[Third Floor - Zain Trapped - 11:11 AM]
"HELP! KOOOOIII HAAAI?!" Zain door pe punch kar raha tha. Phone dead, stream cut, darkness mein sirf ek candle automatically jal gayi thi.
Candle ki light mein shadows dance kar rahe the. But ye normal shadows nahi the. They moved independently, forming shapes - sometimes human, sometimes... something else.
"Zubair... why do you fight us?" Female voice. Young. Familiar.
"I'M NOT ZUBAIR!" Zain shouted.
Mirror mein reflection badal gaya. Zain ki jagah Zubair khada tha - same face but 70s clothes, blood dripping from his forehead.
"We are one. Always have been. Always will be. Until you accept, the cycle continues."
"What cycle?! Kya chahiye tumhe?!"
"Love. Revenge. Freedom. Death. All at once."
Suddenly, door khul gaya. Kavya khadi thi, breathing heavy.
"Zain! Thank god! Tera stream cut gaya toh I ran here!" Kavya ne usse hug kar liya instinctively, then quickly backed away, embarrassed.
"Tu... tu upar kaise aayi? Door locked tha!"
"Nahi, khula tha. Are you okay? Tere forehead pe..." Kavya reached up to touch his forehead.
Blood. Real blood. Same spot where mirror-Zubair had the wound.
[Basement - Aarav and Myra - Same Time]
"We need to leave. NOW." Myra backing away from the photographs.
"Wait, ye dekh," Aarav pointed to one specific photo dated 1975. Five people mid-ritual, holding hands in a circle. "Look at their expressions."
They weren't scared. They were... determined. Almost peaceful.
"They knew," Myra whispered. "They knew they'd die but still did it."
"To break the curse. But it didn't work. We're back."
Myra's hand unconsciously reached for Aarav's. Electric sensation. Not romantic butterflies - literal static shock.
"OW!" Both pulled away.
Where they touched, their skin glowed with the same circular pattern. But this time, half circles - completing only when their hands touched.
"Myra..." Aarav's voice was different. Deeper. "I remember... us. Not just now us. Then us. Every time us."
"Don't," Myra had tears. "Please don't say it."
"We were in love. Aarti and Mayank. Every 48 years, different names, same souls. We find each other and then..."
"We die. Always on the third night. Tomorrow."
Aarav pulled her close. "Not this time. This time we know. We can change it."
"Can we? Ya phir ye bhi part of the pattern hai? Free will hai ya we're just playing out a script written centuries ago?"
Before Aarav could answer, basement lights went out. In the darkness, hundred whispers:
"The lovers always die first. Blood moon demands sacrifice. Tomorrow night, choose - eternal love in death or temporary life apart."
Myra clung to Aarav. His arms around her felt familiar - not just from their college days but from lifetimes of holding each other before the end.
[Library - Rehan Alone - 11:30 AM]
Kavya Zain ko help karne gayi thi, leaving Rehan with the journals. He was deep into financial records from 1975.
"Interesting..." he muttered. "Mansion was bought by same family every 48 years. Different names but same family. Almost like they also reincarnate..."
His laptop pinged. Crypto alert. But not his usual apps. Something called "SoulCoin" had appeared.
Balance: 5 coins.
Value: Your eternal soul.
Trade option: Exchange for freedom.
"What kind of sick joke..." Rehan tried closing it. Won't close.
New message appeared:
"Ravi, you always were the logical one. Here's logic - 5 souls entered. 5 must stay. Trade one to save four. You have 24 hours. Choose who stays behind."
"No. F*ck no." Rehan slammed laptop shut.
When he opened it again, his regular trading screen was there. But portfolio had dropped exactly 20% - one fifth gone.
His phone buzzed. Natasha calling. His ex. Who blocked him 2 years ago.
Against better judgment, he answered.
"Rehan?" But the voice wasn't Natasha's. It was older. Softer.
"Kaun?"
"Ravi... it's me. Priya. I've been waiting. 48 years. Tomorrow when blood moon rises, we can finally be together. Just let go. Let the mansion take you. We'll be eternal."
"I don't know any Priya!"
"You do. Deep down. I was Mayank's sister. Aarav's sister in past life. You loved me. We were going to marry after college. But then... the mansion called you five. You left me. I died of grief. I'm bound here too. Come back to me, Ravi. Come back..."
Line went dead.
Rehan's hands shook as he Googled "Priya Patel 1975 obituary."
Result: "Priya Patel, 21, found dead in Mumbai hostel. Suspected suicide. Sister of missing student Mayank Patel. Last words: 'I'll wait for him.' November 15, 1975."
Photo attached. She looked exactly like Natasha.
[Pool Side - Everyone Gathered - 12:00 Noon]
"Emergency meeting!" Aarav had called everyone.
Sab pool side mein gathered the, but energy completely different thi from yesterday. Everyone looked exhausted, scared, but also... connected. Like pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
"Cards on the table," Aarav started. "We're not who we think we are. Ya phir we're exactly who we are, just more than we knew."
"Hum 1975 wale students hain," Kavya stated flatly. "Reincarnated."
"Mansion is alive," Zain added. "And wants us to complete something."
"Blood moon is tomorrow," Myra checked her phone's astronomy app. "November 13, 11:47 PM. Full lunar eclipse."
"We have choices to make," Rehan serious tha. "Someone... something offered me a deal. One soul for four freedoms."
"WHAT?!" Everyone shocked.
"I'm not taking it!" Rehan quickly clarified. "But it means there's a way out. Rules hain. This isn't random."
Kavya pulled out her notebook - now filled with automatic writing she didn't remember doing:
*"The Ritual of Five:
Five souls bound by choiceBlood moon as witnessLove makes the bond (Aarti-Mayank/Myra-Aarav)Logic breaks the chain (Ravi/Rehan)Voice speaks the truth (Kirti/Kavya)Game player changes rules (Zubair/Zain)Guardian keeps the balance (Unknown)
Tomorrow night, choose:
Complete original ritual - break the 300-year curse but dieRefuse and leave - curse continues, return in 48 yearsNew path - Unknown option, unknown consequence"*
"Guardian kaun hai?" Zain asked.
Everyone looked around. Five of them. No guardian.
"Mrs. Sharma?" Myra suggested.
"Or Mr. Sharma. He was there in 1975," Kavya reminded.
[Lunch - Dining Hall - 1:00 PM]
Mrs. Sharma served lunch quietly. Too quietly. Mr. Sharma nowhere to be seen.
"Aunty," Myra gently started, "we know about 1975."
Mrs. Sharma's hands froze mid-serve.
"We know who we are. Who we were," Aarav added.
Mrs. Sharma sat down heavily. "Toh yaad aa gaya finally. Every time you come, it takes three days. First day - confusion. Second day - memories. Third day - choice."
"Aap kaun hain really?" Kavya journalist mode.
"Main Aarti ki roommate thi. 1975 mein. I survived because I wasn't part of the five. But I'm bound here too. Caretaker. Until the cycle breaks, I age but don't die. 48 years, then reset to the age I was then. It's my punishment for not stopping them."
"Aur Mr. Sharma?"
"He's not my husband. He's... the mansion's original owner's descendant. Cursed to watch every cycle. He was in love with Aarti. When she chose Mayank, he... he helped set up the ritual out of jealousy. His regret keeps him here."
"So you both are prisoners too," Rehan realized.
"Everyone who enters this mansion becomes part of its story. The question is - hero, villain, ya victim?"
Suddenly, lights flickered. Temperature dropped.
Mr. Sharma appeared in doorway. But his eyes were completely black.
"You shouldn't have told them, Rekha," his voice was different. Ancient. "Now they might actually break free. We can't have that, can we?"
Mrs. Sharma stood protectively in front of the five. "48 years I've waited for this chance. They're stronger this time. They remember faster."
"Remembering isn't enough. They need to choose correctly. And we both know what happened to the last group that tried option three."
"What happened?" Zain demanded.
Mr. Sharma smiled creepily. "1879 batch. They tried to trick the mansion. Thought they could use technology of their time - mirrors and electricity - to trap the spirits. The mansion absorbed them completely. They're still here. In the walls. Screaming."
As if on cue, walls mein faint screaming sunai diya.
[4:00 PM - Individual Moments]
Aarav and Myra - Garden
"I'm scared," Myra admitted, sitting on a bench that seemed older than the mansion itself.
"Of dying?"
"Of losing you. Again. I can feel it, Aarav. Every time we've been here, we confess our love and then... darkness."
Aarav took her hands. This time no shock, just warmth. "What if that's the point? Love that transcends death?"
"That's romantic but I want love in life too!" Myra frustrated thi. "Coffee dates, fighting over TV remote, growing old together. Not this eternal death-rebirth cycle!"
"Then we break it. Tomorrow."
"How?"
"By not playing by the rules. Mrs. Sharma said we're stronger this time. We remember faster. Maybe because this time we came as content creators. We're literally documenting everything. Previous versions didn't have that."
Myra looked at him with hope. Then kissed him. Soft, desperate, like it might be their last.
It wasn't romantic like movies. It was raw. Real. Centuries of longing in one moment.
When they pulled apart, garden around them had changed. Flowers bloomed instantly. Dead trees showed green leaves.
"Did we just...?"
"Love affects the mansion," Mrs. Sharma appeared (woman had ninja skills). "It feeds on emotions. You just gave it hope instead of fear."
Kavya and Zain - Third Floor
"Thanks for saving me earlier," Zain said awkwardly.
"Koi nahi. Waise bhi, I had to check third floor myself."
They stood in Kirti's room. Kavya's past self. Journals everywhere. All in her handwriting but different era's language.
"Zain... Zubair's journal mentioned you... I mean Kirti and Zubair were..."
"Together?" Zain looked at her. Really looked. "Haan. I can feel it. Not memories exactly but... pull. Towards you."
Kavya blushed. "This is weird. We're friends. Have been for years. Ab suddenly past life lovers?"
"Maybe that's why we were always comfortable together. Soul recognition."
They found a photograph. Kirti and Zubair at some college fest. Happy. Alive. In love.
"We look good together," Kavya whispered.
"We still do," Zain replied, taking her hand.
Moment of silence. Heavy with possibilities.
Then Kavya pulled away. "We can't. What if it triggers something? Aarav-Myra kissed and garden bloomed. What if we do something and it makes things worse?"
"Or better. Kavya, we might die tomorrow. Do you really want to waste today?"
Before she could answer, room started spinning. Literally. Furniture moving in circles. Their past selves' memories flooding in.
"Promise me, Kirti," Zubair's voice echoed. "Next time, we won't hesitate. Next time, we'll choose us."
"I promise," Kirti had replied. "48 years or 480, I'll wait."
Room stopped spinning. They were closer now. Magnetic pull.
"We promised," Zain whispered.
"We did," Kavya agreed.
This time, she didn't pull away.
Rehan - Alone in His Room
Laptop pe SoulCoin app kept flashing. Timer showing: 18 hours remaining.
Phone rang. Natasha/Priya again.
"Stop calling!"
"I can't. I'm bound to you, Ravi. Every 48 years, I die three days after you. Grief. Always grief. This time can be different."
"How?"
"Accept the mansion's deal. Stay behind. Let others go. We'll be together here. Forever."
"That's not life!"
"It's better than the alternative. You know what happens tomorrow. You've lived it five times already."
"Six. This is the sixth cycle."
"And the last. Mansion grows stronger each time. Tomorrow, it won't let you choose option two. Either break the curse or become permanent residents."
"There's always option three."
Laugh from other side. Not pleasant. "Option three requires sacrifice even greater than death. Are you ready for that?"
"What sacrifice?"
"Your humanity. To beat a monster, become one. Ask yourself, Ravi - what are you willing to become to save them?"
Line cut.
Rehan looked at mirror. His reflection was changing. Features sharper. Eyes darker. Something ancient awakening.
[8:00 PM - Group Dinner]
Everyone quiet. Processing their encounters.
"Tomorrow's the blood moon," Aarav finally spoke.
"We need a plan," Rehan tactical mode. "Can't go in blind."
"I found something," Kavya pulled out an old map. "Third floor mein hidden compartment. Original mansion blueprints. There's a room we haven't seen. Center of mansion. No windows. No doors. Just walls."
"How do we get in?" Myra asked.
"Blood moon light. Specific angle. 11:47 PM. Wall becomes translucent for 13 minutes."
"13 again," Zain noticed. "Everything is 13 or 3."
"Trinity and betrayal," Mrs. Sharma mumbled. "Sacred and cursed numbers."
"What's in the room?" Aarav asked.
"The original curse artifact. Destroy it, curse breaks. But..." Kavya hesitated.
"But?" Everyone leaned in.
"The guardian protects it. And guardian isn't human anymore."
"Who's the guardian?" Rehan had a sinking feeling.
Mrs. Sharma looked directly at him. "It changes. Each cycle, one of the five becomes the guardian. Voluntarily or not."
"Last cycle?" Myra whispered.
"1975. Ravi volunteered. That's why you died last, Rehan. You became the guardian. You're still connected to it."
That's when everyone noticed. Rehan's shadow wasn't matching his movements. It was standing still. Watching them.
"I think..." Rehan's voice shook, "I think I'm already becoming it again."
Lightning flashed outside despite clear sky. Thunder rolled.
Blood moon was rising early. Time was running out.
And somewhere in the mansion, something ancient laughed.
The final game was about to begin.
[11:00 PM - Can't Sleep]
WhatsApp Group: Last messages?
Aarav: Whatever happens tomorrow, this was worth it.
Myra: Don't say goodbye stuff! We're breaking this curse!
Kavya: Recorded everything. If we don't make it, evidence exists.
Zain: Stream backup uploaded to cloud. World will know.
Rehan: If I become the guardian... kill me. Don't hesitate.
Aarav: We're not losing anyone!
Myra: Together or not at all.
Kavya: Five came, five leave.
Zain: Or five stay. But together.
Rehan: Guys... I love you all. Every lifetime.
Everyone: Every lifetime. ❤️
Clock struck midnight. November 13th began.
Outside, clouds parted revealing the blood moon. Not full yet, but close.
In their rooms, mirrors cracked simultaneously.
The mansion whispered in five voices: "Welcome to your last day. Again."
[To Be Continued...]
Next Chapter: The Blood Moon Rises. The final confrontation. Love, sacrifice, and a choice that will either break a 300-year curse or doom them for eternity.