Veer followed Aarohi up the stairs, every step feeling like it led deeper into the grave. The house groaned with anticipation, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Father Desai trailed behind, clutching his crucifix and muttering prayers in Sanskrit under his breath. He could feel the pull—like a thousand souls pressing against the boundaries of the physical world.
Aarohi's movements weren't her own.
Her hands twitched. Her shoulders jerked. Her head turned in unnatural angles, bones cracking with every tilt.
The attic door was already open.
The air above was black and thick, buzzing with static and shadows.
Veer reached for her wrist. "Aarohi, don't go—"
She turned to him with dead eyes and whispered in a deep, ragged voice:
"He is waiting."
Inside the attic, the old scorch mark on the floor had reignited.
Blue fire danced in a perfect circle, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Aarohi stepped into the ring.
And collapsed.
Her body arched unnaturally.
Her back twisted in a sickening snap.
Then her mouth opened wide—and Dev's voice roared out:
"The curse cannot be lifted with pity. Blood must be paid in blood."
Veer rushed forward, but an invisible force slammed him back against the attic wall. His head cracked against the wood, and darkness danced at the edges of his vision.
Father Desai held up his crucifix, but it burst into flames in his hand.
Aarohi's body floated two feet above the ground now, spinning slowly.
Her hair whipped around her face. Her lips moved with Dev's fury.
"I burned alone… but not anymore. The heir burns with me."
The flames in the circle shot higher—then suddenly extinguished.
And everything went dark.
When the light returned, Aarohi stood in the middle of the room—but her eyes were hers again.
She gasped and fell to her knees, sobbing.
Veer crawled to her side. "You're back! Aarohi, you're back—"
But she shoved him away.
"No, no I'm not… I saw everything. I felt everything… Dev's pain, his hate… And I—Veer, I liked it."
Her voice cracked.
"I wanted Rajnath to burn."
Desai knelt beside her, examining her eyes. "He's not gone. He's hiding inside you. And he's waiting for the ritual to complete."
Aarohi shivered. "What ritual?"
The priest looked grave. "He's using you to summon the other victims. The house is becoming a vessel for all who died here unjustly. Dev is the flame—and you are the matchstick."
Veer's blood ran cold.
"How do we stop it?"
Desai reached into his satchel and pulled out a rusted dagger with Sanskrit inscriptions.
"Blood started this curse. Blood must end it. There's one way left…"
Aarohi stepped back, already knowing.
"You want me to kill myself?"
"No," Desai said. "You must give up the bloodline."
"What does that mean?"
The priest looked between her and Veer.
"One of you must sever the line. End Rajnath's legacy. A final sacrifice. Voluntary. Binding."
Veer stood. "No. There must be another way—"
But the attic floor began to bleed again.
Thick, black-red sludge seeped from the cracks, pooling into strange runes across the boards.
The air turned to steam.
And a thousand whispers filled the attic:
"End it…"
"Let it bleed…"
"The blood remembers…"
Aarohi looked at Veer with trembling lips. "Maybe this is what I was meant for. To finish what Rajnath started."
Veer held her face in his hands. "No. You were meant to break it."
Suddenly, all the attic windows shattered outward, and something huge emerged from the shadows.
A form made of smoke, ash, and scorched bone.
Dev. Fully manifested.
His mouth split open, impossibly wide.
Aarohi collapsed, choking.
Her skin turned pale.
Her pupils faded.
"She's dying!" Veer screamed.
The priest began chanting furiously, drawing holy symbols in salt.
Dev roared, a sound that shook the entire house.
Glass cracked.
Furniture shattered.
Books flew into the air, pages swirling like a tornado.
And then…
The fire circle lit again.
Aarohi was dragged back inside.
Her body convulsed.
Veer screamed, "NO!"
Then everything stopped.
The attic went silent.
Dev was gone.
Aarohi lay still in the middle of the scorched ring.
Veer rushed to her side, sobbing, holding her face.
Her lips were blue. Her skin cold.
And then—she gasped.
Her eyes opened.
Not black. Not white.
Just… human.
Veer sobbed. "You're okay… you're okay."
Aarohi looked around weakly.
"It's not over," she whispered. "He said he'll take one more."
"Who?" Veer asked.
Her eyes filled with tears.
She whispered:
"You."