The Bride they burned

"Some stars aren't meant to be guided. They're meant to burn through fate."

---

AARAV

They said it was lights-out. That I had to sleep. But my dreams never stopped. Not since I saw her.

The woman in my dreams.

I didn't know her name. Just that she smelled like rain and mangoes, and that when I saw her, my chest ached in a weird way. Like I missed her before I even knew her.

I wasn't supposed to be outside. But the dorm warden snored like a tractor. And I was quiet when I wanted to be.

The only thing in my backpack was my sketchbook, a pencil case, the photo I found in my dad's locked drawer—and a letter with one word on the envelope:

"To Aarav"

I hadn't opened it. Not yet.

---

CELESTE

She wasn't snooping. She was "organizing."

But when Celeste found the black folder labeled "VORA - CLOSED FILES" in Kai's secret safe, her fingers trembled.

Because Ravian didn't keep files. He kept graves.

Inside was a sealed envelope:

"To Aarav – On the Day You Learn Who I Am."

Celeste didn't open it. Not yet. But she knew Nyra would need to see this. And soon.

Because secrets like this didn't hide. They screamed.

---

NYRA

I didn't sleep. The wine was untouched.

I stared at the ceiling. At the walls. At the door where I knew Kai stood, silent as always.

> "Did you ever dream of me?" I whispered into the dark. "When I was gone?"

No one answered.

But in my chest, a thunder echoed. Like something was wrong. Or something... was coming.

---

AARAV – SOMEWHERE ON THE ROAD

The taxi driver asked me again.

> "You sure you're meeting someone in Mumbai, kid?"

I nodded. Showed him the address written in smudged ink.

VORA ESTATE.

I didn't know why the name felt heavy. I just knew it did.

In my lap, I held my sketchbook. I opened to the first page.

A woman, drawn in charcoal.

Long hair. Bright eyes. A small mole on the left cheek.

> "What's her name, beta?" the driver asked.

I smiled faintly.

> "I don't know. But I think she's my mom."

---

KRAY – IN THE SHADOWS

He watched from the alley. Black coat pulled up against the wind, eyes narrowed.

He recognized the boy before the boy even knew what danger meant.

The sketchbook. The eyes.

> "He's hers," Kray muttered to himself. "She came back… and so did he."

He stepped forward slowly.

> "Excuse me, kid. You lost?"

The boy looked up at him. Vulnerable. Smart. Too much like her.

> "I'm looking for someone," the boy said.

> "Who?"

The kid showed him the sketch. Kray froze for a second. Not even the rain could wash away the memories crashing in his skull.

> "Beautiful," he murmured. "Looks like someone worth burning a city for."

He handed the boy a packet of chips.

> "You're lucky I found you. The world's not kind to runaways."

> "What's your name, sir?"

Kray's lips curled into a half-smile.

> "Call me… Kray."

---

TO BE CONTINUED...