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Aarav’s Mind Vs System
Aarav’s Mind Vs System
The First Approval
At exactly 8:00 AM, Aarav stepped into the building that would quietly begin to erase him.
The glass doors slid open without resistance.
Inside, the air felt… controlled. Not cold, not warm—just regulated. Like emotions weren’t allowed here.
He paused for a fraction of a second.
Not because he was nervous.
But because something inside him whispered—
You’re already late.
“First day?” the receptionist asked, her eyes fixed on the screen.
“Yes.”
She handed him an ID card.
No smile. No welcome.
Just a card with his name printed too perfectly.
As if it had existed before he did.
By 8:07 AM, Aarav was seated at his desk.
Everything was ready.
Too ready.
The system was already on. The cursor blinked steadily—impatient, almost aware.
He typed his credentials.
The screen froze.
Then went black.
For a second, he saw his reflection—distorted, dim, unfamiliar.
Then—
Welcome, AARAV SHARMA.
You have 1 pending task.
A chill moved through him.
One task.
Assigned before he even existed in the system.
The file name appeared:
“Internal Adjustment Report – Priority: HIGH”
No sender.
No context.
Just a decision waiting to happen.
“Go ahead.”
The voice came from behind.
Aarav turned sharply.
A man stood there—still, composed, almost… too still.
“I’m Raghav,” he said.
No handshake.
Just a statement.
“This needs approval.”
Aarav hesitated. “Sir, I haven’t even—”
“You don’t need to understand everything,” Raghav interrupted softly.
“You just need to decide.”
Something about the way he said decide felt heavier than it should have.
Aarav opened the file.
Rows of numbers.
Transfers. Adjustments. Minor discrepancies.
Nothing obvious.
But something felt… wrong.
He leaned closer.
The same account appeared repeatedly.
Each time, the amount slightly altered.
Not enough to be noticed.
But enough to mean something.
His pulse quickened.
This wasn’t error.
This was intention.
He checked the bottom of the file.
Reviewed by: ———
Approved by: Pending
His name would go there.
His first action.
His first mark.
A message blinked on the screen:
Raghav: “Done?”
Aarav typed slowly.
Aarav: “There are inconsistencies.”
Pause.
Then:
Raghav: “There always are.”
“Approve it.”
Aarav’s throat felt dry.
He minimized the chat and opened previous reports.
Same pattern.
Same format.
Different names.
He clicked on one.
Employee not found.
Another.
Access restricted.
Another.
Nothing.
“What are you looking for?”
Aarav flinched.
A woman sat at the next desk. He hadn’t noticed her before.
“I… just checking past approvals.”
She smiled faintly.
Not warm. Not cold.
Just… knowing.
“Don’t,” she said quietly.
“It only makes it harder.”
“Harder to what?”
She didn’t answer.
She simply turned away.
The screen pulsed again.
Reminder: Task Pending
The cursor hovered over two buttons:
APPROVE
REJECT
Aarav leaned back.
His mind raced.
If he approved it—he became part of something he didn’t understand.
If he rejected it—he challenged something he couldn’t see.
He noticed something hidden.
Metadata.
The file wasn’t new.
Created: 2 years ago.
Modified again. And again. And again.
Last modified—
Today. 7:58 AM.
Four minutes before it reached him.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
Raghav’s voice again.
Closer this time.
“You’re not the first to notice.”
Aarav didn’t turn.
“And the others?” he asked.
A faint pause.
“They made their decisions.”
The office noise suddenly felt distant.
Muted.
Like everything was happening behind glass.
Aarav opened a new window.
Typed an email.
To: Internal Audit
Subject: Urgent Irregularities
He attached the file.
His hands were steady.
Strangely steady.
“Careful.”
Raghav stood right behind him now.
“You think this is about right and wrong,” he said softly.
“It’s not.”
“Then what is it about?”
Raghav leaned closer.
“Belonging.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Aarav looked at the screen.
Two choices.
Two futures.
Approve—and disappear quietly into the system.
Expose—and be erased by it.
“Everyone thinks they’ll be different,” Raghav continued.
“For a moment.”
Aarav’s finger hovered over the mouse.
His heartbeat slowed.
Not faster.
Slower.
Like something inside him had already accepted the outcome.
He clicked.
The email was sent.
Nothing happened.
No alarm.
No reaction.
Just silence.
Raghav stepped back.
“Alright,” he said calmly.
Almost… respectfully.
Hours passed.
No one spoke to Aarav.
No one acknowledged him.
He wasn’t ignored.
He was… unseen.
At 5:59 PM, the screen flickered.
A notification appeared:
“Access Revoked.”
Everything vanished.
Files.
Email.
Identity.
Aarav stood up.
No one looked at him.
Not even once.
As he walked toward the exit, he turned back.
The office looked the same.
Perfect.
Untouched.
Like he had never been there.
The next morning.
8:00 AM.
The doors opened again.
Another employee walked in.
Same hesitation.
Same silence.
8:07 AM.
Login.
Welcome.
You have 1 pending task.
The file opened.
At the bottom—
Reviewed by: ———
Approved by: AARAV SHARMA
And for the first time—
The numbers were perfectly aligned.
As if they had always been that way.
End.
