The room felt different that night.
Not quiet in a peaceful way…
but quiet like something had settled into the air—heavy, unmoving, watching.
The ceiling fan rotated slowly above them, slicing through the silence with soft, repetitive sounds. The curtains barely shifted, though the window was slightly open. Even the outside world seemed distant, as if the house had been separated from everything else.
Lucian sat in front of Agastya.
Straight-backed.
Still.
His hands rested on his knees, fingers relaxed—but not truly at ease. His posture was that of a man holding himself together with discipline alone.
His face was calm.
Controlled.
But his eyes—
sharp, focused, unwavering—
never left Agastya's face.
"Agastya…"
His voice came out low, steady, carefully measured.
"What happened in the forest?"
The question didn't rise loudly.
It didn't demand.
But it carried weight—
a quiet force that settled into the room and refused to leave.
Indu shifted immediately beside Agastya.
Her hand tightened around his arm, instinctively pulling him closer—as if shielding him from something unseen.
"Lucian… not now…" she said softly, her voice trembling just enough to reveal her fear.
"He's still tired… let him rest."
Her eyes moved toward Lucian.
There was worry in them.
And something deeper—
fear of the answer.
But Lucian didn't look at her.
He didn't respond immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on Agastya.
"We need to know."
The words were calm.
Simple.
Final.
There was no anger in his tone.
No impatience.
But there was something stronger—
necessity.
Agastya felt it.
Slowly, he lowered his gaze.
His fingers curled into the bedsheet beneath him, gripping it lightly, as if anchoring himself to something real.
For a moment—
he didn't speak.
His eyes drifted to the wall.
Plain.
Still.
But inside his mind—
nothing was still.
The forest returned.
Not outside him—
but within him.
The tall trees stretching endlessly.
The dry leaves under his feet.
The strange silence that didn't feel empty—
but full of something watching.
His breathing slowed.
Then deepened.
Lucian observed everything.
Every shift.
Every hesitation.
Every flicker of memory passing through his son's expression.
"You can tell me," Lucian said again, softer now.
Less like a doctor.
More like a father.
"I will believe you."
A pause.
"And if something is wrong…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"…I will find a cure."
That word—
cure—
hung in the air.
Agastya blinked slowly.
Something in those words reached him.
Not just reassurance—
but trust.
He took a deep breath.
Held it for a moment.
Then let it out.
And began.
"When the trip started…"
His voice was soft.
Careful.
Like he was stepping back into something fragile.
"I was happy…"
A faint smile appeared on his lips—small, distant, but real.
"I was sitting with Vivan… near the window…"
His eyes moved slightly, as if watching the scene again.
"The bus was moving fast… buildings were passing… people looked small…"
He paused.
"We were laughing… talking…"
Lucian nodded slightly, encouraging him.
"Everything felt normal…"
The smile faded slowly.
"But…"
Agastya's brows tightened.
"When we went deeper into the forest…"
His tone changed.
Lower.
Heavier.
"I felt something strange."
Indu's hand tightened instantly.
"What kind of strange?" Lucian asked calmly.
Agastya hesitated, searching for the right words.
"It felt like…"
He looked down again.
"…like I knew that place."
Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Knew?" he repeated.
Agastya nodded slowly.
"Yes…"
"The trees… the air… the smell…"
His voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"It felt familiar."
That word didn't belong.
And yet—
it stayed.
"I stopped walking…"
"Everyone else went ahead…"
"But I just stood there…"
"Looking at the trees…"
His gaze drifted again, lost somewhere far away.
"And then…"
His breathing slowed.
"I don't know what happened…"
Lucian leaned slightly forward.
"But I started walking…"
"Towards them…"
"Without thinking…"
Indu's expression changed immediately. Fear flickered across her face.
"Without your will?" Lucian asked.
Agastya nodded.
"Yes…"
"It was like…"
He paused.
"…something was calling me."
Silence filled the room.
Lucian didn't react outwardly, but inside—his thoughts sharpened.
"And then?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know how long I walked…"
Agastya's voice trembled slightly now.
"But it didn't feel like I was deciding…"
"My body was moving…"
"And I was just… following."
Indu's breathing became uneven.
"And then…"
"I stepped on a wooden stick."
A faint crack echoed in his memory.
"That sound…"
"It woke me up."
Lucian nodded slowly. "What did you see?"
"Trees."
The answer came immediately.
"Only trees…"
"No voices… no people…"
"I was alone."
His fingers tightened again.
"I got scared…"
Indu placed her hand gently over his. "It's okay…"
But Agastya shook his head slightly.
"I remembered what you told me…"
He looked at Lucian.
"To stay calm… and think…"
Lucian's expression softened just a little.
"So I tried…"
"I took a deep breath. And…"
"I followed my footprints…"
"At first it seemed to work…"
"But then…"
"I made a mistake…"
"I turned somewhere wrong… and I got lost."
The word settled heavily.
"I could only see huge trees... and the silence of the forest. It scared me quite a bit... But I kept walking."
"But after some time, I got tired and scared. I didn't know where to go, so I sat down, waiting for someone to find me…"
Indu closed her eyes briefly, holding back tears.
"And then…"
Agastya's body stiffened slightly.
"I heard something."
Lucian's gaze sharpened. "What kind of sound?"
"A low sound… like something moving. Something big."
Indu's grip tightened. "What did you do?" Lucian asked.
"I went closer…"
Indu reacted immediately, her voice shaking. "Why would you do that?!"
Agastya looked at her. "I don't know… I just… wanted to see."
Lucian raised his hand slightly. "Let him continue."
Agastya swallowed.
"As I went closer… I saw…"
He stopped. His eyes widened slightly.
Lucian leaned forward. "What did you see?"
Agastya whispered, "A tiger."
The room froze. Indu gasped softly.
Lucian's expression changed—just slightly. He tried to remain calm.
"What was it doing?" he asked.
"It was eating… there was blood on its mouth."
Indu turned her face away.
"And then?"
"It saw me."
Silence.
"I couldn't think straight... as it was not very distant from me. I couldn't move. And then… I ran."
His breathing grew faster.
"I could hear it behind me… running. I thought I was going to die."
His voice broke.
Lucian's jaw tightened. "And then?" he asked.
"My eye… my red eye… it started burning."
Lucian froze. "Burning?"
"Yes… like fire. I couldn't see. There was a sharp pain in my head, and then… I fainted."
Silence.
Lucian's expression changed, as if he still couldn't believe what had happened. Then, he asked with a hint of worry in his tone, "And then?"
"I don't know how much time passed... but when I woke up…"
His voice softened.
"My head was heavy. I could feel like I was on something soft. And the ground was moving."
"When I looked down, I was shocked. I was..."
Agastya hesitated.
Lucian said, "Say it."
"I was on a wolf."
Upon hearing it, everything stopped. Lucian's face changed; it seemed he might have found his answer, but he kept listening.
Agastya continued.
"When I saw it first, I was afraid. But as time passed, I got the feeling that they were not trying to harm me."
Lucian asked, "'They'?"
"Yes… there were more. Four… maybe five. They were around me. They didn't hurt me. They looked like they were protecting me. I felt safe."
That word echoed deeply.
"And then… suddenly, I had a pain in my head. I fainted again. And when I woke up, I was here… in Maa's lap."
Silence filled the room.
Lucian stood up slowly. His mind was racing—connecting, understanding.
"The wolf I saw…" he whispered to himself. "It wasn't hunting."
His voice dropped. "It was protecting him."
And in that moment, Lucian realized something that shook the very foundation of his beliefs. This wasn't coincidence. This wasn't illness. This was something else—something he was not ready to understand.
And yet—it had already begun.
TO BE CONTINUED...