The Sorcerer sneered and replied, "How do you plan to kill a soul, you idiot? You cannot kill what is already dead."
With that, the three of them put on their amulets and stepped outside. The fever still hadn't completely broken for any of them.
Arya was driving, Vikas sat next to him in the passenger seat, and Ishan was in the back.
Arya glanced at Ishan and asked, "If the sorcerer had said that killing Ivan was the only way to solve this—instead of sacrificing three random people—would you have killed your own son, Ishan?"
"Stop asking such stupid questions and just drive," Ishan snapped, his voice tight with anger.
A heavy silence settled inside the car as it sped down the road.
After a while, Vikas broke the quiet. "Ishan, what are you planning to do? Are you going to wait for that DNA report, or will you listen to the sorcerer?"
Ishan took a deep breath. "It's probably best to just trust the sorcerer. Whatever the report says, it's not going to change anything."
Keeping his eyes on the road, Arya asked, "So, when are you planning to kidnap those innocent kids?"
"Tomorrow night," Ishan replied. "Do either of you have a solid plan?"
"Tomorrow night works," Vikas agreed. "Besides, you're right—we don't even know if we'll survive the next five days."
Then Ishan added, "We should have asked the sorcerer who stole Amardeep's body."
Arya looked at them in confusion. "Wait, we did ask him that day! Did you both forget? Though... he didn't give us an answer."
Vikas looked startled. "When did we ever ask about Amardeep's body? He hasn't told us anything about it."
Arya stared at them in total disbelief. "Have you both lost your minds from all the fear and panic?"
"You're the one losing your mind from the fear, anxiety, and fever," Ishan retorted irritably.
Too exhausted by the fever to argue any further, Arya stayed quiet.
Vikas groaned in pain, clutching his head. "Just get us home quickly. My head is splitting open."
The three of them—Vikas, Ishan, and Arya—had left Vikas's house at 4:30 AM to visit the sorcerer. Roughly two hours later, they returned to Vikas's place, and from there, Ishan and Arya headed back to their respective homes.
Meanwhile, at Twinkle's house, her mother Priya was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Her current husband, John Roy, was a wealthy businessman who was away on business. Priya and John had a six-year-old son named Neil, who was currently studying in his room.
Twinkle walked into the kitchen and stood near her mother. "Mom, there's something I haven't told you yet."
Priya turned. "What is it, Twinkle?"
"There's a boy in my class named Ivan," Twinkle said. "He looks exactly like my brother Amardeep."
Priya, who was chopping onions, froze mid-cut and looked at her daughter.
Twinkle continued, "Yesterday, Ivan asked me for Amardeep's picture. I think he was just trying to figure out how two people could look so identical!"
Priya paused, her tone cautious. "Is there really no difference between them at all?"
"None at all, Mom! They don't even look one percent different."
"They might look the same, but what about his voice?"
Twinkle blinked in surprise. "Wow, Mom, you caught a really important detail!"
Her mother asked again, her voice sharp. "Does this boy, Ivan, sound like your brother Amardeep or not?"
Twinkle looked at her mother, a slight smile on her face as her voice rose with excitement. "Yes, Mom. His voice is identical, too."
Ishan arrived home at 7:10 AM. As he walked in, his wife Myra, who was cooking in the kitchen, looked up and asked, "Where did you go so early in the morning? Is your fever gone?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit better now," Ishan replied.
His amulet remained hidden beneath his shirt, completely concealed from Myra's view. Without another word, Ishan quietly headed upstairs to his room.
Five minutes later, Ivan returned home from his tuition classes. He walked into his room, set his bag on the desk, and slumped into his chair.
I don't feel good at all, and I'm actually a bit scared. What am I supposed to do? Should I just go straight to Dad and tell him that I'm not possessed? That I'm not Amardeep, and he doesn't need to be afraid of me? My resemblance to Amardeep isn't black magic or reincarnation... it's just a coincidence.
Ivan let out a long breath. What should I do? What if Dad takes another wrong step? Should I try to forgive him instead of pushing for punishment, or should I just go to the police and confess everything?
I should tell Twinkle and her family the truth—that Dad killed Amardeep, and someone stole his body afterward.
But if I tell the truth to the police, Uncle Vikas and Uncle Arya will end up in prison too. Both of their families will hate my mom, my dad, and me. They'll think my dad, my mom, and I ruined Uncle Vikas, Uncle Arya, and their families.
Just one decision from me could destroy so many lives, and so many people might end up hating me for the rest of my life. But if I stay silent, I'm still doing something wrong... I'm siding with the wrong people.
Exhaling deeply, Ivan buried his face in his hands.
I thought I would find out who stole Amardeep's body and the exact reason why before making a decision. But I don't think I can keep hiding this for much longer.
Meanwhile, at his own house, Arya lay on his bed, whispering frantically to himself, "The fever is starting to drop... this amulet is incredible! Please, Lord, just make the nightmares about Amardeep stop. Save me..."
Vikas lay on his bed at home, holding up the amulet hanging around his neck to look at it closely.
He stared up at the ceiling and thought to himself, It feels like the moment I stepped into the house, my fever completely vanished. I'm feeling so much better now. If only the nightmares about Amardeep would stop too... But the sorcerer explicitly said this amulet was only meant to cure the fever.