The window shutters slammed open with a deafening crash. A torrent of stormy wind and rain surged into the room like a physical blow. Just as Hridoy froze in a mixture of terror and disbelief, the supernatural spectacle took an even more sinister turn.
The blue aura surrounding the levitating Sunlight suddenly transformed into a dense, murky gray—almost black—shadow. Her silken robes seemed to shred into a hundred pieces under the lash of the wind. But they weren't mere fragments of cloth!
Hridoy watched in horror as hundreds of black bats erupted from Sunlight's form! The swarm circled her, creating a violent vortex. The deafening thrum of their wings and their piercing screeches turned the chamber into a tomb. Alisa's malevolent laughter melded with the shrieks of the bats, creating a cacophony of madness. Sunlight remained suspended in the air, her eyes burning with blue fire, protected by the living shield of wings.
"Sunlight! No!" Hridoy screamed.
He lunged forward to grab her, but a massive bat swooped down, its talons raking across his hand. Blood splattered onto the floor. He watched helplessly as the swarm began pulling Sunlight toward the darkness outside the window.
At the very edge of the frame, Sunlight turned her head one last time. There was no love left in that gaze—only the cold, triumphant malice of Alisa's revenge. With a final, thunderous flap of wings, she vanished into the midnight sky with the swarm, heading toward the cursed monument atop the mountain. Inside the palace, only Hridoy's despair remained, alongside a blood-stained military uniform soaking in the rain.
"She took her... Alisa took her forever," he whispered.
The Awakening of Arbeena
Days later, the peaceful King Hridoy was gone.
A shadow now sprinted through the dense jungle like a feral beast. His royal attire was tattered, his skin shredded by thorns, but he felt no pain. A terrifying transformation had taken hold. His familiar blue eyes were gone, replaced by glowing, blood-red orbs. His hair had turned a fiery crimson, though the roots remained dark—a visual battleground between his humanity and a demonic force.
Most mysterious of all was the glowing mark on his forehead: 'Zuiyin.' An ancient, cursed lineage symbol. Its awakening signaled the beginning of total destruction.
"Sunlight! Where are you? Come out!" he roared.
He was no longer a mere mortal. The Zuiyin energy granted him inhuman speed. Through his red eyes, the darkness was as clear as day. He skidded to a halt in a clearing. There, perched upon a massive ancient branch, was Sunlight. But she was different. Her clothes were rags; her eyes held Alisa's freezing blue stare.
"Your Majesty," Sunlight mocked from above. "You've broken your own laws to become a monster. That mark... Zuiyin? Have you finally recognized your true self?"
Hridoy growled, his teeth bared. "Sunlight, surrender! I've come to free you, or this forest will taste your blood tonight!"
As he leaped toward the tree, his fingernails extended into predatory claws. The Zuiyin logo blazed a brilliant scarlet.
Chapter: The Hidden Truth
"Stop, Hridoy!" Alisa's voice cackled from Sunlight's lips. "You call her 'Sunlight,' but this is just a vessel. I am Alisa, your only true wife. And you... do you really think you are King Hridoy?"
The demonic tremors in his body stopped instantly. Alisa leaned in, whispering into his ear: "You are not Hridoy. You are Arbeena. Sunlight's former lover! The man who sacrificed his very identity to be near her. The Zuiyin mark proves it!"
The revelation shattered him. His red eyes filled with tears. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his head as the Zuiyin mark began to fade.
"Yes!" he sobbed. "I am Arbeena! I loved her... I gave up everything, even my name, to become Hridoy just to be with her! Alisa, why are you destroying her? Let her go!"
Alisa gripped his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Because love is destruction, Arbeena. You loved her, I loved Hridoy. We are both betrayed. Now, look at your precious love—she is nothing but my puppet of revenge!"
The Fragile Peace
As Alisa's spirit finally dissipated into the wind with a final warning, Sunlight's body fell limp. Arbeena (in Hridoy's body) caught her before she hit the ground.
The blue fire died out of her eyes. Sunlight blinked, regaining consciousness. She looked at the man before her—his red eyes, his strange forehead mark, his sobbing face.
"Your Majesty? Why are we in the jungle?" she asked, trembling. She remembered nothing—not the bats, not the flight, not Alisa. "What happened to you? Why are your eyes red? Why were you crying?"
Arbeena quickly wiped his tears. The Zuiyin mark vanished completely. He couldn't tell her the truth—that he wasn't who she thought he was. "It's nothing, Sunlight. You were sleepwalking. I got hurt trying to bring you back. Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Sunlight didn't believe him, but she was too weak to argue. As she leaned her head on his shoulder, the name 'Arbeena' echoed in her subconscious like a distant memory. Suddenly, Hridoy's body went heavy. The strain of hosting Arbeena's powerful soul was too much for a human frame. He collapsed into a deep unconsciousness.
Chapter: The Queen's Scolding
Days later, back in the palace.
Hridoy lay in bed, weak but conscious. Sunlight was tending to him, applying a cold compress to his forehead. However, her face wasn't full of pity—it was full of irritation.
"Ugh, Your Majesty! I truly cannot deal with you anymore!" she snapped, splashing the cloth into the water basin with force.
Hridoy tried to mumble an apology, but she cut him off. "Silence! Not a word! What business did you have going into that cursed forest alone? I was sleepwalking, fine—but you were awake! If something happened to you, what would happen to the empire? To me?"
Tears blurred her eyes, but she masked them with anger, scrubbing his forehead harder. "Those red eyes, that mark... it still gives me chills! People fear you as an Emperor, yet here I am, crying in a room because you're reckless!"
Hridoy stayed silent, accepting her 'sweet scolding.' He felt the deep love beneath her rage. He reached out to take her hand. She tried to pull away, pouting, but seeing his pale face, she softened.
"Let go! I'm still very angry with you," she whispered, though she didn't pull away. A faint, weary smile flickered on Hridoy's lips as he looked at Sunlight's angry face. He gripped her hand tighter, as if this touch alone could shield him from all the world's perils. In a slow, broken voice, Hridoy said:
"Yes, be angry... it's only right. You have every reason to be furious with me. But do you know, Sunlight? It is your anger that gives me the strength to stay alive today."
Sunlight narrowed her eyes, picking up the handkerchief from the bowl. "What do you mean? Don't try to deceive me with these spiritual riddles!"
Hridoy let out a long sigh, gazing at the sky through the window. Then, locking eyes with Sunlight again, he said:
"When I lost control in that forest, when there was nothing but blood and darkness before my eyes, it was only your ethereal face that showed me the light. Your anger proves you love me, that you fear losing me. And I? I only want you to govern me like this forever, keeping me away from my criminal past."
Sunlight's hand, holding the cold compress, stopped. She noticed that the terrifying red glint in Hridoy's eyes was gone, replaced by a deep, soulful tenderness.
Hridoy spoke again, "Be angry, Sunlight, as much as you want. But never leave me. Because I don't know how much longer I can survive as 'Hridoy' before the shadow of Arbeena consumes me."
At the mention of 'Arbeena', Sunlight flinched. She placed her hand on Hridoy's forehead and asked, "That name again? Who is this Arbeena? Why do you and Alisa keep repeating it? Are you hiding something from me?"
The Revelation of the Hidden Book
Sunlight began pacing the room, her anxiety reaching a breaking point. "I'm going mad! Maharaj, do you realize what is happening to us? On one side is Alisa—that witch who possesses me and uses my body like a puppet!"
She turned to him, her eyes filled with doubt. "I understand Alisa; she was your first wife seeking revenge. But what about the other one? Those blurred memories of the forest... your red eyes, that terrifying roar... who were you talking to? Who is Arbeena?"
She clutched her head, trying to remember. "I feel a strange pull toward that name, but nothing is clear. Are you merely Hridoy? Or has a third soul entered between us?"
Hridoy remained silent, realizing the truth was like volcanic lava—once out, it would incinerate everything. Finally, he spoke gravely:
"I don't clearly know who that Arbeena is either. But... I found a sketch in your old diary. It was a perfect reflection of that person."
Sunlight froze. "A book? What book, Maharaj? I brought no diary to this palace! I never owned such a thing!"
Hridoy whispered, "It was in the secret drawer of your dressing table, Sunlight. If it isn't yours, how did it get there? Did Alisa plant it to confuse you?"
Sunlight began to cry. "I don't know! I feel like a web of mysteries is being spun around me, and no one is telling me the truth!"
The Breaking of the Nexas Law
Hridoy stood up and approached her. "Sunlight, you are shocked because you have forgotten your past. According to the Nexas Law, the Queen must have no past. I am the one who ordered your memories, your books, and your ties to Arbeena to be erased. I wanted you to belong only to me."
Sunlight was stunned. Hridoy continued, "I made you Queen as Hridoy, but as a man, I am a criminal. The law gave me the power to have you, but it forced me to wipe the man you loved from your mind. I hid that book so you would never know who I truly was."
"Then... Arbeena and you...?" Sunlight gasped.
Hridoy didn't answer. His eyes merely reflected that 'Hridoy' was just a title, and the real man behind it had died long ago.
The Supernatural Duel: Alisa vs. Arbeena
The tension exploded. Sunlight screamed, "You lied to me! You imprisoned me and played with my memories!"
Hridoy roared back, "I did it for your own good! With that commoner Arbeena, you would have been a beggar!"
As their rage peaked, the air turned heavy. A sudden gust of wind blew out the candles. In the darkness, their eyes began to glow with unnatural light. The hatred between them opened a doorway for two restless spirits.
Alisa possessed Sunlight: Her hair began to sway like living snakes, and her blue eyes dripped with icy hatred.
Arbeena possessed Hridoy: The 'Zuiyin' logo on his forehead turned blood-red. He was no longer calm; he was furious at the shell of 'Hridoy' for ruining his life.
They lunged at each other. Mirrors shattered. Sunlight (Alisa) threw bolts of blue fire, while Hridoy (Arbeena) displayed superhuman strength, hurling furniture with a single hand. The maid, Ena, watched from the shadows, trembling in terror at the sight of her masters turned into demons.
The Aftermath
Just as Sunlight (Alisa) was about to deliver a killing blow, her body stiffened. The blue fire in her eyes died out, replaced by a momentary flash of agonizing pain. With a haunting shriek, Alisa's spirit fled her body. Sunlight collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Seeing her fall, the 'Zuiyin' power in Hridoy also faded. The red logo vanished, and his eyes returned to normal.
Ena rushed in with water. Hridoy, despite his injuries, knelt beside Sunlight. "Alisa has left her," he whispered, "but she is very weak."
As Sunlight lay there, pale and trapped in a deep nightmare, Hridoy held her hand. He knew that while the spirits had retreated, the ruins of their relationship could never be fully mended.