THE LIBERATION

Rudra wheeled himself toward the door, his hands trembling as they gripped the cold metal of his wheelchair. He opened the door cautiously, but no one was there. The emptiness outside was unsettling, and as he turned to look back, the door behind him slammed shut with a loud bang. The wind, he told himself. It must have been the wind. But deep down, he felt something more sinister at play.

Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears. It was distant, rhythmic, and strangely melodic. It reminded him of the soft trot of a herd of goats, or perhaps the pattering of raindrops. Yet the skies were clear, and the moonlight bathed the surroundings in a surreal violet hue. The ocean shimmered under the moonlight, its surface reflecting an eerie tranquility. Pieces of driftwood scattered along the beach took on grotesque shapes, resembling dismembered limbs in the pale light. Rudra's gaze lingered on the scene, his mind filling with dark imaginings.

The oppressive silence of the night wrapped around him like a suffocating shroud. Shaken, Rudra hurriedly wheeled himself back inside. His heart pounded as he locked the door, seeking refuge in the dimly lit interior of his home. He had never felt such palpable fear before. Tonight, something felt profoundly wrong.

A sharp knock at the door startled him. Summoning courage, he opened it to find Nathan standing there, his face drenched in sweat. "Nathan," Rudra began, his voice unsteady, "did you knock earlier? I opened the door, but no one was there." Nathan's brows furrowed in confusion. "Sir, I just arrived. Are you all right? You look worried."

Rudra hesitated before replying, "It's nothing. I had a strange dream, and your knock startled me awake. Why have you come at this hour?" Nathan handed him a file. "The girl—Tracy—signed the contract and will join the company tomorrow. Here's her resume. She's in her final year of studies."

Rudra nodded and dismissed Nathan, though unease lingered in his chest. He tried to convince himself that the evening's events were nothing more than figments of his imagination. After a simple dinner, he went to bed, hoping to find solace in sleep.

Elsewhere, in a distant part of the world, Smitha sat on her bed, her mind replaying the terrifying events of two nights ago. She had been scolded mercilessly by her grandmother for wandering into the forest, and the guilt weighed heavily on her. Yet, the memories of what she had seen haunted her.

That day, Smitha had recounted the forest's horrors to her friends, Ronith and Rakshitha. The dark, ancient woods seemed alive with malevolence. Trees loomed like twisted sentinels, their bark a sickly nicotine brown. Poisonous toadstools littered the forest floor, and an acrid stench hung heavy in the air. The forest's sinister presence had left an indelible mark on her. "Ronith," she had said, her voice trembling, "something terrible is happening there. I can feel it."

Ronith, a newly appointed officer in a secretive special squad of the Indian police, listened intently. His squad's mission was to investigate supernatural and malevolent phenomena while maintaining absolute secrecy. Smitha's account piqued his interest, especially as it aligned with reports of strange accidents and missing children. "I'll look into it," Ronith assured her, "but you must promise me not to venture there again."

That night, as Smitha scrolled through her phone, the lights began to flicker. Her screen distorted, and an unknown number flashed on her device. Hesitantly, she answered the call. "Hello?" she whispered.

A chilling, otherworldly voice replied, "Smitha, you are in danger. Do not return to the forest. It is perilous." The call ended abruptly, leaving Smitha paralyzed with fear. She remembered the forest vividly—the grotesque sounds, the orcs devouring meat, and the malevolent presence that seemed to watch her every move. Her mind raced with unanswered questions: Why was she being warned? What was the forest's secret? Exhausted, Smitha eventually drifted into a fitful sleep, her dreams plagued by the forest's horrors.

Meanwhile, Rudra sat in his study, unable to sleep. He retrieved his grandfather's diary, seeking distraction in its faded pages. The diary spoke of a time long past, detailing the lives of Greek traders and Indian royalty during a turbulent era.

One entry described Alexander, a Greek merchant, and his daughters, Tracy and Stella. Tracy was enamored with the intricate designs of a young goldsmith named Aakash Verma, though Stella harbored feelings for him. Jealousy festered as Tracy's admiration for Aakash grew.

As the diary unfolded, Rudra read about the devastating war that claimed the lives of many, including Alexander. His daughters went missing in the chaos, and the king, Maharana Pratap, sent his soldiers to search for them. Their efforts were in vain, and hope dwindled.

One fateful day, while hunting, the king mistakenly shot an old man fetching water by a river. The man cursed the king, proclaiming that no woman in his lineage would live to bear an heir. Moved by remorse, the king sought to make amends. The old man relented slightly, revealing that true love and the discovery of a mysterious cave could lift the curse.

Before passing away, the old man entrusted the king with a map to the treasure-filled cave and asked him to care for his two orphaned grandchildren. The king fulfilled the old man's final wishes, but the diary's entries grew fragmented. Who were the children? What secrets lay within the cave? Rudra's curiosity burned as he delved deeper.

The next morning, Smitha awoke to a renewed sense of determination. She shared her unsettling call with Ronith, who promised to investigate further. Unknown to her, Ronith had already begun piecing together clues about the forest and its connection to the missing children.

Rudra, too, was consumed by the diary's mysteries. The story of the cursed lineage and the treasure cave hinted at a dark legacy intertwined with his own family. The mention of Tracy and Stella struck a chord, as if their lives held the key to unraveling his own fears.

Both Rudra and Smitha were drawn into a web of secrets, danger, and supernatural forces. The threads of their lives were converging, bound by a common enigma. The forest, the cursed lineage, and the mysterious cave beckoned, promising answers that could change their destinies forever.

As night fell once more, the shadows deepened, and the air grew thick with anticipation. The stage was set for revelations, but the path ahead was fraught with peril. For Rudra, Smitha, and those entwined in their stories, the journey was just beginning.