As Aarav walked through the village, his eyes fell on the people passing by — their faces looked tired and lifeless. The elders sat silently, and the children's eyes showed not curiosity, but fear. Women would flinch at the slightest sound and run indoors. No one spoke the tantrik's name, yet his shadow loomed over every face. Aarav felt it — even the silence here was screaming.
At a turn in the alley, an old Shiva temple appeared. Its walls were crumbling, but inside, the flames of the oil lamps still flickered. Aarav noticed a few women sitting on the floor inside, heads covered, eyes closed. Their lips constantly murmured mantras, as if trying to bind some unknown fear. Those chants echoed in the air — like the echo of a broken faith. Aarav stood outside, listening. Inside, fear, devotion, and helplessness flowed together. The temple was no longer a place of God, but a refuge for fear. And in those women's eyes, the shadow of an approaching misfortune was clearly visible.
A little distance from the temple, an old man was sitting on a stone by the roadside, muttering to himself, "He has returned… the ritual is incomplete… an incomplete ritual invites spirits…"
His eyes were sunken like half-burnt wood, and his voice trembled. Aarav approached him gently and asked,
"Baba… who are you talking about? Do you know anything about the tantrik Vaman?"
The old man suddenly fell silent, as if someone had stolen his voice. His lips moved, but the words got stuck in his throat. For a moment, he looked at Aarav — with deep, lost eyes — then bowed his head and started adjusting his dhoti with trembling hands, as if he had never spoken at all. Kishan and Govinda also paused, but the old man's eyes now only held fear — a silent, unmoving fear. Aarav realized — here, speaking the truth is the greatest danger.
Kishan softly whispered in Aarav's ear,
"There's a girl in the village... her name is Sanaya, she must be around twenty-two."
Aarav listened carefully, and Kishan continued,
"She sees things in her dreams… before they happen. The whole village knows it, but no one openly admits it."
After a while, they headed towards the village square, where a few people sat in silence. In one corner, under the shade of a tree, a girl sat alone — that was Sanaya. Her face showed slight exhaustion, with dark circles under her eyes and lines of worry across her forehead. Her hair was open and messy — as if sleep had abandoned her for many nights. Her eyes were fixed far away, as if stuck in another world. Her clothes were simple — a light yellow kurta and a white dupatta — but there was something otherworldly about her.
Kishan quietly said,
"Lately, she can't sleep… and when she does, nightmares come with it."
Aarav looked at her — for the first time, it felt like someone held an unknown truth… but was afraid of it themselves.
Aarav stepped closer and asked, "Are you Sunayana?"
She flinched, "How do you know?"
Aarav sat beside Sanaya with a gentle smile and said, "I'm from Delhi. I research paranormal phenomena."
Opening his diary, he added, "Tantrik Vaman, the incomplete ritual, and the new moon night — there's a deep connection between the three."
"I want to understand the mysterious events of this village that have been haunting people for years."
Sanaya listened silently. A faint glimmer appeared in her eyes. Aarav continued, "Maybe, with your help, I can get closer to the truth… the one everyone is hiding."
Sanaya took a deep breath, as if trying to release a heavy burden from within. Her voice was soft but trembling,
"I had a dream that night…
There was a child… standing alone on a rooftop. The cold wind was blowing, but he didn't move at all."
"And then… a shadow emerged behind him… dark, blurry… like it was made of smoke."
"That shadow slowly moved closer to him… and then I saw its eyes."
Sanaya whispered with quivering lips,
"Those eyes… they weren't human… something burned in them like fire."
She closed her eyes, "And that's when I woke up… but my heart is still trembling."
"Sometimes," Sanaya said with a shiver,
"I see a ritual in my dreams… massive, but incomplete."
"There's smoke all around and the sounds of mantras… but no face is ever clear."
"It just feels like something is pulling me there… forcefully."
Aarav was listening intently when his eyes noticed her palm.
There was a faint red mark… as if she had touched something hot — not fresh, but recent.
"When did this happen?" Aarav asked.
Sanaya looked at him, "Maybe that same night… when the ritual felt closest in my dream."
Aarav stayed quiet for a moment before asking,
"Sanaya… will you help me uncover this mystery?"
Without hesitation, Sanaya looked into his eyes and said,
"Yes, absolutely."
"I'm also somehow connected to this darkness… in a way I don't yet understand."
She said softly, "I need to know why these dreams come to me… and whether they're just dreams, or something more."
Aarav nodded, "Your presence is very important to me."
Sanaya said, "I'm scared… but I'm tired of being afraid."
"If walking with you can bring answers, then I'm ready."
Just then, Kishan smiled and said,
"Alright then, Sanaya. I'm showing Bhaiya around the village — you should come too."
"The more he learns about the village, the easier it'll be for him to reach the truth."
"And you're already connected to all this… your help will be invaluable."
Sanaya hesitated a little, then nodded, "Okay, I'll come."
Aarav looked at them both and smiled softly — he was no longer alone.
Sanaya now begins walking with Aarav and Kishan. The three move slowly through the uneven, narrow lanes of the village, heading toward an old temple. The temple stood at the village's edge — its brick walls covered in moss, and cracks running through the ancient tiled roof. A large peepal tree leaned over the temple, its roots wrapped with iron chains and strips of red cloth.
The temple door was half open… a faint scent of incense drifted from inside, but behind it lay a thick silence.
Kishan whispered, "Powerful rituals used to take place here once… but now, no one comes. Only a priest visits, and that too during the day."
Aarav noticed — old tantric symbols were drawn on the walls, some faded, but others still glowing faintly. There was a hint of fear in Sanaya's eyes, but she remained silent.
After a while, they left the temple and began walking toward the forest in the northern part of the village.
The trees grew so densely that even the afternoon sunlight could not reach the forest floor.
As soon as they reached the forest's edge, the air grew noticeably cooler by a few degrees.
The birds had fallen silent, and only the soft rustling of leaves could be heard.
Kishan pointed with his finger and said,
"There's something in this forest…"
"People have often heard footsteps here — even when no one is around."
"And on the night of the new moon… strange sounds echo from this forest — like someone is whispering mantras."
"One time, my cousin entered this place… and suffered from a terrible fever for three days afterward."
Aarav looked around carefully — something was definitely there. Not visible to the eyes, but clearly felt.
Sanaya spoke softly,
"This is the place… the one that pulls me in my dreams."
All three of them fell silent — the forest was watching them.
On their way back from the forest, while walking down the path, Kishan leaned toward Aarav and asked quietly,
"Bhaiya, did you see the haveli on that side?"
Aarav asked, "Which haveli?"
Kishan pointed with his finger,
"The one on the far side of the forest… abandoned, but at night, lights are seen there."
Sanaya, hesitantly, added,
"People say sometimes screams can be heard from it."
Kishan continued,
"No one's entered that haveli for years… those who did, either came back… changed — or never came back at all."
Aarav grew serious — another piece of the puzzle had surfaced.
Kishan said,
"We'll go there tomorrow… during the day, because entering it at night is forbidden."
As soon as the talk of the haveli ended, Aarav suddenly said,
"Then let's just go there now… let's see it for ourselves."
Kishan placed a hand on his shoulder and replied with a smile,
"Oh bhaiya, we just got back from the forest… we'll go tomorrow, during the day. People don't consider it good to go there at night."
Sanaya nodded in agreement.
Kishan added,
"And anyway, I'm starving now… aren't you?"
Aarav laughed and nodded,
"To be honest, yes, I am."
Kishan burst into laughter,
"Then it's decided… the rest of the investigation continues tomorrow."
"For now, let's worship the stomach," he said playfully.
Sanaya smiled, and the three began walking back toward the village.
The sun was setting, and the village paths once again seemed wrapped in mystery.
But at that moment, only one thing was on their minds — dinner.
While walking, Aarav asked,
"Where did your friend Govinda go? Why didn't he come along?"
Kishan smiled,
"Now you're asking about him?"
Then, turning a little serious, he said,
"He stayed back at the square (choupal)."
There was a faint gleam in Kishan's eyes,
"That means you're trying to understand things more deeply."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't even notice he was missing."
"That's what a true seeker needs," he added softly.
Night deepened in silence.
Aarav sat at a wooden table, opening his diary.
In a low voice, he wrote:
"The tantric can't just be a story…"
"This village… it's hiding something — something ancient, invisible, and terrifying."
"Sanaya…" He paused, thinking,
"Her dreams might be clues."
"Maybe a doorway — one that, once opened, will reveal something beyond our understanding."
Then he took a deep breath and wrote:
"I will not back down now."
Around 2 AM, a strong gust of wind blew through Aarav's window — so strong that his notepad flew off the table.
He rushed to the window. There was nothing outside.
But then his eyes caught something at the ruined temple across the way…
A woman in a red saree stood there — completely still, not even blinking.
Aarav called out loudly,
"Who's there?"
No reply.
And when he blinked — she was gone.
Aarav felt a chilling sensation, like an unseen force had been watching him all along.
Every strange event of the night felt like a calculated attempt to scare him.
He now knew — something here did not want the truth to come out.
At the same time, elsewhere, Sanaya lay trembling on her bed.
Her eyes were open, but empty — as if her soul was wandering in another realm.
Her forehead was soaked in sweat…
Her face was soaked, lips trembling.
She was seeing a dream — but perhaps it wasn't a dream at all… maybe an old truth resurfacing.
She saw herself inside an abandoned haveli, where even the air felt heavy.
In the center was a massive yajna-kund (ritual fire pit), surrounded by scattered ash.
Near the fire pit sat a tantric — draped in black robes, and on his face wasn't terror, but a strange kind of satisfaction.
He was chanting some ancient mantra continuously, his voice echoing all around.
And his eyes… redder than blood, as if searching for someone.
Then suddenly, he looked directly at Sanaya — straight into her eyes…
"You will be the one to complete my ritual…"
---
In the cold morning breeze, after meditation and yoga, Aarav felt a little more calm — but his mind was still restless with unanswered questions.
He stepped out of the sarpanch's house and headed toward the tea stall.
Kishan was already sitting there, and as soon as he saw Aarav, he smiled,
"Bhaiya, you finally came… I was waiting," Kishan said.
Aarav sat beside him and said softly,
"Kishan… I feel like someone is trying to scare us."
Kishan looked at him with surprise. Aarav continued,
"Last night, the window suddenly opened on its own… and that stench… I looked outside and saw a woman — in red — and the moment I blinked, she vanished."
He took a deep breath,
"It feels like something doesn't want us to reach the truth."
Kishan nodded seriously,
"Then we must be even more cautious, bhaiya."
They hadn't even finished sipping their tea when a commotion was heard in the distance — people were running in one direction.
Aarav and Kishan immediately stood up and ran toward the crowd.
The air was filled with smoke and the sharp smell of burning. The flames had died down, but the ashes still glowed hot.
A hut had burned down — it belonged to the woman whose child had gone missing the night before.
She sat blankly, not crying — just empty… as if she had nothing left inside.
Aarav stepped into the ashes of the hut.
Among the smoldering debris, something unusual caught his eye.
It was a tantric yantra — a circular symbol etched into the ash, with strange markings drawn all around it.
Kishan bent down and gasped,
"This… this is exactly what I saw in those old books…"
Aarav quickly pulled out his notebook and began sketching,
"This wasn't an ordinary fire…"
"It's a warning… or maybe the next move?" he wondered aloud.
A strange mix of fear and curiosity stirred in his heart.
With the mystery of the burned hut and the tantric symbol, Aarav and Kishan rushed toward the village square.
Sanaya was already sitting there — worry in her eyes and exhaustion clear on her face.
Aarav walked up to her and said in a serious tone,
"Your dream… wasn't just a dream."
"The tantric wants to return through you… you're a medium."
Sanaya's breath nearly stopped
.
She asked softly,
"So... am I the next sacrifice?"
For a moment, everyone fell silent — as if even the wind had paused.
Kishan looked away, but Aarav's eyes were firm —
"No… we won't let that happen."