The room was silent, dark, and heavy with the weight of exhaustion. Rivet lay on his bed, muscles sore, body aching from the day's relentless training. His breathing was steady, his mind drifting—until the cold returned.
In his sleep, Rivet found himself once again in that snow-covered wasteland. An endless stretch of white beneath a grey sky, not a soul in sight. The air was dry, freezing, still. His boots crunched against the hardened snow as he walked toward the familiar cave etched into the icy cliffs ahead. But this time… there was no red light.
His breath fogged before him as he entered the dark hollow, heart pounding. He searched for the glow, for the signal that had once beckoned him. But nothing—just the sound of his own footsteps echoing through the frozen void.
Confused, he pushed further inside.
And then—nothing.
No path. No light. Just a wall of ice.
Panic struck. He turned back, only to find the entrance gone. No way out. Trapped.
Rivet's breath quickened. The shadows closed in. He started running—desperately clawing through the dark, slipping on the ice, his mind spiraling.
Suddenly, a flicker.
A light.
He sprinted toward it, hoping for a way out—but stopped dead in his tracks.
It wasn't light.
It was… alive.
A creature stood ahead, hunched and beastlike, with crystalline growths glimmering along its spine—like molten gems embedded into its flesh. Its breath steamed in the air. Rivet's eyes widened as the creature turned—no face, only a gaping maw of ice.
And it charged.
Rivet screamed—
—and shot upright in bed, drenched in sweat.
His heart hammered against his ribs. His mouth was dry. He gulped down water with trembling hands.
Knock. Knock.
Rivet froze.
The clock read 3:00 AM.
Who would knock at this hour?
He hesitated, then moved slowly toward the door.
He opened it—
—and the world outside was gone.
In its place stretched a kaleidoscope of stars and galaxies. His room floated in space, suspended in a cosmic dream. Nebulas swirled. Planets orbited silently. The fabric of reality shimmered like a mirage.
Before he could react, something pushed him from behind.
He fell—plunging into the void.
Wind tore past him—if wind could exist in space—colors flashing, stars melting around him as he hurtled across the cosmos. It felt like eternity compressed into seconds. And then—
He stopped.
A planet loomed before him. Twisted. Fractured. Alive.
Its surface writhed with stormy shadows and distorted structures that defied logic. His eyes tried to focus, but nothing made sense. And then, from the mist, came the shadows.
Humanoid silhouettes.
Only skulls where faces should be. The rest was pure darkness, cloaked in a swirling black aura.
They advanced.
Rivet screamed, swinging his arms helplessly, trying to escape—but they reached for him.
In a blinding instant, he was flung again—this time into a sea of liquid, floating in the heart of space.
An ocean… in space?
It spread endlessly, suspended between galaxies. Rivet crashed into it, water flooding his mouth, dragging him down.
He couldn't breathe.
He thrashed wildly.
And just when he felt himself sinking forever—
—he was yanked back.
He jolted awake. Gasping.
He was in his room again.
Panting. Shivering. Soaked in sweat.
He looked around, his breaths sharp and panicked.
Was it just a dream?
His shirt clung to his chest. It felt too real.
Then… a voice.
A whisper, soft and chilling.
"You still have time. Wake up before it's too late."
Rivet froze.
He staggered to the door, stepped into the corridor, and looked up at the sky beyond the windows. The stars were still there—but his soul was trembling.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
"Hey, Rivet! Good morning, bro!" Keshav waved from down the hall.
Rivet turned, startled, unable to speak for a moment.
Keshav walked up. "You okay, bhai? You look like you saw a ghost."
Rivet forced a smile. "Yeah… sorry. Good morning."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Just didn't sleep well. That's all. I'll go get ready."
Training Field – Later That Day
Rivet's hands trembled on the rifle.
His eyes looked forward, but his mind wasn't here.
He missed targets. He stumbled in drills. The lectures sounded like static. The instructors yelled, but it all felt distant—muted.
Abhay Singh shouted, "Rivet! Where's your focus today?! You're shooting like it's your first day!"
Keshav noticed. Everyone noticed.
But Rivet said nothing.
That night, as the cadets returned to their rooms, Keshav pulled him aside.
"Bhai… what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Don't lie. You've been off all day."
Rivet paused, then sighed. "Just couldn't sleep properly. That's all."
"Hmm. Come with me."
"Where?"
"Just come, yaar."
Outside the Campus – Midnight
Keshav led Rivet past the sleeping guard, carefully stealing the ID card from his coat.
The gate clicked open.
They slipped out into the quiet world beyond.
"You're insane," Rivet muttered.
"Yeah, but now you're not thinking about whatever's haunting you."
Keshav handed him a chilled bottle of soda from a small shop. "Here. Take this."
"It's already freezing out here and you brought cold drink?"
"Exactly! It'll shock your system awake."
They sat at the edge of a quiet bridge, overlooking the forest shadows under moonlight.
Rivet sipped. "You know… when this training ends, we'll be real soldiers."
Keshav looked up at the sky. "That'll be the proudest moment of my life. When my brother looks at me and says he's proud."
"You and your brother close?"
"Not exactly. He's always away. But… he never let me feel his absence. He gave me everything I needed."
Rivet smiled. "I love my whole family. But my mom… she's everything."
"How would you describe a mother's love?"
Rivet thought. "You can't. It's beyond words. It's like… no matter how broken you are, her love puts the pieces back together."
Keshav nodded slowly.
"When I become a soldier… she'll be the happiest."
"And we'll still be together," Keshav added. "Even after all this. Right?"
"Always," Rivet said, locking fists with him. 🤜🏻🤛🏻
The first light of dawn crept over the horizon.
"Let's run," Rivet whispered. "If they catch us, we're dead."
"Then let's fly."
And the two sprinted back toward the campus, laughter echoing in the cold morning air.