Shanu (3rd girl ) hit a tree hard and fell to the ground in the dark jungle. Leaves and dirt stuck to her skin as she scrambled back to her feet.
She could feel it—someone was following her.
Her clothes were torn, hanging in pieces. Her feet were bleeding from the rough ground and sharp stones. Every step hurt, but she kept running.
Her eyes were wide with fear. She didn't know who—or what—was behind her. But it was close.
She pushed through the thick trees and finally reached the other side of the jungle. The air felt colder here.
She stopped for a moment, gasping for breath, heart pounding. Her chest rose and fell fast.
She turned around quickly, scanning the shadows.
Nothing. But she knew something was out there.
Trying to stay quiet, she crawled toward a pile of old tree wood and slipped behind it. Curling into the dark space, she tried not to make a sound.
She covered her mouth with her hand and listened.
Branches cracked in the distance.
Something—or someone—was still coming.
A thick fog slowly began to rise around Shanu, swirling across the ground and crawling up through the trees. It moved silently—unnaturally.
Within seconds, the fog covered her from all sides.
Shanu's fear grew. Her hands shook.
"No... no, no…" she whispered, her breath trembling.
Panicked, she stood up and tried to run out of the fog—but suddenly, something shoved her hard from behind.
She stumbled forward, rolling down a slope and landing in an open clearing. There were no trees here, no places to hide—just open space and silence.
She forced herself to stand and run again, but something grabbed her ankle.
She fell.
Hard.
A sharp pain shot through her leg. She clutched her ankle—it was injured badly. She couldn't move it.
Shanu cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face. She tried to crawl, but her body refused.
She lay there, shaking, broken, afraid.
A moment passed. She looked around, desperate, screaming for help—but no one was there.
Only silence.
And then... the fog returned.
Even thicker than before.
It moved slowly, circling her, colder now—like the air itself had frozen. Shanu couldn't run anymore. She couldn't hide.
She stopped.
She gave up.
Her throat was dry. Her voice gone. All she could do was watch.
The fog in front of her began to twist and rise—slowly taking shape. A soft blue glow emerged.
A soul—floating, not quite human—hovered above her.
It came closer… closer… until it was just inches from her face.
It looked into her eyes. No hatred. No rage.
Only stillness.
And then, in a soft, cold whisper, it spoke:
"We need you."
Shanu's lips parted, but no sound came out. Her heart pounded, but her body was frozen.
All she could do now—was listen.
The glowing blue soul slowly lifted one hand and raised it above Shanu's head.
Shanu stared at the hand, her mouth slightly open. Her eyes widened—then both her eyes and mouth began to glow bright white.
Something inside her was changing.
Her soul… it was starting to rise. Slowly, it began to leave her body, pulled upward by the blue spirit.
But just then—
A strong gust of wind slammed into the soul, breaking the connection.
Shanu dropped to the ground, unconscious. The glow faded from her face. Her body lay still.
The soul floated back, surprised.
It turned around, scanning the direction the wind came from.
There, standing at the edge of the fog—
Mahi.
She had followed the sound of a girl's scream—but this was not what she expected. Now, she stood face-to-face with something unknown.
Something powerful.
She stared at the soul, calm but ready. Her hands clenched into fists.
Then she spoke, voice steady:
"Who are you?"
The soul hovered silently, glowing faintly in the dark mist.
Mahi's mind raced.
She thought about Jay—his body taken over by another soul… But this one was different.
Blue. Silent. Cold.
"What is this?" she thought.
"Another soul? A different one? What does it want with Shanu?"
The air grew still again. The fog thickened between them.
This was no accident.
This was war between souls.
And Mahi had just stepped into the middle of it.
"Shhh… where's Mahi?" Rohan whispered to himself, hidden in Deepak's body. His eyes scanned the dark jungle edges, but she was gone.
Did she lose her way?
Jay was still attacking, throwing fast and violent punches. Rohan kept dodging, calm and controlled, his eyes never blinking.
Hari took the chance. He rushed to Divya and Nandini, both lying unconscious, and pulled them behind a large fallen tree where Naresh was already hiding.
Naresh looked at the girls, worried. "Where's Shanu?" he asked.
Hari replied quickly, "I saw her running toward the jungle… she might be safe by now."
Jay's laughter echoed through the cold air.
"It's fun, isn't it?" he said, grinning wickedly. "Showing them what they really are."
Rohan stepped closer, his voice steady.
"What are they?"
Jay smirked. "Mortal beings. That's all."
He landed on the ground with a heavy step.
Rohan also landed, still watching him carefully.
Jay began walking slowly toward the lake, his back to Rohan.
"You see," he said, voice low but clear, "when you capture or possess a human body… the original soul starts to break. Bit by bit, it leaves."
He turned his head halfway, smirking.
"They're unbound. No power. No resistance. Easy to control."
Rohan's expression changed. That word—unbound—hit him deep.
He remembered Mahi.
Her warnings. Her fight.
And Jay… was something far more dangerous than he had thought.
Rohan asked,
"Then what are you bound to?"
Jay stopped walking. Slowly, he turned around.
"Not like you," he said with a dark smile.
"I am bound to someone else."
His eyes glowed.
The lake behind him rippled without wind.
And the silence grew heavier.
Rohan tensed.
This was just the beginning.
Rohan's thoughts echoed inside Deepak's body:
If what Jay said is true… then Deepak doesn't have much time left.
If I don't leave his body soon, his soul might vanish forever.
He looked down at his hands—Deepak's hands—clenched and shaking slightly.
But… can I even fight Jay without a body?
And where is Mahi?
Why hasn't she come back yet?
Rohan stared at Jay, standing near the lake with that evil smile. Something felt wrong. His skin, his voice, his very presence—too unnatural.
Then it hit Rohan.
This isn't Jay anymore.
Jay was already dead.
Someone—or something—had taken his body.
Rohan's jaw tightened. His fists clenched.
He shouted, voice full of rage,
"So you killed him."
He stepped forward, eyes locked.
"Now it's my turn."
---
Behind the fallen tree, Naresh kept his head low, heart pounding. He whispered to Hari,
"What happened to Deepak?"
Hari shook his head. "I… I don't know. But I think that man—Jay—is possessed by something evil."
He looked toward Rohan.
"And Deepak… looks possessed too. But this one is helping us."
Naresh peeked over the wood, eyes wide.
Rohan and Jay were now facing each other like two storms ready to collide.
He whispered, trembling,
"I never believed in ghosts… or souls… but this… this is real."
Hari didn't answer. He was watching too, frozen, knowing whatever happened next would decide all their fates.
A glowing knife flew through the fog—but the blue soul hovered and dodged it easily.
In return, the soul's eyes flared, and with a sudden psychic force, it hurled a large rock at Mahi.
Mahi reacted fast. She rolled to the side, the rock crashing just inches away.
Breathing hard, she pressed her back against a nearby tree, then reached into her pocket.
Her fingers found a small metal shard—thin, sharp, ordinary-looking… but not to her.
She closed her fist around it and focused.
The metal started to glow, pulsing with energy, reacting to her touch.
Another rock smashed against the tree behind her—splinters flew. No time.
Mahi rolled again, jumped mid-air toward the next tree—
—and as she turned in the air, she threw the glowing metal shard directly at the soul.
At that same moment, another rock crashed where she had been just seconds ago.
The shard struck the soul's shoulder with a flash of white-blue light.
The soul jerked back, letting out a strange, low howl.
Mahi landed hard, but her eyes were locked on the soul.
The spot where the shard hit… was shattered—its glow fading, the smoky form torn open like burned paper.
That part of the soul's body had disappeared completely.
The soul hovered in confusion, looking at its own wound.
It wasn't just hurt—it was scared.
Mahi stared at the soul's shoulder—
the part where the glowing shard hit was gone, completely disappeared.
She looked down at her hand, still tingling with energy.
Her inner voice whispered:
So… it works like this.
She reached for a small stone lying near her.
Closing her fingers around it, she focused her will—slow, steady—and the stone began to glow bright white in her palm.
I can turn anything into a weapon that can hurt a soul…
...if I focus my energy… if my will is strong enough.
But then she felt it—
a wave of weakness crashing through her chest and arms.
Her knees wobbled slightly.
It takes a lot from me, she thought. Too much…
My stamina is dropping fast. I already feel drained.
She looked up again.
The soul was recovering, its eyes locked on her now—no more games.
It was angry.
And it was coming.
Mahi clenched the glowing stone tighter.
She had a weapon.
But only a few chances left.