Chapter 21 — The Descent into Madness
The fort no longer felt like a place.
It was a labyrinth of flesh and shadow, alive with hunger.
Every step Arjun took felt wrong — as though the ground beneath him was shifting to swallow him whole.
Ananya walked ahead, her golden eyes glowing brighter than ever, her lips chanting softly in a language older than stone.
The air was thick with whispers, not in the walls, but inside his own mind.
They were calling his name — pleading, mocking, warning.
The faces of the dead flashed before him — Riya, Sid, Kabir — their screams echoing in silence.
Ananya turned to him, her voice layered and unnatural:
> "The deeper we go, Arjun… the closer we are to the truth.
You cannot stop what is coming."
He wanted to protest, but the sound of the fort breathing drowned out his words.
The corridors twisted endlessly, doors opening into nothing, staircases leading into darkness.
Every moment felt unreal.
Every breath felt like drowning.
End for Chapter 21