The next day, something changed at school.
Rohan — loud, energetic, impossible to ignore — became quiet. Not shy.
Empty.
His laughter vanished. His eyes looked distant, like someone had dimmed the lights inside him.
Aarav noticed something else.
Rohan's shadow wasn't fully attached to him.
It trembled.
Lifted slightly from the ground.
Like it wanted to leave.
That night, Aarav dreamed of whispers:
"We don't create shadows.
We borrow them."
The next morning, Rohan didn't come to school.
By the end of the week, people stopped mentioning his name.
And Aarav's shadow looked darker than before.