Scene 1 — Shourya
Shourya lay sprawled on his bed, phone held inches from his face.
Search after search.
Keywords changed.
Sentences rewritten.
Sudden visions.
Eye burning randomly.
Seeing things others can't.
Nothing.
Just medical articles. Stress. Fatigue. Overthinking.
He scoffed and locked the screen.
From the kitchen, his mother's voice floated in.
"Shourya, didn't Shlokh call you? He invited you over."
Shourya's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh—right."
He quickly dialed Shlokh.
The call connected.
Before Shourya could speak—
"Bro, don't come today," Shlokh said quietly.
"Let's leave it."
The call ended.
Shourya stared at his phone.
"…He's tired too," he muttered.
Then a thought slipped in.
Or is it because of me?
He sat up slowly. His mind began replaying everything.
That day.
The stone.
The first vision.
Then Vaibhav.
Then Shlokh.
Too many coincidences.
A pattern tried to form—
What if…
He shook his head lightly.
"No," he said to himself.
"Overthinking."
He lay back down, staring at the ceiling.
Still—
The thought refused to leave.
What if they have stones too?
A pause.
"…Whatever."
He turned to his side.
And forced the question away.
Scene 2 — Vaibhav
Shourya was still thinking.
Vaibhav was tired of thinking.
Every day, something strange.
Every day, something slipping further from normal.
Vaibhav knew one thing now—
That man couldn't be ignored.
He had to be found.
Veere.
The thought hardened inside him.
He jumped off his bed and walked straight to the kitchen.
"Maa," he asked suddenly, "do I seem… strange to you?"
His mother looked at him carefully, then smiled.
"I think I should remove the evil eye from you," she said lightly.
"And yes—your exams are over."
She continued casually,
"When are the results coming?"
"And when is the parent-teacher meeting?"
Vaibhav answered quietly,
"December 6th."
"Okay," she nodded.
A few minutes later, after tea, he returned to his room.
In the bathroom, as he pulled off his shirt—
He froze.
The stone embedded in his chest—
Was red.
Not faint.
Not flickering.
Crimson.
His breath caught.
A memory slammed into him.
The dream.
The encounter.
Veere standing before him.
That moment—
When the stone had changed.
"Why…?" Vaibhav whispered.
Then—
A voice spoke.
Not outside.
Inside.
"Don't focus too much on it," the voice said calmly.
"I used a bit of my Riddhox energy to contact you."
A pause.
"It was necessary."
Vaibhav's hands began to shake.
"And yes," the voice added,
"I'm Veere."
Vaibhav swallowed hard.
"What… what are you doing here?" he asked, barely holding his voice steady.
Veere replied,
"You, Shlokh, and Shourya—"
The voice cut off.
Silence rushed back in.
"Hello?" Vaibhav said urgently.
"Sir? Veere?"
Nothing.
The room felt unnaturally still.
Too quiet.
Scene 3 — Shlokh
Shlokh woke up exhausted.
Not physically.
Mentally.
The dream hadn't faded—it lingered, clinging to him like a half-remembered nightmare that refused to take shape.
Was it a dream…
Or something else?
He sat up slowly and scanned his room.
The walls.
The desk.
The door.
Normal.
Still—
A sudden thought struck him.
What if someone is here?
His breath caught.
The idea alone sent a chill through him. He stood still, listening.
Nothing.
Then—
A voice spoke.
Not aloud.
Inside his head.
"So… you're wondering what's happening."
Shlokh stiffened.
"You're trying to decide whether this is a dream or reality," the voice continued calmly.
"But you won't figure it out on your own."
His heart pounded.
"I know you, Shlokh," the voice said softly.
"You'll build theories. You'll make bold assumptions."
A faint, almost amused chuckle followed.
"But leave that for now."
Shlokh swallowed.
"I can tell you something," the voice continued.
"I'll meet you."
A pause.
"Not alone."
"All three of you."
The voice distorted.
Crackled.
Then vanished.
Shlokh took a deep breath. His chest tightened.
"What…?" he shouted suddenly, the word tearing out of him.
Scene Shift — Veere
Veere stood in an unknown space, dim and undefined.
He exhaled slowly.
"Realox…" he muttered calmly.
"This effect is getting troublesome."
The space around him dimmed further.
And the chapter closed.
END OF CHAPTER 12 — ANCHOR
FATUITY
-Alive_here0806