Vikram looked straight at Aliya and said firmly,
"No matter what happens, do not step outside."
With that, he started moving toward the gate.
At the same time, Venkatesh also headed out. Nikhil followed him, and Aarav was about to go as well when Shakshi suddenly grabbed Aarav's hand.
"You've had enough adventure for one lifetime," she snapped.
"Stay inside the house. If you step out, I'll break your legs."
Hearing this, Aarav let out a tired sigh and, with a sulking face, went and sat beside Aliya.
Aliya gently placed her hand on his head, trying to comfort him.
Aarav didn't say anything. He simply turned his face away, staring in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Shakshi's father stepped outside along with Venkatesh. He moved ahead of everyone else and addressed the crowd calmly.
"What happened, brothers? Why have you all gathered here?"
One of the villagers burst out angrily,
"There are people staying in your house because of whom Vanshika has been freed! And now, because of them, this entire village is about to turn into a graveyard!"
Hearing this, Shakshi's father replied,
"Brothers, what are you saying? These people arrived here only the night before last."
Another villager immediately added,
"That's exactly the point! They haven't even spent a full day here, and already someone is dead. Who knows how many more lives these city people will drag down with them!"
Just then, Vikram stepped forward and said sharply,
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Do people still believe in such things in this era? There is no witch. This is clearly a human who committed murder using the name of a witch."
A man shouted back,
"This city boy is making excuses! I myself saw them going toward that well yesterday!"
Another man spoke up,
"Yes! I was there too. After some time, I saw them running away from that place toward Aditya's house!"
Everyone immediately turned to look at Aditya.
Aditya hesitated, then said nervously,
"We… we ran because we got scared. But we didn't even go near the well. Suddenly, the lid of the well broke open, and we panicked and ran away."
Aditya had lied to protect his friends.
After this, the villagers slowly grew quiet.
Then one of them asked cautiously,
"But Vanshika has been freed… hasn't she?"
At that moment, an old man spoke in a grave voice,
"Perhaps the seal had weakened over time. And as time passed, Vanshika grew stronger. That is why she has finally returned."
Another man asked in fear,
"Then what do we do now?"
Someone replied,
"For now, all we can do is stop going out at night."
The old man spoke again, his voice trembling,
"You all remember Vanshika's curse, don't you? She said she would return… and when she did, no one would have the power to face her."
At that moment, Venkatesh turned to Shakshi's father and asked quietly,
"What is the story behind this Vanshika?"
The air suddenly felt heavier, as if the village itself was holding its breath.
"This happened twenty-six years ago.
There lived a woman in this village named Vanshika. She was extremely beautiful—unnaturally captivating. No one knew who she really was or where she had come from. The Bade Malik gave her work in his mansion and also had a small hut built for her at the edge of the village.
But later, rumors began to spread.
It was said that she practiced some kind of dark magic.
Around the same time, children in the village started disappearing. The villagers believed that it was Vanshika who was sacrificing them—offering their lives for her rituals.
When the villagers became convinced of this, they dragged her to the village crossroads.
She kept begging them, crying that she was innocent, that she had never sacrificed anyone. But the villagers were blinded by rage. Bloodlust had taken over their minds.
They burned her alive.
That day is still etched into our memories.
As her body burned in the flames, she did not scream even once in pain. Instead, she cursed everyone in a terrifying, echoing voice—vowing that she would return, that she would make each and every one of them pay for their sins, and that she would turn this village into a cremation ground.
And then, on the very next new moon night, the first murder happened.
After that, bodies began to appear regularly. On every full moon and every new moon night, someone would be killed. The next morning, their corpse would be found—completely drained of blood. And on their body, there would always be a mark… the same symbol that was carved on the wall of Vanshika's hut.
For a long time, our village lived in mourning.
We tried everything. We called tantriks from distant places. We performed rituals and fire sacrifices. But nothing worked. Anyone who tried to fight Vanshika was found dead.
In the end, a saint arrived—from Deoghar.
He came with his twenty disciples. Using his powers, he sealed Vanshika inside that well.
After that, the deaths finally stopped.
But before leaving, the saint gave a final warning. He said that Vanshika would return one day—and when she did, she would turn this village into a graveyard.
That was the past.
And today… she has returned."
The silence that followed was heavier than fear itself.
Just then, a young villager asked hesitantly,
"Can't we call back the ones who sealed her away?"
An old man shook his head slowly.
"No. No one knows where they went. We don't even know anything about their disciples anymore."
At that moment, the roar of a Royal Enfield Bullet echoed through the street.
Suraj Thakur arrived, riding it with authority. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, and his presence alone commanded attention.
He stepped off the bike and said to the villagers,
"There is one disciple who never left. You might remember him. He settled in the nearby village of Rudrapali."
The villagers exchanged looks before realization struck.
"Oh yes! We completely forgot," someone said.
"One of his disciples—Goraknath ji. He settled in Rudrapali as a traditional healer."
Suraj nodded.
"Then it's decided. Tomorrow, I'll go to his village and bring him here."
The villagers immediately erupted in joy. Some began chanting slogans.
"Chote Malik zindabad!"
"Zindabad! Zindabad!"
"how should be our leader?"
"Like Suraj Thakur!"
Suraj folded his hands humbly before them. After a while, he gestured for silence and then looked toward Vikram and the others.
"These people are our guests," he said firmly.
"We should not accuse them like this. A guest is considered a form of God—and can God ever wish harm upon anyone? For now, all of you should return to your homes. We will find a solution to this problem. Don't worry."
The chanting started again, and one by one, the villagers dispersed.
Suraj then walked toward Vikram and the group.
At that moment, Shakshi's father stepped forward and folded his hands.
"Chote Malik—"
Suraj immediately stopped him.
"Krishnan uncle, you're older than me. Your hands should rise before me only to bless me—or to scold me."
Krishnan replied nervously,
"Chote Malik, what are you saying? How could I ever raise my hand against you?"
Suraj laughed.
"Then give me your blessings."
Krishnan placed his hand over Suraj's head.
"May you always remain happy."
Turning to Venkatesh and the others, Krishnan said proudly,
"Chote Malik studied abroad, but he never forgot our values."
Venkatesh asked in surprise,
"You studied in a foreign country? Which university?"
Suraj smiled.
"Harvard."
The moment he said it, jaws dropped everywhere—everyone except Aarav, Krishnan, and his wife.
Aarav already knew. And even if he hadn't, it wouldn't have mattered to him.
Venkatesh said in amazement,
"Then you must be very intelligent."
Shakshi added,
"Not just intelligent—talented. Not everyone gets a chance to study at Harvard."
Krishnan nodded proudly.
"Yes, he got a scholarship."
Later, inside the room, Suraj's eyes kept drifting toward Aliya.
Then he said calmly,
"I didn't say it in front of the villagers—but I know you all had a hand in Vanshika's release."
Aditya tried to speak, but—
Suraj raised his hand, stopping him.
"I saw you myself near that well. I saw the lid blast open. I saw everything. But I don't believe that Vanshika's spirit actually exists, so I didn't say anything."
Vikram asked,
"Then why the drama about calling a tantrik and reassuring the villagers?"
Suraj was still looking at Aliya—when suddenly Aarav stepped in front of him, blocking his view, smiling calmly.
Suraj smiled back.
"To reduce the villagers' fear. Right now, they're scared—and scared people can do anything. So I lied. In a way, I saved your lives. You're welcome."
Aliya leaned slightly from behind Aarav and smiled.
"Thank you so much for your help."
Suraj also leaned sideways and smiled back.
"You're welcome."
But at the exact same moment, Aarav leaned sideways again—blocking his view once more.
Suraj stepped forward and extended his hand past Aarav toward Aliya.
"Hi. I'm Suraj. Suraj Thakur."
Aliya was about to shake his hand—
But Aarav grabbed it first.
"Aarav," he said casually.
"Aarav Tiwari. And this is my friend, Aliya."
Aliya smiled politely.
"Aliya Bharadwaj."
Nikhil whispered to Vikram,
"Looks like Suraj Thakur also has a loose screw—just like these two."
Suraj continued,
"So in return, you all will come with me to Rudrpali to bring Goraknath. What do you say? I'll also show you nearby places."
Nikhil nodded.
"Sounds like a good idea."
Vikram agreed.
"Alright."
Aliya nodded as well.
Aarav said,
"Hmm. Okay. I'm ready too."
Shakshi immediately said,
"You're not going anywhere. You'll stay at home."
Aarav protested,
"But why?"
"I don't have to tell you why," Shakshi replied.
"But I want to go with them," Aarav said, sulking.
"What was the point of coming here if we can't even go out?"
Kirti added,
"I want to go too. And honestly, this village feels more dangerous right now."
Shakshi sighed.
"Fine. You can go—but stay with your dad the entire time."
Venkatesh objected,
"Hey, when did I agree to go with them?"
Shakshi crossed her arms.
"Either you go with them, or nobody goes."
Venkatesh looked at his children… and finally gave in.
Suraj put on his sunglasses and said,
"Then it's decided. Tomorrow morning at 8, we leave."
He mounted his bike and rode away.
Aditya added,
"I'll come too. See you in the morning."
Shakshi turned to everyone.
"I'll prepare dinner."
At that moment, Aarav glanced out the window.
On a tree branch outside, a black crow sat quietly.
Aarav watched it for a few seconds—but this time, he didn't attack.
Because this one… was just an ordinary crow.
Early the next morning, two cars left the village.
In one car sat Suraj, Vikram, Nikhil, and Aarav.
In the other were Venkatesh, Kirti, Aliya, and Aditya.
As soon as they exited the village and reached the main road, everyone instinctively looked up at the sky.
A black crow was flying above them—moving in the same direction, keeping pace with the cars.
Aarav glanced upward and said casually,
"Looks like Vanshika is going to follow us all the way to Rudrapali."
Hearing this, the others also looked up.
Vikram scoffed.
"Come on, Aarav. It's just an ordinary crow."
Aarav smiled faintly.
"Yeah… but if we assume it's Vanshika's crow, doesn't that make things more interesting?"
Suraj frowned slightly.
"Aarav, you're an educated guy. Your entire family is educated. And yet you believe in such superstitions?"
Aarav turned serious.
"No. I don't believe in those things. I was just joking—so everyone feels a little less scared."
Vikram exhaled in relief.
"Thank God. I thought one screw in your brain was loose."
Aarav didn't reply.
He was deliberately pretending to be ignorant—hiding his powers so that his enemies wouldn't hesitate to act openly.
Then his gaze shifted toward Suraj.
A Harvard graduate on the surface…
but in reality, a powerful tantrik.
Suraj kept this truth hidden—but soon it would be revealed to everyone.
His real goal was to capture Vanshika and absorb her power—to become even stronger.
In the original course of events, he was a minor villain—
until the climax, where he was killed by Shaitan, who then possessed his body.
That was when Suraj transformed into a major antagonist.
In the end, he too would die.
A tragic character—through and through.
---
After half an hour of travel, they finally reached Rudrapali.
Asking around, they arrived at Gorakhnath's house—
only to find it locked.
Nikhil said anxiously,
"The house is locked. What now?"
Suraj replied,
"Maybe he's gone somewhere. I'll ask around."
He walked to a nearby house and spoke to an elderly woman.
"Pranam, aunty."
She nodded.
"Yes, beta?"
"Aunty, is this Gorakhnath ji's house?"
She replied calmly,
"It was."
Suraj frowned.
"Was? You mean… he left?"
She nodded.
"Yes. He left."
"Can you tell me where he went? It's very important that we meet him."
The woman sighed.
"Beta, if you want to meet him now, you'll have to go up there—because he has gone to heaven."
Suraj froze.
"What? When?"
"Two weeks ago. All the last rites are done."
Suraj looked visibly shaken.
Seeing his expression, the woman asked gently,
"What happened, beta? You look worried. Was he related to you?"
"No, aunty," Suraj replied.
"Actually, I've come from Jamnipali."
The moment she heard the village name, the woman panicked.
"Jamnipali? That's where the witch lives, right? I heard she killed someone just yesterday!"
"Yes," Suraj said.
"That's why we came to Gorakhnath ji. He helped seal her last time."
The woman thought for a moment, then said,
"Beta, Gorakhnath ji may be gone—but his daughter can help you."
Suraj blinked.
"His daughter?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Even more powerful than Gorakhnath ji himself. In our village, she cures any illness in an instant. Chanting, rituals—child's play for her."
"Then where is she?" Suraj asked.
"The house is locked."
"Oh, she'll be at school right now," the woman said casually.
"She's a teacher there. Don't underestimate her because of her age. People here consider her a goddess."
Suraj folded his hands.
"I understand. Thank you very much."
---
He returned to the group.
"Guys," he said,
"I have bad news—and good news. Which one do you want first?"
Vikram shrugged.
"Any one."
"The bad news is—Gorakhnath is no longer alive.
The good news is—his daughter has inherited all his knowledge. People worship her here. So our work might still be possible."
Venkatesh asked,
"But will the people of our village believe she can do anything?"
Suraj replied,
"That we'll know only after we take her there. Come on—we need to go to the school."
---
A little later, they stood in front of a pink building—the village government school.
Inside, a beautiful young woman was teaching science to children.
"Photosynthesis," she explained gently,
"is how plants make their food using sunlight."
Her soft voice carried clearly.
"That's how plants prepare food using sunlight," she concluded.
All the children replied together,
"Yes, ma'am!"
She smiled warmly.
"Good. Now go home and tell your parents how plants make food. Ask them if they knew this."
The school bell rang.
The woman stepped outside.
Chandni.
Twenty-three years old. Beautiful.
Recently graduated from Mumbai University.
Now a schoolteacher.
But behind that—
she was also a vaidh…
and a master of tantric knowledge.
At that moment, a peon approached her.
"Chandni ma'am, some people are looking for you."
Chandni looked toward Vikram and the group.
She nodded to the peon—
and began walking toward them.