The door slammed against the wall with enough force to crack the wood.
Everyone in the room jumped.
For a split second, nobody understood what had happened.
Then Sonal stepped through the doorway.
And every conversation died instantly.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Not because she looked injured.
Not because she looked angry.
Because she looked empty.
The familiar warmth in her eyes was gone.
The hesitation.
The uncertainty.
The humanity.
Gone.
Only one thing remained.
Purpose.
Deep was already moving before anyone else reacted.
Instinct.
The same instinct that had protected them for days.
"Sonal."
No response.
"Hey."
Still nothing.
Sonal's gaze moved past everyone.
Straight toward Shristi.
And the necklace lying beside her.
Wick's expression hardened immediately.
"Stop her."
The command snapped everyone into motion.
Deep stepped in front first.
Dipanshu moved from the side.
Aryan stood up so quickly he nearly knocked over a chair.
"What the hell is happening now?!"
"Later!"
Dipanshu shouted.
Sonal moved.
Fast.
Far faster than she should have.
Deep barely managed to intercept her.
The collision sent both of them crashing into a table.
Wood splintered.
Furniture scattered across the floor.
"DAMN!"
Deep groaned.
Sonal immediately pushed herself back up.
No hesitation.
No pain.
Like she hadn't even felt the impact.
Aryan stared.
"Okay."
A pause.
"That's definitely not normal."
"No shit."
Dipanshu replied.
Wick ignored all of them.
His focus remained entirely on Shristi.
Time was running out.
He moved toward her.
Reached for the necklace.
And immediately Sonal reacted.
The moment his fingers touched the chain—
She screamed.
Not a human scream.
Something else.
Something buried beneath her voice.
The sound froze everyone.
Even the storm outside seemed quieter.
Then Sonal lunged again.
This time Aryan got there first.
Which surprised literally everyone.
Including Aryan.
The impact threw both of them across the room.
"Owww."
Aryan immediately regretted every life choice that led to this moment.
"WHY IS SHE SO STRONG?!"
Dipanshu grabbed Sonal's arm before she could stand.
"DEEP!"
"ON IT!"
Together they forced her backward.
Not easily.
Not comfortably.
But enough.
Wick finally reached Shristi.
The silver chain still rested beside her.
The necklace that had protected her for years.
The necklace the spirit had desperately tried to remove.
Slowly, carefully, he placed it back around her neck.
The clasp clicked shut.
Everyone waited.
Nothing happened.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Twenty.
Still nothing.
Aryan looked around.
"Should something be exploding?"
Nobody answered.
Because everyone had expected something.
A reaction.
A sign.
Anything.
Instead—
Nothing.
The room remained exactly the same.
Wick frowned.
That wasn't right.
On the Other Side, Prishka had been certain.
Then another realization hit him.
His gaze shifted toward Sonal.
The way she kept staring at Shristi.
The way she reacted to the necklace.
The way she'd burst through the door the moment he returned.
Slowly, he stood.
And walked toward her.
Deep looked up.
"Wick?"
"Ask her."
"What?"
"Ask her who she is."
The room fell silent.
Dipanshu stared.
Then looked toward Sonal.
For several seconds nothing happened.
Then:
"Who are you?"
The smile that appeared wasn't Sonal's.
Not even close.
A cold chill spread through the room.
Because everyone instantly knew.
Something else was answering.
The voice that came out sounded distorted.
Broken.
Like two people speaking at once.
"We were forgotten."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The voice continued.
"Left behind."
The words sounded strangely sad.
Not angry.
Not hateful.
Lonely.
Then Wick remembered.
The first hotel.
The strange backpackers.
The girl who had whispered something as Sonal walked past.
The one Prishka had noticed.
His eyes widened.
"It isn't the same spirit."
Everyone turned toward him.
"What?"
Deep asked.
Wick looked directly at Sonal.
"No."
A pause.
"It's another one."
The realization hit the room like lightning.
Two spirits.
Not one.
The ancient sea spirit.
And this.
Something smaller.
Something weaker.
Something attached to Sonal.
The distorted smile widened.
"The Lady of the Sea gave us purpose."
A chill ran through everyone.
The Lady of the Sea.
The necklace spirit.
It had used other spirits.
Collected them.
Controlled them.
Like servants.
Suddenly everything made sense.
The whispers.
The strange group.
The staring.
The slow change in Sonal.
She hadn't been targeted by the sea spirit.
She'd been infected by something already trapped beneath it.
Wick slowly looked toward Shristi.
Then toward the cursed pendant lying nearby.
The one they had removed earlier.
The one nobody wanted to touch.
And an idea formed.
A terrible idea.
Which usually meant it was his kind of idea.
Deep noticed immediately.
"Oh no."
Dipanshu noticed too.
"No."
Aryan looked between them.
"What?"
Wick picked up the cursed pendant.
The room froze.
"Wick."
Deep's voice became serious.
"Put that down."
"No."
"Wick."
"No."
Prishka's words echoed in his memory.
The necklace never failed.
The protection worked.
The spirit couldn't overcome it.
Then there was only one question left.
Why had it feared him from the beginning?
The tarot woman.
The road stranger.
The spirit itself.
All of them had reacted the same way.
Slowly, Wick looked down at the pendant.
Then, before anyone could stop him—
He placed it around his own neck.
The room erupted.
"WICK!"
Deep moved first.
Dipanshu second.
Aryan third.
All too late.
The clasp clicked shut.
And nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing.
The storm continued outside.
The room remained unchanged.
The pendant rested against his chest.
The silence became unbearable.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Then five.
Still nothing.
Nobody understood.
Least of all Wick.
And somewhere beyond reality—
Something ancient finally realized it had made a mistake.
On the other side...
Darkness swallowed Wick.
The ancient ruins disappeared.
The black ocean vanished.
The impossible sky collapsed into nothing.
And then...
Silence.
---
Prishka was still standing.
Alone.
The golden fragments of her shattered shield drifted through the dead air like dying fireflies before fading into nothing.
The spirit didn't move immediately.
It simply watched.
Its countless shifting faces slowly turned toward her.
One by one.
Until every eye...
Every smile...
Every impossible expression...
Focused on her alone.
The silence became suffocating.
"So..."
Prishka forced a smile despite the pounding of her heart.
"I guess the dramatic hero exit means I'm the side character now."
The spirit didn't answer.
It only took one slow step forward.
The black ocean rippled.
Ancient ruins groaned beneath its feet.
Another step.
Closer.
"...Yeah."
She swallowed.
"That was significantly less funny than I imagined."
The creature suddenly disappeared.
Prishka's instincts screamed.
She threw both hands forward.
A circular golden shield burst into existence.
BOOM!
The impact blasted her backward across the ruined platform.
Her boots scraped across ancient stone before she finally stopped.
The shield trembled violently.
Hairline cracks spread across its surface.
Prishka's arms shook.
"So..."
she muttered through clenched teeth.
"Definitely hits harder than it looks."
The barrier shattered.
Golden fragments scattered into the darkness.
The spirit was already behind her.
Prishka spun instinctively.
A violent pulse erupted from her palm.
The invisible force slammed into the creature's chest.
For the first time...
The spirit stumbled.
Only two steps.
But it stumbled.
Prishka blinked.
"...That actually worked?"
The spirit seemed just as surprised.
---
It roared.
The entire realm answered.
The ocean rose.
Ruined pillars tore themselves from the ground.
Broken statues floated into the air.
Hundreds of tons of ancient stone surrounded her.
Prishka looked up.
"...That's cheating."
Everything came crashing down.
She reacted on instinct.
Both hands lifted.
The floating ruins froze.
Every stone.
Every pillar.
Every shattered monument.
Suspended in midair.
Her eyes widened.
"No..."
Her voice barely escaped.
"I'm doing this?"
Sweat rolled down her forehead.
Veins of golden light spread beneath her skin.
The weight was unbearable.
Every muscle trembled.
Every heartbeat hurt.
---
The spirit smiled.
It raised one finger.
The floating ruins began pushing downward.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Like an entire mountain pressing against her mind.
Prishka gasped.
Her knees shook.
Blood trickled from her nose.
"No..."
The stones descended another inch.
Another.
Another.
"I'm..."
She grit her teeth.
"...not..."
Golden rings spun faster around her wrists.
"...dropping these!"
With a desperate cry, she thrust both hands forward.
Every suspended pillar shot back toward the spirit like cannon fire.
A rain of destruction crashed into the spirit.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions echoed endlessly across the dead ocean.
Dust swallowed everything.
Prishka collapsed onto one knee.
Her vision blurred.
Both hands shook uncontrollably.
"...Please tell me..."
She breathed heavily.
"...that actually did something."
The dust slowly cleared.
The spirit emerged.
Completely unharmed.
Not a scratch.
Not a crack.
Nothing.
Prishka stared for several seconds.
Then let out a long, disappointed sigh.
"...Seriously?"
She pointed at the creature.
"I just used my whole power bank on you."
A pause.
"You couldn't pretend to be injured?"
For the first time...
The spirit laughed.
Not with cruelty.
With amusement.
Its voices layered together until the entire sea whispered.
"You awaken ancient gifts... yet wield them like a frightened child."
Prishka slowly stood.
"...Says the immortal ghost bullying someone who unlocked."
She looked at her glowing hands.
"...powers ten minutes ago."
Another pause.
"I haven't even unlocked the settings menu yet."
She folded her arms.
"Congratulations."
"You beat a beginner."
The spirit tilted every one of its heads.
"You believe courage is enough?"
Prishka stood, wobbling slightly.
"I believe you're incredibly dramatic."
She gestured around them.
"Black ocean."
"Creepy ruins."
"No sunlight."
"Zero color palette."
She sighed.
"You really committed to the goth aesthetic."
The spirit's smile twitched.
"Oh."
"There it is."
"I offended the interior designer."
Golden rings spun around her wrists.
A tiny shield appeared.
Immediately flickered.
Prishka looked down.
"...Seriously?"
She tapped it with one finger.
"Come on."
"Don't embarrass me in front of the eldritch horror."
The shield stabilized.
"Barely."
She nodded proudly.
"Good enough."
The spirit roared.
Prishka covered one ear.
"Indoor voice."
"I know you're ancient, but basic manners existed back then too."
The creature lunged.
She barely dodged.
"...Whoa!"
She stumbled backwards.
"Personal space, Grandma!"
Another slash.
She ducked.
"I said PERSONAL SPACE!"
The claws missed her by inches.
She looked genuinely offended.
"You almost hit my face."
"This is my only face."
The spirit attacked again.
She raised her shield.
BOOM!
The impact launched her across the platform.
Without warning, black chains erupted from the ocean.
They wrapped around her wrists.
Her ankles.
Her waist.
Dragging her toward the water.
Prishka struggled.
The more she fought...
The tighter they became.
Cold seeped into her skin.
The whispers returned.
Thousands of voices.
All speaking at once.
Join us...
Stop fighting...
Rest...
Forget...
"No."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"No!"
Golden light exploded from her body.
The chains shattered into black mist.
For one breathtaking second...
The entire Other Side lit up.
The spirit stepped back.
Not because it was hurt.
Because it hadn't expected that.
Neither had Prishka.
She stared at her glowing hands.
"...I..."
A pause.
"...really should've read the sequel."
The glow faded.
Immediately.
Too quickly.
The strength vanished with it.
Her breathing became ragged.
The symbols around her wrists flickered.
One disappeared completely.
Then another.
The remaining rings slowed.
Their light dimmed.
---
The spirit noticed.
Of course it did.
It lunged again.
This time faster than ever.
Prishka raised another shield.
The claws crashed against it.
BOOM!
Cracks spread instantly.
A second strike.
More cracks.
A third.
The barrier exploded.
The force hurled her across the platform.
She rolled several times before crashing into the base of a ruined pillar.
Pain shot through her back.
Everything spun.
---
She tried to stand.
Her legs refused.
---
"Fantastic..."
she whispered.
"First day with powers..."
She coughed.
"...already getting fired."
The spirit approached slowly.
Patiently.
Confident now.
Its countless faces watched her struggle to rise.
It didn't rush.
It knew she was exhausted.
It wanted her to understand.
She couldn't win.
Prishka forced herself upright anyway.
Her knees shook violently.
Her hands wouldn't stop trembling.
Another shield formed.
Much smaller this time.
Barely larger than her body.
The light flickered constantly.
"Yeah..."
She gave the spirit a tired smile.
"I know."
The creature stopped.
"I'm not strong enough."
Another step.
"I don't know how any of this works."
Another.
"But..."
Golden light slowly gathered around her palms once more.
"...my brother-in-law is the stubborn type."
She smiled.
"And unfortunately for you..."
Another shield formed.
Then another.
Though both were unstable.
"...it runs in the family."
---
The spirit laughed.
The black ocean exploded upward.
The final battle between them began.
Far away...
Beyond the endless ruins...
Beyond the dead sea...
A faint silver thread pulsed once.
Then again.
Hidden somewhere within the darkness.
Someone...
Was waiting to be found.
To be continued…