The lights flickered back on.
For a moment, everything looked normal again.
The hospital room. The white walls. The silent machines.
Arjun blinked, trying to adjust his eyes.
Then he froze.
Behind Aanya…
There were two shadows.
Not one.
Two.
One clung to the wall like before—long, crimson, twisting like smoke.
But the second one…
It stood upright.
Still.
Almost human.
Arjun's breath caught in his throat.
"What… what is that?" he whispered.
Aanya didn't turn around.
She didn't seem surprised.
"It finally came," she said softly.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Arjun stepped back slowly.
"No… this isn't real. This can't be real."
But deep inside, he knew the truth.
He had seen too much already.
This wasn't fear anymore.
This was something else.
Something far beyond his understanding.
The second shadow moved.
Not like the first one.
It didn't crawl.
It didn't spread.
It simply… stepped forward.
Its shape became clearer.
A figure.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
The air in the room turned heavy.
Arjun felt like he couldn't breathe.
"Aanya… we need to leave," he said quickly. "Right now."
But she didn't move.
Instead, she slowly stood up from the bed.
Her bare feet touched the floor again.
Cold.
Silent.
"It won't let me go," she said.
Arjun grabbed her arm.
"I don't care! We're leaving!"
The moment he touched her—
The lights exploded into a violent flicker.
The machines around them went completely dead.
And a sharp whisper filled the room.
"Don't touch her."
Arjun froze.
That voice…
It wasn't the same as before.
This one was deeper.
Stronger.
Closer.
The upright shadow moved again.
Closer this time.
Arjun could almost feel its presence behind him.
Aanya slowly turned around.
For the first time—
She faced it.
Her expression didn't show fear.
Only recognition.
"You came late," she said quietly.
The shadow didn't respond.
But the air shifted.
As if it understood her.
Arjun's mind raced.
"What is happening?" he said desperately. "Aanya, talk to me!"
She didn't look at him.
Her eyes remained fixed on the shadow.
"It followed me long before that night," she said
Arjun felt a chill.
"What… do you mean?"
Aanya's lips curved slightly.
"That wasn't the first time I saw it."
Silence filled the room.
Arjun's heart pounded harder.
"You're saying… this has been happening before?"
Aanya nodded slowly.
"In my dreams… in the dark… in the corners of every room."
She took a step closer to the shadow.
"And it never left."
Suddenly—
The crimson shadow on the wall twisted violently.
As if reacting.
Its form stretched, spreading faster.
The temperature dropped sharply.
The windows began to shake again.
The first shadow didn't like this.
Arjun realized it instantly.
"There are two of them…" he whispered.
"And they're not the same."
The upright shadow finally moved again.
This time, it stepped directly behind Aanya.
So close it almost touched her.
Arjun's chest tightened.
"Aanya… get away from it!"
But she didn't listen.
Instead, she closed her eyes.
For a moment…
Everything went still.
Then—
She whispered something.
Too soft for Arjun to hear.
But the shadows reacted.
The crimson shadow lashed out suddenly.
Like a wild creature.
It rushed toward her—
But stopped.
Right before touching her.
As if something was blocking it.
Protecting her.
The second shadow lifted slightly.
And for a brief second—
Arjun saw something impossible.
Not a face.
Not a body.
But a shape… almost human.
And within it—
A faint glow.
Not red.
But something darker.
Deeper.
Older.
"What… are you?" Arjun whispered.
The shadow didn't answer.
But Aanya did.
"He's not here to hurt me."
Arjun stared at her in disbelief.
"Then why is it here?!"
Aanya slowly opened her eyes.
And looked at him.
"For you."
Before Arjun could react—
The crimson shadow lunged again.
This time faster.
Stronger.
The lights burst.
The room plunged into darkness.
Arjun felt something rush past him.
Cold.
Sharp.
Breathing became impossible.
Then—
Silence.
Complete silence.
When the lights came back…
Everything was still.
Too still.
Aanya stood in the center of the room.
Unharmed.
Unmoving.
But Arjun…
He was on the floor.
Gasping.
His chest rising and falling rapidly.
"What… just happened…" he whispered.
Aanya slowly turned toward him.
Her face calm.
But her eyes…
Different again.
Deeper.
As if something had changed inside her.
"It chose," she said quietly.
Arjun frowned.
"Who…?"
Aanya stepped closer.
And knelt beside him.
"The shadow," she whispered.
Arjun's breath caught.
"What did it choose?"
Aanya leaned closer.
Her voice barely audible.
"It chose who to keep… and who to take.