Chapter 45
The haveli was awake, yet the atmosphere remained heavy. The events of the previous night still lingered in everyone's mind like a shadow that refused to fade.
In the living room, the entire family had gathered.
No one was relaxed no one was looking normal.Shanti sat quietly, her hands tightly clasped together, her face still pale from fear.Rajnath stood near the window, his expression serious, his mind clearly disturbed.
Ridha paced slowly, arms folded, frustration and worry evident on her face.
Rudra leaned against the wall, unusually silent, while Yug sat beside him, still shaken, though trying to hide it.
Pandit Harinarayan walked in calmly.
His presence, as always, carried a strange sense of steadiness.
As if he already knew everything.
Everyone immediately stood up.
"Pranam, pandit ji," Rajnath greeted respectfully.
The others followed.Harinarayan nodded gently and walked forward, taking a seat on the sofa.
His eyes scanned the room once.
Then....
They stopped on Veeransh and Aariv.
There was a brief silence.
Then he spoke calmly...
"Mujhe tum dono se akele mein baat karni hai."
Veeransh understood immediately.
He gave a slight nod.Without saying anything further, he reached out and held Aariv's wrist.
"chalo," he said simply.
Aariv looked at him for a second, then nodded softly.The three of them walked out of the living room.
Leaving the rest of the family behind confused and worried.
Rooftop
The open sky stretched above them.
The morning breeze was soft, but it did nothing to ease the tension between them.They sat on the chairs placed near the edge.
Veeransh was the first to speak.
"Nanu... kal..."
Harinarayan raised his hand slightly.
Stopping him.
"Pata hai mujhe," he said calmly.
Aariv looked at him, confusion and fear still clear in his eyes.
"Ye sab kaun kar raha hai?" he asked softly.
Harinarayan's gaze turned distant for a moment.
Then he replied....
"Ye wahi kar rahi hai."
Aariv's breath caught.Veeransh's expression hardened.Veeransh spoke again, his voice lower now.
"Kal raat... jab main washroom se aaya..."
He paused briefly, his jaw tightening.
"...Aariv hosh mein nahi tha."
His eyes shifted toward Aariv for a second.
"Maano jaise vo Aariv hi na ho."
Aariv lowered his gaze slightly, his fingers tightening unconsciously.
Harinarayan nodded slowly.
"Beta," he said,
"tum dono jitne nazdeek aaoge..."
He paused deliberately.
"...utne hi uske vaar badhenge."
Aariv and Veeransh both looked at him sharply.Then at each other.
Veeransh's grip on Aariv's hand tightened slightly.
"Kya matlab hai aapka?" Veeransh asked, his tone firm.
Harinarayan looked at them both.
"Use tum dono ki nazdeekiyon se hi dikkat thi," he said.
Aariv's brows furrowed.
"Aur ab jab vo dekh rahi hai ki tum dono ke beech ki dooriyan khatm ho rahi hain..."
He paused.
"...toh vo vichalit ho rahi hai."
A silence followed.
Aariv swallowed.
"Koi to raasta hoga..." he said, his voice soft but determined.
He looked at Harinarayan.
"Hum aise haar to nahi maan sakte."
For a moment Harinarayan simply looked at him.
Then....
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He leaned back slightly and spoke calmly.
"Upaay to ek hi hai."
Veeransh's gaze sharpened.
"Kya?"
Harinarayan's eyes shifted between them.Then he said...
"Tum dono ka baccha."
Silence.
Aariv's breath caught.
"K... kya?"
Harinarayan nodded.
"Haan," he said steadily.
"Tumhara baccha hi use khatm kar sakta hai."
The wind blew softly across the rooftop. But neither of them felt it.
The rooftop fell silent again after Harinarayan's words.
Veeransh's jaw tightened.
His grip around Aariv's hand became firmer, almost instinctively protective.
His voice came out low, controlled but there was resistance in it.
"Nanu, maine pehle bhi kaha hai aapko..."
He paused, his gaze hardening.
"...main nahi kar sakta."
Aariv looked at him. Veeransh continued, his voice is heavier now...
"Agar hamara bachha Aariv ke pet mein palega..."
His words slowed, weighed down with fear he rarely showed.
"... toh usse Aariv ki jaan ko khatra hai."
The sentence hung in the air.Aariv's fingers tightened slightly in Veeransh's hold.He lowered his gaze.
Harinarayan looked at them both.
"Aur koi raasta nahi hai humare paas," he said simply.
The firmness in his tone left no room for argument.
Aariv swallowed. His heart was racing again. Not from fear this time but from the weight of what they were being asked.
Slowly, he spoke.
"H... hum..."
His voice trembled slightly.
"...hum ye haveli chhod ke kahin door chale jayenge..."
For a moment It felt like a solution.
A simple escape. Veeransh looked at him.Something softened in his eyes for a second.
But Harinarayan shook his head.
"Ye koi bhoot-badha nahi hai," he said calmly.
His gaze turned serious.
"Jo jagah chhodne se pichha chhut jaaye."
Aariv's hope faltered. Harinarayan leaned slightly forward.
"Shrap jagah badalne se khatam nahi hote, beta."
Silence followed. Aariv's eyes slowly lowered. Veeransh looked away for a moment, his jaw clenched, his thoughts running rapidly.
This was not a fight he could solve with strength.Not something he could control.
Aariv's heart was beating fast, his breaths uneven. His fingers trembled slightly in Veeransh's hold, yet he did not pull away. Somewhere deep inside, he had already understood that running away was no longer an option.
Slowly, he lifted his eyes toward Harinarayan. His voice came out soft, fragile, but there was determination hidden beneath it.
"Hum bacche ko safe kaise rakhenge usse...?"
Before the question could settle, Veeransh turned sharply toward him. His expression hardened instantly.
"Aariv, no... we will not..."
But Aariv did not let him complete his sentence. For the first time, he ignored Veeransh completely.His gaze remained fixed on Harinarayan, filled with fear, confusion, and an unexpected strength.
"Boliye... kaise bachayega?"
Veeransh went silent. He looked at Aariv carefully, as if seeing him for the first time. The same boy who used to tremble in fear was now standing firm, asking for answers he knew might destroy him.
Harinarayan watched both of them calmly. Then he spoke, his voice steady and composed.
"Ye baccha aam nahi hoga."
The words echoed in the air.
Aariv's breath hitched. Veeransh's grip on his hand tightened.
Harinarayan continued.
"Is bacche mein Shakti aur pavitrata dono hogi".
Aariv's eyes lowered slightly as he tried to process the meaning of those words.Veeransh's expression turned more serious.
"Issi liye," Harinarayan said, "ye baccha shrap ko tod sakta hai... kyunki vo us shakti se bhi juda hoga, aur uska ant bhi hoga."
A long silence followed. The truth was too heavy to be accepted in a moment.
Then Harinarayan's tone changed. It became more serious, more warning than explanation.
"Lekin..."
Both Aariv and Veeransh looked at him immediately.
"Jab tak ye baccha Aariv ke garbh mein hoga, vo uski taraf aur zyada akarshit hogi."
Aariv's eyes widened slightly.His fingers tightened unconsciously.
"Matlab...?" he asked softly.
Harinarayan did not hesitate.
"Matlab uske vaar badhenge."
The air around them felt colder.
The fear they had been holding back now took a clearer shape.Then Harinarayan spoke again, and this time his words carried the final condition.
"Baccha tab tak surakshit rahega jab tak Veeransh Aariv se door nahi hoga."
Aariv slowly turned his head toward Veeransh.Veeransh stood still, his expression completely changed.
"Kya...?" he asked quietly.
Harinarayan looked directly into his eyes.
"Tumhari doori hi uski taqat hai."
The sentence struck deeply.
"Jitna tum Aariv se door jaoge, utni hi vo mazboot hoti jayegi."
Aariv's grip on Veeransh's hand tightened.
"Aur jitna tum uske paas rahoge,"
Harinarayan continued,
"utni hi tumhari upasthiti tumhare bacche ki suraksha banegi."
Silence filled the rooftop again.
Aariv looked at Veeransh..Veeransh looked back at him. There were no words between them..But everything was understood.
Veeransh slowly tightened his hold on Aariv's hand.This time, not out of fear but as a promise.
Harinarayan leaned back slightly, observing them both with calm eyes.
He knew the path ahead would not be easy but it was the only path they had.
.......................
Night had fallen over the haveli once again.But this time, the silence did not feel calm.
It felt watchful.
The corridors were dimly lit, shadows stretching unnaturally along the walls. Every corner of the haveli seemed to be hiding something, as if it was waiting.Inside the bedroom, Aariv was alone.Veeransh had stepped out for some work downstairs, promising he would return soon.
At first, Aariv tried to distract himself. He sat on the bed, flipping through a book, but his eyes were not really reading anything.His mind kept drifting back to everything Harinarayan had said.
A sudden chill ran through the room.
Aariv frowned slightly.The windows were closed.There was no reason for the temperature to drop.
He wrapped his arms around himself unconsciously.
"Shayad mujhe hi lag raha hai..." he whispered.
Then A soft sound echoed.
Tap.
Aariv's head snapped up.He looked toward the door.
He exhaled slowly and shook his head.
"Pagal ho raha hoon main..."
Then....
Tap... Tap... Tap...
This time, it was clearer and closer.
Aariv stood up slowly.
His heart began to beat faster.
"Kaun hai...?" he called out hesitantly.
No answer.
He took a few steps forward.The sound stopped.For a moment, everything was still again.
Then....
Aariv's eyes dropped to the floor.
And his breath hitched, wet footprints.
They were forming right in front of him.
One by one.
As if someone invisible was walking toward him.
Aariv froze and his body refused to move.The footprints were dark and sticky almost like blood.
"... kaun...?" Aariv whispered, his voice shaking badly.
No answer.
But suddenly the mirror beside him changed.Aariv's eyes slowly lifted toward it.
At first he saw himself.
Then....
A shadow appeared behind him, a tall, distorted figure.Its face unclear but its presence suffocating.
Aariv's breath stopped when he turned around instantly but there was nothing there.His heart pounded violently.He turned back toward the mirror the shadow was gone.
Before he could react A sudden force grabbed his wrist.
Aariv gasped loudly.His body jerked forward as if something had pulled him.
"Chhodo mujhe!" he cried, trying to pull back.
But there was nothing visible holding him yet the grip was real and strong.
He stumbled.His feet dragged slightly across the floor.
"Aaa....Veer!" he screamed.
His voice echoed through the room.
The invisible force tightened.For a moment, it felt like something was trying to pull him away.Take him somewhere.
Aariv struggled desperately.
His other hand tried to free himself, but there was nothing to hold onto.
"Please... chhodo mujhe..." he cried, tears forming in his eyes.
And then the door burst open.
Veeransh entered.
His eyes immediately locked on Aariv.
"AARIV!"
The moment his voice echoed everything stopped ,the grip vanished.
Aariv stumbled forward.Straight into Veeransh's arms.Veeransh caught him instantly, holding him tightly against his chest.
Aariv clung to him desperately.
His entire body trembled.
"V... Veer..." he whispered, his voice breaking.
Veeransh wrapped his arms around him protectively.His gaze turned cold.
Sharp.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice low but intense.
Aariv shook his head weakly, still holding onto him.
"koi tha yha... usne mujhe pakda... mujhe kheench rahi thi..."
Veeransh's jaw clenched his eyes slowly lifted scanning the room.
Everything looked normal.But he knew it wasn't.
His hold around Aariv tightened.
"I'm here," he said firmly.
Aariv buried his face into his chest.
Yug stepped out into the corridor quietly.He could not sleep.Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the laughter, the scream, the fear in Aariv's voice.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
The corridor was long and silent.
The lights flickered faintly.
Then Yug stopped.At the far end of the corridor Someone was standing.
His breath hitched.
"Aariv...?"
It was him standing there alone Looking directly at Yug.
Yug frowned slightly.
"Aariv? Tu yahan kya kar raha hai?"
he asked, walking slowly toward him.
No answer.Aariv just stood there and his face is calm.
Yug felt a strange uneasiness.
"Tu theek hai na?" he asked again.
Aariv finally spoke and his voice was soft.
But something about it felt... off.
"Chalo mere saath..."
Yug blinked.
"Kahan?
"
Aariv turned slowly without answering and started walking.Yug hesitated for a second and then he followed him.Something inside him felt wrong but he ignored it. They walked through the corridor.
Turned a corner and then another.
And then they stopped.
In front of that door the same locked door.The one Aariv had asked about before.
Yug's heart started beating faster.
"Aariv... tu yahan kyun...."
Before he could complete his sentence Aariv spoke again.
Without turning.
"Darwaza kholo..."
Yug froze.
"Kya?" he asked nervously.
Slowly Aariv turned his head his face was still calm but his eyes , looked empty.
"Khol do..." he repeated softly.
Yug felt a chill run down his spine.
"Par... ye locked hai..." he whispered.
Aariv took a step closer to the door.
"Khul jaayega..."
Yug's hand lifted slowly almost unconsciously. As if something was pulling him and controlling him.His fingers reached toward the lock.
Just as he was about to touch it a strong hand suddenly grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.
Yug gasped. His body jerked backward.
Straight into someone's arms.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Rudra's voice snapped near his ear.
Yug blinked rapidly and his breath was uneven. For a moment everything felt normal again.
"R... Rudra?" he stammered.