### **Chapter 4: The Voice in the Darkness**
Raghav had barely settled into the quiet of his coma before the darkness surrounding him began to shift. He was still suspended in that eerie void, floating, but something was different now. The peace he had felt earlier was gone, replaced by an unsettling tension. The emptiness felt suffocating, pressing in on him from all sides, but it wasn't the void itself that unsettled him. It was the presence.
Somewhere in the distance, Raghav could sense someone—or something—lurking just out of sight, hidden in the impenetrable darkness. He strained to see, but no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing to be seen. Just endless black. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, a cold sweat forming on his skin, despite the surreal nature of the space.
Suddenly, a voice pierced the silence, low and raspy, echoing unnaturally in the void. It came from all around him, surrounding him, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.
"You're not supposed to be here," the voice whispered, sending a chill down Raghav's spine. It was neither threatening nor kind, but filled with an eerie certainty, as if whoever—or whatever—it was, knew more about him than he did.
Raghav's heart raced. "Who are you?" he called out, his voice trembling, but the words seemed to dissolve into the darkness. "What do you want?"
There was a pause, a long silence, as if the entity was considering his question. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the voice returned, slow and deliberate.
"You're walking a path you don't yet understand… and there is no turning back."
Raghav swallowed hard, his mind racing. This was no ordinary dream. He wasn't sure what was happening, but deep down, he knew this voice held some significance. Something important. Something *dangerous*.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, his voice a mixture of confusion and frustration. "I didn't ask for this! I don't even know why I'm here!"
The voice chuckled, a low, mirthless sound that sent another wave of unease through Raghav.
"You will soon," it said. "But you must go where it all begins. There's something waiting for you… at *Govind International High School.*"
Raghav frowned, the name unfamiliar but strangely specific. A high school? What did that have to do with anything? Why would a place like that matter in the grand scheme of things?
Before he could ask any more questions, the voice continued, its tone growing colder, almost impatient.
"Find the truth. If you don't… you won't survive the next time. This second life of yours is fragile. One mistake, and it will slip through your fingers."
Raghav tried to respond, but his voice caught in his throat, as if the air had been stolen from his lungs. His mind was racing, trying to piece together the meaning of the voice's words. *Govind International High School*—what was there? What truth was he supposed to find?
But before he could think any further, the void began to dissolve. The darkness crumbled around him, as if reality itself was being torn apart. The last thing he heard was the voice's final words, echoing ominously in the fading darkness:
"Remember… you've been warned."
---
Raghav gasped as he jolted awake, his eyes flying open, the sterile brightness of the hospital room flooding his vision. His heart was pounding, his breaths coming in short, ragged bursts. The dream—or whatever that had been—was still fresh in his mind, the voice echoing in his ears.
His mother was still by his side, but this time she was half-asleep, her head resting on the edge of the bed. Raghav blinked, trying to orient himself, but the memory of the dark void and the cryptic voice lingered.
*Govind International High School*.
It had been so clear, the voice giving him specific instructions. Why would something so strange happen in the midst of his coma? And why did it feel so real?
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to steady himself. Was this a hallucination brought on by the accident? Or was there something more to it? The voice had been so certain, so sure that something important awaited him at that school. But Raghav had no idea why. In all of his memories, nothing significant about the school stood out.
But the urgency in the voice was undeniable.
As he lay in the hospital bed, Raghav's mind buzzed with possibilities. Could it be a warning? A clue to something much bigger than his mundane life? He didn't have any powers or magical abilities in this world, but maybe this was something different. Maybe this was the start of whatever this second chance was meant to be.
He had to go to the school. There was no other choice. If the voice was right, if there was truly something waiting for him there, he needed to find out what it was. His life, his second chance, depended on it.
The days following Raghav's accident were a blur. The hospital room became his temporary world, filled with nurses checking his vitals, his mother hovering anxiously, and Rajat popping in to give him notes and updates about school. But through it all, one thought gnawed at the back of Raghav's mind: *Govind International High School.*
The name echoed in his head every time he closed his eyes, pulling him back to that dream—no, *nightmare*—in the void. The voice had been so vivid, so chillingly clear. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a dream brought on by his accident. It was too specific, too real. The urgency in the voice's words had lodged itself deep in his consciousness, refusing to let go.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of restlessness, the doctors cleared Raghav to leave the hospital. His mother fussed over him as they got ready to head home, but all he could think about was *Govind International High School*. He had to go there. He needed answers.
As soon as they arrived home, Raghav feigned exhaustion and retreated to his room. Once alone, he pulled out his phone and began searching for the school. He hadn't heard of it before—at least, not consciously. After a few minutes of scrolling through search results, he finally found it.
*Govind International High School* was located on the outskirts of Mumbai, a somewhat prestigious institution known for its rigorous academic programs. But other than that, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it. It was just a regular high school—nothing out of the ordinary.
Raghav frowned, feeling a mix of confusion and frustration. Why had the voice in his coma mentioned this place? What was he supposed to find there?
Determined to get to the bottom of it, he decided to visit the school. He couldn't explain why, but he had a gut feeling that this was important. Maybe it was foolish, but he didn't care. He had nearly died—something had changed inside him. If this was some kind of message, he wasn't going to ignore it.
---
A few days later, Raghav found himself standing outside the gates of *Govind International High School*. It was a large, imposing building, modern but with an air of age and history. Students in neatly pressed uniforms streamed in and out of the gate, chatting and laughing, completely unaware of the strange events swirling inside Raghav's head.
He took a deep breath, his heart pounding with anticipation. What now? The voice hadn't given him any more details, no clues beyond the location of the school. He felt a little foolish just standing there, like an outsider peering into a world he didn't belong to.
Gathering his courage, Raghav stepped through the gate. The campus was sprawling, with large buildings, manicured lawns, and students milling about. He felt out of place in his casual clothes, but no one seemed to pay him much attention.
He wasn't sure where to go or what to look for, so he wandered the grounds aimlessly for a while, hoping for some kind of sign. As he passed by the main building, a large bulletin board caught his eye. It was filled with flyers for clubs, events, and announcements, but one flyer in particular stood out.
It was old, yellowed with age, and tucked behind several newer flyers, as if someone had tried to cover it up. Curiosity piqued, Raghav stepped closer and carefully pulled the other flyers aside. The old one was for a school event—an annual academic competition. But the date on it made Raghav pause.
*September 23, 1997*.
His heart skipped a beat. The date seemed oddly significant, though he couldn't immediately place why. He was born in 2006—this was long before his time. Why would something from 1997 matter to him?
He tore the old flyer from the board, folding it carefully and slipping it into his pocket. It wasn't much, but it was the only clue he had so far.
As he walked away from the board, deep in thought, he suddenly felt a presence behind him. Raghav turned sharply, expecting to see someone, but there was no one there. The courtyard was mostly empty now, students having gone inside for their classes. Yet, the feeling of being watched lingered, prickling the back of his neck.
Shaking off the uneasy sensation, he continued exploring the school, keeping an eye out for anything else unusual. But after an hour of wandering, he came up empty. The school was just a school—nothing strange or out of the ordinary, except for that old flyer.
Raghav's stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. He headed to a small café just outside the school grounds, still puzzling over the flyer as he sipped his tea. *1997. Why does that year matter?* he wondered, tapping his fingers on the table.
As he was lost in thought, his phone buzzed on the table. It was a message from Rajat.
**Rajat**: Dude, where have you been? We need to study for the exams!
Raghav stared at the message, his mind still fixated on the mystery of the school and the flyer. He knew he should be studying, focusing on his upcoming exams, but something told him that this was far more important.
As he put his phone back into his pocket, the folded flyer slipped out. Unfolding it once more, he studied the date again. *September 23, 1997*. He couldn't let go of the feeling that something had happened on that date, something connected to the school and, somehow, to him.
The next step was clear. He needed to dig deeper, find out what had happened at *Govind International High School* back in 1997. There had to be records—news reports, yearbooks, anything that could give him a clue. If the voice in his coma had led him here, it wasn't by accident. There was something waiting for him, and he wasn't going to stop until he found out what it was.
As he finished his tea and left the café, Raghav's determination hardened. Whatever had happened here more than two decades ago, it was tied to his second life. And he had to uncover the truth before it was too late.
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