📅 October 3 – On the Road from Devgarh to Nandanpur
The morning sun glowed softly over the fields. The roads were quieter than usual — decorated paper still fluttered from Dusshera processions, and faint smoke rose from burnt effigies near the highway.
Two scooters rolled side by side through the open stretch — one black, one red.
Abhay was on the black one, his sleeves rolled up, a faint smudge of ash still on his wrist from last night's bonfire duty.
Ishanvi followed close behind, the scarf around her head fluttering like a small flame in the wind.
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An Uneasy Silence
The ride had always been noisy — laughter, music, sometimes arguments about who'd reach first.
But today… it was silent.
Ever since that moment on the 9th day — the strange light near the temple lake, the sudden rush of warmth and chill — both had stopped pretending it was nothing.
Ishanvi slowed her scooter near the turn. "You've been quiet since morning," she called.
Abhay glanced over, voice low. "So have you."
The hum of engines filled the pause. Then, she asked softly, "Do you think… whatever happened that night was real?"
He didn't answer immediately. The wind carried the faint scent of wet soil and burnt wood.
Finally, he said, "I don't know. But the river… it reacted before I even touched it. Like it knew me."
She frowned. "And the fire near the idol— it didn't burn me. Not even when the spark fell on my hand."
Abhay's eyes met hers briefly. "Strange, isn't it?"
"Terrifying," she whispered.
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Signs of What's Coming
As they crossed the bridge over Sudarshini River, the water below rippled unnaturally — though the air was still.
Abhay slowed down, staring at it.
"Did you see that?" he murmured.
Ishanvi nodded. "It moved… like something's alive in it."
Neither spoke after that. The rest of the journey felt longer than usual, with the whisper of the wind carrying something neither could explain — fear, or warning.
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At Home
By the time they reached Nandanpur, the sun had dipped behind the fields.
Sunita was at the door, calling them in for dinner.
Raghav and Vrinda fought over who'd wash up first.
It all looked normal. Almost too normal.
But as Ishanvi washed her hands, the tap water shimmered faintly blue for a second before turning clear again.
And in Abhay's backyard, the old bucket of stored rainwater suddenly began to ripple… without wind.
Something inside both of them was awakening — and neither had the faintest idea why.