Illusion

I think you should leave me alone for a while,” I said, my voice barely rising above a whisper. The weight of the previous day’s events had left me drained, hopeless even. “I’m already overwhelmed, Mike. After everything that happened yesterday… I don’t think I have any hope left for what’s ahead.”

Prof. Mike stood silently for a moment, as if weighing his response.

“Do one thing,” I continued, a faint edge of irritation creeping into my tone. “Close the door on your way out, would you? And not like you usually do, leaving it ajar for no reason. Just shut it completely.”

“You still haven’t told me what happened to you, Dr. Time,” Professor Mike asked, concern evident in his voice. As Dr. Time’s closest friend, he couldn’t ignore the growing tension between them.

Dr. Time looked away, his expression unreadable. After a moment of silence, he replied in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper, “Nothing… just give me some time. I’ll tell you everything soon.”

Professor Mike shuts the door to the room and leaves, while Dr. Time quickly drifts into sleep.

Not long after, a voice calls out to Dr. Time. It feels uncanny, as though someone resembling him is trying to communicate. Startled, he awakens suddenly, looking around. To his surprise, no one is there. Convincing himself it might have been a dream, he dismisses the thought and walks to the window of the room.

Outside, a dense layer of dark clouds looms overhead, their presence almost suffocating in its intensity. As he peers closer, his gaze is drawn to an unusual phenomenon—a strange, crackling light, almost electric in nature, emanates from within the clouds. This glowing energy snakes downward, streaking toward the earth with a deliberate, eerie precision.

Dr. Time stands frozen, his mind racing with questions. What was that voice? And what exactly is unfolding in the skies above?

Something was descending from the electric glow above. Dr. Time could vaguely make out a shape, though its details remained obscured. Whatever it was, it seemed to emerge slowly from the radiance, breaking free of the shimmering light.

As soon as the object struck the ground, the electrical glow abruptly ceased, leaving the area in a strange, unsettling silence. The thing, now on the ground, began to move. Its movements were deliberate, as if testing its surroundings. It became clear to Dr. Time that this was no mere object; it was a living being.

The figure approached slowly, and as it came closer, its features became unmistakable—it was a human. Dr. Time’s breath hitched, his heart racing with dread. There was something deeply unsettling about this person, as though they carried the weight of an unimaginable secret.

  As the figure drew closer, Dr. Time became increasingly certain it was a human being. Yet, just as the person was about to reach him, they suddenly vanished without a trace. 

“Wait! Where did that man go?” Dr. Time exclaimed, fear gripping him. Quickly, he unlocked his room’s door and hurried toward the main gate, scanning his surroundings frantically. He looked everywhere—front, back, and all around—but the man was nowhere to be seen. The sky, too, had cleared entirely, as if nothing unusual had ever happened, erasing any trace of the strange phenomenon he had just witnessed. 

“I have no idea where that person disappeared,” Dr. Time muttered softly to himself before heading back inside the house. As he opened the door to his room, his breath caught in his throat—there, on his bed, lay a person fast asleep. 

“Who are you?” Dr. Time asked the stranger lying on the bed. When the stranger didn’t respond, Dr. Time walked closer, gently shaking him awake.

“How did you get here? Who are you?” Dr. Time questioned, his voice firm but tinged with curiosity.

The stranger, lying on his side with his back to Dr. Time, finally replied in a calm but unsettling tone, “Who I am is none of your concern. I live here. The real question is—who are you?”

Dr. Time switched on the lights, his gaze fixed on the stranger. “Leave my house immediately,” he commanded, his voice resolute. “Or else, I’ll have no choice but to call the police.” 

“Why do you think this is your home?” the stranger asked.

“Because this is indeed my home, and you seem to have arrived from nowhere. Please, get up quickly and leave this place,” he continued.

Dr. Time responded.

“Then take a good look at who I am,” the stranger said, turning to face Dr. Time.

Dr. Time’s eyes widened in disbelief—standing before him was someone who looked exactly like him.

For a moment, he could do nothing but stare, frozen, his mind reeling with questions. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening or what he should do next.

“Sorry, but who are you? I mean, you look exactly like me. You must be some kind of imposter,” Dr. Time said, his voice tinged with suspicion. “I understand why you’re here—to harass me into leaving this house so I’ll hand it over to my old so-called friend who’s been eyeing it for ages. Well, let me make one thing clear—I’ll never leave this house. I’m not afraid of you. Now get out!”

He paused for a moment, his thoughts racing. Then, as a strange realization began to dawn, he added, “No... wait. Stay right here. Could it be... am I even real?”

“You’re confused, Dr. Time,” said the man who looked exactly like him. “The truth is, you’re not even real. You’re some imposter—I don’t know who or what you are or how you ended up in my house.”

“No, that’s not true!” Dr. Time replied firmly, though doubt crept into his voice. He walked over to the window, gazing outside at the clouds, hoping for some clue or explanation. But there was nothing—only an empty, quiet sky.

Dr. Time felt a wave of helplessness. He couldn’t make sense of what was happening or who this lookalike was standing before him. His mind raced, but the answers remained just out of reach.

“Did you come from that electrical light?” Dr. Time asked, his voice trembling with curiosity and suspicion.

“No. Why would you think that?” the lookalike replied, his tone calm yet unsettling.

“How can I trust you?” Dr. Time pressed, his eyes narrowing as he tried to decipher the stranger’s intentions.

“You will trust me,” the lookalike said with an eerie certainty, “when you forget your own existence—when you lose your very sense of identity.”

“What do you want from me?” Dr. Time asked, his voice edged with unease.

“Not much,” replied the lookalike, his tone disturbingly calm. “Just one thing. Though I doubt you’d willingly give it.”

“And what is that?” Dr. Time pressed, his unease growing.

“Your consciousness... and your soul,” the lookalike said with a chilling finality.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Dr. Time asked, his confusion deepening.

“Isn’t it strange,” replied the lookalike, “that you can’t even recognize your true identity, yet you’re so quick to call me fake? Dr. Time, there’s something I need to show you.”

“What do you want to show me?” Dr. Time asked warily.

“Turn around and look behind you,” the lookalike said, his voice calm yet cryptic.

Dr. Time turned to face the window, and what he saw left him frozen in shock. Outside, countless figures—each identical to him—were approaching the house, their movements eerily synchronized.

Dr. Time stared in disbelief, his mind refusing to accept what his eyes were witnessing. The surreal scene made him question everything. Was this reality, or had he somehow stumbled into a dream?

“What makes you think I’m not playing with your dreams?” the lookalike said, his voice carrying a chilling undertone.

“My dreams? That’s not possible,” Dr. Time replied, his voice trembling with fear. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the window, where the countless identical figures continued to approach, their eerie presence defying all logic.

"I am playing with your dreams, Dr. Time, and you are not real," said the lookalike, his voice carrying an unsettling finality. "Your existence is nothing but an illusion. Those countless figures outside, all resembling you, are the truth of your mind. But you’ve been hiding from that truth all along.

“Could this be a dream? Yes, it must be a dream. There’s no need for me to panic,” Dr. Time murmured to himself in a hushed voice, trying to steady his nerves.

But before he could gather his thoughts, the lookalike stepped closer, placing a firm hand on Dr. Time’s forehead.

In an instant, everything around him began to feel like an illusion. It was as if someone was toying with his thoughts, manipulating both his subconscious and conscious mind. Reality itself seemed to unravel before him.

“Who are you? Please, tell me,” Dr. Time asked, his voice trembling with a mix of curiosity and unease. He was staring at someone—a figure uncannily identical to him.

The stranger didn’t speak. Instead, an eerie silence filled the air as if the words were being exchanged telepathically, directly into Dr. Time’s mind. It wasn’t just a question of identity anymore; it was a chilling realization that the stranger might be more than a reflection—perhaps a fragment of something far more sinister.

“I am your dream, and I am your reality,” the lookalike said, his voice calm yet profound. “I am the result of the experiment you conducted in your laboratory.”

“Everything you saw outside is real, and now you’re trapped in the paradox of your own existence—questioning whether you’re real or not,” the lookalike communicated telepathically. “Our existences have become superimposed, collapsing into one another. This has happened across different universes; our existence keeps overlapping, like layers.

No one knows who the real Dr. Time is anymore. The events may differ slightly across universes, but our existence remains the same—like a loop. For all we know, your existence might collapse completely, and one of the many Dr. Times you see outside could take your place.”

“Who knows? Perhaps, in another universe, you’re living the life of an extraterrestrial being in some entirely different biological form.”

With those words, the lookalike severed the telepathic connection and lifted his hand from Dr. Time’s forehead.

When Dr. Time opened his eyes, everything was gone—the lookalike, the crowd of identical figures outside, all of it. The room was eerily silent, as if nothing had happened. Holding his head in his hands, Dr. Time tried to make sense of what had just transpired. Unable to find any answers, he turned off the lights and headed to bed, hoping sleep would offer some clarity.

The next morning, the doorbell rang. Groggy and still disoriented, Dr. Time made his way to the main gate. Standing there was Prof. Mike.

“Hey, Prof. Mike! How are you?” Dr. Time greeted him, relieved to see a familiar face.

“Sorry, but... who are you?” Prof. Mike replied, his face blank with confusion.