(A/N):
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The next morning...
The sky over Chennai was still gray from last night's rain —
Clouds hung low and heavy, and the air smelled faintly of salt and wet earth.
Puddles mirrored the broken streetlights as Jojo, Inadu, and Caroline drove through the narrow,
Uneven lanes along the Marina beach stretch.
The jeep's tires sloshed through muddy water,
The wipers beating rhythmically against the windshield.
It was quiet except for the hum of the engine —
"...."
"...."
"...."
A silence that carried both focus and unease.
They had spent the entire morning visiting every church they could find —
From newly built cathedrals buzzing with morning prayers to abandoned colonial relics reclaimed by moss and sea breeze.
But so far —
Nothing.
Jojo's fingers tapped the dashboard absently as he scanned another broken building rising ahead of them —
An old beachside church, half-collapsed,
Its cross leaning precariously to one side.
"Third one today,"
Inadu muttered, folding her arms.
"Either this guy has gone some where or we are searching at the wrong area."
Jojo stepped out first, boots crunching on gravel and wet sand.
"He's here somewhere,"
He said quietly.
"People like Father Sal doesn't just disappear. He builds a nest — somewhere god can't hear him anymore."
The church loomed over them —
Its walls split and scarred by decades of storms.
The door was half torn off,
Creaking faintly as the wind pushed it back and forth.
As they stepped inside,
The sound of the sea outside dulled into an echo.
Inside, the air was thick with dampness.
Broken pews were scattered across the floor,
And the altar was nothing but cracked stone now, covered in vines and dust.
Jojo's gaze drifted upward —
Faint marks, almost sigil-like, were scratched into the ceiling beams.
He traced one with his eyes, frowning.
Frown~
"These aren't Christian carvings,"
He murmured.
"These are…"
Before he could finish,
Caroline's phone buzzed loudly, shattering the quiet.
Ring... Ring...
She glanced at the screen —
Her brows lifted slightly —
Then she answered.
"Yeah? …Yes, we've arrived. We're near the Marina side now. Old church, half-destroyed, looks like something out of a history book."
Jojo and Inadu exchanged a glance.
Both knew this must be the contact Caroline had mentioned earlier —
The local acquaintance who might be able to help them track Father Sal.
Caroline listened for a few seconds, then said,
"...."
"Alright. Send me the location. We'll be there in twenty minutes."
When she hung up, Jojo tilted his head.
"...."
Jojo, leaning against a cracked stone pillar,
Looked at her expectantly.
"So,"
He said,
"who was that?"
Caroline brushed her damp hair behind her ear and replied,
"Her name's Gayathri. She's… a witch — an old acquaintance of mine."
That earned a raised eyebrow from Inadu.
"Another witch?"
She asked, her tone half-curious, half-wary.
Caroline nodded.
Nod~
"We met years ago, when I came to India searching for a cure for my daughters' curse. Back then, Gayathri was living in Chanderi— quiet, powerful, and brilliant. I only reached out because she has connections across India. If anyone can help us to find what Father Sal is doing here, it's her."
Jojo tilted his head slightly, thoughtful.
"And she trusts you enough to meet?"
Caroline gave a faint smile.
"Witches don't trust easily. But Gayathri owes me one — I helped her get her a important clue about her mother out of a hunter's circle years ago."
Inadu crossed her arms.
"So where is she now?"
Caroline pulled out her phone again and opened a map.
"She's at a small fishing village down the coast — near Mahabalipuram. Locals stay away because they say the place hums at night… like the stones are whispering prayers."
Jojo pushed off the pillar,
His coat falling around him as he started toward the jeep.
"Then that's where we're going."
The three of them climbed into the vehicle.
The rain had picked up again, thin and persistent.
Caroline drove this time,
With Inadu in the passenger seat and Jojo in the back,
"...."
"...."
"...."
Quietly scrolling through his AI's feed —
Cross-checking for father Sal in Tamil Nadu.
As the jeep rolled out onto the highway,
They drove in silence after that,
The sound of the rain drumming softly against the roof.
Half an hour later...
They turned to the main road.
The jeep's engine hummed low as it rolled down the narrow Chennai street.
The rain had dwindled to a drizzle now —
Leaving the air heavy with moisture and the faint scent of wet dust.
They were almost out of the residential lane when Jojo's eyes suddenly darkened.
"...."
He froze, his gaze fixed straight ahead —
Pupils contracting like a predator catching a scent.
"Stop the car,"
He said flatly.
Caroline frowned but obeyed, braking immediately.
Frown~
"What is it?"
She asked, scanning the street.
Inadu leaned forward, her tone wary.
"...."
"You sense something?"
Jojo didn't answer at first.
His eyes drifted slowly toward the right —
"...."
A quiet stretch of apartments lined neatly one after another.
A few clotheslines fluttered in the weak wind,
And rainwater dripped steadily from the balconies.
But there was one —
A pale, concrete block of a building —
That made the very air around them feel wrong.
"Turn in,"
Jojo said softly, his tone sharp enough to cut through the air.
Caroline's brows knitted together.
"Jojo, that's just an apartment—"
"Do it,"
He interrupted, voice calm but heavy with authority.
Without another word,
Caroline steered the jeep into the narrow street.
The tires hissed over puddles, and the world seemed to grow quieter the deeper they went —
No street vendors, no children, not even barking dogs.
Just silence.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The building loomed ahead —
Ordinary from the outside.
Cream-colored walls, rusted balconies,
A flickering tube light at the gate.
Yet every instinct in Jojo screamed otherwise.
He stepped out slowly, his boots splashing into the water pooled along the roadside.
The rain had stopped,
But the air was colder now —
Unnaturally so.
Inadu joined him, eyes narrowing.
Frown~
"What is it?"
Jojo didn't reply immediately.
His gaze fixed on the third floor of the apartment.
His pupils flickered —
Faint white light burning.
Through his x-ray vision,
The structure peeled away layer by layer —
But one room on the third floor stood out —
Wrapped in a black cube,
Shifting and pulsing like a living thing.
It wasn't complete yet —
The cube was condensing, folding in on itself, like a cocoon spinning tighter around its prey.
Jojo's jaw tightened.
"Something's being sealed,"
He murmured.
"Or… someone's space being opened."
Caroline shivered.
"...."
"What are you talking about?"
He turned toward her, voice low but sharp.
"There's a black cube forming in that building. I've seen it before — only around places tainted by sin. Whatever's inside isn't human anymore."
A gust of wind blew through the narrow lane,
Making the hanging wires overhead sway and buzz faintly.
Inadu glanced at the building again,
But to her eyes it was just concrete and shadow.
"I don't sense anything corrupted,"
She admitted.
"No spell, no dark aura… nothing."
"That's because that space is being sealed,"
Jojo said quietly.
"It's something… strong enough to do it."
Caroline exhaled slowly.
Sigh~
"...."
Jojo didn't respond.
He just adjusted his jacket, his expression hardening.
"We'll meet your friend later,"
He said finally.
"Right now, this takes priority."
He pointed toward the building,
His eyes glowing faintly under the gray sky.
"Whatever's in there — it's hiding. But it's leaking sin. And sin like that doesn't stay quiet for long."
He stepped forward, the wet ground steaming faintly beneath his boots —
And the closer he got to the gate, the heavier the air became.
The stairwell was narrow and dimly lit,
The only light coming from a single flickering bulb that buzzed overhead.
Each step echoed faintly through the silence,
Their footfalls heavy on the damp concrete.
Jojo led the way —
Calm, deliberate —
His eyes glowing faintly gold in the dark.
Inadu followed close behind,
Ready to react if anything went wrong.
Caroline came last,
Glancing back once at the still street below before the shadows swallowed it from view.
They reached the third floor,
The air suddenly thicker —
Like walking into a vacuum.
At the far end of the corridor stood a single brown door, slightly ajar.
The number plate was rusted, barely legible.
Jojo stopped before it.
His senses it —
The black cube was still forming,
Pressing against the edges of reality,
Condensing around this very space.
He knocked once.
Knock~
"...."
"...."
"...."
No response.
He waited, knocked again —
Knock~ Knock~
Louder this time.
The hollow sound of wood echoed down the corridor.
Still nothing.
Inadu frowned.
Frown~
"You sure it's this one?"
Jojo didn't answer.
"...."
He just reached for the handle —
And turned it.
The latch clicked open easily.
Click~
Unlocked.
He pushed the door open slowly,
The hinges groaning like they hadn't moved in weeks.
A cold draft slid out from the darkness inside.
Jojo reached for the switch and flicked it on.
The lights sputtered once, twice… then blinked to life —
Revealing a modest one-bedroom apartment.
Nothing extravagant —
Just a living area with a few scattered magazines,
An unwashed plate on the table,
And a wall-mounted TV frozen on a static screen.
The faint buzz of the tube light filled the silence.
But something was off.
Too still. Too unclean.
Even the air felt… sterile.
Inadu stepped forward cautiously,
Scanning the space with her magic.
"There's no barrier or spell here,"
She whispered.
"But the some energy… it's dense. Heavy."
Caroline moved toward the dining table, brushing her fingers along its surface.
"Whoever lives here… seems like a unclean freaks,"
She murmured.
"Everything's fine. No signs of struggle."
Jojo, however, wasn't looking at the furniture.
His gaze was fixed on the far corner of the room —
Where a small door stood slightly ajar.
The bedroom.
The cube's pressure was strongest there.
"...."
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
He started walking toward it,
Each step heavier than the last.
The air grew colder,
The fluorescent light above them flickering harder.
Jojo stopped before the half-open door.
For a moment,
The silence was perfect.
"...."
"...."
Then, from the other side —
Came a faint scratching sound.
Scratttttchhhh!!!
Slow, rhythmic.
Like nails against a wall.
Jojo exhaled slowly,
Then pushed the door open.
The light from the living room spilled in —
Illuminating a small, dim bedroom.
The bed was unmade, a few sheets crumpled on the floor.
On the far wall, something glistened faintly.
The room was still, save for the faint hum of the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead.
Jojo crouched beside the small bookshelf pressed against the corner wall —
Its surface thick with dust.
Most of the books were old Tamil novels and film scripts, dog-eared and forgotten.
But one folder stood out.
A handwritten script, its cover slightly torn.
Across the front, in bold blue ink, the title read.
"Demonte Colony – Story by Raghavan."
Jojo's brows furrowed.
Frown~
"...."
The name stirred a faint memory —
Something he had seen before in his past life.
"Raghavan…"
He muttered under his breath, flipping the first few pages.
Each page was written in clean, steady handwriting —
Narrating the story of Demonte Colony, the details almost identical to the Demonte Colony film he remembered.
He stopped reading midway, eyes narrowing.
Frown!
"...."
The last few pages weren't in ink.
'If this was the same Raghavan — and this was the original script he had prepared about Demonte Colony...'
He closed the file and stood up, his expression unreadable.
"This isn't random,"
He murmured.
"There should be a anchor."
Inadu glanced at him from the doorway.
"Anchor?"
Jojo nodded, his voice low.
Nod~
"The black cube — it's tethered to a anchor. A soul that never got closure. Something that's feeding off retellings of rules breakers."
Caroline frowned.
Frown!
"...."
"And whoever lived here — has done something to make this presence to descend here."
Meanwhile...
Astrologer's House...
A dimly lit astrologer's house,
Somewhere across the city.
Incense smoke drifted lazily through the air.
The walls were lined with astrological charts, faded calendars,
And garlands of dry marigold.
At the center sat the old astrologer,
Cross-legged on a straw mat,
Squinting at a worn palm-leaf manuscript while four restless young men sat opposite him —
Srinivasan, Vimal, Raghavan, and Sajith.
Their laughter filled the room,
Cutting through the quiet hum of the fan.
"Sir, we just need to know when we'll get married,"
Vimal said, trying not to grin.
Grin~
"Especially this one—"
He pointed at Sajith,
"—he's desperate!"
The astrologer peered over his glasses.
"You four don't need horoscopes, you need brains."
Raghavan chuckled, leaning back.
Chuckle~
"Just check and tell us, uncle. We'll pay double."
The astrologer sighed, flipping through his notebook.
Sigh~
"I can't find the right star map for this boy's handprint,"
He muttered, staring at Sajith's palm.
"Come tomorrow. I'll tell you then."
Srinivasan groaned.
"Tomorrow? We came all the way in this climate!"
The astrologer waved him off.
"Patience, boy. Or fate will play tricks on you again."
His voice lingered strangely on that last word —
Again —
And for a brief second, the candlelight flickered,
Stretching their shadows unnaturally long across the floor.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Sajith shivered.
"Sir… what do you mean again?"
The astrologer blinked.
"Did I say that?"
Vimal laughed, brushing it off.
Haha~
"He's messing with you, bro. Come on."
As they got up to leave,
Srinivasan tossed over his shoulder,
"We'll give you the money tomorrow, old man!"
The astrologer didn't respond.
"...."
He just stared at Sajith's departing figure —
His eyes distant, his hand trembling slightly as he muttered under his breath.
When the door closed,
"...."
The smile on his face faded completely.
The four friends stepped out of the astrologer's small house into the night air.
The drizzle had stopped,
But the damp smell of rain still clung to the streets.
Streetlights buzzed softly, painting the cracked road in dull yellow patches.
Vimal stretched and yawned dramatically.
"See, what did I tell you? Waste of time. We should've gone for biryani instead of hearing ghost stories from that old fossil."
Srinivasan chuckled.
Chuckle~
"Yeah, and he couldn't even read Sajith's horoscope! Said your stars don't match any chart, da."
Sajith, however, didn't respond.
"...."
He had stopped walking.
Standing under the flickering light,
His head tilted slightly downward,
One hand rubbing the back of his neck —
Like something was crawling just beneath his skin.
His breath came out uneven,
"...."
His eyes distant for a moment before he blinked rapidly and looked up.
"Let's go,"
He said suddenly, his tone sharp and unlike him.
"Now."
Raghavan frowned.
Frown~
"Eh? What's the rush?"
Sajith turned to him, his face pale but expressionless.
"We need to go back. To the apartment. I don't… feel right here."
Vimal, grinning, stepped closer and clapped him on the shoulder.
Grin~
"What happened, macha(buddy)? Ghost from Demonte Colony followed you home or what?"
But the moment his hand touched Sajith, the latter snapped.
"Just shut up, Vimal!"
He barked, eyes flashing with irritation.
The sudden outburst stunned everyone.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Sajith was usually the quiet one —
Timid, even.
Srinivasan and Raghavan exchanged uneasy glances,
While Vimal, caught off-guard, raised his hands mockingly.
"Okay, okay, calm down, da! I was just joking!"
He said, still smirking.
"Man's acting like he's got urgent business back home—maybe left the gas on or something."
But Sajith didn't respond.
"...."
He just started walking, faster than before,
His fingers still twitching at the back of his neck —
Rubbing the same spot over and over like it was burning him.
The others followed reluctantly, laughing off the tension, but the air around them had changed.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
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