Chapter 10 — Breaking Point
The fort had stopped being a place.
It had become a state of mind.
A living nightmare where stone breathed, shadows spoke, and every heartbeat was a whisper in the dark.
The team no longer moved together.
By now, they had stopped trusting each other.
Every glance was suspicion. Every silence was a threat.
And fear was eating them alive.
---
Morning of Fracture
The morning after the Hall of Whispers was heavy.
No one spoke during breakfast. Food had lost its taste.
The chanting hadn't stopped. It was constant now — soft at first, then louder as the day wore on.
Sid kept his camera glued to his face, filming the ruins without speaking. Kabir sharpened his blade in silence. Ananya sat alone, her eyes fixed on the eastern walls, whispering softly in a language no one recognized.
Arjun watched them all quietly. He knew the fracture had begun.
> "We need to decide," he said at last.
"Either we leave now or push forward before the fort claims us."
Kabir spat.
> "Leave? Are you crazy? We came for the proof. And I'm not dying without it."
Sid lifted his camera toward him.
> "I just want to film the truth."
Ananya didn't answer. Her lips moved silently, as if speaking to someone far away.
Then she stood, slowly, her eyes glowing gold once again.
> "He chooses who will see the end."
No one moved.
The air tightened.
Fear was a blade between them.
---
Splitting Apart
By noon, the decision was made.
They would split.
Kabir and Sid would explore the southern ruins again.
Arjun and Ananya would examine the eastern passage.
No one volunteered to follow.
No one wanted to be alone.
As they parted, Kabir whispered:
> "Don't trust anyone here."
It was the last time they spoke without suspicion.
---
The Madness Within
Arjun and Ananya moved deeper into the eastern passage.
The air grew heavier. Every step felt like moving through water.
The chanting was louder here, and now it was inside their heads.
Ananya stopped suddenly.
> "Do you hear it?"
Arjun nodded.
> "They're speaking to us."
She turned to him, eyes glowing brighter.
> "It wants your name, Arjun. You must decide if you will answer."
Before he could speak, she collapsed. Her body convulsed violently, her voice a chorus of others:
> "We are bound… the seal will break…"
Arjun grabbed her, pulling her up.
Her eyes locked on his.
> "The bride calls."
And then she was silent.
---
The Rift
Meanwhile, Kabir and Sid entered the southern wing.
The air was colder there. The walls were slick with something dark — something that moved.
Sid pointed his camera into a darkened corridor.
The screen showed movement: shadows stretching, twisting, reaching for them.
Kabir's voice was sharp.
> "We're not alone here."
Suddenly, Sid screamed.
Kabir spun to see him staring at the wall — his mouth moving silently.
Then Sid fell forward, eyes wide, whispering in a language none of them understood.
Kabir grabbed him.
> "Sid! Snap out of it!"
Sid looked at him with a blank stare.
> "It's here. It knows me."
Before Kabir could react, Sid collapsed. His body twitched unnaturally, limbs bending at impossible angles.
Kabir's rifle rang out in the darkness.
The scream that followed was not Sid's.
---
The Night Ends in Fear
By nightfall, the team was no longer whole.
Sid was gone. Ananya was silent and withdrawn.
Kabir kept to himself, sharpening his knife without looking up.
Arjun knew the truth now.
The fort was not testing them.
It was breaking them.
And it was winning.
---
End of Chapter 10