The next day didn't feel like a new day.
It felt like a continuation.
Like something unfinished had simply paused… and resumed.
Vansh barely slept.
Not fully.
Not peacefully.
His mind kept replaying everything—
The note.The disappearance.The bookstore.The book.
And most importantly—
The message hidden inside it.
Elysian Park.
He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the folded paper in his hand.
The letters.
The numbers.
All of it felt deliberate.
Designed.
"…What are you trying to tell me?" he murmured.
No answer came.
The clock read 11:42 AM.
The meeting was at 1.
Plenty of time.
Yet—
It didn't feel like it.
Vansh stood up and got ready quietly.
Simple clothes.
Nothing special.
But he double-checked everything—
Phone.Wallet.Book.Paper.
Especially the book.
For a brief moment, he hesitated before putting it into his bag.
A strange thought crossed his mind—
What if it disappears too?
His grip tightened slightly.
"…Not this time."
He zipped the bag shut.
The streets of Vernonica were busier than usual.
Or maybe—
He was just noticing more.
Every passing face.
Every movement.
Every reflection.
At one point, he caught himself checking if people were watching him.
They weren't.
Still—
The feeling didn't leave.
SK Café — 12:58 PM
Vansh arrived early.
Two minutes early.
But Rohit was already there.
Sitting at the same kind of corner table Vansh would've chosen himself.
One leg crossed over the other. Phone in hand. Completely at ease.
Normal.
Unbothered.
Unaware.
For a brief second, Vansh envied that.
Then he walked over.
"Early?" Rohit said without looking up.
"Could say the same."
Rohit smirked faintly and put his phone aside. "You sound… off."
"I am."
That answer came too quickly.
Too honestly.
Rohit's expression shifted—subtle, but noticeable.
"Alright," he said, leaning back slightly. "Now I'm interested."
Vansh didn't sit immediately.
He placed his bag on the table first.
Then took the seat across him.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if the order of things mattered.
"By the way," Rohit added casually, "She won't be able to make it."
A small pause followed.
Then—
"Yeah," Vansh said, nodding once. "I figured."
Rohit raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even ask why."
"No point."
A beat.
Then Vansh added, quieter—
"But I still hoped this time would be different."
Rohit exhaled lightly, scratching the back of his neck. "It's not like I'm lying every time. She's just… complicated."
"You've said that before."
"I mean it."
"You always do."
Silence.
Not uncomfortable.
Just familiar.
Then Vansh leaned forward slightly.
And everything about him changed.
The casual tone.
The loose posture.
Gone.
"Anyway," he said, unzipping his bag, "that's not why I'm here."
Rohit's focus sharpened instantly.
"Yeah," he said. "I figured something was wrong the moment you texted like that."
Vansh didn't respond.
He reached inside the bag—
And pulled out the book.
Placed it on the table.
Between them.
The Game of Perspective.
Rohit frowned slightly. "What is this?"
Vansh's fingers rested on the cover for a second longer than necessary.
As if confirming it was still there.
Still real.
"I found it yesterday."
"And?"
Vansh looked up.
"And it shouldn't exist."
That did it.
Rohit leaned forward now, fully engaged. "Okay… you've got my attention. Explain."
Vansh took a slow breath.
Then—
"I think someone knows my game."
Rohit blinked. "Your team?"
"No."
"Then who—"
"They know things that haven't been released."
That stopped him.
"Define 'haven't been released.'"
"Not public."
"Okay…"
"Not even finalized."
Silence.
A different kind this time.
Heavier.
Rohit's eyes moved to the book again.
"…You're serious."
"Yes."
Vansh slid it toward him.
"Read."
Rohit opened it.
At first—casual.
Then slower.
Then focused.
His eyes moved line by line.
His brows pulled together.
"…Okay," he muttered. "This is already weird."
"Keep going."
He flipped a page.
Then another.
And then—
He stopped.
Completely.
His fingers tightened slightly on the page.
"No way…"
"That part isn't even locked yet," Vansh said quietly.
Rohit looked up.
Then back down.
Then again at Vansh.
"…Who else knows this?"
"No one."
"Not even your leads?"
"No."
"Then how is this here?"
"I don't know."
Rohit shut the book halfway.
Not fully.
Like he wasn't ready to let go of it yet.
"This is either the craziest coincidence I've ever seen…"
He tapped the cover lightly.
"…or something's seriously wrong."
"There's more."
Rohit let out a breath. "Of course there is."
Vansh leaned back slightly.
"Last night… I found a note."
Rohit didn't interrupt.
Didn't joke.
He just listened.
Vansh repeated the words exactly.
"What if someone leaks insider information about the game…"
"What if someone reincarnates and already knows everything?"
The table felt quieter after that.
Like even the café noise had faded a little.
"And?" Rohit asked.
"It disappeared."
"What do you mean disappeared?"
"This morning. Gone. Like it was never there."
Rohit stared at him.
Long enough to confirm something.
"…You're not guessing."
"No."
"You're sure."
"Yes."
Rohit leaned back slowly.
Ran a hand through his hair.
"Okay…"
He exhaled.
"Let's say I believe you."
Vansh didn't react.
Because that wasn't the part that mattered.
Rohit leaned forward again.
More serious now.
"Where did you get the book?"
Vansh hesitated for a second.
Then—
"A bookstore."
"What bookstore?"
"That's the problem."
Rohit frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I've never seen it before."
"That doesn't mean—"
"I walk that street almost every day."
A pause.
"And yesterday—it was just there."
Rohit held his gaze.
"…You're saying it appeared."
"I'm saying I've never noticed it before."
"Which is still weird."
"I know."
Rohit tapped the table lightly, thinking.
Then looked at the book again.
Then back at Vansh.
"Alright," he said.
"We go there."
Vansh didn't hesitate.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Rohit stood up.
"So either that place is normal…"
He picked up the book.
"…or we're about to confirm it's not."
Vansh grabbed his bag.
Zipped it.
Stood.
And for a brief moment—
That feeling returned.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Like something had been waiting for this exact decision.
As they stepped out of the café, the city moved like it always did.
Busy.
Noisy.
Alive.
But for Vansh—
Everything felt slightly… out of sync.
Like reality itself was just a fraction delayed.
And somewhere, beyond what he could see—
Something had just taken notice.