Cursed

Chapter 46

Yug’s breath was uneven and shallow as he stared straight ahead, his eyes fixed on something that only he could see, his lips parting slightly as he whispered, almost as if he was afraid that speaking louder would make it disappear,

“Vo… Aaru…”

Rudra frowned immediately and turned his head toward the direction Yug was looking, his gaze scanning the long, dimly lit corridor from one end to the other, carefully, sharply, as if expecting someone to step out of the shadows at any moment, but there was nothing there no movement, no figure, no Aariv just silence stretching unnaturally across the space.

He turned back toward Yug, his expression tightening slightly as he spoke in a firm, grounded tone,

“Koi nahi hai yahan.”

Yug’s head snapped toward him instantly, his eyes wide with panic as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, his voice rising in urgency as he shook his head,

“Nahi! Trust me, Rudra… Aaru yahin tha… vo mujhe bula raha tha…”

His fingers trembled slightly as he spoke, his chest rising and falling quickly, his gaze flickering back toward the empty corridor again and again as if he was trying to prove that what he saw had been real,

“Usne mujhe dekha… vo… vo mujhe bula rha tha…”

His voice began to break under the weight of fear, and that was the moment Rudra’s expression shifted completely, the sharpness fading into something softer, more protective, as he stepped forward without hesitation and pulled Yug into a tight embrace.

Yug stiffened for just a second, caught between fear and relief, and then slowly melted into him, his hands clutching Rudra’s shirt tightly as if he needed something solid to hold onto, something real.

“Okay… okay…” Rudra murmured softly, his hand moving to the back of Yug’s head, holding him steady, grounding him,

“I believe you, babe… calm down…”

Yug’s breath hitched as he buried his face deeper into Rudra’s chest, his voice dropping into a weak whisper, still shaken, still unsure,

“Vo sach mein tha…”

Rudra closed his eyes for a brief second, his hand tightening slightly in Yug’s hair as if reassuring him, even though his own mind had not fully settled,

“Hmm… I know…” he replied quietly, his tone gentle, but his gaze when it opened again flickered once toward the corridor behind them.

There was nothing there and yet It did not feel empty.

“Chalo… ab bas… so jaate hain,”

Rudra said softly after a moment, his voice steady again as he made the decision not to let this spiral further, at least not right now. Without waiting for a response, he bent slightly and lifted Yug into his arms in one smooth motion, holding him securely against his chest.

Yug did not protest. Instead, he simply curled closer, hiding his face deeper into Rudra’s chest, his fingers still gripping tightly as if he was afraid that if he loosened his hold even slightly, whatever had called him would return.

Rudra adjusted his grip and began walking toward his room, his steps calm and controlled, but his senses alert, his gaze sharp as it moved once more just once toward the corridor they were leaving behind.

The night had deepened around the haveli, and unlike before, the silence did not feel empty it felt heavy, as if something unseen had settled into the walls, quietly watching, quietly waiting.

Inside the room, Rudra lay on the bed, half-awake, his arm loosely wrapped around Yug, who was resting against his chest, his face hidden in the warmth of Rudra’s shoulder as if he still hadn’t fully recovered from the fear of the corridor.

Rudra’s fingers moved slowly through Yug’s hair, absentmindedly.....

“Ab theek ho?” he whispered softly.

Yug didn’t answer immediately, but after a few seconds, he nodded faintly against his chest.

“Hmm…”

Rudra pressed a small kiss to his hair.

“Main hoon na,” he murmured.

Yug’s grip tightened slightly on his shirt. For a moment everything felt normal.

Then slowly… Yug’s fingers loosened.

His body relaxed. Rudra assumed he had fallen asleep. And this time, even he allowed his eyes to close.

Morning had settled into the haveli, and for a brief moment, it almost felt like everything was normal again, as if the horrors of the night had been nothing more than imagination, something that could be forgotten with sunlight.

But that illusion did not last long.

The entire family was gathered in the living room, their expressions tense and unsettled, because even though no one said it out loud, everyone felt it something was wrong, and it had not left with the night.

Aariv sat quietly on the sofa, his hands folded in his lap, his shoulders slightly drawn in as if he was trying to make himself smaller, while Veeransh stood close to him, not sitting, not relaxing, his posture alert, his gaze constantly shifting around the room like a silent guard.

Rudra stood near the pillar with Yug beside him, his hand resting lightly on Yug’s wrist, not gripping, but not letting go either, as if he needed that contact to reassure himself that Yug was still there, still present. For a few seconds, everything remained still.

Then....

A sudden chill passed through the room. It was subtle but noticeable.

Aariv’s fingers tightened slightly.

“Veer…” he whispered under his breath.

Veeransh’s attention snapped to him instantly.

“Kya hua?” he asked, his voice low but sharp.

Aariv shook his head faintly.

“Pata nahi… bas… ajeeb lag raha hai…”

Before anyone could respond the lights flickered. Then steadied again.

Veeransh settled and pulled Aariv on his chest and hugged him tightly....

Aariv remained close to Veeransh, his fingers still clutching his shirt tightly, his breathing uneven, his eyes darting around the room as if expecting something to move again at any moment.

Veeransh did not move away.

His arm stayed firmly around Aariv, his posture protective, his gaze now sharper than before, not just scanning the room… but watching the people inside it.

Rajnath was speaking in a low, controlled tone, trying to bring some sense into the situation, while Shanti listened anxiously, her face pale, and Ridha paced slowly, frustration and fear mixing in her expression, because no one had an answer, and that helplessness only made things worse.

Yug stood a little to the side. He wasn’t doing anything strange.He was just quiet but the kind of quietness that didn’t match the situation.

Everyone else looked tense.

He didn’t.

Rudra noticed it for a moment, but his mind was already occupied, so he didn’t think too much about it and just assumed Yug was trying to calm himself.

Yug shifted his weight slightly and took a step forward. It looked normal.

Just someone moving closer in a crowded room. No one reacted.

He stopped a few steps away from Aariv. Still nothing unusual and then he raised his hand.

As if he was about to get Aariv’s attention or steady him. Aariv didn’t even look at him. His focus was somewhere else.And in that exact moment, Yug’s fingers lightly touched Aariv’s wrist.

A very normal touch. Something that could happen without meaning anything. But Aariv flinched.

His breath caught for a second.

Then he looked down at his hand, confused.

“ahhh…” he said quietly.

Veeransh immediately looked at him.

“Kya hua?”

Aariv shook his head.

“nahi kuchh nhi…”

Before the moment could stretch further, Yug had already moved his hand away and stepped back.Like nothing had happened.

Rudra looked at him again, this time a little longer, as if trying to understand why something felt off, but there was nothing visible to question, so he let it go. Yug stood where he was again.

Watching nothing in particular and the room continued like before.

Family members were trying to understand.Trying to control the situation but something had already changed and no one noticed it clearly.

But Aariv kept feeling that same strange sensation on his wrist.

.

..................

“I am going to the washroom,” Aariv said softly, his voice calm on the surface,

Veeransh looked at him for a second, studying his face carefully as if trying to read what he was not saying, and then he gave a small nod, but instead of letting him go alone, he walked with him until the washroom door and stopped right outside, his presence silent but deliberate, like a guard who did not trust the walls anymore.

Aariv noticed it, but didn’t say anything.

He just gave a small nod and stepped inside. The door closed.

The faint echo of dripping water.

Aariv walked toward the sink slowly and turned on the tap, letting the water run over his hands as he tried to calm himself, his breathing still slightly uneven....

Then....

His gaze dropped to his wrist.

The same wrist where Yug had touched him.

There was a mark.Like the skin itself had changed.

Aariv frowned slightly, his fingers slowly moving to touch it, curiosity mixing with a strange hesitation, as if somewhere deep inside he already knew Something was not right.

And then....

He looked up at the mirror.

For a second everything was normal.

His reflection stood there.

Aariv froze because he felt it.A presence right behind him. Close enough that he could almost feel a breath against his neck. His entire body went stiff instantly. His hands stopped moving under the running water.

His breathing became shallow.

“A…?” his lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

He did not turn he couldn’t. Because something in him knew If he turned…

Something would be there.

His chest rose sharply and his heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.

Slowly his fingers pressed against the mark on his wrist. The moment his skin made contact...

A sharp current shot through him.

Like an electric shock.

“Ahhh...!” Aariv gasped, jerking his hand back instantly as his body flinched from the sudden pain.

Outside, Veeransh reacted immediately.

He knocked on the door sharply.

“Aariv! Kya hua? Tum theek ho?” his voice came firm, but there was clear tension in it.

Aariv closed his eyes tightly for a second, trying to steady himself, trying to control his breathing.

“J.... ji… main theek hoon…” he replied quickly, though his voice betrayed him slightly.

Aariv’s fingers slowly moved toward the mark on his wrist again, and this time, instead of pulling back in fear, he held his touch there for a moment, as if something inside him was pushing him to understand it rather than avoid it.

For a brief second, nothing happened.

Then...

The world around him began to fade.

Not suddenly, not violently, but slowly, as if someone was dimming reality itself, because the sound of running water softened first, then the reflection in the mirror blurred, and the air around him felt heavier, harder to breathe.

Aariv frowned slightly, confusion mixing with unease as he lifted his eyes toward the mirror.

But the mirror no longer showed him. The washroom was gone.

In its place, a dim, broken space appeared, like an old room lit only by a weak, flickering light, where shadows stretched unnaturally across cracked walls, and everything looked abandoned… but not empty.

Aariv’s breath slowed. His hand tightened against the edge of the sink, though he could no longer see it.

“Yeh… kya hai…” he whispered, but even his own voice sounded distant, as if it did not belong in that place.

Slowly, the image in front of him became clearer.

It was a room. Rusty, hanging from the wall, their metal darkened with age, but still strong. Aariv’s eyes widened slightly. A strange, cold fear settled in his chest.

Then....

A sound , a faint dragging noise.

Behind him and Aariv froze instantly.

His body went completely still.

His throat dried and he did not want to turn but he did.

And the moment he turned his breath stopped. A woman sat on the floor.

Her long hair covered most of her face, her body slightly bent forward, and her wrists were bound with heavy chains that were fixed into the wall behind her. She did not move at first and just sat there.

Aariv swallowed.

“Kaun…?” he asked softly.

Aariv’s heartbeat became loud in his ears. Because she was not just there

She was looking at him as if she knew him.As if she had been waiting for him.

The chains around her wrists shifted slightly with her movement, making a low, metallic sound that echoed in the room and then she spoke.

“Woh… mera hai…”

The words echoed inside him.

And then everything broke.

The vision shattered instantly and the washroom returned.

The mirror showed his own reflection again.

The sound of water rushed back.

Aariv stumbled forward slightly, his hand slipping away from his wrist as his breathing turned sharp and uneven.

Outside....

Veeransh knocked again.

“Aariv! Door kholo!”

This time.... Aariv did not answer immediately. Because his eyes were still fixed in the mirror.

Aariv opened the door, he didn’t say anything at first, he just stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Veeransh, holding onto him softly but tightly at the same time, as if he needed that contact more than words, as if he was trying to ground himself back into something real after what he had just experienced.

Veeransh immediately reacted, his arms coming around Aariv without hesitation, one hand resting at his back while the other moved gently to his head, pulling him closer against his chest, his brows knitting slightly because he could feel it and the tension in Aariv’s body, the way he was holding on.

“Kya hua, baby?” Veeransh asked quietly, his voice low and steady, but his attention completely focused on him.

Aariv shook his head lightly against his chest, not lifting his face, his fingers tightening just a little as if even speaking about it would make it real again.

“Kuchh nahi…” he said, though his voice was softer than usual, a little tired, a little distant, “mujhe… hallucinations ho rahe hain… I think I am just tired…”

For a moment, Veeransh didn’t respond. He just held him and his hand slowly moving through Aariv’s hair in a calm, repetitive motion, but his eyes had darkened slightly, not in panic, not in fear, but in thought, because something about this did not sit right with him.

“Come,” he said softly after a moment, gently pulling him back just enough to look at his face, his thumb brushing lightly across his cheek, “rest karte hain, hmm… it’s okay.”

Aariv nodded faintly, though his eyes didn’t fully meet Veeransh’s, as if a part of him was still somewhere else, still stuck in that moment he didn’t want to explain.

Veeransh placed an arm around his shoulders and guided him back toward the room, his grip protective but not forceful, his presence steady, calm, as if nothing was wrong.

Aariv lay on the bed, resting against the headboard while Veeransh sat beside him, one arm loosely around his shoulders, his fingers gently tracing slow patterns on his arm as if to calm him...

Aariv had closed his eyes, trying to rest like Veeransh had told him, but his mind refused to settle, because every time he tried to relax, the same image returned that dark room, those chains, and that woman.

His fingers slowly moved toward his wrist again, not touching the mark this time, just hovering over it, as if even now he could feel something from it.

Veeransh noticed.

“dard hi rha hai?” he asked quietly.

Aariv opened his eyes slowly and nodded faintly.

“Veer…” he said after a pause, his voice low and hesitant, “maine… kuch dekha tha…”

Veeransh’s attention sharpened instantly, though his expression remained calm.

“Kya?” he asked.

Aariv took a slow breath, as if choosing his words carefully.

“Ek room…” he began, his gaze drifting slightly as he tried to recall it clearly, “andhera tha… purana… deewar pe chains the… aur…” he hesitated for a second, “koi tha wahan…”

Veeransh didn’t interrupt , he just listened.

Aariv continued, his voice softer, almost like he was speaking more to himself than to Veeransh, “vo real lag raha tha… jaise main wahan khada hoon…”

There was a brief silence.

Then.....

Veeransh’s expression changed.

“Suniye…” Aariv said softly, but there was urgency hidden beneath his voice as he looked at Veeransh,

“mujhe vo locked room dekhna hai…”

Veeransh didn’t react immediately, but his expression changed just a little, his jaw tightening slightly as if he had expected this...

“No, jaana,” he said calmly, but firmly, his voice left no space for argument, “it’s not safe… Nanu ne bhi mana kiya hai.”

Aariv shook his head quickly, his breathing picking up again as the images from his vision came back stronger now, clearer, more real.

“Please, Veer…” he said, his voice trembling slightly now, not out of weakness but out of the intensity of what he was feeling, “mujhe lagta hai jo maine dekha hai vo sab real hai… vo jagah… vo room… vo sab real tha… m... main wahan tha…”

His words came out uneven, his fingers tightening further as if even remembering it was pulling him back into that space.

Veeransh stepped closer immediately.

Without saying anything, he cupped Aariv’s face gently, forcing him to look at him, grounding him back into the present.

“Shhh…” he murmured softly, his thumb brushing against Aariv’s cheek, his touch steady and warm, “bas… calm down…”

Aariv’s breath was still uneven, his eyes searching Veeransh’s face as if he needed him to understand, to believe him.

“Veer, main jhooth nahi bol raha…” he whispered.

“Mujhe pata hai,” Veeransh replied instantly, his voice softer now, but still controlled, “main jaanta hoon tum jhooth nahi bol rahe.”

That one sentence made Aariv pause.

Because Veeransh wasn’t denying him.

He was just… holding him back.

Veeransh leaned his forehead lightly against Aariv’s for a moment, his voice lowering as he spoke again...

“Par abhi nahi,” he said quietly, “tum is state mein wahan nahi jaa sakte.”

Aariv looked at him, still restless, still unconvinced. Veeransh sighed softly and pulled him closer, wrapping an arm around him protectively, letting Aariv lean into him.

“Main le jaunga tumhe,” he said after a moment, his tone calm but certain, like a promise that would not break, “par abhi nahi… pehle tum rest karo.”

Aariv didn’t respond immediately.

He just stayed there for a few seconds, his head resting against Veeransh’s shoulder, his breathing slowly beginning to steady under his touch.

“…pakka?” he asked softly after a pause.

Veeransh’s grip tightened just slightly.

“Pakka,” he said.

Rudra stepped into the corridor and saw Yug standing at the far end.

“Yug?” he called.

No response. Yug did not turn. He just started walking.

Rudra frowned and followed him. “mirchi, suno…”

Yug kept moving. His steps were steady and unnatural. He did not look around. He did not hesitate.

Rudra’s uneasiness grew. “Yug!” he called louder.

No response.

Yug turned a corner and stopped.

Rudra reached him and froze.

They were standing in front of the locked room.

“Yug…” Rudra said slowly.

Yug stood still, facing the door. His head tilted slightly, like he was listening to something.

“Yahan kya kar raha ho?” Rudra asked.

Yug’s hand lifted. His fingers twitched once, then stretched forward toward the lock.

Rudra grabbed his wrist immediately. “Yug, bas.”

Yug turned his head toward him. The movement was sharp. His eyes looked wrong and he stared without blinking.

“Yahin hai…” Yug said quietly.

Rudra felt a chill.

“Kya?” he asked.

Yug looked back at the door.

“…andar hai.”

His voice sounded strained, like it was not fully his.

Rudra tightened his grip. “Kaun andar hai?”

Yug did not answer. His other hand started moving toward the door again, ignoring Rudra’s hold.

“Yug!” Rudra shook him hard.

Yug’s body jerked. His eyes blinked rapidly and his breathing broke.

“Rudra…?” he said, confused.

He looked around like he did not recognize the place.

“Main… yahan kaise…?” he asked.

Rudra did not reply.

He just looked at the door and then back at Yug. Because now it was clear Yug had not come here on his own.

Rudra: chalo yahan se...

Rudra held his hand took him away from there...

“I… main wahan kaise gya?” he asked again, but this time his voice carried fear.

Rudra did not answer immediately.

He just watched him. Yug looked down at his hands again. He slowly lifted one hand, staring at it like it did not belong to him.

“Abhi…” he said quietly, “…abhi main chal raha tha… na?”

Rudra’s jaw tightened.

“Haan,” he said..

Yug shook his head slightly.

“Par… mujhe yaad nahi…” he whispered.

A silence fell between them. Yug’s breathing became uneven. His fingers curled slowly into his palm.

“Rudra…” he said again, this time softer, almost scared, “…mujhe lag raha hai…”

He paused and his voice dropped.

“…main control me nahi hoon.”

Rudra’s expression hardened.

“kuchh nhi hua hai tum bas thak gye ho ,” he said, stepping closer.

But Yug didn’t react to his tone. He just looked at him and he is genuinely scared.

“Sach me…” he said, his voice shaking now, “main chal raha tha… par main decide nahi kar raha tha ki mujhe chalna hai... Mujhe kuchh nhi yaad…”

Rudra’s grip on his arm tightened slightly.

“Tun overthink kar raha ho,” he said, but even he did not sound fully convinced.

Yug shook his head again, more urgently this time.

“Nahi…” he said quickly, “jab main yahan khada tha… mujhe lag raha tha… koi aur hai…”

Rudra went still. Yug continued, his words are coming faster now.

“Jaise… main hoon… par main nahi hoon…”

His breathing turned heavy.

“Jaise koi… mere andar se…” he stopped, unable to complete the sentence.

Rudra grabbed his shoulders firmly.

“Yug. Meri taraf dekho,” he said.

Yug looked at him immediately.

His eyes were filled with fear now and a little tears...

“Rudra…” he whispered, his voice breaking slightly, “mujhe khud se hi dar lag raha hai.”

That sentence hit harder than anything else. Rudra didn’t say anything for a second. Then he pulled him forward and hugged him tightly.

“Pagal ho kya,” he muttered softly, though his grip was firm, protective,

“main hoon na… kuch nahi hoga.”

Yug held onto him instantly.