Paras's heart hammered in his chest as Sparsh's voice echoed through the wall:
"Don't ignore your dreams."
Those words felt too sharp. Too knowing.Paras stepped back, breath uneven.
"Sparsh… what do you mean?" Paras asked, voice shaky. "What's going on with me? What are these dreams trying to say? Why does this ring—"
He looked down at his hand, trembling.
"—why does it feel heavy? Warm and cold at the same time? Why does it feel like something is watching me? And you—"
His voice cracked.
"Who are you, Sparsh?"
A long silence.
Then Sparsh spoke — calm, too calm:
"Paras… go back to your room."
"No!" Paras stepped forward, stopping inches from the wall. "I need answers! Tell me what this is! Tell me what's happening to me!"
The silence turned thick.
Paras swallowed hard.
"Sparsh… please."
And then—
Bang.
In a blink — faster than Paras could register — the door to Sparsh's room swung open and Sparsh appeared right in front of him.
No footsteps.No warning.Just instant presence.
Paras gasped.
Sparsh's palm slammed against Paras's chest — firm, unmovable — not painful, but forcefully grounding him.
His eyes, usually calm, now burned with something ancient, heavy, almost mournful.
In a deep voice unlike any tone Paras had ever heard from him, Sparsh spoke one word:
"Antahkaran."(अंतःकरण — the inner mind, the hidden core, the soul's mirror)
The world froze.
Literally.
Paras saw the air ripple like water. The sound in the hallway vanished. Time itself felt like it held its breath.
Paras's eyes widened, his body unable to move.
A heartbeat later—
Something tore out of Sparsh's shadow.
A shape.A figure.A living nightmare.
Dark, distorted, crawling with twisted limbs that kept reshaping. Its face was hollow, a cracked mask dripping shadows like tears. Its mouth gaped open in silent agony, and from its form seeped a fog so cold Paras felt it in his bones.
Its presence screamed of one thing:
Despair.Ancient.Raw.Alive.
Paras tried to scream but no sound escaped. He couldn't breathe.His heart felt crushed in a fist made of ice.
The creature leaned forward — inches from Paras's face — its empty eyes staring through him, into him, dissecting his soul.
Then—
Blink.
Everything shattered.
The hallway vanished.
Sparsh vanished.
The creature vanished.
Paras's body jolted—
And he found himself lying on his own bed, drenched in sweat, gasping like he had run a marathon underwater.
He stared at the ceiling, trembling.
"What… what was that…" he whispered, voice barely there.
His chest burned.His hands shook.His mouth was dry.
He couldn't tell if what he saw was real… or if his mind broke for a moment.
But he felt it.All of it.Too clearly for a dream.
Paras curled his knees up, burying his face.That wasn't a nightmare.Nightmares don't leave your heart feeling like it's being squeezed.
Minutes or maybe hours passed — Paras couldn't tell.
Then—
A warmth.
Soft.Gentle.Unthreatening.
His ring.
It glowed faintly, a warmth radiating into his palm like someone placing a comforting hand over his.
Paras's breathing eased.Not fully, but just enough to keep him from unraveling.
It didn't feel like the creature.It felt…
Protective.Like a presence quietly whispering,You're not alone.
The warmth faded gradually, leaving a subtle calm behind.
Paras's eyes finally grew heavy.
He didn't dream that night.
For the first time in days —nothing came.Only silence.
And then morning arrived.
A new day.But not a normal one.
Because Paras now knew:
Whatever was happening…
Sparsh was not just a new housemate.And the ring was not just an heirloom.And the dreams were not just dreams.
Something had awakened.
Something watching.Something waiting.
And Paras was now standing at the edge of a world he didn't understand —
But that world clearly understood him.
Morning arrived quietly—too quietly.
For Paras, it felt almost wrong. After what he had witnessed the night before, the world should have been shaking, the sky should have been cracking apart, something should have been different.
But everything was normal.
Too normal.
A knock snapped him out of the daze.
The door burst open.
"You'll get late, idiot!" Mira yelled, hands on her hips. "Even I woke up earlier than you today. Sparsh already went to the dining hall for breakfast. I'm going too—come fast or we'll eat everything!"
Her tone was teasing but impatient. She didn't notice that Paras looked pale.
Paras threw the blanket aside and hurried out, his heartbeat racing—not from Mira's scolding, but from the memory of last night burning behind his eyes.
He walked into the dining hall…
Sparsh sat there.
Eating breakfast.
Calmly.
Smiling.
As if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't shown Paras a nightmare that felt older than time.
Paras snapped.
"WHAT WAS THAT LAST NIGHT?!" he shouted.
Everyone froze.
Sparsh picked up another bite of food, expression unchanged—peaceful, controlled.
From the other side of the table, Mira whispered, "...Did you guys get into a fight?" She squinted at both of them. "Your faces are acting weird."
Paras's mother sighed sharply."Paras! Where are your manners? We're eating here. Look at Sparsh—how well-behaved he is."She shook her head. "Go get ready and come back properly."
Even his father's assistant mumbled under his breath in that thin, irritatingly proper voice,"Expected from the young master…"
Paras clenched his jaw but turned around and left the hall.
In the Shower
Hot water hit his face, but it wasn't enough to wash away the cold crawling down his spine.
Nobody will believe me.Nobody will even try.
Sparsh had shown him something unreal… unbearable… and now acted as if Paras was the unreasonable one.
Paras shut his eyes.
He could still feel that presence—the despairing spirit—looming behind him, its form still carved in his mind like a fresh wound.
He whispered to himself,"…What is happening to me?"
No answer.
Only the sound of water.
Back to the Dining Hall
By the time he returned, everyone had already finished.
Paras ate quickly, silent, tense.
Soon, all three of them were leaving for school.
Before he stepped out of the mansion gates, his mother called gently from behind, her tone soft and concerned:
"Paras… what happened this morning?"
He paused.
He wanted to tell her everything.
But the memory of last night's horror tightened around his throat.
"…Nothing," he finally said. "Just… a bad dream."
She didn't believe him completely, but she didn't push further.
At School
Today was test day.
Paras forced himself to focus.
Hours passed.
And surprisingly—he topped the test.
Sparsh ranked second.
Mira…"Ugh—55th?!" she groaned, pulling her hair. "I studied so much! Why is math so cruel?!"
Despite the chaos, Paras barely spoke.He avoided Sparsh completely, trying not to look at him, not to think about him—but Sparsh's presence clung to the back of his mind like a shadow that refused to detach.
By evening, the exhaustion was unbearable.
Dinner
Paras sat at the table, staring at his food without appetite.
Sparsh casually slid into the seat beside him.
Leaning slightly toward Paras, his tone low and controlled, he whispered:
"Tomorrow morning. 4 AM. Meet me at the park.I'll tell you everything I know…"Also… sorry about last night."
Paras looked at him sharply.
That apology had no warmth.It felt… mechanical. Thin. Almost rehearsed.
"At least put some effort into your sorry," Paras muttered.
Sparsh gave the faintest shrug and continued eating.
Nothing more.
4 AM — The Park
Paras woke before the alarm.
His chest felt tight, his stomach uneasy, his head filled with a storm of emotions—fear, anger, confusion, curiosity… and something else he couldn't name.
He stepped out into the cold dawn air.
The world was quiet.
Breathing in sharply, Paras walked toward the empty park, knowing very well that this morning wasn't just another morning—
It was the beginning of whatever path destined.
A path Paras wasn't ready for…
Yet couldn't escape.