"Separation is not a weakness. It is the purest test of loyalty."
— Eris
11:12 PM — Inside the Corridor of Locks
The corridor stretched ahead, splitting into two different paths — like a fork carved by darkness.
On the left — a black door with a silver plate.
On the right — a white door with a gold plate.
Sara read the inscriptions.
Black Door — For The One Who Commands
White Door — For The One Who Obeys
She looked at Aarav once.
Sara (whisper): She wants to see if we choose the roles she assigned.
Aarav's gaze darkened.
Aarav: I don't take roles.
Sara didn't hesitate.
She walked to the black door.
Aarav's eyes flickered, just a fraction. Surprised.
Aarav: Sara—
She looked back at him. Calm. Certain.
Sara: You command empires, Aarav.
But tonight, let me command our story.
Silence.
Then slow… he nodded.
A rare submission — not from weakness.
From trust.
He stepped to the white door.
Two keys. Two locks.
They inserted them at the same time.
Sara: Three… two…
Aarav: One.
— CLICK.
The locks opened.
🔥 The doors swung inward.
But not into the same room.
They were forced apart.
The doors slammed shut behind them both with a violent echo.
🎭 Sara's Room — The Archive of Secrets
The room was dimly lit — only a projector screen glowing in the center.
On it, an old video began to play.
🎥 Footage: Aarav. Younger. In a boardroom. Surrounded by men twice his age.
His eyes were colder. His voice, sharper.
Younger Aarav (in video): "Emotion makes you weak. If I ever love someone — destroy me before it does."
Sara's heartbeat slowed… then hammered.
⚡ She had never seen THIS version of him.
Cold. Merciless. Arrogant.
Eris's voice echoed from hidden speakers — liquid, mocking.
Eris: "Sara Mehta… did you know he once vowed never to love?"
Another clip.
Aarav alone, saying:
"Relationships are liabilities. Attachments are weapons others use."
Sara stood frozen, eyes fixed.
Eris: "He didn't break his rule. He made an… exception."
Eris (soft whisper): "And exceptions… are easiest to destroy."
🧊 Aarav's Room — The Stage of Betrayal
His room was not dark.
It was blinding white — like a surgical chamber.
In the center — a single chair.
On the chair — Sara's scarf.
The one she lost weeks ago… the one he had quietly kept in his drawer.
Eris (through speakers): "Aarav Vir Rathore. Cold king. Ruthless god.
But even gods fall… when they kneel for a mortal."
Aarav's jaw tightened.
Eris:
"Your empire watched you rise without fear.
Let's see how they watch you break."
⚠️ A live feed appeared.
Split screen.
One side — Aarav.
Other side — Sara watching his past.
He realized — she was watching him at his worst moment.
And the world was watching both.
Sara's face appeared on his screen.
She looked shocked…but not afraid.
He spoke — knowing she could hear.
Aarav (calm, steady): Yes. I once believed love was a liability.
Aarav (eyes locked on camera): And yes. I once said I should be destroyed before I love.
Aarav (whisper, lethal and tender):
"Then let them come.
Let them try to destroy me.
Because I am already hers."
Sara's breath caught.
Eris's audio feed went silent for 4 full seconds.
As if even she did not expect him to declare war so openly.
Then—
A slow clap.
Eris (voice colder, amused, slightly shaken):
"Act One ends here, Sara Mehta.
Act Two begins when you decide whether a king worth loving…
is a king worth destroying the world for."