Episode 149

The air in the Malhotra mansion crackled with an unspoken tension. Mrs. Malhotra, usually a picture of serene composure, paced the length of the drawing-room, her silk robe rustling like dry leaves. On the antique mahogany table between them lay the object that had ignited this unease: a tarnished silver locket, intricately engraved with a symbol eerily similar to the one Anu had been drawing with such fervent concentration for weeks.

"I don't understand," Mrs. Malhotra murmured, her voice tight with a mixture of confusion and fear. "Where did you find this, Natasha?"

Natasha, perched on the edge of an armchair, her usually bright eyes clouded with apprehension, shook her head. "I… I don't know. I was going through some old boxes in the attic, things I haven't touched since… well, since I first came here. It was tucked away in a velvet pouch, beneath a pile of old linens." Her gaze flickered to the locket, a tremor in her hand as she reached out to touch its cool metal. "It felt… familiar. More than familiar. Like a forgotten dream."