Aryan's POV
The warehouse was at the edge of the old district, tucked between crumbling factories and forgotten roads.
Classic setup.
Too quiet. Too easy.
They wanted me to walk into a trap. So I did.
Every step echoed. Every breath felt like it might be my last.
And then—I saw her.
Aarohi.
Tied to a chair. Face bloodied. Head down.
"Aarohi!" I ran forward, heart in my throat.
She stirred—barely.
I dropped to my knees, reaching for the ropes.
That's when I heard the click.
"Don't."
I turned slowly.
A man stood in the shadows, gun in hand, face calm.
"You were warned," he said. "Alone."
"I am alone," I growled. "Now let her go."
He smirked. "We never said we'd let her go."
He nodded toward the corner—and more figures stepped out. All armed. All smiling like they already won.
"Take him," someone ordered.
They moved toward me—but then…
A laugh.
Soft. Cold. Not Aarohi's.
I turned.
And froze.
Aarohi… was smiling.
Not weakly. Not in relief.
But wide. Sharp.
Cruel.
She lifted her head, and I saw it.
The eyes.
Not Aarohi's warm brown.
These were colder. Wild.
"Reyza," I whispered.
She tilted her head, still smiling. "You really came. How sweet."
The men paused, confused. One of them whispered, "What's going on?"
Reyza chuckled. "Oh, they didn't tell you?" She turned to the leader. "You thought you had control. That I was your pawn."
"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped.
"You woke me up," she said, eyes glowing with something feral. "And now… you don't know how to put me back."
In a blur—she moved.
Kicked the chair back. Slammed her legs into the nearest guy's face. The whole place exploded into chaos.
I ducked as a shot rang out. Two men went down. Screams. Gunfire.
And in the center of it—
Reyza. Untied, free, dancing through destruction like she belonged in it.
I had no idea what the hell was going on anymore.
All I knew was this:
This wasn't a rescue.
It was a reckoning.
And I wasn't sure whose side she was on.
Smoke coiled in the air. The warehouse looked like a warzone—bodies groaning, blood smeared across the concrete, and the echo of gunshots still ringing in my ears.
But all I saw was her.
Reyza.
Standing in the center like she owned the wreckage.
Not panting. Not shaken.
Just calm.
Too calm.
I walked toward her, slow and cautious. "What the hell was that?"
She turned to me, brushing a streak of blood from her cheek. "Survival."
"That's not survival," I snapped. "That was a slaughter."
She didn't flinch. "They planned to kill us both. I just… adjusted the outcome."
I stared at her, heart pounding. "Where's Aarohi?"
That smile again—twisted and cold. "Sleeping. For now."
I took a step closer. "Bring her back."
"Why?" she said, tilting her head. "So she can cry into your shirt again and pretend she's not breaking? You think she's weak, don't you?"
"I think she's real," I growled. "Unlike you."
Reyza's eyes flashed. "Oh, I'm real, Aryan. More than you know. Aarohi runs. Hides. Lies to herself. I'm the part she buried to survive."
I shook my head. "You used me. All of this… was it even real?"
For the first time, something flickered in her expression.
Almost… hurt.
"Everything she felt for you—I felt it too," she said quietly. "But I knew it would end in blood. It always does."
I didn't know what to say.
I wanted to hate her. Needed to.
But she looked like Aarohi. Sounded like her, even when her words cut like knives.
Before I could speak again, she stepped closer. "They're not done, Aryan. That was just one faction. The others—Vale's rivals—they want what's inside me. What I know. What I can become."
"And what is that?" I asked, voice tight.
She leaned in, whispering, "A weapon."
Then she pulled back, eyes hard again. "If you want Aarohi back, you'll have to help me finish this. Because if I fall… she falls with me."
And just like that, she turned and walked out into the smoke.
Leaving me with nothing but questions…
And a choice.