Sleep never came.
Aarav sat by the window until sunrise.
The city slowly turned from dark blue to pale gold, but nothing inside him felt lighter.
The words echoed in his mind.
"People around you might suffer."
That wasn't just a threat.
It was a promise.
He hadn't told anyone about last night.
Not about the rooftop.
Not about the masked men.
Not about the call.
But secrets have weight.
And he could feel this one crushing him.
At 8:17 AM, his phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
His fingers tightened around the device.
He answered immediately.
"Yes?"
A message tone beeped instead of a voice.
He looked at the screen.
A location pin.
No text.
Just coordinates.
An abandoned metro station on the outskirts of the city.
His stomach tightened.
So this was it.
They wanted the notebook.
He looked at the desk.
The notebook lay still.
Innocent looking.
But dangerous.
He picked it up and slipped it inside his backpack.
If he was going, he wasn't going unprepared.
The Metro Station
The station had been shut down years ago after structural damage.
Rust covered the gates.
Graffiti decorated broken walls.
It smelled like dust and forgotten stories.
Aarav walked down the cracked stairs slowly.
Each step echoed.
Too loud.
Too exposed.
His heart was racing but his face remained calm.
Because fear is visible.
And visible fear is weakness.
He reached the platform.
Empty.
Silent.
He scanned the area.
No movement.
No shadows.
For a moment, he thought maybe they were watching from somewhere hidden.
Then—
"You're early."
The voice came from behind a pillar.
Aarav turned.
And froze.
It wasn't one of the masked men.
It wasn't the mysterious rooftop man either.
It was a girl.
Mid-20s.
Sharp eyes.
Dark hair tied back.
Black jacket.
Confident posture.
She stepped into clearer view.
"And you're reckless," she added calmly.
Aarav blinked.
"You're… not who I expected."
She tilted her head slightly.
"And what exactly were you expecting?"
"Men with guns."
She gave a faint smirk.
"They're here."
His pulse spiked.
"What?"
She glanced upward.
"They just prefer distance."
Aarav's breath caught.
Snipers.
He forced himself not to look around nervously.
"You brought it?" she asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
She studied him for a long second.
Then said—
"My name is Meera."
The name felt familiar.
But he couldn't place why.
"And what do you want with the notebook, Meera?"
She didn't respond.
Instead, she walked closer.
Close enough that he could see the faint scar near her eyebrow.
"You really don't know what you're holding, do you?"
"If I did, I wouldn't be here."
Her eyes softened for a fraction of a second.
Then hardened again.
"That notebook contains access codes."
"Codes to what?"
"To something the world should never see."
Aarav felt his throat tighten.
"That's dramatic."
"It's reality."
She stepped even closer.
"You weren't supposed to have it."
"Yeah, I've heard that before."
Her eyes narrowed.
"From who?"
"Some guy on my rooftop last night."
For the first time, her expression changed.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
"What did he look like?" she asked quickly.
Aarav described him briefly.
Meera's jaw tightened.
"He found you first."
"Found me?"
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them.
"Who is he?" Aarav pressed.
"He used to be one of us."
"One of who?"
Meera hesitated.
Then—
"The organization."
"And what is this organization? Some secret society?"
"In a way."
Her voice lowered.
"We monitor anomalies."
Aarav stared.
"Anomalies?"
"People who survive things they shouldn't."
His stomach dropped.
"The accident."
"Yes."
She took a slow breath.
"You weren't meant to survive that crash."
Aarav's head spun.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because it's statistically impossible."
"That's not an answer."
She held his gaze.
"The driver of the other car was carrying the notebook. He was being tracked. When the crash happened… he died instantly."
Aarav's heart pounded.
"And I lived."
"Yes."
"Coincidence."
She didn't smile.
"We don't believe in coincidence."
Silence.
"So what? You think I stole destiny or something?"
"No."
She looked at him carefully.
"We think destiny chose you."
Those words again.
Chosen.
"I didn't ask for that."
"No one does."
A loud metallic echo rang from somewhere above.
Aarav flinched.
Meera glanced upward.
"They're getting impatient."
"Your sniper friends?"
"Yes."
"Then tell them to relax."
She ignored the sarcasm.
"Give me the notebook."
"And then what?"
"We leave you alone."
Aarav laughed quietly.
"You really think I believe that?"
Her expression didn't change.
"You have two choices."
"And what are they?"
"Hand it over… or become a target."
He studied her face carefully.
She wasn't bluffing.
But something in her eyes didn't match her words.
"You don't want to hurt me," he said quietly.
She didn't answer.
"You could've taken it last night," he continued. "Your men attacked me."
"They weren't my men."
That stopped him.
"What?"
"They belong to a different faction."
His mind raced.
"So there are sides."
"Yes."
"And you're the good side?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"We're the controlled side."
"That's not reassuring."
A sudden gunshot echoed in the distance.
Concrete chipped near Aarav's feet.
He jumped back instinctively.
Meera cursed under her breath.
"That wasn't us."
Another shot.
Closer.
"Get down!" she shouted.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a broken pillar.
More shots rang out.
Sparks flew from metal beams.
Chaos exploded across the silent station.
"You said your men were watching!" Aarav shouted.
"They were!"
"Then who is shooting?!"
Her eyes widened slightly.
"They found us."
"Who is 'they'?!"
"The ones who want to use the notebook."
Aarav's heart slammed against his ribs.
"This keeps getting worse."
Meera pulled out a small device from her pocket and pressed a button.
"Extraction compromised," she spoke into it. "Repeat, compromised."
More gunfire.
The air filled with dust.
She looked at him sharply.
"Listen carefully. If they capture you, they won't just take the notebook."
"What else would they take?"
"You."
His blood ran cold.
"Why me?"
"Because you survived."
Before he could respond, a group of armed men rushed down the stairs.
This time fully visible.
No masks.
Professional gear.
Efficient movements.
They weren't amateurs.
Meera stood up slightly and fired back.
Precise.
Controlled.
Aarav watched in shock.
She wasn't just part of this world.
She was trained deeply in it.
"Move!" she shouted.
She grabbed his hand again and pulled him toward the old train tunnel.
Bullets echoed behind them.
They ran into darkness.
The tunnel swallowed them whole.
Heavy footsteps followed.
"How far does this go?" Aarav gasped.
"Far enough."
Her breathing was steady despite running.
"How are you so calm?"
"I'm not."
They turned a corner.
Suddenly—
A loud explosion shook the tunnel entrance behind them.
Debris rained down.
Blocking part of the passage.
For a brief second, everything went silent.
Dust floated in the dim emergency lights.
Aarav coughed.
"Did… did we just survive that?"
Meera leaned against the wall, catching her breath.
"For now."
He looked at her.
Really looked at her.
"Why are you helping me?"
She hesitated.
Then spoke quietly.
"Because I've seen what happens to people like you."
"People like me?"
"People who become central to something bigger."
"And?"
"They don't get happy endings."
Silence.
The words hit deeper than the bullets.
Aarav reached into his backpack slowly.
Meera tensed.
He pulled out the notebook.
It looked almost peaceful in his hands.
"This is causing all of this."
"Yes."
"Then maybe the solution is simple."
Before she could react—
He tore the first page out.
Her eyes widened.
"What are you doing?!"
He ripped another.
And another.
The pages didn't resist.
They tore like normal paper.
But as they fell to the ground—
They began dissolving.
Turning into ash mid-air.
Both of them froze.
The remaining pages started glowing faintly.
Meera whispered—
"That's not possible…"
Aarav's heartbeat thundered.
"I guess destroying it isn't an option."
The notebook snapped shut on its own.
And for the first time—
The cover changed.
A symbol appeared.
One that hadn't been there before.
A circular design with intersecting lines.
Meera stared at it in disbelief.
"No…"
"What?" Aarav demanded.
Her voice barely came out.
"It activated."
The tunnel lights flickered.
A low hum filled the air.
From deep within the darkness ahead—
A new sound emerged.
Heavy.
Measured.
Footsteps.
Not running.
Not rushing.
Just approaching.
Slowly.
Aarav felt the air shift.
Different from before.
More powerful.
More intentional.
Meera's face lost color.
"We're too late."
"Too late for what?"
She looked at him with something that wasn't fear.
It was realization.
"The notebook doesn't just choose a survivor."
A shadow appeared at the far end of the tunnel.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
"It chooses a guardian."
Aarav's breath stopped.
"And you," she whispered,
"Just became one."
The figure stepped forward into partial light.
And smiled.