For a few seconds, nobody reacted.
The words simply hung in the air.
Heavy.
Impossible.
Confusing.
Then Aryan pointed toward Wick.
"No."
The Tantric blinked.
"No?"
"No."
Aryan repeated confidently.
"That's stupid."
Deep immediately nodded.
"Surprisingly valid argument."
The old man sighed.
"I wasn't asking permission."
A few people laughed.
The tension eased slightly.
But only slightly.
Because nobody had missed what he'd said.
The Emerald Pendant should have destroyed him.
Instead...
It had been afraid of him.
Wick folded his arms.
"What exactly does that mean?"
The Tantric remained silent for several moments.
Studying him.
The same way he'd been studying him since they arrived.
Finally, he spoke.
"It means I don't know."
That answer surprised everyone.
Especially Wick.
"You don't know?"
The old man shook his head.
"No."
Another pause.
"And I don't enjoy saying those words."
Prishka immediately smiled.
"I like him."
"You would."
Dipanshu muttered.
The Tantric ignored them.
"Most spirits behave according to rules."
His gaze shifted toward the Emerald Pendant resting on the table beside him.
"That spirit was old."
Older than any of you understand.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Even Deep stopped joking.
"How old?"
The old man looked toward the night sky.
"Centuries."
A chill passed through the group.
"Possibly longer."
Nobody liked that answer.
Not one bit.
The Tantric continued.
"Spirits become stronger with time."
"That sounds unfair."
Aryan complained.
"It is."
The old man didn't even look at him.
"But this one wasn't simply strong."
His eyes moved toward Wick.
"It was cautious."
That word caught everyone's attention.
"Cautious?"
Prishka repeated.
The Tantric nodded.
"It attacked everyone else directly."
"Deep."
"Dipanshu."
"Shristi."
"Sonal."
Then his gaze settled on Wick.
"But with him..."
A pause.
"It hesitated."
Memories immediately returned.
The abandoned house.
The possession.
The spirit's expression during the fight.
The Other Side.
The repeated moments where it seemed unsure.
Wick remembered all of it.
Unfortunately, that didn't help.
Because he still didn't understand why.
Neither did anyone else.
Finally, Shristi quietly spoke.
"Could it have been the Necklace?"
The room became silent.
Because that was actually a good question.
The protective Necklace had shielded Wick for years before he gave it to her.
The Tantric considered it.
Then slowly shook his head.
"No."
His answer came with absolute certainty.
"The Necklace protected him."
A pause.
"It did not create whatever frightened that spirit."
Nobody liked that answer either.
Especially Wick.
Because it created more questions than answers.
Prishka noticed immediately.
Which meant she did what she always did.
Made things worse.
"So basically..."
Everyone looked toward her.
"You're saying he's weird."
The Tantric blinked.
Then sighed.
"That is an aggressively simplified explanation."
"But technically correct."
The old man pointed at her.
"Unfortunately."
Dipanshu burst out laughing.
Even Deep couldn't stop smiling.
For the first time all night, Wick looked genuinely annoyed.
Which only made everyone laugh harder.
Except Aryan.
Aryan looked thoughtful.
That was somehow more concerning.
"What if he's secretly some ancient warrior?"
"No."
"What if he's chosen by destiny?"
"No."
"What if—"
"No."
Deep interrupted.
Aryan pointed toward the Tantric.
"See? Nobody supports creativity."
Meanwhile, the Tantric's attention returned to the Emerald Pendant.
His expression became serious again.
"The important thing is that the spirit is gone."
Everyone nodded.
Finally.
Closure.
Or at least they thought so.
The old man carefully picked up the Emerald Pendant.
For the first time since anyone had found it, somebody touched it without fear.
Then he stood.
"What are you doing?"
Deep asked.
"Finishing this."
The group followed him outside.
The village was quiet.
The storm had completely passed.
The night sky stretched overhead, filled with stars.
A short distance from the house, a narrow river flowed quietly through the village.
The Tantric stopped beside it.
Without ceremony.
Without drama.
He threw the Emerald Pendant into the water.
The green stone disappeared beneath the surface.
Gone.
Just like that.
No explosion.
No scream.
No final curse.
Nothing.
Aryan looked disappointed.
"I expected more."
"Of course you did."
Varsha replied.
The Tantric brushed his hands together.
"It's over."
Those two words carried a strange weight.
Because for the first time—
Everyone believed them.
The nightmare was finished.
The group slowly began walking back toward the house.
Talking again.
Laughing again.
Planning how quickly they intended to leave this place and never return.
Only Wick remained behind for a moment.
Standing beside the river.
Watching the water disappear into the darkness.
A familiar presence approached.
Shristi.
Neither spoke immediately.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable.
It never had been.
Finally, she stepped beside him.
"You okay?"
Wick kept his eyes on the river.
"Yeah."
"Liar."
He smiled.
"You spend too much time with Prishka."
"Occupational hazard."
A faint laugh escaped him.
Then Shristi's expression softened.
For a while, neither of them spoke about spirits.
Or possession.
Or nightmares.
They simply stood beneath the quiet night sky.
Eventually, she rested her head against his shoulder.
"We survived."
The words sounded simple.
But both of them knew how much they meant.
Wick looked toward the stars.
Then slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
This time...
They had.
Behind them, inside the Tantric's house, Prishka was already arguing with Aryan.
Deep was threatening to throw him into the river.
Dipanshu was encouraging it.
The world was beginning to feel normal again.
And for now—
That was enough.
But somewhere beneath dark waters...
Far from the village.
Far from the coast.
Far from everyone.
Something ancient stirred.
Not awake.
Not yet.
Just listening.
Waiting.
To be continued…