Mahi slowly opened her eyes.
The room was bright. She could hear a soft beep from a machine nearby. Her body felt heavy and weak.
She tried to move but felt pain in her shoulder. Then, she heard voices near the door.
"Did everyone give their statement?"
"Yes, sir. Everyone is done."
"Good. File the reports. I'll read them soon."
"Raju, thank you for coming."
"Of course, sir. I'll stay with you."
One person walked away. One stayed behind.
Mahi slowly turned her head and saw a man standing near her bed. He wasn't wearing a doctor's coat—just plain clothes. His eyes were serious but calm.
She knew that voice.
It was Inspector Suryavanshi.
He noticed she was awake and stepped closer.
"You're safe now, Mahi. You're in a hospital near the base town," he said gently.
"You've been asleep for two days."
Mahi's eyes widened.
Two days...?
Before she could say anything, another man entered the room. He was younger—sharp and alert. It was Constable Raju.
Suryavanshi looked at her kindly.
"Don't worry. You need rest. But soon, we'll need to hear what happened in the jungle."
Mahi smiled at Raju.
> "How are you, sir?" she asked softly.
Raju smiled back.
> "I'm fine, ma'am. But you don't look so good."
They both laughed gently.
> "You're lucky," he said, "Get some rest. You've been through a lot."
Raju and the inspector stepped out of the room, leaving Mahi alone.
The room was quiet now. Only the sound of the fan spinning slowly above.
Mahi turned her head slightly, whispering:
> "I saw you… You used something on that soul. It vanished completely."
A dark shadow hovered near her bed. Faint, like smoke in the air.
She didn't flinch. Her voice was calm but serious.
> "Was he… the same man we were looking for? The one from the car accident case? The missing person?"
A deep, heavy whisper filled the room.
> "Yes... But he is no longer human."
Mahi closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling fan again.
> "What happened to him?" she asked quietly.
Rohan's voice—soft, almost like a thought in her head—answered:
> "The souls we're fighting… they are shadow souls too."
Mahi's mind started piecing things together.
> Shadow souls… But they follow orders. They have a master.
She whispered to herself:
> "If we want to stop all this… the killings, the attacks… we have to find their master."
The shadow near her didn't reply, but it lingered—watching, listening.
And the fan above kept turning.
In the Frozen Shadows of Nainital
The cold night in Nainital bit deep into the flesh, but the old man sitting by the fire felt nothing. Flames cracked and danced in rhythm with the wind, but his eyes remained shut, his bare chest exposed to the snow-laden air. He chanted low, guttural mantras, weaving ancient energies with each breath.
A presence stirred behind him.
A man approached—wounded, torn, but not bleeding. His body bore the scars of battle, but his smile was untouched. Evil curved his lips. It wasn't Jay—not anymore. This was Diksh, the entity that had possessed Jay's lifeless body.
Without opening his eyes, the old man spoke.
"Where is she?" His voice was low, cold. "I can't feel her."
Diksh stood silent, hesitant.
The old man opened his eyes, sharp and piercing like the mountain winds. "Did you collect the souls?"
Diksh bowed slightly. "Master... we've collected five." He hesitated. "But—"
Bhagnath's face darkened. "But what?"
"That soul… the girl," Diksh said quietly. "She was removed from existence. I saw it with my own eyes. That man… he did it."
Bhagnath's stare turned to fire. "I am Bhagnath. I alone command such destruction on this earth."
"I know, Master," Diksh stammered, "but he used something else—something ancient, fueled by raw spirit."
Bhagnath was silent, absorbing the words. Then, slowly, he extended his hand. "Give me what you have."
From his coat, Diksh retrieved five small glass bottles. Inside each one, a blue essence twisted and writhed. Bhagnath took them, walked to a wooden cupboard carved with strange symbols, and placed them beside twelve others already collected.
He paused, staring at one of the older bottles. It pulsed faintly.
"We need four more," he whispered. "Only then the ritual can begin. And once it does... we'll step beyond death itself."
Diksh's voice wavered. "Master… I cannot do this alone anymore."
Bhagnath's eyes burned brighter as he gazed into the fire. "You won't. I will summon another from the soul world. A shadow soul… powerful, obedient. But it will take time."
The fire flared as if acknowledging the darkness ahead.
And in that moment, the snow outside fell heavier—like the world knew what was coming.
The lift door opened in the hospital. Mahi slowly stepped out, using a walker for support. She walked to the reception desk, cleared her bill, and collected her papers. Outside, her friends Pratiksha, Rachna, and Ammu were waiting for her.
As they saw her, Rachna joked, "This accident totally ruined our Manali trip!"
Ammu added with a laugh, "We packed sweaters for snow, not stretchers for the hospital!"
They all laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
Outside the hospital, a police van was parked. Mahi saw Constable Raju waiting near it. She asked her friends to wait and slowly walked up to him.
"Hello, how are you, sir?" Mahi said with a small smile.
"I'm good, ma'am," Raju replied kindly. "Suryavanshi sir wants to meet you before you leave."
Mahi sighed. "I have to go to the hotel and rest. I can't move around much with this walker."
Raju nodded. "No problem. Suryavanshi sir and I are also heading back to Pune since the case is closed. He'll visit you when we're back in Pune."
Firewood burned quietly in the dark jungle. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind rushed in, trying to put out the flames.
From the shadows, a man walked slowly into the clearing. The forest was filled with strange sounds—whispers, growls, and distant screams. Some voices cried out in pain, others laughed in an eerie way.
But the man didn't stop. He wasn't afraid. He didn't even flinch. He just kept walking forward, calm and steady.
Behind the trees, hidden in the darkness, a soul watched him. Then another. And another. One by one, more souls appeared—twenty, thirty… soon over a hundred shadowy souls were watching him from the woods.
The man didn't look at any of them. He didn't need to.
He already knew… they were there.
Ahead, he heard the sound of water—soft waves brushing against the shore. A lake was nearby. He knew he was on the right path.
Bhagnath kept walking.
A few ghouls floated across the narrow path in front of him—twisted, ghostly figures with empty eyes and crooked smiles. Bhagnath stopped. He waited calmly as they passed. Then, without a word, he began walking again. Still calm. Still fearless.
Suddenly, a whisper came from behind him.
"Bhaaagnaaath… Bhaaaagnath…"
"I am here… Come to me…"
The voice echoed through the trees, cold and haunting.
But Bhagnath didn't turn. He didn't slow down. He didn't even blink.
He kept walking straight ahead—toward the lake, toward his goal.
The voice came again—soft, cold, and high-pitched, like a child whispering through the trees.
"So… you lost one soul?"
Bhagnath stopped for a moment. That voice… it was familiar.
From the shadows near the lake, a strange figure appeared. Small in size, almost like a child, but its face was twisted and dark. This was Mahantu, an old and cursed soul.
Bhagnath's eyes narrowed.
"You know what happened to the Blue Soul, Mahantu?" he asked sharply.
Mahantu gave a dry, broken laugh.
"There are still some vessels. Mankandika created them."
Bhagnath's expression turned angry.
"She's still alive?"
Mahantu shook his head.
"No. Mankandika is dead… but she was the first vessel of Death. Her soul, even without a body, can still create more like her. New vessels. New dangers."
Bhagnath stayed quiet, staring at the ground. Flames from the fire behind him flickered as the cold wind picked up.
Mahantu stepped forward, his shadow thin and strange.
"She is still powerful, yes… but without a body, she's no big threat."
Then Mahantu lowered his voice, almost like a warning.
"But that new shadow soul… the boy… He's not like the others. He's different. More dangerous than any vessel we've seen."
Bhagnath clenched his fists. The air around him grew heavy.
Something was changing. And he knew now—this boy was not just another problem.
He might be the end… or the beginning of something even worse.
Mahantu's voice turned sharper, more urgent.
"You have to do something, Bhagnath... Act fast."
The wind picked up around them. The trees whispered like they were warning the forest itself.
"The longer you wait," Mahantu said, looking up at the dark sky, "the stronger his shadow becomes. I don't like the way his shadow feels anymore... it's not normal. It's not weak. It's something else."
Bhagnath stood still, deep in thought. His face was cold, but inside, a fire of jealousy and worry had started to burn.
"I need four more souls," Bhagnath finally said. "If I complete the ritual, I can gain the same power he has."
But Mahantu shook his head, slow and grim.
"No... He already has something more. Not just power."
Mahantu's voice lowered like a warning.
"He can remove souls... not kill them… erase them from existence. Even I fear that."
Bhagnath's eyes darkened. He turned toward the lake, the fire behind him flickering low.
"Then I must finish this ritual before he finds me," Bhagnath muttered. "Before that boy understands what he truly is."