One day, Sunlite secretly watched through a crack in the door of Hirdoy's private chamber. What she saw chilled her to the core.
Inside, Hirdoy sat alone by candlelight, holding an old hand-painted portrait of Alisa. Sunlite was stunned to see that Alisa had jet-black hair and eyes that were a piercing blue, just like Hirdoy's.
But the most terrifying sight was the old military uniform in Hirdoy's hands. It was stained with dark, dried patches of blood.
Hirdoy was clutching that bloody garment to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. There was no royal pride in his weeping, only a lover's agony. Looking at the portrait, he whispered:
"I wanted to save you, Alisa... but this blood... this blood will haunt me forever. I tried to replace you with someone else, but I failed. I didn't just kill you; I killed myself."
Behind the door, Sunlite's legs began to tremble. She realized that the love Hirdoy had given her was nothing but a form of penance. Hirdoy had never truly escaped Alisa's bloody memory.
Sunlite finally understood why Alisa's ghost had whispered in her ear— "He is using you." Hirdoy was trying to find Alisa through Sunlite, or perhaps trying to escape the guilt of his own sins.
Sunlite instinctively backed away, her messy hair falling over her face. She felt that in this palace, she wasn't a Queen, but merely the shadow of a dead woman.As Hirday sat alone in his chamber, clutching Alisa's blood-stained garment and weeping, the temperature of the room suddenly dropped unnaturally low. The candle flames trembled, turning blue—then went out at once. The chamber drowned in a ghostly darkness.
Hirday wiped his tears and rose cautiously. At that moment, he saw a shadow standing near the doorway.
Sunlight stepped out from behind the door.
But her movements were no longer weak. She advanced toward Hirday slowly, each step measured—like a hunting tiger closing in on its prey. Her disheveled golden hair seemed to darken, turning black as the darkness caressed it.
Hirday whispered, barely audible,
"Sunlight…?"
She did not answer. Her gaze fixed on the blood-soaked garment in Hirday's hands. Then she slowly lifted her head.
Hirday's heart skipped a beat.
The gentle glow in Sunlight's eyes was gone. In its place burned an intense blue fire—colder, stronger, and far more terrifying than the light in Hirday's own eyes.
Alisa's soul had returned to Sunlight's body.
Sunlight (in Alisa's voice) smiled with a strange, satisfied cruelty and stepped very close. Hirday tried to hide the blood-stained cloth, but Sunlight seized his wrist with crushing force. Her touch was ice-cold.
She whispered,
"What are you hiding, Hirday? Proof of your crime… or the last remnant of your love?"
Trembling, Hirday pleaded,
"Alisa… please let her go! I begged for forgiveness!"
Alisa (through Sunlight) burst into loud laughter. The sound made the furniture in the room shake.
"Forgiveness?" she mocked.
"Does blood know how to forgive?"
She brushed her fingers over the stained garment.
"Look, Hirday—today your precious Sunlight bears blue light in her eyes too. Today, we are one. The woman you pulled close in love is now a partner in my suffering. Can you look into these blue eyes and still say 'I love you'?"
Sunlight leaned close to Hirday's ear. Her breath was freezing.
"You thought a new queen would erase old memories? Look—I now flow through your queen's blood, her soul. From now on, every time you look at her, you will see me. This is your punishment, Hirday."
That unholy blue magic began to spread once more around Sunlight's body.
Hirday understood then—Alisa had not returned merely to threaten him.
This time, she intended to make Sunlight's body her permanent home. Hirday watched in stunned horror as Sunlight's body slowly began to rise from the floor into the air. Her disheveled hair spread out in all directions, weightless, while the blue magical aura surrounding her grew sharper and more intense.
Startled and terrified, Hirday rose from the bed. What he was seeing was no longer mere levitation—Sunlight's form was merging with the darkness itself, transforming into something otherworldly. Alisa's soul had taken complete control of her body.
Sunlight (in Alisa's voice), floating midair, looked down at Hirday and smiled with a demonic satisfaction. Without wings, she circled above his head as if the air itself obeyed her will. Books and furniture in the chamber began to tremble, then lift into the air, dragged by an unseen force.
"Look at her, Hirday," Alisa's cold, resonant voice echoed.
"The one you tried to bind to the earth has now touched the sky. Your throne, your laws—everything is meaningless before this power."
Hirday reached out desperately, trying to grab her, but Sunlight rose higher. Her blue eyes burned in the darkness like diamonds.
"Come down, Sunlight! Alisa, don't hurt her like this!" Hirday shouted.
But she did not descend.
Instead, Sunlight drifted toward the massive window of the chamber. With a violent jolt, the shutters burst open, and a storm of cold wind rushed inside. Hirday watched as Sunlight stood before the open window, staring into the black sky beyond—as if longing to escape this fortress forever.
Hirday understood then.
Alisa was no longer merely threatening him. She was using Sunlight's body to ascend to a height where Hirday would never be able to reach her again.The stormy wind blowing inside the room suddenly stopped. Sunlight, floating in the air—now carrying Alisa's soul—descended very slowly, like a feather. As she touched the floor, a monstrous transformation took place in her appearance.
Her face grew pale, and two sharp, vampire-like teeth emerged from the corners of her lips. She stuck out her tongue, which quivered like that of a thirsty animal. Her blue eyes now blended with a hungry red glow, taking on a terrifying form.
Hirdoy tried to escape, but with a gesture from Alisa, an invisible force paralyzed Hirdoy. Unable to resist, Hirdoy slumped onto the sofa.
Alisa (in Sunlight's body) slowly walked over and sat on Hirdoy's lap. Every nerve in Hirdoy's body was frozen with terror. Alisa brought her face close to Hirdoy's neck. Hirdoy felt Alisa's icy breath, which sent shivers down his spine.
Suddenly, Alisa's hands ripped open Hirdoy's clothes. Hirdoy watched helplessly. Then Alisa removed her own clothes. In the dark room, only Sunlight's pure body and Alisa's ominous shadow merged into one.
Alisa plunged her hot and sharp teeth deep into Hirdoy's neck.
"Ah!"—A cry of pain escaped Hirdoy's lips, but he couldn't move.
Alisa began to drink Hirdoy's blood with satisfaction. Hirdoy felt his life force slowly being drained from his body. With each sip, Alisa's soul seemed to grow stronger, and Hirdoy's vision became increasingly blurred.
As she drank the blood, a strange gurgling sound was heard from Alisa's throat—it was the exultation of quenching her centuries-old thirst. Hirdoy understood that Alisa was fulfilling her existence with his blood. The blue light in Hirdoy's eyes dimmed, and he slowly began to sink into the abyss of darkness.The terrifying atmosphere inside the room suddenly turned still. The crimson glow in Sunlight's eyes faded, replaced once again by her own gentle blue hue. She felt as if a massive weight, heavy as a stone, had been lifted from her body. Alisa's soul had released her and vanished into thin air.
However, as soon as she regained consciousness, the ground seemed to slip out from under her feet. She discovered herself completely naked, sitting on Hirdoy's lap. Hirdoy was also unclothed, and blood was still trickling from the wound on his neck. He was nearly unconscious, his eyes fixed and glassy.
Seeing her own nakedness and Hirdoy's pitiful condition, Sunlight's body began to tremble with fear. She tried to cover herself with her hands and attempted to call out to Hirdoy in a faint whisper, but no sound would come out of her throat due to overwhelming shame and guilt. Where there had been a demonic ecstasy just a moment ago, there was now only silence and a stark, uncomfortable reality. She could not comprehend how to handle this situation.As Sunlight was struggling to process the shock of the situation, Hirdoy suddenly opened his eyes. A strange, chilling smile played on his lips, sending a cold shiver down Sunlight's spine.
Gripping her wrists tightly with both hands, Hirdoy lunged toward her. Sunlight trembled in fear, her voice a desperate cry, "What are you doing? Have you gone mad?"
"Be quiet," Hirdoy whispered in a cold, steady tone. His eyes were filled with an intense, predatory lust that terrified her even more. He leaned in, merging his breath with hers, as if claiming every ounce of air she breathed as his own.
Sunlight was completely overwhelmed by this sudden transformation. Tears began to stream down her face at his frenzied behavior, but soon, a strange shift occurred within her. With every touch of Hirdoy's, memories of her past began to flood back. She remembered her old flame—the one who was once her entire world and whose untimely death had pushed her into a hollow void of emptiness.
Under Hirdoy's touch, the memories of her lost love came alive. Sunlight began to laugh through her tears. It wasn't a laugh of joy; it was a laugh of profound sorrow and desolation. Her mind began to sink into the depths of the past. She stopped resisting and remained silent. Closing her eyes, she let herself drift into that deep void where the past and present blurred into one. Every breath from Hirdoy felt like the breath of her lost lover.
Suddenly, Hirdoy's voice changed. It no longer held the familiar tone Sunlight knew; instead, it carried a deep, mysterious gravity. Holding her hands firmly, he stared into her eyes with a demonic grin.
In a low voice, he asked, "Do you recognize me now?"
At that single question, Sunlight's heart seemed to stop. Looking into the pupils of Hirdoy's eyes, she realized it wasn't Hirdoy anymore—residing there was the soul of her past lover who had died long ago. Though Alisa's evil spirit had left, she had trapped the soul of Sunlight's dead lover inside Hirdoy's body.
"You... how?" Sunlight whispered breathlessly.
Hirdoy (now possessed by the old lover's soul) leaned closer, his hot breath brushing against her neck. "I never really left. I was just waiting for the right moment. Through Alisa, I have finally found the touch of your body again."
Sunlight's weeping intensified, yet strangely, a faint smile touched the corners of her lips. She couldn't tell if she was happy or horrified. Her lost love had returned, but he had come back in a destructive and carnal form. With every sensation of Hirdoy's body against hers, Sunlight began to lose herself between the sweet memories of the past and the terrifying reality of the present. She offered no more resistance, merely muttering, "I knew... I knew you would come back." A strange storm was raging inside Sunlight's heart. Knowing that the soul of her former lover had returned within Hirdoy's body made her heart race, while her fair face turned a deep, burning crimson from overwhelming shame. She couldn't compose herself, remembering the state they were in and what had just transpired between them.
In a trembling, stuttering voice, she asked:
Sunlight: "Wh... what is your name? I mean... are you truly him?"
Her shame was so intense that she couldn't look directly into Hirdoy's (or the spirit's) eyes. Her voice was broken and barely a whisper. Being so close to each other in their unclothed state, combined with this mysterious return, made Sunlight shrink back in a mix of embarrassment and hesitation.
She couldn't decide what to call this person now. Should she see him as Hirdoy, or as her long-lost love? Her throat felt tight as she stared fixedly at the floor, waiting for an answer.
A crooked smile played on the lips of Hirdoy (or the soul within him). He moved very close, whispering into her ear, "Are you still feeling shy? Why this hesitation when our bodies have already become one?"
He gently touched her flushed cheek with his finger. Sunlight closed her eyes in a swirl of shame and longing, her entire body trembling.
In a grave yet enchanting voice, he said, "Did you forget my name? I am your Aryan."
The moment she heard that name, Sunlight's heart skipped a beat. Aryan—the name that was once her entire world. She stammered, "A... Aryan? But you died. I saw it with my own eyes."
Aryan (in Hirdoy's body) laughed. There was no tenderness in that laugh, only a strange sense of obsession and possession. He said, "Only the body dies, Sunlight, not the soul. I could never let you belong to anyone else. So today, through Hirdoy's body, I have returned to fulfill my love. Now tell me, will you still love me like you did before?"
Sunlight tried to speak but couldn't find the words. Her shame had transformed into a deep, overwhelming emotion. She simply rested her head on Aryan's (Hirdoy's) chest, as if she had found her lost heaven amidst this darkness and mystery.