Adya smiled, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—a hesitation, perhaps. She tried to push it away. "Yeah," she said, her voice steady, but not entirely convincing. "This is the best opportunity for Ayan."

Nitya's expression shifted, her lips curling into a knowing smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Ayan?" she said, her voice low, as if weighing the word. "Forget him. He'll read a few more books, and learn new tricks, and everything will work out for him. I'm not worried about him."

Nitya leaned in slightly, her tone soft but sharp enough to cut through the air. "I'm worried about you."

Adya's smile tightened, her discomfort barely masked. She kept her voice light, hoping it would shield her from Nitya's unnerving gaze. "Everything's fine with me too," she said, sounding casual. "Things are going well alongside his."

Nitya didn't let up, her gaze fixed, unwavering. "Family?" she asked, her voice calm but probing. "What about your family?"

The question hung in the air, heavier than the conversation surrounding them. Adya's smile faltered, just for a moment, as Nitya's words seemed to pull at something deeper inside her. The party noises around them faded, the crowd a blur of movement, but here, at this moment, it was just Nitya and Adya, and the silence that followed Nitya's question felt far too loud.

Adya's smile remained, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Wrong topic, huh," she said lightly, though there was a heaviness in her tone. "My parents died in a car accident. I was 18, my brother was 15. Now, even he's not here. He married a Canadian girl and lives over there."

Nitya's gaze sharpened, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she processed the weight of Adya's words. "So, you've put a lot on the line coming here. Real commitment," she observed, her voice steady, almost too calm.

Adya shrugged, her expression unreadable. "I guess."

Nitya leaned back slightly, her eyes scanning the room before settling back on Adya. "Dharamshala is a world apart from this place. But I assume you already know that." Her tone was deliberate as if she were testing the waters, trying to get a sense of Adya's resolve.

Adya's gaze drifted, her thoughts seemingly far away for a brief moment. "We'll manage," she said, her voice quieter now, more introspective. "I have complete faith."

Nitya leaned in slightly, her gaze softening, but her voice was as sharp as ever. "If any trouble comes your way, will you come to me? Will you let me help? It'll make me feel less... responsible. Can you do that for me?"

Adya, caught slightly off guard, nodded. "Sure."

There was a beat of silence between them, the noise of the party filling the gap. Then, Nitya tilted her head, her voice lowering as if they were sharing a secret. "Can I offer some advice? About your eyes? Some people... they're sensitive. That's why I'm asking."

Adya's brows furrowed, an unsure smile playing on her lips. "No, please, go ahead. Something wrong with them?" she asked, her tone light but tinged with self-consciousness. "They're not good or something?"

Nitya's lips curled into a mysterious smile, her voice dropping almost to a whisper. "I can't see them."

Adya paused, clearly trying to make sense of Nitya's words. "I don't get it."

Nitya's gaze narrowed, not unkindly, but with intensity. "These glasses, they hide your eyes. They're a veil. Let the depth of your eyes show to the world. It's where your truth lies."

Adya gave a light chuckle, slightly embarrassed. "Well, Ayan likes them. I always wanted to switch to lenses, but every time I bring it up, Ayan talks me out of it. He loves my nerdy look. He even got me a whole new set of specs as a gift."

Nitya blinked, surprised. "You're kidding me? Your eyes should be raw, and visible. That's where the truth is. The real emotions. It's how you see the war every person fights, the struggle between their mind and body. Eyes don't need a cover-up."

Adya fell silent, the weight of Nitya's words sinking in. Her fingers touched the frame of her glasses unconsciously, as if considering, for the first time, what it might mean to remove them—to let herself be seen in a way she hadn't allowed before. The party's distant laughter and clinking glasses seemed to fade away as she stood there, lost in thought, the world around her slowing down, but her mind racing.

Adya hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of Nitya's words pressing on her. The room felt slightly smaller, the lights a bit dimmer, as if everything hinged on this one act. Nitya's gaze remained fixed on her, waiting, unflinching.

"Now?" Adya asked softly, unsure if this was the right time or place for such a vulnerable moment.

Nitya smiled faintly, leaning closer. "Look in the mirror. Do it for yourself. Not for Ayan, not for anyone else. If I take them off for you, these people around us will pretend they aren't watching, but they'll be glued to us, thinking by the end of the night you're sharing my room. Do you want that?"

Adya bit her lip, a nervous laugh escaping her. Without another word, she slowly lifted her hands to her glasses, gripping the frame. The faint pressure of her fingers against the cool metal seemed to pulse with tension. She slid the specs off, and the world shifted.

Her eyes met her reflection, bare and exposed, staring back at her. It was as if a veil had been lifted, not just from her vision, but from the mask she hadn't realized she'd been wearing. The mirror reflected more than just her face—it reflected the vulnerability, the rawness Nitya had spoken of.

For a second, Adya froze, almost startled at the woman she was seeing, as though she were looking at a stranger.

Behind her, the party continued, but in her mind, everything else went quiet. The noises dulled, the laughter became distant, and all that was left was this moment—her and her reflection. She could feel Nitya watching, but now it felt like Nitya wasn't just seeing the surface, but the layers underneath.

Adya's fingers trembled slightly, holding the glasses in her hand, wondering what this would mean for her from now on. She felt strangely exposed like a new version of herself had just emerged, and the question was—what was she going to do with it?

Ayan stood frozen in the doorway, watching Vlada slip on the sleek, black Gamescape reality glasses. The lenses pulsed faintly with light as they wrapped around her head, transforming her vision into something otherworldly. Her eyes locked onto his, a silent invitation pulling him in deeper, her intentions cloaked in mystery.

The villa around them seemed to fade, replaced by the weight of the moment. The tension between them was palpable. The open door behind him let the cool night air drift in, but it did nothing to calm the strange mix of curiosity and unease settling in Ayan's chest.

"Put them on," Vlada whispered, her voice cutting through the quiet, as she gestured toward another pair of glasses lying on the table.

Ayan hesitated, his fingers grazing the glasses, knowing this was a point of no return. He didn't trust Vlada—not fully—but the pull of whatever she had in store was undeniable. Her eyes flickered behind the lenses, and for a moment, he felt like she was already somewhere else, somewhere he wasn't sure he wanted to follow.

He slipped on the glasses.

The world around them morphed, reality bending into something both alien and familiar. The soft sands of the island stretched out beneath their feet, the horizon painted in hues of dark purple and deep blue. The sound of crashing waves roared from the nearby cliffs, the sea beckoning them closer with its dark allure.

Vlada, now standing beside him in this strange landscape, pointed toward the vast ocean beyond the cliffs. Her voice was calm, but something in her eyes burned with intensity.

"What is that?" she asked, her voice low, but charged with an undercurrent of accusation.

Ayan frowned, looking out at the water but seeing nothing out of the ordinary. "What are you talking about? What's there?"

Without answering, she grabbed his hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong, pulling him forward before he could protest. They sprinted together, the wind whipping around them, the sensation so real he could almost taste the salt in the air.

They reached the cliff's edge in mere seconds, and without hesitation, Vlada yanked him into the void below.

The fall was exhilarating, the rush of the wind in his ears drowning out everything else. Ayan barely had time to brace himself before they crashed into the water. Cold and overwhelming, the ocean swallowed them both in one smooth dive.

The water was dark, but the glow from the surface above provided just enough light to see. Ayan's vision blurred as the reality around him continued to shift. The deeper they went, the more surreal it became, like they had entered another world entirely.

He turned, searching for Vlada. She was already there, her body gliding effortlessly through the water. Her eyes locked onto his once more, this time with an intensity that left him unsettled.

Vlada swam closer, her hand gently grazing his cheek as she found her way to him. Her face hovered inches from his, their surroundings dissolving into the depths of the ocean. They floated together in the silence, her gaze piercing through him.