DREAMY TALES

Arylie || Aracunum: The Unfreed Soul ||

Author's Note : "Look, everyone, this is a fictional story and such narratives are purely a product of imagination. Thus, please do not seek logic here, and pay careful attention to the times and dates!"

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Wednesday, 4:16 am, at Imile's house

A shiver coursed through Rupi as she failed to discern Imile's reflection in the mirror. Taking hesitant steps, she approached Imile, gently caressing her hair with trembling hands. Gazing into the mirror again, she found her hand suspended in the air, still devoid of Imile's reflection.

Rupi stumbled, her breath caught in her throat from fear, her entire body quaking. "Im... Imile," she stammered.

She extended her hand but quickly withdrew it. Regaining some composure, she shook Imile gently, her heart pounding against her ribs.

Imile stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Rupi recoiled slightly, her forehead glistening with sweat.

Imile brushed her hair back. "What happened, Rupi? Why do you seem so frightened?"

A lump formed in Rupi's throat. "Where is my Imile? Who are you?"

Imile's brows furrowed as she stepped closer. "Rupi Di, what are you talking about?"

Rupi backed away, glancing repeatedly at the mirror for any sign of her reflection, but to no avail.

Imile noticed Rupi's frequent glances toward the mirror and understood her fear. With a sigh of distress, she spoke, "Are you afraid of me because of this? Please don't worry, Rupi di. I won't harm you. You are my only sister, my best friend after Sita Maiya. I am Imile, your Imile, but I am no longer alive. I died a long time ago, but I haven't been able to fully move on. I'm trapped in this deceitful world, in my own body. Once I remember why I am stuck here, then everything will be over, including Aryan Singh Rathore."

She held Rupi's hand. "These nightmares are not just bad dreams; they are my reality. What happens to me at night is real, but during the day, I forget what I saw at night. The little that remains, I call nightmares. Someone, somewhere, is helping me to remember this forgotten memory. What should I do, Rupi di? That world is trying to calling me, but something is holding me back here. I can't move on until I take revenge, revenge for the deaths of my parents and my own death."

Rupi shook her head in denial, unable to accept that her friend was no longer alive and that she had been living with a spectral presence for a year. "No... no. And Aryan? Why? What did he do?"

Imile clenched her fists. "He is not what he seems, Rupi."

Rupi's tears rolled down her cheeks. "You... you are joking, right? Tell me, what prank are you playing? You are alive, aren't you?"

Imile smiled sadly. She snapped her fingers, and her form transformed into a foggy spirit. She snapped again, returning to her human form, leaving Rupi terrified.

Imile's smile was sorrowful. "Some truths we must accept, Rupi di. I am no longer alive."

Rupi stepped back, stumbling. "I...I have to tell Aryan," she said, rushing outside.

She entered the hall, screaming his name. "Aryan... Aryan! Where are you? Aryannnn!"

Aryan, who had just entered the house, rushed toward a perplexed Rupi, who was trembling and sweating profusely.

Aryan asked worriedly, "What happened, Rupi di? Why are you so frightened?"

Rupi's eyes blurred with tears. "Aryan... please don't make Imile remember... don't remind her of anything."

Aryan looked confused. "That is exactly what I need to do, but what happened to you?"

Rupi's breathing was uneven. "She... she... Imile is not normal..." Before she could complete her sentence, she convulsed in pain and collapsed, unconscious, on the floor.

Aryan looked at Rupi collapsed on the floor, then his head shot up, finding Imile standing behind her with teary eyes.

She asked, " what happened to Rupi di?"

Aryan lifted Rupi in his arms. "I don't know, Imile. When I arrived, Rupi di seemed very distressed. She might have been worried about you, and then she suddenly fainted. But... when did you arrive?"

Imile replied hurriedly, checking Rupi's pulse, "I just arrived. But forget that now. Abhi Rupi didi ko hospital l⅙ejaana jayeda jaruri hai hospital."

Aryan nodded and rushed toward his car. After placing Rupi inside, he drove towards the hospital with Imile.

---

After a while -

The doctors informed them they had tried hard, but Rupi had entered a deep sleep due to a sudden nervous breakdown from fear.

Aryan was stunned, while Imile's eyes filled with tears. "Forgive me, Rupi di, but you were coming between me and Aryan."

Suddenly, she started feeling dizzy. It was morning, and she was done with her nightmare - the backyard, the wrist cut, and Rupi's analysis. Now, she would forget the previous night's events, and what little she remembered she would dismiss as a nightmare.

Aryan saw Imile stumbling and rushed to her, holding her limp, almost lifeless body before she collapsed.

He looked at her closed eyes with an emotionless face. Her closed eyes spoke volumes. He lifted her in his arms with determination. "I'll fix everything, Imile," he vowed. After completing the formalities for Rupi, he took Imile to his house.

---
Imile lay unconscious on his bed while he sat beside her, holding her hand. "You forgot everything, Imile... you forgot me, you forgot my love. But I am Aryan Singh Rathore. How could I forget you? The madness I feel for you... you don't know, Imile. I have suffered for you over the past year. And now that I have found you, you are in this state... I can't even tell you how much I love you. I wish... I wish that night had never happened."

He leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open, and she pushed him back upon finding him so close.