Chapter 29 — The Truth of Death
The light was blinding.
Not warm this time, but sharp.
It burned through Arjun's mind, forcing his breath to catch in his throat.
His boots felt heavy, as though sinking into something unseen.
Riya stumbled beside him, clutching her chest.
Her face was pale.
Her lips whispered something he couldn't hear.
Ahead of them was the gate.
Not the golden gate of hope they had dreamed of.
This was different.
A void of white and shadow.
It pulsed with a slow heartbeat.
The whispers were gone.
In their place was silence.
A silence that felt heavier than stone.
---
The Revelation
They stepped toward the gate together.
Every step echoed unnaturally, as though the corridor itself resisted their progress.
Arjun looked around.
There was no corridor. No floor. No walls.
Only emptiness.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest.
> "Riya… what is this?" he asked.
But she didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed ahead, glowing faint gold.
And then they saw them.
Their own bodies.
Lifeless.
Slumped at the entrance of Bhangarh Fort.
Arjun's breath caught.
He staggered forward.
> "No… no… this isn't real!"
Riya's voice was trembling.
> "It is, Arjun. We're dead."
The words hit him harder than any blow.
Every step, every wound, every scream — they had died the moment the fort claimed them.
Their running… their fighting… it had all been an illusion.
The fort's trap.
---
The Laughter of the Fort
Behind them, the void shifted.
A voice came — layered, ancient, mocking.
It was Ananya's voice and something darker beneath it.
> "Welcome to the truth.
You have been mine since the first step.
The fort does not let go."
Shadows rose around them.
They formed into shapes — Sid, Kabir, the others they had lost.
Their faces twisted in silent agony, reaching toward Arjun and Riya.
Riya screamed.
> "We have to leave! This is not the end!"
But Arjun knew it was too late.
The gate pulsed again.
The whispers returned, louder now:
> "You belong to us… you have always belonged to us."
---
Acceptance
Arjun looked at Riya.
Fear and despair were etched in her face.
> "We've been fools," he said softly.
She nodded.
They stepped toward the void together.
Their hands locked, breath mingling.
The warmth of their touch was gone in an instant.
The fort's heartbeat grew louder.
It was in their bones now.
In their minds.
They were part of it.
The gate swallowed them whole.
---
The End of the Escape
When the light faded, there was nothing.
No corridor.
No gate.
No Riya.
No Arjun.
Only the fort.
Alive.
Hungry.
Waiting.
And somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered softly:
> "The feast has begun."
End of chapter 29