Inside,they noticed a thin child stood silently in the doorway half-hidden in shadow, watching them without blinking.
"Aari… what are you doing there?" a voice called gently.
" Oh... David "
" Yes,elder,the guests are here."
The group turned to see a man in his early fifties approaching them with a warm, reassuring smile. He leaned slightly on a walking stick, yet carried himself with quiet dignity.
"Welcome,he said gently. "I am xingmei jiyanu, the elder of this village . Please, come inside.'' He turned affectionately toward the child . "Aari, come here," he said with a soft smile.
They followed him into a modest sitting room where three people were already gathered.The air inside felt heavier than outside,still and old,as though the room had Been holding secrets for years.The elder introduced his family with pride."Everyone, this is my wife Wenjai. This is my second brother Joghan and his wife Bimla. My third brother is away working in another town. And..."-his eyes softened -"this is my precious son,Aari."
Everyone exchanged polite greetings.
"Please, sit," the elder said warmly. "You had no trouble finding our village, I hope?"
"No, sir," replied Sian, the man in the brown jacket.
There was a brief pause before Sian leaned forward slightly.
"Sir… could you tell us exactly what happened… about the missing children?"
"missing children?"
The atmosphere immediately shifted. The room grew quiet.As the conversation continued, Astha's eyes remained fixed on Aari. After a moment, he simply closed his eyes.
"Hey, are you sleeping?" Sreyan,the spiked hair asked.
"…Hmm," Astha responded coldly.
Yug watched him silently.
At that time aari whisper ,"they are awake."
"What....did he say?...james asked quietly.
No one answered .
Xingmei's grip tightened slightly on his walking stick. For a fleeting second, his calm expression slipped.
"It's nothing," the elder said, a little too quickly. "The boy has a habit of mumbling."
But Aari was no longer looking at them.
He was staring at far .
The elder let out a heavy sigh.
"It has been a year now… children have been disappearing continuously,No signs. No witnesses. Nothing."
He tapped his walking stick lightly on the floor.
"We searched everywhere. We asked everyone. But the village gave us no answers."
His voice lowered.
"People started leaving. Those who stayed… stopped letting their children go outside. Fear took over everything."
Silence followed his words.
Sian's voice broke it. "How many children are missing?"
"Fifteen," the elder said immediately.
"No—sixteen," the elder's wife corrected sharply from the side.
The elder turned his head slowly toward her.
A long pause.
Then he spoke, firm and cold. "Fifteen. You are mistaken."
His wife's expression tightened. "Oh… right."
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Sian leaned forward again.
"Don't worry, sir. We will find out the truth."
For the first time, the elder's smile returned—but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Then he stood, gripping his walking stick a little tighter than before.
"I think it's lunch time",said astha with cold face but could not hide the eagerness.
Everyone ...*_*
"Come. Lunch is ready."
But none of them moved immediately.
Because in that moment, every guest in the room felt the same thing:
They were not here just to investigate missing children.
They had already stepped inside something far more dangerous.
As they followed the elder into the dining area, Astha noticed the child again. The boy's gaze was fixed on the door, unblinking, as if he were waiting for something… or someone.
Astha slowed his steps. There was something unsettling about the way the child stared, so still, so certain.
Curious, he walked over, slipping one hand into his pocket, his posture loose and almost careless. he leaned slightly toward him, lowering his voice just enough to make it feel like a secret shared between them.
"Hey…" he murmured. "How do you know they're awake?"
The boy didn't look at him.
Astha's eyes flicked briefly to the door, then back to him.
"Will they come for lunch…" he continued softly, a faint edge creeping into his tone, "…or are they waiting for dinner?"
For a moment, nothing happened. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with something unspoken.
Then, suddenly, the boy turned.
His eyes met him—calm, knowing.
"You're like me," he said.
Astha blinked, caught off guard, then let out a small scoff. "No," he replied lightly. "I'm an adult. You're just a kid."
The boy held his gaze for a second longer, as if measuring his words… then turned and walked away without another sound.
Astha watched him go, then exhaled, shaking his head faintly. "Ah, kids these days…"
He turned back—only to find someone standing there.
"Oh—Mr. Piyush," he said, straightening slightly.
He murmured something under his breath.
"What?" Astha asked, tilting his head.
"Yug," he repeated, a little clearer this time.
He blinked. "Right… Yug."
He studied him for a moment. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, nothing," Astha shrugged casually.
A beat passed.
Then he clapped his hands softly. "Actually, I'm starving. Let's go."
Before he could respond, he caught his hand and started dragging him toward the dining area.
A wooden table stood at the center of the room, neatly arranged. Simple, comforting food had already been served—bowls of rice and dal, fresh roti, chicken, and a mild vegetable curry. Steam rose gently into the air, carrying a warm, familiar aroma.
"Please, sit," Wenjai said softly.
Everyone took their places.
For a moment, only the faint clinking of utensils filled the room. The silence felt heavy—almost intentional.
"This is very good," Sian said, trying to ease the tension.
Wenjai gave a small, polite smile. "It's simple food."
"But it feels like home," James added quietly.
The elder at the head of the table gave a slow nod. "That is all we can offer."
Sian glanced around, then leaned slightly toward the others and whispered, "This old man is very cunning. He's hiding something… and this whole family feels strange."
"Yeah," James murmured back. "And about this investigation of fifteen missing children… we still have no clue."
"Sixteen."
"What?"
"Sixteen missing children," Astha corrected firmly.
"How can you say that? Do you have any proof?" scoffed Riju.
"You idiot, why are you whining in front of me?" Kiupa snapped sharply at him. Riju immediately fell silent, shrinking back under his glare.
"Misha is right," Yug said, backing Astha up.
Astha kept glancing at Yug's chicken leg. Without a word, Yug slid it toward him. His eyes brightened for a second before he quickly returned to his usual expression.
"Eat well," Yug said with a faint smile.
"Okay," Astha replied expressionlessly—and immediately finished the food, as if he had been starving for days.
Yug just smiled to himself.
Sian exhaled slowly. "Alright. Let's gather everything we know. After freshening up, we meet again and go through all the clues properly."
No one disagreed.
But something had already changed.
The warmth of the meal was gone. What remained felt like quiet waiting—like the house itself was holding its breath.
After lunch, the elder led them toward the west side . A small courtyard opened up, surrounded by aging stone walls and a row of old wooden rooms.
"Okay, everyone," the elder said, "these are your rooms."
In his hands were bundles of deep red flowers.
"These are bloodmoon flowers."
"Why?" Sian asked immediately.
"To drive evil away," the elder replied calmly. "Please be careful. Do not open windows or doors at night. At any cost."
"…Okay," James said slowly.
Without another word, the elder turned and left.
Sian looked at the group. "We are ten people. Two per room. Take the flowers and choose quickly."
Sreyan turned toward Astha with a playful grin. "Beautiful. Let's go."
"No," Yug said flatly.
"You will stay with me."
Sreyan frowned. "Why?"
Yug didn't answer. He simply stepped between them, final in his decision.
Sreyan sighed dramatically, clutching his chest. "Beautiful… it hurts my heart to be away from you."
"Take angina," Astha said flatly.
Sreyan blinked. "What's that?"
"medicine," he replied without emotion.
Sreyan froze for a second—then laughed under his breath.
Astha quietly adjusted his grip on the bloodmoon flowers, watching the courtyard as the light dimmed even further.
The wind slipped through the stone corridors again—colder this time, almost deliberate.
Somewhere in the west wing, a door creaked open on its own.
And this time, no one even pretended it was nothing.
Astha turned toward one of the rooms, a faint smile lingering on his lips.
Suddenly—
Thud.
"Oh—sorry, sorry!" Riju stumbled past him, adjusting his glasses before quickly rushing into another room.
Astha didn't react. He simply stepped inside his assigned room.
And stopped.
Xingxing was already there.
The girl glanced at him with clear annoyance. "How irritating."
Astha exhaled quietly.
Of all people… her.
That twin sister had refused to stay with anyone, which left this arrangement unavoidable.
Still, Astha walked in calmly and placed the bloodmoon flowers near the window.
He sat down on the bed.
Then, without even looking at Xingxing, he said, "You can take the floor."
His tone was peaceful. Matter-of-fact.
Not rude. Not harsh. Just… decided.
Inside, his thoughts were simple.
'Girls are precious… they should be respected and protected.'
He lay back on the bed, closing his eyes as if nothing about this situation was strange.
Xingxing stared at her in disbelief.
Outside, the wind howled softly.
And somewhere in the darkness —
Something moved.