Karthik was crushed. He had expected disbelief from his father, but Harry's casual dismissal of his experience echoed in his mind, making him question his own sanity. The city, which had seemed so full of promise just hours before, now felt cold and indifferent.
He tried to go on with his life, but a shadow of fear now clung to him. The normal sounds of his home—the creak of a floorboard, the rustle of leaves outside his window, the distant howl of a street dog—all made him jump. At night, he would wake up suddenly, his heart hammering against his ribs, the silence of his room feeling heavy and watchful. He spent more and more time in the temple, the familiar scent of incense and camphor providing a fragile sense of safety.
One afternoon, sitting on the temple steps while the warm Tamil Nadu sun beat down, a stark realization hit him: his life was completely messed up. He couldn't escape the ghost's terror, even though everyone around him insisted it was fake. For him, the memory was as real and solid as the stone he was sitting on.
"Enough is enough," he whispered to himself. He decided he would prove, once and for all, that the ghost wasn't real. He walked with a heavy heart, each step a battle between his fear and his need for certainty. He dragged himself back to the very graveyard that had become the source of all his fears. The air grew still as he approached, and the usual daytime sounds of birds and insects seemed to fade away. As he stood at the crumbling entrance, a wave of pure terror washed over him. His legs shook uncontrollably, refusing to take another step into the oppressive silence of that place. Overwhelmed, he turned and ran, not stopping until he was back in his room, buried under the false security of his blanket.
Karthik's behavior grew stranger with each passing day. He became quiet and withdrawn, his eyes constantly darting towards shadows. This didn't go unnoticed by his father, whose worry grew into a quiet desperation. He decided he had to do something, even if it meant turning to the strange organization in the city.
One Sunday morning, Karthik's father traveled to Chennai and stood before the "LIGHT IN THE SHADOW" building. The street was noisy with city traffic, a stark contrast to the strange quiet he felt emanating from the building itself. He asked about Harry, and was pointed towards a room where Harry sat cross-legged on a mat, seemingly deep in meditation amidst the faint smell of jasmine and something else, something vaguely chemical.
Karthik's father quietly entered and sat on the floor beside him. "Are you Harry?" he asked.
"I am," Harry replied, his eyes opening slowly, showing no surprise.
Karthik's father explained everything—Karthik's worsening state, his constant fear, and how it all started after attending one of Harry's courses. Harry listened with a calm, practiced expression. "This is a psychological phenomenon," he stated smoothly when the story was done. "A product of an overactive imagination. There is no ghost surrounding your son."
"Then what do I do?" Karthik's father asked, the desperation clear in his voice. "How can I help him?"
Harry, still serene, offered a solution. "Bring him here. We will let him watch some of our exorcism rituals. Then, we will put on a special performance just for him, a show of 'exorcising' his imaginary ghost. Once his mind sees the problem being solved, he should calm down." Karthik's father agreed, not because he trusted Harry's theatrical methods, but because it was the only option he had left.
He returned home and found Karthik sitting in the pooja room, staring blankly at an idol of Lord Ganesha. "Son," he said, his voice gentle, "I have thought about it. I will allow you to join Light in the Shadow."
Karthik's eyes, dull for so long, flickered with a renewed spark of hope.
"But," his father continued, laying down the condition, "you must promise to leave as soon as your 'ghost' is 'exorcised' and you feel better."
On the weekend, Karthik's father took him back to the city. Harry welcomed them with a warm, professional smile. "I'll allow Karthik to join," he said, "but first, he must pass a small test to prove his focus."
Karthik's father wanted to protest, to say this wasn't part of their deal, but he held his tongue. It would alert Karthik to their plan. Harry turned to Karthik, his expression now serious. "Go inside that room. You will meditate. Through the speakers, you will hear cries for help and the terrifying sounds that ghosts supposedly make. Your test is to meditate through all of it, without ever looking or being distracted."
Karthik nodded, his face a mask of determination. He was ready to prove himself. And so, in a small, dimly lit room filled with the scent of old incense, his membership exam officially began.