The villagers decided one thing.
The temple must burn.
They carried torches at midnight.
Mantras filled the air like shields.
Ananya stood at the entrance.
Calm.
Beautiful.
Empty.
Pandit Devraj cried,
"You are not the god!"
Her voice echoed with many:
"I am what you forgot."
They lit the fire.
Flames swallowed the old stones.
The bells melted screaming.
Inside the fire, the idol moved.
Not falling—
Standing.
Ananya walked into the flames willingly.
She turned once.
Smiled gently.
And vanished into light and ash.
By morning, the temple was gone.
Only a black mark remained.
At night, villagers still hear a bell—
Not from outside.
But from inside their own chests.
Tinnnnn…
And Kaalpur remembers:
Some temples protect you.
Some wait to become you.