The Door That Shouldn’t Exist

"Some doors are not built. They are willed into existence by those desperate enough to need them."

Viraj had seen many impossible things. He had walked through time itself, defied paradoxes, and faced beings that shouldn’t exist.

But nothing—nothing—felt as wrong as what he was about to do now.

The Path to Nowhere was not a place. It wasn’t hidden in some forgotten ruin, nor was it encoded in some ancient, forbidden manuscript. No map could lead to it. No equation could predict its existence.

It had to be willed into existence.

Lucius stood beside him, arms crossed, watching with a mix of frustration and barely concealed anxiety. “Just to clarify, this is officially the dumbest thing we’ve ever done, right?”

Viraj didn’t answer. His focus was locked on the empty space in front of him.

The Path wasn’t there.

But it would be.

Taking a deep breath, he reached deep into his mind, past the logical constraints of time, past the equations that dictated reality. He wasn’t opening a door. He was forcing a contradiction into existence—breaking time’s fundamental rules by demanding an answer where none should exist.

Because time had tried to erase Aditi.

And he refused to let that happen.

Lucius shifted uneasily. “I don’t like this.”

Viraj barely heard him.

The universe itself was resisting him. The air felt heavy, as if the very concept of reality was protesting. He pushed harder, his mind straining against the weight of existence itself.

And then—

A fracture appeared.

It was subtle at first, a thin crack in the air. The space in front of him shuddered, as if something beneath the surface of reality was trying to push through.

Lucius tensed. “Uh... Viraj? What the hell did you just do?”

The crack widened.

It wasn’t like a normal doorway. It wasn’t even like the golden rift that had taken Aditi. This was something different. Something... wrong.

The tear in space didn’t reveal another world. It didn’t even reveal darkness. It revealed nothing.

Not emptiness. Not a void. Just—the absence of existence itself.

Viraj’s chest tightened. He had read about this. The Path to Nowhere wasn’t a location. It was a wound in time.

Lucius took a slow step back. “I take it back. This is the dumbest thing we’ve ever done.”

The alternate Viraj remained silent, watching the growing rupture with an unreadable expression.

Then, from deep within the nothingness, something moved.

Viraj’s breath caught.

The universe had tried to erase Aditi, but it had left behind an imprint—a disturbance. If she was still out there, if she still existed in some form, then she would be beyond this door.

Beyond this paradox.

The alternate Viraj finally spoke, his voice low and measured. “Once we step through, there’s no coming back the same way.”

Viraj exhaled slowly. It didn’t matter.

Aditi was on the other side.

And he was going to bring her back.

"Once a door like this is opened, it cannot be closed. The only way forward... is through."

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