Zzzzzt…
Ping! Ping!
Nimra's phone buzzed violently as soon as she pressed "YES." The screen turned black for three seconds before a new interface booted up.
VOXSOUL MODE: RITUAL UNLOCKED
Tag Reassigned: Zahida Saeed
Status: Marked for Memory Purge
"No…" Nimra breathed, stunned by the words.
"Ammi ko—?!"
She tried to undo the action, but the app froze.
System Voice: "Memory Ritual begins in 3 minutes. Confessor must attend."
Her hands trembled.
"What have I done…"
Location: Sector F Graveyard – 4:10 AM
Nimra's legs moved on autopilot as she followed the glowing red arrows on the app. She arrived at the graveyard gate. A bitter wind howled like a scream. The old iron gate creaked open by itself.
CREEEEEEAK…
System Voice: "Player must bring one object of guilt. Confession token."
Nimra pulled out a locket — her mother's — that she had once stolen and hidden after the fire, believing it cursed.
"I never gave it back…" she whispered.
As she stepped inside, the wind stilled.
Everything became dead quiet.
Inside the Ritual Circle
Four stones formed a square. A metal plate sat in the center. Around it were markings — Arabic letters twisted with code symbols:
"الذكرى تأكل الحقيقة"
Memory devours truth.
Suddenly, her phone flashed.
"Begin audio input: Confession to mother."
A bright white light enveloped her. Her mouth opened on its own.
"Oh… I was a liar."
"I knew who burned Abbu."
"I kept quiet that night and let it all end."
The plate glowed red.
DING!
"Integrity Level: 91% – Memory Link Achieved."
But just as she stepped away—
WHOOOOOSH!!!
A massive gust of wind knocked her down.
From behind a tree, Player 4 emerged.
Dark hoodie. Bare feet. White, glowing eyes.
But this time… his face had Faizan's features.
Twisted. Hollow. Unnatural.
The Voice Killer Returns
"You gave her up," he said in Faizan's voice.
"Now she will relive your memory… until it consumes her."
"Why… Faizan? Why do you sound like—?"
"Because I'm what's left of him. A recording. An echo. Trapped in this game you activated."
Nimra stumbled backward, heart pounding.
B-DUMP. B-DUMP. B-DUMP.
"I didn't mean to—"
"But you did."
He raised a hand, and the locket floated mid-air.
"Confessions are contracts, Nimra. And you signed hers in blood."
Back at Home — Zahida Saeed's Bedroom – 4:22 AM
Zahida jolted awake.
Her phone — an old keypad model, no internet — was buzzing.
On its tiny screen:
"VOXSOUL Update Installed."
"Voice Required: Zahida Saeed – Memory Ritual Inbound."
She dropped the phone, horrified.
She hadn't downloaded anything.
She didn't even know what an app was.
"Oh God … What is this?"
Suddenly, the lights flickered. The walls seemed to breathe.
A sound… not a scream, but a whimper… echoed from her dressing mirror.
Mirror Realm: Zahida's Ritual Begins
She walked towards the mirror. Her reflection smiled back.
But she wasn't smiling.
"You didn't stop him, Zahida."
"You knew what your husband was becoming. But you stayed silent."
"You passed on your silence to your daughter."
The mirror cracked down the middle.
"No! I did what I had to—"
"Lie detected."
"CONFESSION REQUIRED: What really happened the night Faizan's family died?"
Parallel Scene – Graveyard: Memory Synchronization
Nimra stood frozen as NullNode — Voice Killer — approached.
He whispered:
"Want to know the truth, Nimra? You only saw the fire."
"But your mother… she lit it."
Nimra's eyes widened.
"What?"
"She tried to save her own child by killing someone else's. Ask her. Listen to her Ritual."
Suddenly, her phone screen mirrored Zahida's. It began to play her confession.
Zahida's Confession Begins
"That night… he came home drunk again."
"Faizan's father was screaming. Hitting. Throwing chairs."
"I couldn't take it. I had to end it."
"I spilled the petrol on the floor. I thought I'd only scare him. But… Nimra entered the room."
"He saw the match. He dared me."
"I dropped it."
"Faizan's mother… she wasn't supposed to be there."
"They both burned."
"And I've lied ever since."
Nimra Collapses
The truth shattered her.
"All this time… my mother… she—"
"Confession Complete."
"Memory link stable."
"Next Step: Voice Merge."
NullNode stepped into the light.
"You see now? No one's innocent here."
"The Archive doesn't punish evil. It punishes liars."
"And now, you've inherited your mother's silence."
He placed the locket back in Nimra's hand. It burned.
She screamed—
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
—
Transition: Into the Ritual Realm
Nimra suddenly stood inside her old house — but everything was ash.
Walls melted. Photographs burned. Her childhood room charred.
She saw a vision of her younger self watching her parents scream. Her mother holding the matchstick. Her eyes hollow.
The voice of VoxSoul echoed through the ruin:
"Memory devours all. Escape is earned through truth. Final trial awaits."
Final Trial — The Fire Room
She walked into the living room.
Two chairs.
In one: a shadow figure — her father.
In the other: Zahida, alive and tied.
NullNode's voice spoke:
"You must choose who burns."
"One is the source. The other is the silence."
"Only then will the Archive accept your voice as truth."
Nimra's Choice
Tears streamed down her face.
"Why are you making me do this…?"
No reply.
Just the ticking sound again.
Tick… tick… tick…
"Say it."
"Say the truth, and light the flame."
Nimra took a deep breath.
"Neither of them is innocent."
"But if I had spoken earlier, maybe Faizan would still be alive."
"So light me instead."
She stepped into the flame circle.
"My truth is this: Silence is as deadly as sin."
Archive Status: TRUTH ACCEPTED
Voice Merge: Nimra Saeed – Full Confessor
Memory Rank: Gold
NullNode stepped back, smirking.
"Well then… you survived Round One."
"But you're not the only player anymore."
He vanished in smoke.
And Nimra woke up… in her own bed.
The time: 6:00 AM
But something was different.
A voice echoed from her speaker.
"Welcome to Level 2: Voice Possession."
Nimra clutched the burning locket, staring at the wall where a new line had appeared overnight:
"You are now the Voice."
To be continued...