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Chapter 11 - Facing the Fears

"You are about to face the ultimate test of your mental strength," Harry explained, his voice serious as he addressed Karthik. "I will send you to the 'mind realm.' There, your deepest fears will resurface. You must conquer them, Karthik."

Then, without another word or warning, Harry began to chant a strange mantra. The air in the room seemed to thicken, and Karthik's vision blurred. The walls around him began to spin, distorting into impossible shapes as a profound dizziness overtook him. His world twisted, then dissolved into darkness as he lost consciousness, slumping to the floor.

Karthik's father watched, a knot of worry tightening in his stomach. He wanted to rush to his son, to pull him out of this madness, but he couldn't. Harry was the professional, and after witnessing the terrifying display just moments ago, he couldn't even doubt his power. With a worried, helpless look on his face, Karthik's father had no choice but to accept his son's new, dangerous reality.

Harry, meanwhile, glanced at Karthik's father, a faint sigh of relief escaping him. At least now he'll stop complaining, he thought, a hint of his usual cynicism returning. That boy definitely can't handle this. I'll pull him out at just the right moment, then send him on his way, convinced it was all real.

Karthik's eyes fluttered open. He was back. The cold, familiar air, the oppressive silence, the faint smell of decay. He was in the graveyard, the very place where all his fears had begun. His stomach churned. He began looking around, his gaze darting from one weathered headstone to another, and with each glance, that same chilling sense of danger tightened its grip on him. Chills ran down his spine, a cold serpent coiling in his gut.

He started walking, each step hesitant, heavy with dread. He couldn't shake the terrifying thought that something—the ghost—would suddenly pop out from behind a crumbling monument or rise from a forgotten grave. The sheer anticipation was almost unbearable. He walked and walked, pushing himself deeper into the silent rows of the dead. Finally, he reached what felt like the far end of the graveyard. A fragile sense of relief began to bloom within him. He thought he had overcome his fears, that he had passed the trial.

Just then, he heard it. The same chilling, desperate plea.

"Please... help me..."

It came from right behind him, cold and pitiful, yet filled with a terrifying, otherworldly menace. Karthik froze. He couldn't move, too paralyzed by fear to even turn his head. As his mind desperately tried to process what was happening, a sudden, searing pain erupted in his right shoulder.

He cried out, forced to look. There it was. The ghost, its twisted face inches from his, was biting into his flesh, devouring him. He screamed, a raw, piercing sound, as the entity continued its gruesome meal, consuming him whole until his very existence vanished.

Then, Karthik woke up again.

He lay on the cold ground, near the entrance of the graveyard, exactly where he had started. He scrambled to his feet, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his body trembling. He stared with absolute horror into the deeper, shadowy parts of the graveyard. And then, he heard the voice once more, louder this time, more insistent, dripping with a haunting blend of plea and malice:

"Please helppp meeee... Come inside and please! Helppp meeee!"

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