The haunting melody grew louder as Abhi and Nameless advanced across the endless expanse of dark water. Each step they took felt heavier than the last, as though the ocean beneath them resisted their movement. The eerie eclipsed sun above seemed to pulse in sync with the music, casting strange, shifting shadows that danced around them like ghosts.

“Do you recognize the tune?” Nameless asked, her voice taut.

Abhi shook his head. “No. But it feels… familiar. Like I’ve heard it before, in another life.”

Nameless snorted, her form flickering slightly. “Isn’t that the theme of our existence here? Everything feels familiar, yet alien.”

Abhi glanced at her but said nothing. His attention was drawn to the horizon, where the melody seemed to originate. A faint glow, barely visible against the endless dark, flickered in the distance.

“What do you think is out there?” he asked.

Nameless hesitated. “Answers, maybe. Or more questions. Either way, we have no choice but to find out.”

They continued walking, the melody growing clearer with each step. It was a slow, mournful tune, filled with an indescribable sense of loss. As they approached the glowing light, the water beneath them began to change. No longer the still, black surface they had grown accustomed to, it now rippled and churned, reflecting distorted images of themselves.

Abhi paused, staring at his reflection. For a moment, it wasn’t his face staring back at him, but that of the host—his eyes hollow, his expression blank. Then the image shifted, showing something even more disturbing: a skeletal version of himself, with glowing red eyes and a wicked grin.

“Abhi?” Nameless’s voice broke through his trance.

He blinked and looked up, shaking off the vision. “I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.”

Nameless frowned but didn’t press further.

As they neared the light, the melody abruptly stopped, leaving behind an oppressive silence. The glow revealed itself to be emanating from a massive, jagged structure rising out of the water. It looked like a cathedral, its spires twisted and broken, yet still imposing. The walls were made of some unidentifiable material that shimmered between solid and liquid, like frozen fire.

“What is this place?” Abhi whispered, awe and dread mingling in his voice.

Nameless stepped closer, her translucent form glowing faintly in the cathedral’s light. “A memory, perhaps. Or a construct of this dimension. Either way, it’s calling to us.”

Abhi nodded, and together they approached the structure. The massive doors creaked open as they neared, revealing a vast, dimly lit hall. The air—or what passed for air in this dimension—was thick with a sense of foreboding.

Inside, the walls were lined with countless mirrors, each reflecting not the present but fragmented scenes of different lives. Some showed glimpses of the host’s world: a young boy running through a field, a woman weeping in a dimly lit room, a man staring at his reflection with a haunted expression. Others depicted strange, alien landscapes, filled with creatures that defied comprehension.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Abhi stopped in front of one of the mirrors, transfixed. It showed the host—his body—sitting alone in a dark room, clutching something in his hands. The image flickered, and the object became clear: a small, worn notebook.

“That’s the host,” he murmured.

Nameless joined him, her gaze sharp. “Do you recognize the notebook?”

“No,” Abhi admitted. “But it feels important.”

As they watched, the scene in the mirror shifted. The host opened the notebook, revealing pages filled with chaotic, overlapping handwriting. One phrase stood out, repeated over and over again: “Find the truth.”

Before Abhi could react, the mirror shattered, sending shards of light spiraling into the air. Each shard dissolved into mist, which coalesced into a figure standing before them.

It was humanoid but indistinct, its form constantly shifting like a reflection in rippling water. Its eyes—if they could be called that—were twin pinpricks of light, burning with an intensity that made Abhi’s chest tighten.

“Who… are you?” Abhi managed to ask, his voice trembling.

The figure tilted its head, as though considering the question. When it spoke, its voice was a chorus of whispers, each one layered over the other.

“I am the Keeper of Fractures. The guardian of what has been broken, and the witness to what cannot be undone.”

Nameless stepped forward, her form solidifying slightly. “And what is this place?”

The Keeper’s gaze shifted to her. “This is the Hall of Reflections, where the threads of countless lives intersect. It is here that truths are revealed and lies unravel.”

Abhi frowned. “Truths about what? About us?”

The Keeper’s form flickered. “About everything. But to seek the truth is to invite the burden of knowing. Are you prepared for that?”

Abhi exchanged a glance with Nameless. “We don’t have a choice,” he said firmly.

The Keeper extended a hand, its fingers stretching and twisting like smoke. “Then step forward, and face what lies within.”

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The Host’s World

Back in the physical world, the host—Abhi—sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the worn notebook in his hands. His mother’s voice echoed faintly in his mind: “Dreams can be messages…”

He opened the notebook again, his fingers trembling. The chaotic writing on the pages seemed to pulse, as though alive. He focused on the repeated phrase: “Find the truth.”

“What truth?” he whispered.

A sudden knock at the door startled him, and he quickly shoved the notebook under his pillow.

“Abhi, are you awake?” It was his mother’s voice, gentle yet insistent.

“Yeah,” he called back. “What is it?”

The door creaked open, and Archana stepped inside, her expression unreadable. She held a small, intricately carved box in her hands.

“I thought it was time you had this,” she said, setting the box on the bed.

“What is it?” Abhi asked, eyeing it warily.

Archana hesitated. “Something your father left behind. He always said you’d need it one day.”

Abhi’s breath caught. “Why now?”

“Because,” she said softly, “I think you’re ready to understand.”

She left without another word, leaving him alone with the box.

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The Nightmare Dimension

Abhi and Nameless stood before the Keeper, their forms trembling as the weight of its presence pressed down on them.

“What do we need to do?” Abhi asked, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.

The Keeper gestured to the mirrors lining the hall. “Enter the reflections. Relive the moments that define you. Only then will you uncover the truth you seek.”

Nameless frowned. “And if we fail?”

The Keeper’s form darkened. “Then you will remain here, lost among the fragments of what once was.”

Abhi took a deep breath. “We’re ready.”

Together, they stepped into the nearest mirror, the glass rippling like water as it swallowed them whole.

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Inside the mirror, the world shifted and blurred, pulling them into a scene from Abhi’s flashback. They stood in a dimly lit room, watching as the host—Abhi—scribbled furiously in the notebook.

“Find the truth,” he muttered under his breath, over and over again.

Nameless turned to Abhi. “This is it. This is where it all begins.”

Abhi nodded, his gaze fixed on the host. “Then let’s find out what he was searching for.”

As the scene unfolded, the fragments of their intertwined destinies began to take shape, drawing them closer to the answers they sought—and the unimaginable truths that awaited them.