CHAPTER 53 — THE FIRST CLUE
---
Morning arrived, but the storm had not completely disappeared.
Dark clouds still covered most of the sky above Thomson House, casting long shadows over the estate.
The mansion looked peaceful from the outside.
Elegant.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
---
But inside—
cracks were spreading everywhere.
Invisible cracks.
The kind that eventually destroyed families.
---
Krrish woke before sunrise.
As usual.
---
His eyes opened instantly.
No confusion.
No laziness.
No hesitation.
---
For a few moments, he remained lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
---
His mind immediately returned to last night's events.
Shadow.
Granth.
The crimson eyes.
The forgotten room.
---
Most people would dismiss such experiences as dreams.
Hallucinations.
Stress.
---
Krrish wasn't most people.
---
He knew what he had seen.
And more importantly—
he knew what he hadn't understood.
---
That bothered him.
---
In his previous life, ignorance could kill.
The unknown was always dangerous.
---
And right now—
he knew almost nothing.
---
Who was Shadow?
Why did Granth know him?
Who was the being hiding inside Thomson House?
And what exactly was the Trinetra?
---
Questions.
Too many questions.
Not enough answers.
---
Krrish slowly sat up.
---
"Then I need information."
---
The conclusion came instantly.
---
Every battle started with knowledge.
---
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
his attention shifted away from the Thomson family.
---
Toward something much bigger.
---
Downstairs, breakfast had already begun.
---
The atmosphere around the dining table remained tense.
---
Nobody looked comfortable.
Nobody looked relaxed.
---
Everyone felt it.
---
Something had changed inside the family.
---
Jain sat at the head of the table as always.
His expression remained stern.
Controlled.
---
But the dark circles beneath his eyes revealed a different story.
---
He hadn't slept well.
---
Neither had Liya.
---
Nor the sisters.
---
And Claire looked even more distracted than usual.
---
Only Shane appeared calm.
---
At least on the surface.
---
But Krrish noticed something immediately.
---
Shane's eyes.
---
They kept drifting toward the corners of rooms.
Toward shadows.
Toward reflections.
---
Interesting.
---
Very interesting.
---
Krrish sat down silently.
---
No one spoke for several moments.
---
Then suddenly—
Jain slammed his coffee cup onto the table.
---
Everyone flinched.
---
"Enough."
---
His voice echoed through the room.
---
"I am tired of this atmosphere."
---
Nobody responded.
---
Jain's gaze swept across the table.
---
Cold.
Sharp.
Demanding.
---
"This family has become a joke."
---
The sisters lowered their eyes.
---
Liya remained silent.
---
Claire looked uncomfortable.
---
Then Jain's gaze stopped on Krrish.
---
As expected.
---
"Especially because of you."
---
The room froze.
---
In the past, Leo would have lowered his head.
Apologized.
Accepted blame.
---
Not anymore.
---
Krrish calmly picked up his cup.
Took a sip.
---
And ignored him.
---
The reaction stunned everyone.
---
Jain's face darkened instantly.
---
"What did I just say?"
---
Krrish slowly looked at him.
---
"You spoke."
---
Silence.
---
Complete silence.
---
Even Shane's eyes widened slightly.
---
Jain nearly stood up.
---
"Watch your tone."
---
Krrish remained calm.
---
"No."
---
The single word hit harder than shouting.
---
Because it wasn't emotional.
It wasn't rebellious.
---
It was absolute.
---
For the first time in years—
someone inside this house had openly refused Jain Thomson.
---
And everyone felt it.
---
The balance of power had shifted.
---
Just slightly.
---
But enough.
---
Jain's fists tightened.
---
"You think you've become clever?"
---
"No."
---
Krrish replied calmly.
---
"I've simply stopped pretending."
---
The words struck deeper than anyone expected.
---
Especially Liya.
---
Because she understood exactly what he meant.
---
Stopped pretending.
---
Pretending everything was normal.
Pretending nobody was suffering.
Pretending silence solved problems.
---
Her hands trembled slightly beneath the table.
---
Krrish noticed.
---
But said nothing.
---
Because some wounds needed time before they broke open.
---
Later that afternoon.
---
Krrish wandered through the mansion alone.
---
Officially, he was recovering.
Resting.
---
Unofficially—
he was investigating.
---
His instincts told him something important was hidden inside this estate.
---
Something connected to last night's vision.
---
Eventually he reached the oldest wing of the mansion.
---
A section rarely used anymore.
---
Dust covered the corridors.
Old paintings hung crookedly on walls.
---
The entire place felt abandoned.
---
But not empty.
---
Never empty.
---
Krrish walked slowly.
Carefully.
---
Then he stopped.
---
Something caught his attention.
---
A portrait.
---
An old family portrait hanging near the end of the hallway.
---
At first glance, it appeared normal.
---
But Krrish noticed something strange.
---
One person in the painting had been scratched out.
---
Deliberately.
---
Repeatedly.
---
As though someone wanted that person erased from history.
---
His eyes narrowed.
---
Now this was interesting.
---
He stepped closer.
---
The painting was ancient.
At least several decades old.
---
Jain appeared younger.
Liya looked much younger too.
---
And beside them—
a figure whose face had been destroyed.
---
Only fragments remained.
---
A man's shoulder.
Part of his hand.
---
Nothing else.
---
"Who were you?"
---
Krrish whispered.
---
At that moment—
a voice suddenly spoke behind him.
---
"You shouldn't be here."
---
Krrish turned immediately.
---
An elderly servant stood in the hallway.
---
The old man looked nervous.
Very nervous.
---
His face had gone pale.
---
As if he had seen a ghost.
---
Krrish studied him carefully.
---
The servant wasn't afraid of the portrait.
---
He was afraid of Krrish looking at it.
---
Interesting.
---
Very interesting.
---
"Who is this?" Krrish asked calmly.
---
The old servant immediately shook his head.
---
"Nobody."
---
A lie.
---
An obvious one.
---
Krrish could see it instantly.
---
"Then why remove his face?"
---
The servant froze.
---
For several seconds, neither spoke.
---
Then the old man's voice dropped to almost a whisper.
---
"Some truths..."
---
He hesitated.
---
Then continued.
---
"Some truths were buried for a reason."
---
Krrish's eyes sharpened.
---
Finally.
A clue.
---
The servant looked around nervously.
Making sure nobody was nearby.
---
Then he stepped closer.
---
Much closer.
---
And whispered:
---
"If you want answers..."
---
"Go to the west cellar."
---
Krrish remained silent.
---
The old man swallowed nervously.
---
"You'll find something there."
---
"Something nobody was supposed to find."
---
Before Krrish could ask another question—
the servant quickly walked away.
---
Almost running.
---
As if speaking those words alone had terrified him.
---
Krrish watched him disappear down the hallway.
---
Then slowly turned toward the old portrait again.
---
The scratched-out figure seemed even more mysterious now.
---
A forgotten family member.
A hidden truth.
A buried secret.
---
And somehow—
Krrish felt it was connected to everything.
---
Shadow.
The crimson eyes.
The Trinetra.
The darkness awakening beneath the mansion.
---
For the first time since arriving in this world—
he felt genuinely excited.
---
Not because of conflict.
---
Because of discovery.
---
A mystery had finally revealed itself.
---
And Krrish had always been good at solving mysteries.
---
He looked toward the far end of the mansion.
Toward where the west cellar lay hidden beneath the estate.
---
A faint smile appeared on his face.
---
"Let's see what you've been hiding..."
---
Far below the mansion—
deep within darkness—
something ancient suddenly opened its eyes.
---
And smiled.
---
Because the moment Krrish found the cellar—
there would be no turning back.
---
The truth buried beneath Thomson House was finally beginning to awaken.
🔥 To Be Continued...