Chapter Two: The Voice Behind the Glass

  The chair creaked slightly beneath Nael as he shifted, the silence pressing against his ears like a weight. There was no one in the room. At least, that’s what his eyes told him. But the voice… it had been real. Too close, too calm.

  He stood up, instinctively checking the corners. The room was almost sterile—four walls, smooth and gray. A one-way mirror stretched across the far side. Was someone watching?

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Nael,” the voice came again. Softer this time, as if from within his own mind.

  He turned sharply. Nothing. Just his own reflection in the glass.

  Then the door clicked. A woman entered. She wore a fitted blazer, her expression unreadable. Her eyes, however, flickered with something—curiosity? Sympathy?

  “You heard it, didn’t you?” she asked.

  Nael hesitated. “The voice?”

  She nodded slowly. “You’re not the first.”

  She placed a folder on the table. His name was printed across the top in block letters.

  Nael Arwan

  Subject: Phase One - Response Evaluation

  “What is this place?” he asked.

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she smiled—kindly, yet distant.

  “You’re here to remember.

  Even if you don’t want to.”