Morning came like nothing had happened.
Sunlight slipped through the curtains, warm and ordinary.
Birds chirped.
People talked outside.
The world was… normal.
Too normal.
Aarav opened his eyes slowly, groaning as he turned over in bed.
"My head…" he muttered.
It felt heavy.
Like he hadn't slept at all.
For a few seconds, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling.
Blank.
Then—
A strange feeling crept in.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Something missing.
He sat up.
"…Why do I feel like I forgot something?"
The question lingered in the air.
Unanswered.
He rubbed his eyes and reached for his phone.
No missed calls.
No messages.
No signs of anything unusual.
"See? Normal," he whispered to himself.
And yet…
That feeling didn't go away.
He got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.
Half-asleep.
Mind drifting.
Then he stopped.
Right in front of the mirror.
"…What the hell is that?"
On his right hand—
A mark.
Three thin lines crossing each other.
Faint.
But clearly there.
Aarav frowned.
He turned his hand under the light.
"Did I draw this?" he murmured.
It didn't look like ink.
It looked…
Carved.
A cold sensation ran up his spine.
He didn't remember getting it.
Not even a little.
"…Weird."
He washed his face, trying to ignore it.
Tried to move on.
Tried to act normal.
But something inside him refused.
⏳ Later That Day
"Bro, you look dead," his friend Rohan said, dropping into the chair beside him.
"Did you even sleep?"
Aarav shrugged. "Yeah… I think."
"You think?" Rohan laughed. "What were you doing, summoning ghosts?"
Aarav froze.
For a split second—
Something flickered in his mind.
Dark trees.
Cold air.
A voice.
"You shouldn't be here."
Then—
Nothing.
Gone.
"…No," Aarav said slowly. "Just tired."
Rohan raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You look like you saw something."
"I didn't," Aarav snapped.
Too fast.
Too defensive.
Rohan leaned back. "Okay… chill."
Aarav looked down at his hand again.
At the mark.
Something about it felt important.
But no matter how hard he tried—
He couldn't remember why.
🌙 Evening
The feeling got worse.
All day, it followed him.
Like a shadow.
Something missing.
Something wrong.
By the time night fell—
He couldn't ignore it anymore.
"I need to go back," he muttered.
He didn't know why.
Didn't know where exactly.
But his feet…
Already knew.
🌲 The Forest — Again
The moment he stepped onto the path—
It happened.
Silence.
Instant.
Complete.
The same unnatural stillness from last night.
Aarav's breath hitched.
"…Why does this feel familiar?"
He walked forward slowly.
Heart pounding.
The deeper he went—
The stronger the feeling became.
Like he had already lived this moment.
Like he was walking into something inevitable.
Then—
A voice.
"You came back."
Aarav froze.
His body reacted before his mind did.
He turned.
And saw her.
Standing between the trees.
Exactly where she had been last night.
Same stillness.
Same eyes.
Watching him.
Aarav's chest tightened.
"…Do I know you?" he asked.
The girl didn't answer immediately.
She just looked at him.
And slowly—
Very slowly—
The faintest hint of pain appeared on her face.
"…No," she said softly.
A pause.
Then she added—
"But you did."
Aarav frowned.
"What does that—"
He stopped.
Because suddenly—
His head hurt.
Sharp.
Like something inside his mind was resisting.
Images flashed—
Too fast to understand.
A forest.
A conversation.
Her voice.
"You will forget me."
Aarav staggered slightly.
"What… what is happening to me?"
The girl stepped closer.
And this time—
There was no distance between them.
She raised her hand slowly.
Hesitated.
"…Can I?" she asked quietly.
Aarav didn't even know what she meant.
But somehow—
He nodded.
Her fingers touched his hand.
Right over the mark.
And instantly—
Everything came rushing back.
The forest.
The silence.
Her words.
"You will forget me."
Aarav gasped.
Stumbling backward.
"I— I remember—"
His eyes widened.
"You're—"
He stopped.
Because he realized something terrifying.
Even now—
Even as he remembered—
Her name…
Was gone.
"…Who are you?" he whispered.
The girl smiled faintly.
A sad, broken smile.
"That's the problem," she said.