed through the platform.
And then he heard it.
A train horn.
But strange.
Deep.
Almost⊠ancient.
He looked around.
No one reacted.
A child laughed nearby.
A tea seller shouted prices.
No one heard it.
Except him.
Then, through the empty air at the edge of the tracksâ
A train slowly appeared.
Not arriving.
Not moving fast.
But forming.
Like smoke turning into metal.
Its body was black with golden lines glowing along its edges.
The number on its side:
NSEâ7
His heartbeat pounded.
This train wasn't in the real world.
It was overlapping it.
And only he could see it.
đïž The Eye Symbol
The door of the train opened.
No conductor.
No passengers visible.
But above the door was the same glowing eye symbol from the cover of the mysterious letter.
It shimmered softly.
Almost alive.
And thenâ
A whisper echoed in his mind.
"Board the train, Keeper."
He stepped back.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
No answer.
Only the slow hiss of the invisible train.
His mind screamed not to go.
But his heart remembered Mira.
You were never invisible.
What if she was inside?
What if this was connected?
What if this was the real truth?
đ„ The Decision
He stepped forward.
His foot touched the first step of the train.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the world behind him faded.
The sounds of the platform disappeared.
The air became heavy.
And when he turned backâ
Platform 7 was gone.
Only darkness.
The train door shut behind him.
đ Inside the Impossible
The interior of the train was not like any train he had seen.
It was enormous.
Bigger than it should be.
The ceiling looked like a night sky filled with moving constellations.
Golden symbols ran along the walls.
Each compartment door had a number carved into it.
But not numbers like 1, 2, 3.
Symbols.
Ancient ones.
In the center aisle stood a tall figure wearing a long dark coat.
His face was hidden in shadow.
But his eyes glowed faint gold.
"Welcome, Aarav."
Aarav froze.
"How do you know my name?"
The figure stepped forward.
"Because you were chosen."
"Chosen for what?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"To remember."
đŻïž The Hidden Truth
The figure raised his hand.
Suddenly, images flashed around them in the air.
Platform 7 â but different.
Glowing.
Magical.
Hundreds of people boarding strange trains.
Children holding ancient books.
A massive castle hidden behind clouds.
"This world exists between seconds," the man said calmly.
"Between what people see and what they ignore."
Aarav's voice trembled.
"What does this have to do with me?"
The man's golden eyes burned brighter.
"You are a Keeper."
"Keeper of what?"
"The last secret."
đ The Warning
Suddenly, the train shook violently.
The golden lights flickered red.
The mysterious man looked toward the far end of the carriage.
"They found you faster than expected."
"Who?!"
"The Watchers."
A loud bang echoed from the back of the train.
The doors began to crack.
Dark smoke seeped through the edges.
"They do not want you to awaken," the man said sharply.
Aarav's breathing quickened.
"Awaken what?!"
The man grabbed his shoulder.
"Your sight."
Suddenly, Aarav felt a burning sensation in his forehead.
The glowing eye symbol appeared faintly on his skin for a moment.
He screamed.
And thenâ
He saw it.
Beyond the smoke.
Shadow-like creatures crawling along the train ceiling.
No faces.
Only hollow shapes.
Watching him.
⥠The Escape
The man pushed him toward a glowing compartment door marked with the symbol "VII".
"Go inside!"
"What about you?!"
"I am only the guide."
The shadows rushed forward.
Aarav jumped into the compartment.
The door slammed shut.
Everything went silent.
He collapsed onto the floor.
Breathing heavily.
When he looked upâ
The compartment was empty.
No night sky ceiling.
No golden symbols.
No mysterious man.
He was back.
Standing alone on Platform 7.
The normal train beside him honked loudly.
Passengers pushed past him.
It was 12:05 AM.
As if nothing had happened.
But in his handâ
Was a ticket.
Golden.
With glowing letters.
Destination: Nocthollow Academy
Departure: When the Clock Strikes Thirteen
His hands trembled.
There is no thirteen o'clock.
Right?
đ Chapter Ending Suspense
As he turned the ticket overâ
One sentence appeared slowly in burning letters:
"She is waiting beyond the seventh gate."
The wind howled.
The platform lights flickered.
And somewhere far awayâ
A clock struckâŠ
Thirteen.
đ„ End of Chapter 2