After returning from the Tantric's house, nobody had the energy left for celebrations.
The past few days had drained everyone.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Mentally.
The group eventually returned to the hotel long after midnight.
For the first time since arriving, nobody was worried about who would stay awake.
Nobody checked windows.
Nobody checked locks.
Nobody checked whether Shristi was still sleeping.
The nightmare was over.
And everyone felt it.
The moment they entered the lobby, Aryan stretched dramatically.
"I am sleeping for fourteen hours."
"Twelve."
Deep corrected.
"Fourteen."
"Twelve."
"Fourteen."
Dipanshu pointed toward the elevator.
"Go before I make it permanent."
"Goodnight to you too."
The group slowly dispersed toward their rooms.
As Wick and Shristi walked toward the elevator, Aryan called after them.
"Good night!"
Deep added,
"And don't come out unless the building is on fire."
Dipanshu immediately corrected him.
"Actually..."
"Even then, sleep another ten minutes."
Wick raised one hand without looking back.
"No promises."
The usual chaos finally replaced by exhaustion.
Everyone wanted one thing.
Sleep.
The elevator doors closed.
Before Shristi could follow Varsha and Prishka toward their room, Wick gently grabbed her wrist.
"Wait."
She turned.
"Hm?"
Wick looked strangely nervous.
Which immediately caught her attention.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"You're acting weird."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then he reached into his pocket and handed her a room key.
Shristi blinked.
"What is this?"
"The hotel had a spare room."
A pause.
"And?"
"And I may have asked for it."
Understanding slowly appeared on her face.
"Oh."
A longer pause.
"Oh."
Wick immediately regretted speaking.
"This sounds worse than I intended."
"It really does."
"Can I restart?"
"No. I agree but what's your intention."
"Just want to spend some more precious time with you."
She laughed.
For the first time in days, it wasn't nervous laughter.
It wasn't relief.
It was happiness.
Prishka walked over to Wick and gently placed the key in his hand.
"You protected my sister."
A pause.
"Now take care of yourself too."
She looked toward Shristi.
"You."
Shristi blinked.
"Hm?"
"He's exhausted."
"If he starts pretending he's fine..."
She pointed toward the nearest pillow.
"Hit him."
Wick looked offended.
"Violence?"
Prishka smiled sweetly.
"With love."
Shristi accepted the key.
"I can do that."
A few minutes later, they found themselves inside the quiet room.
The city lights glowed outside the large window.
The distant sound of waves carried through the night air.
For the first time since the trip began...
There was no emergency waiting for them.
It was just the two of them.
---
Wick placed both room keys on the bedside table before sitting down with a long sigh.
"...I don't think I've ever been this tired."
Shristi smiled.
"You look terrible."
"That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me today."
She laughed.
Eventually, Shristi sat down near the window.
Wick sat beside her.
For several moments...
Neither of them spoke.
They simply watched the city.
There wasn't anything left to prove.
Nothing left to fight.
Only silence.
Comfortable silence.
Finally Shristi whispered,
"Can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"Were you really ready to die?"
Wick didn't answer immediately.
He stared at the floor.
Then nodded once.
"If that was the only way..."
"...yes."
Shristi lowered her eyes.
"...You're an idiot."
"I've been told."
"You scared me."
"I know."
"I don't ever want to feel that again."
Neither did he.
He slowly reached for her hand.
"I'll try."
She squeezed his hand.
"No."
"You'll promise."
He looked at her.
Then smiled.
"I promise."
She rested her head on his shoulder.
"You know..."
"What?"
"I had this whole speech prepared."
"Oh?"
"It was emotional."
"It was beautiful."
"It would've made you cry."
"I'm listening."
"...I forgot all of it."
He laughed quietly.
"I believe that."
She looked up at him.
"So instead..."
She kissed his cheek.
"...welcome back."
Wick smiled.
"...Thanks."
"You know..."
"What?"
"You still owe me an explanation."
Wick looked confused.
"For what?"
"The Emerald Pendant."
A pause.
"The Other Side."
Another pause.
"You Wearing a cursed object."
Another pause.
"And nearly giving me a heart attack."
"That one wasn't intentional."
"It rarely is."
They both laughed.
The conversation continued.
Not about ghosts.
Not about spirits.
Not about nightmares.
At least not entirely.
They talked about college.
Friends.
Old memories.
About food.
How Deep somehow became the responsible one.
How Dipanshu pretended not to care while constantly protecting everyone.
How Prishka would never let anyone live in peace and gets everyone involved in Chaos.
Especially Wick.
At one point, Shristi smiled.
"You know what the worst part is?"
"What?"
"Prishka is never going to stop talking about this."
Wick groaned immediately.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
"She's going to be unbearable."
"She's already unbearable."
"Fair."
The conversation drifted naturally from one topic to another.
Hours passed without either of them noticing.
At some point, the room became quieter.
The city lights outside dimmed.
And the weight of everything that had happened finally settled between them.
Shristi lowered her gaze.
"Wick."
His expression immediately changed.
"What?"
For the first time all evening, she looked vulnerable.
Not frightened.
Just honest.
"When I was trapped..."
The words came slowly.
"There were moments I thought I wasn't coming back."
The room grew silent.
"I know."
She looked toward him.
"You knew?"
Wick nodded.
"There were moments I thought that too."
The honesty surprised her.
Because Wick rarely admitted fear.
And when he did...
It mattered.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Shristi moved closer.
Resting her head lightly against his shoulder.
"You still came."
The words were almost a whisper.
"Every time."
Wick smiled faintly.
"You would've done the same."
"Obviously."
"Obviously."
The silence returned.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Peaceful.
For the first time in days...
Neither of them felt like they had to be strong.
The battle was over.
The nightmare was over.
And they were still here.
Eventually, Shristi looked up at him.
A playful smile appeared on her face.
"You know..."
Wick immediately became suspicious.
"That smile never means anything normal."
"I told you after burning an ancient spirit that you could ask for anything."
"I remember."
"And what did you ask for?"
"More time with you."
"Exactly."
She gently nudged his shoulder.
"That's the most boring reward in human history."
"I like simple things."
"You fought ghosts."
"Still simple."
She shook her head.
Trying—and failing—not to smile.
Outside, the city slowly fell asleep.
Inside, the conversation continued.
One memory became another.
One story became another.
One quiet moment became another.
And somewhere in the middle of a sentence—
Wick stopped responding.
Shristi frowned.
"Wick?"
No response.
She turned.
His head had tilted slightly against the headboard.
Eyes closed.
Breathing slow and steady.
He had fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation.
Shristi stared at him for a second.
Then laughed so quietly even he didn't wake up.
"You really were exhausted."
He watched over her all night…
For days.
Obviously he would be exhausted.
She gently adjusted the blanket over him.
Brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Then she rested her head against his shoulder.
Not saying another word.
For the first time in days...
Both of them slept without fear.
And for the first time in days—
Both of them slept peacefully.
To be continued…