Ananya's story had ended with shattered glass, but Riya's was just beginning. The entity that had possessed her reflection wasn't Malati; it was something far older, far angrier, and it wanted more than just a sister. It wanted to consume the entire lineage of those who had wronged it.
The entity materialized, its glowing red eyes matching the stone. Riya realized she couldn't break the amulet—it was part of her now, the key to the heart in the forest.
The folklore book had mentioned one way to stop the curse: a pure, willing soul must become the new guardian. Riya understood what she had to do. The heartbeat from the forest was growing louder, shaking the house.
She grabbed the iron fire poker, just like Ananya, but not to break anything. She ran back into the forest, down the stairs, to the stone altar. "I accept my fate!" Riya shouted. She pressed the crimson stone against the eye on the altar.
The chamber was flooded with a terrifying, crimson light. The heartbeat ceased. The shadow entity dissolved. The amulet's chain loosened and fell onto the altar, the stone now dark and lifeless. Riya felt her own heartbeat slow down, becoming one with the earth.
The curse was broken, but Riya was gone, her soul forever bound as the silent guardian of the forgotten forest. The weeping eye on the amulet finally shed its last, crimson tear.