The cracks in reality didn't stop.
They spread.
Thin lines at first—
Now tearing wider.
The sky above flickered between normal… and something darker.
Something deeper.
Like another world was bleeding through.
Aarav stood in the middle of it all.
Breathing unsteady.
Mind racing.
"…I destroyed everything," he repeated.
The words felt unreal.
Like they belonged to someone else.
"…Show me," he said.
Meera froze.
"…What?"
Aarav looked at her.
Eyes sharp.
Serious.
"…If I did it before…"
A pause.
"…then show me."
Silence.
The thing behind him smiled faintly.
"…Careful," it said.
"…You might not like what you see."
Aarav didn't look at it.
"…I need to know."
Meera hesitated.
Long.
Painfully long.
Then—
She nodded.
"…Fine."
She stepped closer.
Raised her hand slowly.
"…Don't lose yourself," she whispered.
Before Aarav could respond—
She touched his forehead.
The world shattered.
Not cracked.
Shattered.
Like glass exploding outward.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
Light.
Aarav opened his eyes.
He wasn't on the street anymore.
He stood in a ruined city.
Buildings broken.
Roads cracked.
The sky—
Black.
"…What is this…" he whispered.
"…Your last loop," Meera's voice echoed.
Aarav turned.
And saw—
Himself.
Standing in the distance.
But not like before.
This version—
Was different.
Taller.
Still.
Calm.
His eyes—
Glowing.
Not faintly.
Completely.
"…That's me?" Aarav asked.
"…That's you after you chose them," Meera said quietly.
Aarav's chest tightened.
"…No…"
The other Aarav moved.
Slowly.
Each step—
Cracked the ground beneath him.
People—
Or what remained of them—
Stood frozen around him.
Like statues.
Lifeless.
"…What happened to them?" Aarav asked.
"They stabilized," Meera replied.
The word hit differently now.
"They're not alive," Aarav said.
"No," she said.
"…They're perfect."
Silence.
The glowing-eyed Aarav raised his hand.
The world shifted instantly.
Buildings reshaped.
The sky twisted.
Reality bent—
At his will.
Aarav stepped back.
"…I did this?"
"You controlled everything," Meera said.
"…No fear."
"…No pain."
"…No instability."
"…No life," Aarav whispered.
The other Aarav turned.
Slowly.
And looked directly at him.
Through time.
Through memory.
Their eyes met.
"…You came back again," that version said calmly.
Aarav froze.
"…You can see me?"
"I always can," it replied.
A pause.
"…You never learn."
Aarav clenched his fists.
"…This isn't right."
"…It's perfect," the other Aarav said.
"No one suffers."
"No one breaks."
A step closer.
"…Isn't that what you wanted?"
Aarav's voice shook.
"…Not like this."
The other Aarav tilted its head slightly.
"…Then what?"
Silence.
Aarav didn't have an answer.
Because deep down—
Part of him agreed.
A world without fear.
Without loss.
Without pain.
Was that really wrong?
"…You see it now," the other Aarav said softly.
"…Why you chose this."
A long pause.
"…You can choose it again."
The world trembled.
The vision started breaking.
Meera's voice echoed—
"Aarav, come back!"
The ruined world began to collapse.
The glowing version smiled.
"…Or you can keep failing."
Everything shattered again.
Aarav gasped—
Back on the street.
The cracks in reality still spreading.
His breathing heavy.
His mind overwhelmed.
"…That's what happens…" Meera said softly.
"…If you become them."
Aarav didn't respond.
Because now—
He understood.
Not just the danger.
But the temptation.
His phone buzzed.
Slowly—
He picked it up.
A new message.
"Rule 8: If you reach the truth…"
The screen flickered violently.
Then—
"…you must choose."
Aarav looked up.
At Meera.
At the thing.
At the breaking world around him.
And finally—
He spoke.
"…Then I choose."
🔥 END OF CHAPTER 12