_________________
All of them rushed to check upon Ruvya.
They came to the balcony and saw that it was empty and so were the chairs.
Suddenly there was a faint noise of someone sniffing and they moved to the other side of the balcony.
There was Rudra laying unconscious and Bhavya was trying to make him gain consciousness whilst looking here and there as if trying to check whether anyone is watching them.
"Rudra", Om ran towards them. So did RiVi and Abhay.
Gauri picked up Bhavya while Yuvi and Om started rubbing Rudra's palms to make him comeback to his senses.
"Monster! Monster!", Rudra shouted immediately after gaining his consciousness.
"Rudra it's us. There's no one else.", assured Yuvraj.
"I-It was he-here. Bha-Bhavya" he looked around to check where she was.
Bhavya came and hugged him.
"Omkara bhaiya he's te-telling tr-uth. We-we saw saw a mon..ster. Not monster but something, someone..."
Yuvi was about to lash out at Abhay but the latter spoke first.
"I swear guys, I only pranked Yuvraj and bhabi and no one else."
"How-how is this possible? The monster can't come here.", Yuvi said in a tensed voice.
"Is there any way by which the monster might come here?", asked Gauri.
"Yes, only if someone spills oil over the holy ash. But that isn't possible. Who'll go into that deep jungle with oil?"
Everyone kept quiet for a few seconds.
"Something else probably scared you. I'll check that myself.", said Yuvi.
Yuvraj was about to walk away when Om stopped him.
"No Yuvraj. You can't and you shouldn't go all alone. We don't know much about that creature. Let's just get somewhere safe and we'll check on to this in the morning."
Yuvraj heeded to Omkara's request and all of them went inside.
**************
Midnight,
Omru's room...
RiOmRuVya sat in the room discussing about the incidents that were happening.
"I just want to go home.", Rudra lied back on the couch.
"I don't just believe in these stories. That's a fantasy...I mean it's just a myth.", said Om.
"Me too Om bhaiya. What Rudra and I saw was just a old man who's not mentally stable. We got scared unnecessarily.", added Bhavya.
"We just need to focus on the wedding and not think too much.", said Om.
*FLASHBACK*:
After Yuvi had left the balcony, OmRu and RiVya sneeked downstairs in the lawn and started searching if anyone was there.
That is when Om saw a shivering man who was sitting in a corner of the bungalow.
When he asked who the man was, the man ran away shouting that if they don't go away, they will die, all of them will die.
*End of FLASHBACK*
"But that man told us to go away!", said Gauri whose face had been pale since the incident.
"Do you know him? He is your relative? He is your uncle that you'll listen to him!? Any man any mentally unstable person will just come like that and we'll dance on his words? Are we supposed to!? ", asked Om in a harsh tone.
Gauri did not answer. Instead she just got up and moved out of the room with her eyes already welling up.
"O! Why are you so rude? You made her cry."
"Yes bhaiya. You shouldn't have been that rude with her...", said Bhavya.
"Ok ok fine. I'll say sorry to her."
"Not just a sorry. You'll hold your ears and say Solly Gauli."
"Shut up Rudra."
Om went out of the room leaving Ruvya alone.
__________
The trees in the dark forest were nicotine-brown. Orcs were gobbling meat and grinding on bone. Gloomy scrubs hid dangerous creatures. The musty air was difficult to breathe. The forest was both old and otherworldly.
Two men walked towards the other end of the eerie jungle, unknown to both of them was that it was where the Brahmarakshas was known to stay.
The men were dressed up in a pair of sensible shoes, a warm cardigan, comfortable trousers and a heavy jacket and one of them had a camera hung down his neck. They were probably historians.
They reached the cave and looked at it in awe.
"A cave?look at this gate...why is such a beautiful architecture dying in this poor jungle?", said one of them while clicking it's pictures.
"If we show this magnificent piece of art to the World....can you think of the fame we'll get? Can you think about it?", said the other with gleaming eyes full of greed, "come let's go inside."
The latter stepped on the holy ash on the ground.
They tried to push open the gate but all their efforts went in vain. That is when they noticed the big lock. They smiled sheepishly thinking that they were trying to push open a locked gate.
The former took out a master key from his pocket and tried to open the massive lock.
"I think the lock's jammed. We can put some oil in it and then try."
No sooner said than done. The latter tried to pour a little amount of oil in the lock but instead poured almost a cup of oil not only on the lock but also on the ground.
Within a fraction of seconds the oil rolled off and reached the holy ash.
As soon as this happened, they saw that storm clouds, dark and ominous, promising something terrible and fierce ,had gathered in the leaden sky above their heads.
The forest floor was lost to darkness.
The howls of ravenous, bestial nightmare-creatures were louder now; as if they were too close.
They heard a terribly loud cracking noise followed by a roar.
They looked back to face the gate. Standing before them was a >20ft long monstrous creature.
It roared again not before feasting on the two men and announcing its freedom with another roar.
Yes, Brahmarakshas was finally free!
*****************
"Fast fast. Only the ground floor is left right? Or you lazy people haven't yet completed the other parts of the house?", scoffed Rekha at the servants who were putting Rajanigandha flower torans on the top of windows and doors.
"No ma'am. They're done with all the floors. This ground floor is the last of all.", said Khanna.
"Ok ok. Now go and tell Rupal to give me a cup of hot tea."
"Ok ma'am."
Khanna left from there after bowing to Rekha.
"Wow Rajanigandha!", said Gauri as she entered the scene and saw the Rajanigandha flowers.
"Yes dear. Rajanigandha will give nice smell and festive vibes and will also protect us."
"Protect us? From what buaji?"
"From the devil...I mean the Brahmarakshas."
"But Yuvi said that the Brahmarakshas can't come here. He's locked--"
"That's true but we should take all precautions incase..."
"Mam... we're done..can we go.now?" Interrupted one of the servants.
"Yes go."
The servants went away leaving Gauri and Rekha alone.
"From ages people have lived with the fear of Brahmarakshas. Even though the Brahmarakshas is locked up in a cave at the end if that jungle, we never know what'll happen next. So it's better to take all possible precautions."
"You're right buaji. But I think I've already forgotten all the precautions Taht Yuvraj asked us to take", Gauri gave her a puppy smile.
"Haha. No problem my dear. I'll tell you. The Brahmarakshas can't enter places where Rajanigandha torans are hung. It's scared of this flower. Also, that Brahmarakshas hates marriages and brides, you know. So, the brides are not dressed in the actual bridal attire."
"Yeah ...I remember this. That's why we brought a different dress for Prinku than the one we bought for the wedding."
"Hmmm I know..you all also take care of your attires...by the way Gauri, what were you doing here at midnight?"
"Umm... Woh buama .. I-I was hungry so--"
"Oh my child. Go in the kitchen and have something. I'm going to my room. Ok?"
"Ok buaji. Good night."
Rekha left after murmuring a "GOOD NIGHT" to Gauri.
Gauri walked towards the kitchen.
---------------------
Precap: Gauri feels the presence of an intruder. Will Om apologize to Gauri?
Why will the just-freed Brahmarakshas do now?
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