The city glittered below, a scattered spill of light against the inky backdrop of the night. Raghav Raj leaned against the railing of his penthouse terrace, the cool night air a welcome contrast to the day's frantic pace. Stars, sharp and diamond-bright, pricked the velvet sky, and a half-moon cast the world in a soft, almost ethereal, glow. He found solace in the quiet, a rare moment of stillness in his chaotic life.
The elevator doors chimed, a subtle note breaking the silence. He didn't turn. He knew that sound, and the light footsteps that followed, as intimately as he knew his own heartbeat. The terrace door swung open, and Aditi stepped out, her silhouette framed by the light spill from the hallway.
"Sir," she said, her voice a low hum, breaking the silence. "What are you doing up here?"
Raghav finally turned, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "How did you know I was here? I didn't tell anyone."
Her smile was warm, a bright torch in the darkness. "If I didn't know where my loved one might be, what kind of love would that be?" She moved closer, her eyes, dark and intense, meeting his.
He found himself drawn to her, always. But there was also a pull of caution, an awareness of the years that separated them. "Your love is too young for me, Aditi. I'm twenty-nine years old now."
Aditi laughed, a light, tinkling sound. "Young? I'm young only if you don't do anything with me in bed. At this rate, I think you'll die an old man without ever having been with a woman."
He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "Is that the way to speak to your senior, Miss?" he asked, a playful note to his tone.
She moved closer, her hand resting on his arm. "Oh… And is this the way to treat your lover? The one who's been waiting five years for you to finally marry her?"
His hand rose to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing the soft curve of her jawline. He leaned in, his lips finding hers in a kiss that was both familiar and intoxicating. For a moment, the world narrowed to just her, just them.
When they broke apart, Aditi's expression turned serious. "You have to go to Russia, right?"
He sighed. "Long journeys from here and there. You know I don't want to leave, but my business is… too dense for this right now."
They lingered on the terrace a few more moments, the unspoken weight of his impending departure hanging in the air. When the time came, they descended, leaving the starlit sky behind, the promise of work hours ending pulling them back to the mundane.
Raghav settled into the leather seats of his car, the familiar scent of new leather and expensive wood soothing. "Home, please," he instructed his driver, settling back.
A flash of movement outside his window caught his eye. Aditi stood by the curb, a small silhouette against the backdrop of the office building. He immediately tapped the roof of the car, stopping in its tracks. He opened the door.
"Hey, Junior, come on, I'll drop you," he called, leaning across the seat.
Aditi hesitated for a moment before smiling and climbing in. "Thank you, sir," she said, settling into the seat.
"Rain Valley City, Raj," he instructed, a familiar warmth blossoming as Aditi settled beside him.
"There's not much to worry about," she replied, "you can drop me off at Om Point near the city and then head home."
"No, I'm taking you home," he insisted, his voice firm yet gentle.
The drive started, a quiet hum of the engine filling the space between them, interrupted by their steady conversation. As they approached Om Point, Aditi pointed to the right. "See? There's the game plaza under construction. I see it on my way home everyday."
Raghav glanced at the skeletal framework of the building, a half-finished monument to entertainment. "Yeah. I was actually thinking about checking it out with some of my friends. I still have some childlike hobbies, I guess," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Raghav dropped Aditi at her doorstep with a smile and a gentle goodnight, the lingering scent of her perfume a ghost in the car as he pulled away. The driver took a familiar route, the city lights blurring in the periphery. As they passed the under-construction game plaza, a flicker of unease ran through him.
He didn't know why he looked up at the skeletal frame of the building. Then, the sudden, horrific screech of metal on metal ripped through the quiet of the night. A steel beam, dislodged from a crane high above, plummeted down like a falling skyscraper. It crashed on the ground with a terrifying impact, sending a shock wave through the air. The upper part of the beam fell toward the car.
Time seemed to slow. The metal tore through the car roof like it was paper, and the crushing pain that followed stole his breath. He barely had time to understand what was happening. The beam had landed directly on the car, the lower part of the beam crushing the metal and his lower body. His legs, his abdomen, his torso – all caught beneath the unforgiving weight of steel.
Blood welled up around him, hot and suffocating. He was still conscious, his mind screaming against the agony that was tearing through him. His vision swam and flickered. His mother's face appeared, her gentle smile and the warmth of her hugs. His sister's face, her mischievous glint and her laugh echoing as if she was beside him. And then, Aditi. Her dark eyes, filled with love and a promise of their future. He saw the terrace, the stars, all the promises they had made, all the dreams they had shared. Promises he made to his mother and sister, all the promises…
He coughed, a spray of blood staining the crushed metal. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his body failing him. He could feel the cold slipping in, a numbness taking him. The last sound was the soft whisper of promises unkept as darkness swallowed him.
Then he opened his eyes.
He was no longer in the mangled wreckage of his car. The world around him was vast and strange, a huge dome that stretched above him, disappearing into shadowed heights. The air was heavy, thick with an unsettling energy.
Ten towering figures stood before him, each one radiating a palpable power that resonated deep within his bones. They were from what he knew are called as gods: there was benevolence in their stare, compassion in their presence. Their forms shifted like smoke, a mix of human and something ancient, something powerful and positive.
Beside him, stood ten more people, their faces etched with the same confusion and terror that he felt. They were like him, thrust into this strange and unfamiliar place. There were whispers, confused questions, and a chilling sense that wherever he was, it was not heaven. And it was not good.
His eyes widened, fear clenching his heart. This was not the end. It was definitely not the end. It was something else. Something unknown, something terrifying.
To be continued...