The night was heavy with heat.
It was late summer, and the air inside the house felt still, almost suffocating. The ceiling fan rotated lazily above, its blades cutting through the warm air without offering any real relief. The faint hum filled the silence, blending with the distant chirping of insects outside.
The walls seemed to hold the heat, pressing it inward.
Outside, the world slept in silence.
Inside—
Agastya slept peacefully.
His small body lay curled beneath a thin bedsheet, one arm tucked near his chest. His breathing was soft and rhythmic, untouched by the heaviness of the night. A faint strand of hair rested across his forehead, unmoving.
Moonlight slipped gently through the curtains, painting a pale silver glow across his face.
Everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
And then—
Something changed.
A faint tension crept across his face. His brows tightened slightly, as if reacting to something unseen. His fingers twitched once… then again..and again.
His breathing shifted.
Not enough to wake someone else—
But enough to disturb the silence.
Suddenly—
He wasn't there anymore.
His eyes opened.
But not in his room.
He stood in an unfamiliar place.
Dark.
Cold.
Silent.
The warmth of his bed was gone. The air here felt sharp, biting against his skin. A strange stillness surrounded him, unnatural and heavy—as if even sound was afraid to exist.
Agastya looked around slowly, his heartbeat beginning to rise.
"Where… am I…?" he whispered to himself.
His voice didn't echo.
It didn't travel.
It simply… disappeared.
The ground beneath him felt strange.
Sticky.
Heavy.
Each step felt like it resisted him, as though the ground itself didn't want to let go.
He took a small step forward.
Then another.
And then—
He saw it.
Blood.
Everywhere.
It stretched endlessly, covering the ground like a dark, unmoving ocean. Thick. Deep. Unnatural. The faint reflection of dim light shimmered across its surface.
The metallic smell filled the air instantly.
Sharp.
Suffocating.
Agastya froze.
Fear gripped him.
His chest tightened. His throat dried. His instincts screamed at him to run—to get away from whatever this place was.
At first—
He stepped back.
His breath quickened.
His eyes widened.
But then—
A thought crossed his mind.
A fragile shield.
"This… this is just a dream…" he murmured.
The words felt weak—but necessary.
Children believe that.
They hold onto that idea—
Because it gives them control.
Because without it—
Fear becomes too real.
Agastya swallowed his fear.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He forced his foot forward again.
"I'm not scared…" he whispered, though his voice trembled.
The lie echoed louder in his own mind than anything around him.
He moved further.
Trying to understand.
Trying to explore.
But suddenly—
A sharp pain struck his chest.
"Ahh—!"
Agastya gasped.
His body jerked violently, as if something had pierced straight through him. The pain wasn't dull. It wasn't distant like a dream.
It was precise.
Real.
He clutched his chest tightly, his fingers digging into his shirt as if he could stop it.
His breathing became uneven.
"What… what is this…?" he whispered, panic rising in his voice.
His legs weakened.
The world around him seemed to tilt.
He felt like collapsing.
But he didn't fall.
Something—
Wouldn't let him.
As he tried to move—
His body froze.
Completely.
His muscles locked in place. His arms refused to lift. His legs refused to step. Even his neck stiffened.
He couldn't move.
Not even an inch.
His eyes widened in terror.
"No… no… move… move…" he tried, forcing his body, willing it to respond.
But nothing happened.
The silence around him grew heavier.
Closer.
Like something was watching.
And then—
Another strike.
This time—
From behind.
A tearing pain ripped through him, sharper than before. It felt as if something invisible had cut through his body, leaving fire in its wake.
Agastya screamed.
"Maa!!"
Back to Reality
Indu woke instantly.
Her eyes snapped open, her heart pounding violently against her chest. For a moment, she didn't understand what had happened—
Then she heard it.
The scream.
"Agastya!"
Panic surged through her as she rushed out of bed, her feet barely steady as she ran toward his room. The hallway felt longer than usual, the darkness pressing against her from all sides.
She pushed the door open.
Agastya sat upright on the bed.
Trembling.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, as if he had been running. His face was pale, beads of sweat forming along his forehead despite the heat.
His eyes—
Wide.
Terrified.
"What happened, my son?!" Indu rushed to him, pulling him into her arms with the warmth of selfless love.
Her embrace was tight, protective, desperate.
Agastya clung to her instantly.
His small hands gripped her tightly, as if letting go would drag him back into that place.
"Maa…" he whispered, his voice weak, shaking, "I… I saw something…"
His head throbbed.
A sharp, growing pain began to spread, pulsing with every heartbeat.
Indu cupped his face gently, forcing him to look at her.
"It's okay… it's okay…" she said softly, though her own voice trembled. "Tell me…"
Her eyes searched his face, trying to understand, trying to find something familiar in his fear.
Before he could answer—
The pain intensified.
Agastya winced sharply. His body tensed again, but this time—not from fear.
From pain.
He lifted his hand instinctively—
And clutched his right eye.
"The… the killer… I saw…" he struggled to speak, his words breaking between breaths.
"I was somewhere… I don't know where… there was blood… everywhere…"
"Blood?" Indu's voice trembled as she hugged him tighter, her heart racing faster with every word.
Her grip tightened unconsciously.
As if she could protect him just by holding him closer.
Just then—
Footsteps rushed in.
Lucian entered.
His expression was calm—
But his eyes were sharp.
Alert.
"What happened?" he asked, moving quickly toward them.
Agastya looked at him.
His father.
The one who always had answers.
But this time—
His voice carried fear.
"Papa… I saw a dream… but it felt real…"
Lucian knelt beside him immediately.
His movements were controlled, but his focus was absolute.
"Tell me everything," he said, his tone steady.
Not comforting.
Not dismissive.
Serious.
Agastya swallowed hard.
"I was taken somewhere… I don't know where… everything was dark… and there was blood…"
Lucian listened without interruption.
His face remained still.
But his mind—
Was already racing.
"And then?" he asked.
Agastya's grip on his eye tightened.
"I felt pain… in my chest… real pain…" his voice shook. "I saw blood coming from my stomach…"
Indu gasped softly, her hand instinctively moving to his back.
Her fingers trembled.
"When I tried to turn…" Agastya continued, his breathing uneven, "I couldn't move… I was frozen…"
Lucian leaned closer.
Every word mattered now.
Every detail.
"And then…" Agastya whispered, his voice breaking, "another strike came… and I screamed…"
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Indu stroked his hair gently, trying to calm both him—and herself.
"It was just a nightmare…" she said softly.
But her voice lacked certainty.
Lucian—
Wasn't listening to that.
His eyes had shifted.
To Agastya's hand.
Still clutching his right eye.
"Why are you holding your eye?" Lucian asked quietly.
Agastya winced.
"It… it's burning…"
The word lingered.
Burning.
Not hurting.
Not aching.
Burning.
Both Lucian and Indu froze.
Something about that word—
Felt wrong.
Lucian's expression changed.
Subtly.
But enough.
"Let me see," he said.
Agastya hesitated.
Fear flickered across his face again.
But slowly—
He lowered his hand.
Lucian's breath stopped.
For a moment—
His mind refused to process what he was seeing.
The right eye—
Was swollen.
Not slightly.
Not naturally.
It glowed.
A deep, unnatural red.
Not like irritation.
Not like infection.
Something else.
Something… alive.
From the corner of the eye—
A thick, dark fluid slowly traced down his skin.
Not tears.
Not blood.
Something in between.
Lucian whispered under his breath,
"This… is not normal…"
Indu stepped closer.
Her eyes widened instantly, fear flooding her expression.
"Lucian… do something! Our son is in pain!"
Her voice broke.
Desperation replaced fear.
Lucian didn't respond immediately.
His mind was moving—
Fast.
Searching.
Analyzing.
Rejecting every possible explanation.
This didn't match anything.
No condition.
No disorder.
No logic.
But Agastya—
Was suffering.
That was enough.
Lucian stood up quickly and walked to his room. His steps were controlled, but faster than usual. He opened a drawer, his hands moving through medicines with practiced precision—but his thoughts were anything but steady.
Within moments, he returned.
He knelt beside Agastya and held out the medicine.
"Take this," he said calmly. "It will help."
Agastya looked at him.
Then slowly shook his head.
"I don't want to sleep alone…"
His voice was small.
Fragile.
Afraid.
Indu immediately pulled him closer.
"You don't have to," she said softly.
Her hand moved gently through his hair, steadying him.
"I'll stay with you."
She lay down beside him, wrapping her arms around him protectively.
Agastya slowly relaxed in her embrace.
His breathing steadied.
The pain eased—just enough.
Within minutes—
He fell asleep.
Still holding onto his mother.
But Lucian—
Didn't move.
He stood there.
Watching.
Thinking.
His eyes returned to the child's face.
To that eye.
Even closed—
It didn't feel normal.
"This isn't just a nightmare…" he murmured.
His voice barely audible.
"These symptoms… they don't exist…"
For the first time—
Doubt crept into him.
Not as a doctor.
But as a father.
"Something is wrong…"
The night grew deeper.
The house fell silent again.
But Lucian remained awake.
Standing in the dim light.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because somewhere—
Beyond logic.
Beyond understanding—
Something had just revealed itself.
And it wasn't done yet.
It was just starting...