Ahaan stepped into the room.
It was dark. Too dark. The kind of darkness that felt alive.
The door closed behind him on its own. He spun around, heart pounding.
He was inside the Whisper Room.
The silence wasn't really silence. There were faint whispers all around him. Some laughing. Some crying. Some begging.
Ahaan held the journal tight in his hands. His father's words echoed in his mind:
"If the Watcher finds you inside the Whisper Room, don't speak. Not even a word."
He took a shaky breath and moved forward. The walls were covered in old wallpaper, peeling and stained. Strange symbols were drawn in chalk everywhere.
In the center of the room was a chair. Someone was sitting in it.
A girl.
Her back was facing him. Long, messy hair. Pale skin. Her hands were tied with red cloth.
Ahaan froze.
"...Riya?" he whispered before he could stop himself.
The girl's head twitched. Slowly, slowly… she turned around.
It was Riya.
But her eyes were pure white. Her mouth was sewn shut.
Ahaan stepped back.
She raised one hand and pointed at him. Her fingers were shaking.
Then, behind her, the wall rippled like water—and a tall figure stepped through it.
The Watcher.
Same glowing eyes. Same grin.
It didn't walk. It floated.
It circled Riya, like a shark.
She shook her head violently, as if warning Ahaan. But she couldn't speak.
The Watcher looked at him.
And it spoke in a voice that sounded like many people talking at once:
"He left you. Your father. He made me. Then he ran."
Ahaan held the journal up like a shield.
The Watcher hissed. "That book is lies."
Ahaan stepped closer to Riya. "What do you want from us?"
The Watcher's body stretched unnaturally tall. "I want you to remember. I want your truth."
Then the whispers got louder.
Thousands of voices.
Ahaan screamed and covered his ears.
Suddenly—
A bright light filled the room.
The door burst open.
Dr. Rehan stood there, holding something glowing in his hand—a strange metal device, humming like a thousand bees.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Dr. Rehan shouted.
The Watcher shrieked and vanished into the wall.
Riya collapsed.
Dr. Rehan rushed to Ahaan, grabbing his arm. "Come on! We don't have time."
They dragged Riya out of the room. Once outside, she gasped, her mouth somehow free of the stitches.
She cried and hugged Ahaan. "I saw him. He's not just in mirrors. He's in us."
Dr. Rehan looked grim. "She's right. The Watcher is more than a spirit. He was born from fear… from experiments your father was part of."
Ahaan turned to him. "You knew my dad?"
Dr. Rehan nodded. "I worked with him. We tried to trap the Watcher years ago. But your dad disappeared. And left... everything to you."
He handed Ahaan a small box.
Inside was a mirror shard. It shimmered with strange symbols.
"What is this?" Ahaan asked.
Dr. Rehan looked serious. "A piece of the prison. If you want to stop the Watcher, you'll need to find the rest. They're hidden in places tied to your father's past."
Riya shivered. "What if he finds us first?"
Dr. Rehan looked at the Whisper Room, now silent.
"He will. And next time, he won't come alone."
To be continued...