Inside the haunted house, something felt wrong.
Not broken.
Not decayed.
Wrong.
The room they had entered stood in violent contrast to everything outside. The walls were freshly painted in soft pastel colors—sky blue, pale yellow, light pink. Tiny handprints decorated the corners. Shelves were lined with neatly arranged toys: dolls, toy soldiers, stuffed animals, miniature cars, and colorful blocks scattered across the floor.
It looked warm.
It looked safe.
And that was exactly what made it terrifying.
"…Is this a nursery?" Lioran asked quietly.
Aishwarya's eyes scanned the room, every muscle tense. "No. Something about this place feels fake."
Skanda folded his arms, his half-demonic, half-goddess mask tilting slightly. "In all my years," he said slowly, "this is my first time seeing something like this inside a haunted zone."
Sharin swallowed. "Then that confirms it. This isn't normal."
Before anyone could speak again—
KRRRRK— KRRRRK—
A loud creaking sound echoed through the room.
Everyone turned.
The wooden wardrobe in the corner began to shake violently.
"What the hell…?" Sharin muttered. "Why is it shaking all of a sudden?"
Lioran stepped forward instinctively. "Something's inside."
The shaking intensified.
THUD! THUD!
Then—
BANG!
The wardrobe doors burst open.
A figure tumbled out and crashed onto the floor.
"Oof—!"
The person lay there, wrapped tightly in a thick cloth, rolling from side to side.
"I—I think I'm going to die because of the heat!" the muffled voice cried out.
The figure frantically pulled the cloth off.
It was a boy.
A child—no older than twelve.
"…What?" Lioran blinked. "A kid?"
"What is a kid doing here?" Aishwarya asked sharply.
The boy gasped for air, his face pale, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Before anyone could react—
CLICK.
The door behind them slammed shut.
Sharin spun around. "What?! We're trapped!"
"We'll deal with that later," Skanda said calmly. "First, the child."
They approached slowly.
The boy saw them and immediately backed away, fear flooding his eyes.
"P-Please don't hurt me!" he cried.
Aishwarya crouched down and softened her voice. "Hey. It's okay. We won't harm you."
"…R-Really?" he asked, trembling.
"Yes," she said gently. "We'll take you back home."
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes. He suddenly lunged forward and hugged her tightly.
"I thought I'd never go home," he sobbed. "I thought I was going to die here…"
Aishwarya froze for a second—then hugged him back.
"Don't worry," she said softly. "We're here. You're safe now."
Lioran glanced at Sharin.
"I didn't know she was this caring," Lioran whispered.
Sharin nodded. "Same."
Skanda stepped closer.
"Kid," he said, kneeling slightly. "I need to ask you something."
The boy looked up—and froze.
Skanda's mask reflected dim light, his presence overwhelming.
The boy recoiled.
"Senior, you're scaring him," Aishwarya said.
"Eh?" Skanda shrugged. "I'm not doing anything."
She sighed. "Alright, I'll ask."
She turned back to the boy. "What's your name? And why were you here?"
"My name is Arpit," he said shakily. "I came to get my cricket ball."
"Ball?" Aishwarya repeated.
"Yes," Arpit nodded. "We were playing cricket. I hit it really hard, and it went inside this house."
Lioran frowned. "Then why were you hiding in the wardrobe?"
Arpit hugged his knees. "After I found the ball… I suddenly felt very cold. Like… freezing. Then I felt like something was watching me."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"I looked up… and I saw seven eyes."
A chill ran through the room.
"I ran," Arpit continued. "I didn't know where to go. I hid inside the wardrobe."
Skanda's tone darkened. "Seven eyes…"
Lioran clenched his fists. "Kroor."
"But… I'm confused," Arpit added.
Aishwarya tilted her head. "Why?"
"When I hid inside the wardrobe," he said slowly, "this room wasn't like this."
Everyone stiffened.
"What do you mean?" Lioran asked.
"There were no toys," Arpit said. "No colors. It was just a dark, empty room with a single wardrobe."
Silence.
"That means…" Sharin whispered.
"Someone completely altered this room," Skanda finished.
Suddenly—
Skanda felt it.
He stepped aside instantly.
SHHHK!
A small arrow shot past his face and slammed into the wall, blasting a hole straight through it.
"What the—?!" Lioran shouted.
They turned.
A small toy archer stood on a shelf, bow raised.
"…It's a toy," Lioran said slowly.
Before he could finish—
TAP… TAP… TAP…
Footsteps echoed behind them.
They turned.
All the toys were moving.
Dolls twisted their heads unnaturally. Toy soldiers raised rifles. A toy policeman lifted a gun.
BANG!
A bullet shot toward Aishwarya.
She flipped sideways, flames bursting from her feet.
"These toys are alive!" she shouted.
The toys surrounded them from all directions.
"We're trapped!" Sharin yelled.
The toys attacked.
RATATATATA!
SHHHK! SHHHK!
Bullets. Arrows.
"VARSHIELD!" Skanda slammed his hand onto the ground.
A transparent purple barrier erupted around them.
ZZZZT!
The toys that touched it were electrocuted and thrown back. Bullets and arrows ricocheted, smashing the toys apart.
"They're dangerous," Skanda said. "We need to escape."
Then—
GRRRRRRR—
A deep mechanical sound.
Three toy tanks rolled forward.
"Oh no," Skanda sighed dramatically. "We're doomed."
BOOOOOOM!
Missiles fired.
The room exploded in smoke and fire.
When the smoke cleared—
They were untouched.
"I was joking," Skanda said lazily. "Those missiles can't break my barrier. Even a nuclear missile couldn't."
Lioran and Sharin's eyes sparkled.
"Really?!" they said together.
"Hmm… I think so," Skanda replied.
They stared.
"…You're bluffing," Lioran said.
Skanda smiled.
"Okay," he said. "First, we get the kid out."
They took him.
But something was wrong.
No matter how long they walked, they never found the exit.
"This house isn't that big," Lioran muttered.
"We're looping," Skanda said.
He opened a random door.
It led back to the toy room.
"Oh no," Sharin groaned. "Again?"
"Those Kroors started playing with us," Skanda said calmly.
Aishwarya's eyes hardened. "So we defeat them."
"No," Skanda replied. "We wait."
He sat down.
"They'll come to us."
They waited.
Minutes.
An hour.
Two hours.
Nothing.
They got bored.
Eventually, they played Uno.
"UNO! I win again!" Aishwarya laughed. "That's my third win."
"You're too good," Sharin said.
"She's just lucky," Lioran grumbled.
"Oh? Someone's upset?" she teased.
Elsewhere—
Three shadows watched them.
"…What are they doing?" one Kroor sneered.
"We thought they'd entertain us," another said.
"They're boring," the third growled.
"…Let's finish them."
TO BE CONTINUED…