Aarav stood on the bridge longer than necessary, staring at his own hands.
They looked normal.
Completely normal.
"…What the hell did I just see?"
The image refused to fade.
A body slamming into the ground.
Concrete shattering like glass.
Blood.
It had felt too real.
And yet—
The bridge beneath his feet was perfectly intact. People walked past him, laughing, talking, living like nothing had happened.
Nothing *had* happened.
"Hey."
A hand landed on his shoulder.
Aarav flinched and turned.
Rohan stared at him, brows furrowed. "Bro… you good?"
Before Aarav could answer, Sameer stepped in front of him, waving dramatically.
"Hello? Earth to Aarav. Come back, we miss you."
"I—"
*Thud.*
Kabir punched his arm lightly.
"Abe!" Aarav grabbed his arm. "What was that for?!"
Kabir shrugged. "You looked possessed."
Sameer smirked. "Still thinking about those guys?"
Rohan added, "Or maybe he's thinking about that girl."
Aarav's face twisted instantly.
"Shut up. Don't remind me."
Kabir grinned. "Ah yes… the legendary 'Not Interested' moment."
Sameer placed a hand on his chest. "A love story destroyed by fate."
Aarav groaned. "I swear, if you say that again, I'm pushing one of you off this bridge."
"Only one?" Kabir raised an eyebrow.
They laughed.
And just like that—
The tension cracked.
The vision didn't disappear.
It just… moved to the background.
Waiting.
---
They reached the metro station and split up like always.
"Tomorrow, same time," Rohan said.
"Try not to reject anyone else," Sameer added.
"Go away," Aarav replied.
Kabir smirked. "No promises."
Then they were gone.
Aarav stood still for a moment, watching them disappear into the crowd.
Everything felt normal again.
Almost.
---
That night passed like any other.
Dinner.
His mother complaining, "You're always on your phone."
His father asking, "How was school?"
"Fine."
"Nothing special."
"Yeah, I'll study later."
Automatic answers.
Normal routine.
But something didn't sit right.
A faint discomfort lingered in his mind—
Like a question he couldn't remember.
---
Later, he dropped onto his bed without even turning on the lights.
The ceiling blurred above him.
"Today was weird…"
The words came out quieter than expected.
The confession.
His voice saying something he didn't mean.
The bridge.
That vision.
He frowned.
"…Maybe I'm just tired."
It sounded logical.
He closed his eyes.
For a moment—
Something flickered.
Not the bridge.
Not school.
Something else.
Higher.
Colder.
Wind.
Blood.
A voice—
*This time…*
His eyes snapped open.
"…What was that?"
Silence.
After a few seconds, he exhaled.
"Yeah. Definitely tired."
This time—
Sleep came quickly.
Too quickly.
---
Darkness.
Not normal darkness.
Not comforting.
This one felt heavy.
Like it had weight.
Like it was pressing down on him.
Then—
Sound disappeared.
Completely.
Aarav's eyes slowly opened.
His vision blurred at first.
"…Huh…?"
He blinked.
Shapes formed.
Broken buildings.
Collapsed walls.
Cracked streets stretching endlessly.
The air felt thick.
Breathing felt wrong.
He pushed himself up slowly.
"…Where the hell am I?"
His voice echoed—
But even the echo felt distorted.
Like the world itself was damaged.
He stood.
This was a city.
Or what was left of one.
Burned structures. Twisted metal. Broken glass.
No people.
No movement.
Just wind.
Cold. Empty wind.
"…Did a meteor hit this place or something…?"
He turned slowly.
Trying to understand.
Then—
Something moved.
A shadow flickered behind a ruined structure.
Aarav froze.
"…Hello?"
No response.
His heartbeat quickened.
Then he felt it.
Above him.
A presence.
He looked up.
And saw it.
At first—
Just wings.
Massive.
Black.
Moving slowly with the wind.
"…What the—"
The creature stepped forward.
Moonlight revealed it piece by piece.
Clawed limbs.
A monstrous body.
A long, heavy tail.
Eyes glowing with something unnatural.
Aarav stared.
"…what the hell is that…"
He stepped back.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
He stopped.
"…Wait."
His expression shifted.
"Hold on."
He looked around again.
Ruined city.
Giant monster.
Dead silence.
Then realization hit.
"Oh."
His shoulders relaxed.
"This is a dream."
He nodded to himself.
"Yeah. Makes sense."
He rolled his neck slightly.
"Well… if it's a dream…"
A grin appeared.
"Running away would be kinda lame."
The creature's eyes locked onto him.
Everything went still.
Then—
It moved.
It leapt.
Its body crashed into the street with a deafening impact.
The ground shook.
Dust exploded outward.
Aarav blinked.
"…Okay, that was actually pretty cool."
The creature roared.
Then charged.
Aarav ran forward.
"Alright! Let's see what you got!"
The monster swung.
Aarav barely dodged.
"Whoa—that was close!"
He rushed in.
"Take this!"
His fist slammed into its body.
Solid hit.
Direct.
And—
Nothing.
No damage.
No reaction.
Aarav looked at his hand.
Then at the monster.
Then back again.
"…Huh."
He scratched his head.
"Okay… that's awkward."
For two seconds—
They both stood still.
Then—
The monster moved.
Its tail whipped forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
CRASH.
The impact hit his chest.
His body flew backward.
He slammed into the ground, rolling across broken concrete before stopping.
Pain exploded through him.
Real pain.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"Ugh—!"
Breathing hurt.
Everything hurt.
The creature walked toward him.
Slow.
Heavy.
Each step echoing.
Aarav tried to move.
His body barely responded.
His fingers twitched.
Blood filled his mouth.
His vision blurred.
"…This… doesn't feel like a dream…"
The monster stopped in front of him.
Towering.
Watching.
Aarav's breathing weakened.
Something cold spread through his chest.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not excitement.
Not imagination.
His vision darkened.
Fading.
And just before everything disappeared—
A voice echoed.
Distant.
Calm.
Cold.
"You shouldn't be here yet."
Aarav's thoughts flickered—
That voice…
It didn't feel unfamiliar.
Then—
Darkness.
---
End of Chapter 2