Chapter 4 — The Second Dream

  That night, Aarav couldn't sleep properly.

  He kept staring at the ceiling of his room.

  The events of the day replayed again and again in his mind.

  The ruined city.

  The monster.

  The pain in his chest.

  And the voice.

  "You shouldn't be here yet."

  Aarav turned to his side and sighed.

  "Okay... if that was really a dream, then my brain deserves an award for best visual effects."

  He stared at the wall.

  "But if it wasn't a dream…"

  He immediately shook his head.

  "Nope. Not thinking about that."

  Aarav stretched his arms behind his head.

  "Still… if some anime god is watching me right now and planning to send me to another world…"

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  A small grin appeared on his face.

  "At least send me somewhere cool."

  After a while, his thoughts slowly faded.

  Sleep finally took over.

  ---

  Cold wind.

  When Aarav opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was the air.

  Heavy.

  Dry.

  His vision was blurry at first.

  But slowly the world around him became clear.

  Broken buildings.

  Collapsed roads.

  Dust floating through the air.

  Aarav froze.

  "...Not again."

  He slowly looked around.

  The ruined city stretched endlessly in every direction.

  Everything was silent.

  Too silent.

  Aarav rubbed his face.

  "Okay brain. Very funny."

  He looked up at the sky.

  "You're seriously continuing the same dream?"

  He took a few cautious steps forward.

  The ground crunched under his shoes.

  "At least this time there's no monster jumping at me..."

  He stopped.

  Something felt wrong.

  A strange pressure filled the air.

  Like someone was watching him.

  Aarav slowly turned.

  High above him, on the top of a destroyed building...

  A figure stood there.

  Still.

  Silent.

  Completely dark.

  The wind moved through the broken city, but the figure didn't move at all.

  Aarav squinted his eyes.

  "...Hello?"

  No answer.

  The shadow figure simply stood there.

  Watching.

  Aarav scratched the back of his head.

  "Okay this is officially creepy."

  He took a step back.

  The air suddenly felt heavier.

  The ground trembled slightly.

  Cracks appeared across the ruined street.

  Aarav looked around in confusion.

  "Uh… is the dream glitching now?"

  The shadow on the building finally moved.

  Just slightly.

  Its head turned toward him.

  And then a voice echoed across the silent city.

  Low.

  Calm.

  "You shouldn't be here yet."

  Aarav's heart skipped.

  "Wait— what?!"

  Before he could say anything else, the entire world began to distort.

  The buildings twisted.

  The sky cracked like broken glass.

  The ground beneath Aarav collapsed.

  "HEY!"

  A powerful force pulled him backward.

  "What does that even mean?!"

  Everything around him shattered into darkness.

  The last thing he heard was the same voice.

  "Go."

  ---

  Warmth touched his face.

  Aarav slowly opened his eyes.

  The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.

  Wooden beams.

  Soft light entered through a nearby window.

  A strange smell filled the room.

  Herbs.

  Medicine.

  Aarav blinked slowly.

  "...Where am I?"

  His body felt heavy.

  Pain spread through his chest when he tried to move.

  Footsteps approached from somewhere in the room.

  Then a girl's voice spoke.

  Soft.

  Surprised.

  "Oh..."

  "You're awake."