The possessed Shristi slowly tilted her head.
The movement wasn't human.
The angle was wrong.
Too far.
Too smooth.
Her eyes settled on Prishka.
For the first time, the smile disappeared.
Something else replaced it.
Recognition.
"You."
The word echoed strangely.
"You can see."
Prishka felt her stomach drop.
The room suddenly became colder.
Everyone felt it.
Even Aryan would've noticed it.
Before anybody could respond, Shristi's gaze shifted toward Wick.
The reaction was immediate.
The expression changed.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
But cautious.
That didn't go unnoticed.
Neither by Wick.
Nor by Prishka.
The spirit took a step backward.
Its eyes never leaving him.
"You're not supposed to be here."
The words came out sharp.
Accusing.
Wick slowly moved forward.
Every instinct in his body screamed that this thing was dangerous.
But another instinct told him something equally important.
It didn't want him close.
---
"Neither are you."
His voice remained calm.
Controlled.
The same voice he'd used during every crisis since the trip began.
The entity laughed.
A horrible sound.
Wet.
Broken.
Like waves crashing against rocks.
"You don't understand."
Its eyes drifted toward the necklace.
"It belongs to me."
---
Suddenly Shristi's body jerked violently.
Then she screamed.
---
Every window in the room exploded outward.
Glass shattered across the floor.
Prishka stumbled backward.
Deep immediately moved in front of her.
Dipanshu grabbed a broken wooden chair and pulled Varsha behind him.
Pure instinct.
Pure protection.
The temperature dropped again.
The lights flickered.
Though there shouldn't have been electricity at all.
And then Shristi was no longer standing still.
She moved.
Fast.
Far too fast.
One moment she stood near the altar.
The next she was on the opposite side of the room.
Aryan swore.
"That's not normal."
"Thank you so much."
Dipanshu replied.
"I was beginning to think this was completely reasonable."
Despite the situation, the comment almost made Prishka laugh.
Almost.
---
The entity's attention returned to Wick.
Always returning to Wick.
Like a predator trying to decide whether to attack.
Or flee.
Then suddenly—
Shristi collapsed.
Everyone froze.
For two seconds she remained on the ground.
Motionless.
Then she looked up.
This time her eyes weren't black.
Weren't glowing.
Weren't supernatural.
They were simply hers.
Terrified.
"Wick..."
Her voice shook.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Please..."
Prishka immediately moved.
"Shris!"
"Don't." The warning came from Wick.
Sharp.
Instant.
Prishka stopped.
Because something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Then Shristi smiled again.
The trap had failed.
The spirit laughed.
And suddenly everyone understood.
It was playing with them.
The realization hit Wick harder than anything else.
Because every time they fought it...
It wasn't fighting back properly.
It wasn't trying to win.
It was trying to keep them busy.
A memory surfaced.
The dream realm.
The place he'd entered once before.
The place where he'd pulled Shristi back.
His expression changed.
Prishka noticed immediately.
"Wick?"
He wasn't looking at Shristi anymore.
He was looking at the necklace.
The cursed necklace.
Then at the chain around Shristi's neck.
His chain.
The one he'd given her long ago to help with the nightmares.
Suddenly everything clicked.
The spirit wasn't truly here.
This wasn't its home.
This was only its doorway.
His eyes slowly rose toward the entity.
And for the first time since entering the room—
He smiled.
The spirit's expression immediately darkened.
Because it realized something.
Wick finally understood.
"We're fighting the wrong enemy."
Nobody spoke.
The wind continued screaming outside.
Prishka stared at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Wick never took his eyes off the entity.
"It isn't here."
The smile vanished from the spirit's face.
For the first time...
It looked genuinely worried.
And that was all the confirmation Wick needed.
To be continued…