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Chapter 48 - After the Flames

šŸ“… October 3 – Devgarh & Nandanpur

The Calm After Celebration

The morning after Dusshera, Devgarh felt strangely quiet. The effigies had burned to ash, sparklers lay soggy in puddles, and families were recovering from late-night celebrations.

Ishanvi and her siblings trudged home through mud-soaked streets. Vrinda complained about wet shoes, Vivaan stomped through every puddle, and Ishanvi adjusted her scarf, still thinking of last night.

Abhay walked beside her silently, eyes scanning the horizon. The river was calmer than yesterday, but its voice carried an edge, like it had watched the festival and was waiting.

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A Protective Shadow

"You okay?" Abhay asked, not taking his eyes off the path.

Ishanvi glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Better than the boys from last night," she replied.

He let out a slow breath. "Even after the festival… I can't stop worrying. Not with everything happening."

Her fingers brushed a puddle as they passed. The water wavered slightly, ripples forming like a whisper. "You mean… this?"

Abhay's jaw tightened. "Partly. And… partly you. Ishanvi, I don't just want to keep you safe from people. I… I can't let anything happen to you."

She looked at him for a long moment. "Then don't. But know this — fire doesn't always obey me. And sometimes…" She hesitated, voice low, "…sometimes it scares me too."

For a heartbeat, the air between them seemed to hum. Water and heat, fire and ripple, power held in check but alive.

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Simran's Watch

Across Devgarh, Simran leaned out her window. She had followed bits of last night in her notebook — the boys, the fire, the water, the protective stance. Her pulse raced.

If they don't control it, they could hurt someone… or themselves.

She shivered, glancing at the river. Its surface glittered in the early sun, harmless for now. But she knew better: it remembered, and it waited.

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Foreshadowing the Storm

Even as the village returned to normal, Sudarshini whispered, rising silently. Its waters rippled, brushing against the embankments, almost as if testing the limits of its banks.

Abhay and Ishanvi, unaware, walked home together. But both felt it: the storm was far from over. And when it returned, it wouldn't be just the river that challenged them.

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