Directed Scene
Vaibhav's eyes slowly opened.
The room felt quiet. Too quiet.
He looked around—his bed, the dim light, familiar walls. Home.
From nearby, his mother's voice broke the silence.
"Beta… what happened to you?"
Vaibhav turned his head slightly. His body felt heavy, like sleep was pulling him back.
"I'm just… feeling sleepy," he murmured.
Before she could say anything else, his eyes closed again.
And he drifted back into sleep.
Downstairs, the house felt tired.
Shourya and Shlokh sat quietly on the sofa, exhaustion written clearly on their faces. Neither of them spoke for a while.
Then Shlokh looked up.
"Aunty… could you make some tea?"
Vaibhav's mother nodded without question and went into the kitchen.
When she returned with the cups, both boys stood up respectfully.
They touched her feet.
"Take care," she said softly.
They nodded, thanked her, and stepped out into the night.
The door closed gently behind them.
The house returned to silence.
But the interaction had already happened.
And nothing was the same anymore.
Scene 2 — Crimson's Dream
The moment Vaibhav fell asleep—
He was trapped.
No transition.
No warning.
Just smoke.
Endless smoke.
Grey, thick, suffocating.
As the haze shifted, a tent emerged in front of him—standing alone in the emptiness. At the top of it was a symbol, stitched clearly into the fabric.
DESTINISED.
The word felt heavy.
Drawn toward it, Vaibhav stepped inside.
At the center stood a single seat, surrounded by flowers.
Beautiful.
Yet decaying.
Petals fell from them constantly, turning dark before touching the ground.
Then—
A mark appeared in the air.
Not carved.
Not drawn.
Floating.
Alive.
The symbol drifted forward and pressed itself into his chest.
Pain didn't follow.
Change did.
The stone embedded in his chest shifted.
Black—
to—
Crimson red.
The smoke thickened.
And the dream sealed itself shut.
Final Scene
The air shifted.
Before Vaibhav could move—
The man teleported.
Right in front of him.
Vaibhav froze.
His eyes widened.
It was him.
The same man from the carnival.
His body began to tremble.
Before Vaibhav could speak, the man spoke calmly.
"Are you Vaibhav…"
A pause.
"…or Prabhav?"
Vaibhav's chest grew heavy.
The stone beneath his skin flickered—
black bleeding into crimson.
Vaibhav swallowed, confused.
The man's gaze dropped briefly to Vaibhav's chest.
For a fraction of a second, surprise crossed his face—
but he hid it instantly.
"I'll introduce myself," the man said.
"My name is Veere."
Vaibhav's breath shook.
"I'm a Deva too," Veere continued.
"Just like you."
Vaibhav stepped back.
"Deva? What Deva?" he blurted out.
"I'm Vaibhav. I don't know what you're talking about."
Fear spilled out of him.
"Who are you? Why did you attack us?
What is happening?
What will happen to my life?
What is this gem?"
Veere raised his hand.
"Stop," he said firmly.
"This isn't a race where you throw questions."
He looked away slightly.
"There are things I can't tell you."
"And even if I wanted to—
I wouldn't be able to."
The stone in Vaibhav's chest began to glow brighter.
The light intensified.
Veere stepped back.
"You can't do anything right now," he said quietly.
The glow flooded the space.
Veere's voice grew deeper.
Slower.
"He still doesn't listen…"
The brightness swallowed everything.
And—
The dream shattered.
Elsewhere — Veere
Veere stood alone in the fading void.
He exhaled slowly.
"I wish that crystal would listen to me," he murmured.
His gaze hardened.
"…No. He's not that one."
He turned away.
"He's just a child."
END OF CHAPTER 10 — INTERACTION
FATUITY
-Alive_here0806