Once the procedure was complete, Ivan stepped out of the room and walked straight toward Myra and Ishan.
Approaching them, he announced, "Mom, the test is complete. The doctor has taken the samples."
Myra asked, "How long until we get the report, dear?"
Glancing at the receipt in his hand, Ivan replied, "The lab technician said it will take five days to get the report. And they mentioned that it is mandatory to bring this receipt when collecting it."
Hearing this, Ishan merely gave a slight nod, but the panic on his face had not faded in the slightest.
After this, the three of them left the hospital and got into the car.
Myra started the engine, and the car slowly drove out of the hospital's main gate, merging onto the paved city road.
As the car traveled along the highway heading toward their village home, a thought came to Ivan's mind.
I haven't even seen Amardeep's face yet. Even if Amardeep isn't alive today, I can at least look at his photo.
Between listening to Uncle Vikas and Uncle Arya, observing Dad's bizarre behavior, and wondering who stole Amardeep's corpse—thinking about all this made me forget this crucial detail.
Ivan realized that he didn't have Twinkle's number to ask for her brother's photo.
Still, he thought, No problem, I'll message her on her Instagram ID and ask. Let me reach home first.
At exactly six in the evening, the three of them arrived home.
After reaching, Ivan headed straight to his room.
Myra and Ishan went into their master bedroom.
Upon reaching the room, Ishan said to Myra, "I've suddenly come down with a fever."
Myra, who was in the middle of changing her clothes, paused in surprise and said, "What has gotten into you lately? Are you hiding something from me? Is there something you don't want to tell me?"
Ishan replied, "I suddenly got a fever, just don't bother me."
Disliking Ishan's tone, Myra stared at him in silence for a few moments and then said, "Fine, I'll go downstairs and prepare warm water for you."
Meanwhile, Ivan was sitting at the table in his room, opening Instagram to message Twinkle.
Before typing anything, he took a quick look at her profile and chat interface; seeing no active status or green dot, he instantly realized that Twinkle was currently offline.
Knowing she wouldn't reply right away, he still went ahead and typed his first text, "Hi Twinkle," followed immediately by another: "Could you send me a photo of your brother, Amardeep? I want to see it."
He then set his phone on silent, left it on the table, and began studying.
He had already changed his clothes and washed his face.
Two hours later, he picked up his phone again. By this time, it was 9:30 PM.
He saw that Twinkle had replied and sent a photo.
It was Amardeep's photo, and in the picture, Amardeep looked exactly like him.
Actually, Ivan was expecting some resemblance, but he had sent the text assuming there would be a slight difference—at least a 1% variation between their faces.
Looking at the photo Twinkle sent, Ivan felt as if he was looking at himself!
Did someone use AI to generate the background and outfit, and send my own photo back to me?
But his heart told him that no, this was not an AI photo. This was real.
Just then, Zoya called.
Ivan answered immediately.
Zoya asked, "Did you ask Twinkle for Amardeep's photo?"
Ivan replied, "Yes."
Zoya said, "You've been thinking about Amardeep lately, haven't you?"
Ivan replied, "No, that's not it."
Zoya said, "Don't lie."
Then she chuckled softly and said, "Do you think Amardeep's soul is trapped inside you?"
Ivan spoke, "No, I don't believe in any of these supernatural things."
Zoya said, "Don't lie. If something is bothering you, you can tell me."
Ivan said, "I'm not lying to you. Who even believes in all these things nowadays?"
Zoya asked again, "Then why did you ask Twinkle for Amardeep's photo?"
Ivan replied, "Just wanted to see it once."
Zoya said, "You were thinking about him, that's why you wanted to see it."
On the other side, Ishan was lying in his room due to the fever, thinking: It will take five days to get the report, how am I going to wait that long?
What if I die before those five days are up?
Even though he was wearing warm clothes, he was still feeling a freezing chill.
Thinking about his own death brought tears to his eyes.
Myra was downstairs preparing dinner.
Upstairs, Ishan was weeping silently, thinking: What should I do? Should I stop waiting for the DNA report, listen to the Sorcerer, and sacrifice three people?
Just thinking about this made Ishan feel sick inside.
Then he thought that he should call Vikas and Arya.
First, he called Vikas.
Vikas answered in a weak voice, "I'm also bedridden because of a fever."
Ishan asked, "Since when did this happen?"
Vikas said, "It hit me suddenly this afternoon."
Ishan said, "The exact same thing happened to me; I suddenly got a fever too."
Vikas whispered, "Don't say such terrifying things."
Then Ishan stammered, "Maybe I should call Arya once and ask him too."
Upon calling, it turned out that Arya was violently ill as well.
Learning about each other's condition made all three of them panic even more.
Then Vikas said, "I feel like this is all Amardeep's doing. He wants to torture us to death. Earlier he only frightened us in dreams, now he has started torturing us in reality."
Arya whimpered, "My back is hurting, my head feels like it's going to split open."
Vikas agreed, "My condition is the exact same."
Ishan didn't say anything, but he was crying without making a sound.
Arya asked, "Ishan, did you get Ivan's DNA test done or not?"
Ishan replied, "I went today. It will take five days to get the report. I don't know if I'll even be alive for another five days."
Vikas said, "We need to trust the Sorcerer. We should go to him tomorrow."
Then he asked both of them, "Will you two come?"
Both agreed to go.
The next morning, despite having high fevers, the three of them decided to go.
Ishan and Arya gathered at Vikas's house and went to the Sorcerer in Vikas's car.
While Arya was driving, he said, "It's better not to tell the Sorcerer about getting the DNA test done, and we should only tell him about our sudden illness."
Ishan said, "Yes, you are right."
Vikas agreed as well.
Upon reaching there, Ishan pleaded, "All three of us have been sick since yesterday afternoon, and Amardeep coming into our dreams hasn't stopped."
The Sorcerer stared with cold eyes and said, "You fools need to arrange the sacrifices. Until the blood is spilled, no problem will be completely solved."
"And for your fever, I will give each of you a talisman; wear it immediately. But these talismans won't work for long, this is only a temporary cure for your physical ailments."
Ishan asked the Sorcerer in a whisper, "Instead of sacrificing three people, can't we directly kill Amardeep or Ivan?"
The Sorcerer sneered and replied, "How do you plan to kill a soul, you idiot? You cannot kill what is already dead."