The air was suffocating as the faceless figure loomed closer, its presence warping the space around them. Vihan stood firm, his body tense, eyes fixed on the shifting darkness. "You have to remember," he said, his voice unwavering. Ravi's breath hitched. "Remember what?" Vihan turned toward him, his expression grave. "Yourself. Who you were before all of this. That's the only way to fight back." The shadows pulsed, as if sensing weakness. Meera clutched her pendant. "We don't have time for riddles!" Vihan exhaled sharply. "It's not a riddle. If you don't hold onto your identity, they'll erase you."
The faceless figure moved, stretching unnaturally. It reached toward Ravi, but Vihan stepped between them. The moment it touched him, his body flickered. "No!" Aarav shouted. Vihan staggered but remained standing. "It's trying to erase me again," he muttered, his voice strained. "It won't work this time." Raj gritted his teeth. "What do we do?" Vihan's flickering slowed as he grinned. "We play by their rules." He turned to Ravi. "Do you trust me?" Ravi hesitated but nodded. "Then say my name." Ravi frowned. "Vihan." The figure trembled. The room pulsed violently. "Again," Vihan urged. "Don't stop."
"Vihan!" Meera joined in, then Raj, then Aarav. The figure recoiled. Its form wavered like ink in water. "It's working!" Aarav gasped. The figure let out a distorted, guttural noise, its body stretching outward before collapsing in on itself. The air grew lighter. The shadows receded. The faceless one was gone. The group stood frozen in shock. Vihan exhaled heavily. "That was close." Raj scoffed. "Close? We nearly got wiped from existence." Vihan smirked. "And yet, here we are." Meera's hands trembled. "So that's it? Just say a name, and they disappear?" Vihan shook his head. "No. We forced it to remember me."
Aarav looked at him, eyes filled with realization. "Because erasure isn't instant. It's a process." Vihan nodded. "Exactly. They make you forget yourself first, then everyone else forgets you. But if even one person remembers—really remembers—you can fight it." Ravi ran a hand through his hair. "So what now? Do they just keep coming for us?" Vihan's expression darkened. "Yes. And next time, they'll be stronger." Meera's pendant glowed faintly again, pulling her toward the door. "We have to go," she whispered. Vihan hesitated before nodding. "There's more to uncover, and standing still isn't an option."
The door creaked open to reveal the Hollow District once again, but something had changed. The buildings weren't shifting anymore. The streets no longer looped. It was as if the place had settled, as if their presence had altered its existence. "Did we fix it?" Raj asked cautiously. Vihan shook his head. "No. But we changed something." Ravi turned toward him. "So what's next?" Vihan's gaze drifted toward the horizon, where a massive tower loomed, one they hadn't noticed before. "We find the Archivist." Aarav frowned. "Who?" Vihan smirked. "The one who writes history. And the one who can rewrite it."
They moved cautiously through the ruins, following the tower's distant glow. The pendant's light flickered, guiding them like a beacon. As they walked, whispers echoed from the alleyways. Faint, distant voices. "Others," Meera murmured. "There are others here." Aarav swallowed. "Like me?" Vihan's expression turned grim. "No. Not like you. Worse." Ravi's stomach twisted. "What do you mean?" Vihan paused. "Some people fight erasure. Others... accept it. They become something else." Raj's voice was barely above a whisper. "What happens to them?" Vihan exhaled. "They stop being people." The wind howled, carrying the sound of distant footsteps.
A chilling sensation crawled up Ravi's spine. "Are they following us?" Vihan didn't answer. He simply quickened his pace. "We don't want to meet them." The others followed without question. The streets narrowed, guiding them toward the base of the tower. Up close, it was taller than any structure they had ever seen. Its surface was covered in inscriptions—names, dates, events. Some were etched clearly, while others were scratched out, erased. "This is where history is rewritten," Vihan murmured. Meera touched a name on the wall. "What happens if someone's name is erased?" Vihan's jaw tightened. "They never existed."
Ravi's heart pounded. "Then we have to make sure our names stay." Vihan turned to him, eyes serious. "Exactly. And the only way to do that is to find the Archivist before they find us." Raj exhaled. "You think they already know we're coming?" As if in answer, the doors of the tower groaned open on their own. A deep, mechanical voice echoed from inside. "Enter." Aarav shuddered. "That's not ominous at all." Meera clutched her pendant. "We don't have a choice." Ravi met Vihan's gaze. "Then let's go." Together, they stepped forward, into the unknown. The doors slammed shut behind them.