Bewitched

Hailing from the spirit of love, a new feeling is inculcated within you when the vibrant colours bind you in its aura.

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Fears of uncertainty never desert us, no matter what.

Its essence never faded in her life either, as she witnessed the endless road right ahead in front of her eyes, while she watched him patiently driving the car.

Every second that passed raised a new condition in her mind, which only questioned her instincts-

'What next?'

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But at the same time, Arnav's countenance broke every pillar of fear and doubt that her vulnerable mind had created ever since she stepped into this new world.

For a change, it only bound her in a ground of immense happiness and excitement to decode every unknown thing, to face the living reality.

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"What are you thinking?"

He broke the silence asking her the most obvious question while his hands remained settled on the car's steering wheel.

"Nothing.. Just wondering! Is this some sort of tradition?"

She replied, throwing another question back at him, her tongue in her cheek for that lame interrogation.

He grinned hearing her words and she only looked at him in anticipation, waiting for an answer.

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"Umm..No.. Not at all. Just my wish."

He finally replied, making it all the more difficult for Khushi.

Nodding her head slightly, she smiled at him while he continued driving and she watched the atmosphere outside the car's window.

Calling it a co-incidence would be an understatement, as she watched the sun shining brightly today, a rare sight in this town for sure.

The sultry winds made it difficult to wonder that the town's sky was actually dominated by the black clouds every other day.

No clandestine meeting could scare her ever but this open challenge of meeting his family was definitely giving Khushi jitters.

She didn't know what new game destiny was working upon right now, but nevertheless, she was liking it.

"How far is it?"

She asked him in a soft voice.

"Almost there."

He replied, reciprocating the smile.

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Khushi sighed as she felt a strange wave of uncertainty hit her again.

She was heading with the devil now, on his trajectory, not prepared about what she was going to come across while standing in his domain.

The overlapping thoughts didn't leave her mind when suddenly she felt the car screech to halt, bringing her out of her musings.

"We've reached."

Arnav smiled at her, as he reached the door at her side in no time and opened it for her.

She held onto his outstretched hand and closed the door of the car behind her back.

A mingled feeling of excitement and fear juggling in her mind, she looked at the huge estate in front of her. The white colour adding to its beauty and elegance in multitudes.

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'Sciarrone Mansion'

If she said the mansion's grandeur impressed her the most, she would be lying.

The thing which attracted her sight was the lush green gardens which surrounded the mansion. Every part of that garden spoke happiness, showered liveliness and showcased life's purity.

Through nature.

The sun shine appeared to be an icing on the cake as Khushi watched the blossoming flowers and heard the symphony of the birds.

Her face instantly lifted up with a smile, all traces of fear and worry gone as she watched the ethereal ambiance around her.

"You like it?"

He asked her, breaking her trance while she continued looking at the vivid beauty around her.

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"It's beautiful."

She whispered, her voice barely audible.

He took her hand in his, placing a light feathery kiss on it as he led her through the giant gate of the mansion, entering the dynasty of a breath-taking reality.

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She never thought he would really mean it when last night he told her that he wanted her to meet his family.

And she never thought that she would be able to undo the apprehension that had taken over her ever since he proposed the matter.

But now as they took the strides together, she felt every flame of fear and worry extinguishing.

He gently squeezed her hand as they finally reached the Living Room of the house, the tall French windows welcoming the bright rays of sun light through the glasses, as if celebrating the rare event in its own accord.

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"There you are!"

She heard someone say, and she immediately grasped who it was.

Her face lit up with a smile as she watched Aaron Sciarrone approaching them, the same kind smile etched on his face as he hugged the both of them.

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"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Khushi."

He said, while Khushi nodded in agreement and replied,

"Same here, Mr. Sciarrone."

"Oh! Undo the formalities now, my dear. You can call me Aaron."

He replied in an enthusiastic tone.

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"Umm.. Okay.. Aaron."

She replied after seconds, slightly hesitant, while Aaron smiled merrily at the two of them.

Her mind wandered at the scenery outside those giant windows as she saw the greenery and the flying birds.

The sun light played a vital role in adding so much flavor and reflecting the vibrant colours of the otherwise dark town.

Wrapping one hand around her waist, Arnav led Khushi to the sitting area while she awaited the next happening.

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She took a deep breath as she watched a middle-aged man in a black suit coming down the marble-staircase, his attire and persona reflecting strict discipline and his face suggesting stringent idealism.

For some reason, Khushi felt the fear once again returning to her, when suddenly the devil aka Arnav entwined their fingers together and her varied thoughts automatically gave away.

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As the man came closer and took a seat in front of them, Khushi carefully observed his features, trying to know more about him.

Though he would have been in his middle age, she couldn't come across a single line on his face which reflected his age.

His hair parted from one side, he had white complexion, pretty much matching with Aaron, though his height was average compared to that of Aaron who was quite tall.

Looking into his eyes, she finally got the answer to where Aaron would have inherited those green eyes from.

Of course his father, Ralph Sciarrone.

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Though this wasn't supposed to be a confrontation between a strict teacher and a notorious student, but the scenario which Khushi was caught in right now, kind of suggested the same.

One minute and she felt she was going to get lot of scolding for something which she hadn't even done.

"Shut up Khushi, no one's going to hurt you."

Her conscience consoled her, but the silence indicated something else, increasing her pulse rate.

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"Good to see you, Khushi."

The man finally spoke breaking the silence.

As she heard his voice, she felt all her speculations since the morning to be unreal and unworthy as his voice only reflected kindness and serenity, driving away the tension that had occupied her moments ago.

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She smiled at him lightly while he continued to speak, at the same time gesturing her to take a seat.

"When my sons told me that you possessed Meredith's face, I found it to be some sort of joke that they were playing on me."

"..But now that I've seen you for real, it.. It really is astounding."

Her lips formed a straight line, trying hard to understand what he meant, but she didn't have to try further as he answered her questions himself.

"No.. Don't get it the wrong way."

"If you would have witnessed Meredith's evilness you would have certainly questioned your very own identity."

Another puzzle!

Was it in the genes of the Warlocks to always be this confusing?

She thought.

"Actually we were fortunate enough that we didn't have to really come across her face to face, but her evilness never abandoned the visions of us warlocks."

Ralph's words finally began clearing the dust of confusion that had surrounded her all this while.

"The Avizhas carried forward her legacy, which is still continuing anyway."

"..But the bad has to be over, hence Meredith was betrayed by her own trusted friend and lover Aloysius."

The last bit of revelation that came pretty straight forward from Ralph's mouth, made Khushi gasp a little.

Now she got the equation a little clearer in her mind.

'The Queen of sins a.k.a. Meredith trusted the King of Sins a.k.a. Aloysius, but little did she know that her plans were going to backfire on her.''

She thought to herself, but didn't realize she had verbally drafted them too, and that made Ralph chuckle a little.

Arnav too couldn't help but smile just like Aaron, looking at the delicate darling that Khushi was, who oozed innocence all the time.

Khushi was still contemplating things and was about to raise a question when suddenly she heard Ralph Sciarrone say-

"He isn't after anyone or anything but the bracelet, Khushi."

Khushi was taken aback by his reply, as she rechecked in her mind that she had performed the shielding spell well then how was he able to know her question which was only floating in her mind?

Truth be told, she was thinking deeply about the impact of the romantic equation shared between Aloysius and Meredith on her, and as if on cue, Ralph had calmed her extra-active senses instantly.

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"Don't worry. Your shield spell has no loop holes my dear. I only guessed you were thinking this."

His reply made Khushi relaxed, though his quick instincts did give her the creeps.

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"But what I still somehow don't understand is why now? I mean if he wanted the bracelet, he could have claimed it long back, isn't it? I know that me being a look-alike of Meredith, makes Aloysius come under the radar again, as being Meredith's bloodline, her countenance, I am a threat to Aloysius' immortality. But I wish I knew more."

She said as a matter of factly, determined to know everything crystal clear.

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"It's not that easy. When Meredith died, Aloysius had the possession of this bracelet and after sometime, Aloysius had already attained immortality. The bracelet was almost useless to him."

He replied, while Khushi, Arnav and Aaron listened to each and every word he spoke carefully.

"Then.. Then why?"

Khushi stammered as she asked him the question, fed up of moving in circles with this puzzle.

"What do you know about your grandmother Amelia, Khushi?"

He asked her in a no-nonsense tone, while Khushi's senses instantly perked up hearing that familiar name.

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"You.. know about her?"

She asked, startled.

"You didn't answer my question."

He replied.

"Well, not much. She was a woman of substance. She wouldn't do anything that could harm others and.. she left this bracelet for me, and my mother handed it to me on my 18th birthday."

"She had also left a letter for me which I was able to read only after I wore this bracelet which unfolded the truth to me that I'm a witch and even if I wanted to avoid it, I won't be able to do so. That's all."

Khushi spoke what she knew, excluding some excerpts from her grandma's letter which she considered too confidential to be shared with anyone, especially that one spell which she had left for her to learn, which was more of a riddle, making her its sole owner after her demise.

Khushi watched the middle aged man standing up, nodding his head as he heard her words.

"Amelia was a pure soul, Khushi. Just like you are. She was much more than just a woman of substance. She was just amazing."

She heard him finally speak.

"When Aloysius considered the bracelet to be useless to him, he didn't care much about it. That is when Amelia acquired it in her possession, conquering that invisible power that came with the bracelet."

"..She wanted to destroy the bracelet to put an end to the war. Though it's hard to tell whether the destruction could have led to Aloysius' end or not.."

"But then she could, as she could see it coming."

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Khusi listened to his words carefully when suddenly she felt the silence taking over the atmosphere once again.

"..See what coming, Mr. Sciarrone?"

She asked him, unable to remain patient anymore.

"You."

His late reply didn't appear to surprise her, though she still awaited his next words, willing to know more about it.

"She could already see you coming and perhaps she knew that you were entitled to do the deed of putting an end to this battle."

Now Khushi was surprised.

She didn't know how to react or what to say. She kept mum, while he continued further,

"She knew you were going to be a replica of Meredith."

"But only in terms of face, not conscience. Your purity defines you Khushi and Amelia knew it and that is why she allowed her son Stephen-Your father to marry your mother Adrienne, despite her being utterly human, not having any history with the world of Witchcraft."

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The reality hit Khushi like a thunderstorm. But to her surprise, Khushi had only grown stronger with every word that came her way, building some sort of immunity to all the jolts that life was currently offering her.

"Later when Aloysius found the bracelet to be missing from his territory, he did try to regain it but to no avail. In that process, he also killed your father putting him under compulsion, so that Amelia surrendered the bracelet to him, but your grandmother was a strong woman."

"She kept the ornament safe with a binding spell, which could be undone only by you. And then, you already know how you did the unbinding."

His words resurfaced in her mind the events chronologically, as flashes of those voices, the key, the box came running to her.

So, this was all part of unbinding the spell, which intentionally or unintentionally happened with her own hands, as everything had made their way to her as it was supposed to be.

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"But that doesn't change destiny. You have Meredith's face which makes you entitled to the domineering sector of the Avizhas. Once you, the doppelganger of Meredith possess the bracelet, Aloysius' immortality would be threatened, as with you on the line, the bracelet has once again become the sole source of his endless powers and urge to beat mortality."

He added.

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Everything now become explicitly clear to Khushi.

She now understood why my grandmother had kept the heirloom for her to possess on her 18th birthday.

Until then, her countenance wouldn't have come that clearer.

And hence, Aloysius would have only come to know about it now with his powers, that how to an extreme extent she resembled his past love cum foe, Meredith.

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"Didn't Aloysius have the idea that I was going to turn out to be like her? I mean look like her?"

She asked, willing to get away with that another line of confusion, she kept the most important one for the last.

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"So far I know, no, he didn't. Like I said, Amelia's spell not only did the binding for the bracelet but also for you, unless of course you did the unbinding of the bracelet and.. yourself. The day you embraced Witchcraft, you also revealed your existence to the Avizhas."

The man spoke with a calm voice.

"But then, why did my grandmother want me to possess it anyway? We could have avoided it, isn't it? I mean if she destroyed the bracelet, all this equation wouldn't have arisen."

Khushi said, a line of frown taking over her face.

"That's where you are wrong."

This time it was Aaron who spoke.

"Witchcraft would have happened to you by hook or crook, no matter what. If the bracelet was destroyed, then too your witchy instincts wouldn't have abandoned you. But Aloysius would have continued to live forever and carried with his legacy of sins."

Aaron's words finally dawned realization in her mind.

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"Now you are a witch with extreme power that you can draw from that bracelet, which can help in killing Aloysius. If it was destroyed back then, then too you would have remained a witch anyway, minus the supreme power that now you possess, thanks to Meredith's genes and the bracelet of course."

He winked at her, and she couldn't control a chuckle at the complexity of the situations at the same time cherishing the fact that now she knew it all.

Between all this she didn't miss the rigidity on Arnav's face, as if he was just not into the discussion anymore. It seemed as if all of a sudden he wanted none of this to be a part of his life, of their life.

Khushi rolled her eyes at that, knowing very well that it was the doing of his over-protectiveness for her.

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Taking a deep breath, she bit her lower lip as she finally spoke,

"So that means Amelia-my grandmother had foreseen me to have Meredith's face, which means I would be entitled to the power that The Queen of Sins possessed being a part of the most powerful cult Avizhas, and hence I was bound to be the owner of the bracelet, being in charge of the one to destroy Aloysius along with the Avizhas? Their entire cult?"

"Bingo!"

Aaron exclaimed and all of them burst into faint laughter, finally accustomed with the grave situation they were all coping to deal with, not losing their hopes of course.

But in the back of their minds they all knew the risk they were in and how everything happening and scheduled to happen was so dicey.

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"Just keep the bracelet safe with you Khushi. Aloysius is too dangerous. He's a predator who doesn't believe in any rules while playing. So you need to be very very careful."

Ralph said to her, while she listened to him very seriously and nodded in approval.

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"I promise. I won't let it go the wrong way."

She assured him while he smiled at her, convinced with her determination.

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"Enough with the serious talk. Now, what would you like to eat Khushi?"

Aaron stated while she looked at him, amazed.

This time Arnav couldn't help smirking at them, for reasons unknown to Khushi, but he was certainly happy to see all of them mingling quite well.

"Well, nothing. I ain't hungry and I don't wanna trouble you guys anyway."

She spoke, hesitatingly.

"Well I know you aren't that abstemious kind but, who told you, any one was gonna cook?

Khushi looked at him, surprised as he stressed on the last word.

Two seconds later, her eyes grew wide as she saw the magnificent sight in front of her.

The huge dining table which was empty moments ago, now filled with cuisines of all kinds.

Her mouth flung open as she watched Aaron circling patterns with his fingers in the air and one after another, a new dish popped up out of nowhere.

For a moment, it made her wonder whether this whole mansion too would have popped up out of somewhere, and as if she spoke her thoughts too loud, Aaron remarked,

'Oh no, this place was built by my grandfather Khushi. This is not a magic trick, it's hard-earned money, LOL.''

And Khushi giggled.

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"If you are done with your warlock impressive skills, can you excuse the two of us for a moment?"

Arnav spoke bringing Khushi out of the essence of the magical sight.

His voice was once again serious, as she felt him demanding her complete attention.

"Chill little brother. You are free to go. No need to be jealous your girlfriend feels I have got a better sense of humor than I do."

Aaron replied with a wink deliberately teasing Arnav, while the latter simply rolled his eyes, making Khushi giggle all the more like a school kid.

In an instant, the dining table becoming empty once again and no doubt, Khushi was damn impressed by Aaron's skills.

She definitely gotta learn that spell, she thought.

"Have a good time Khushi."

Ralph smiled at her and proceeded to go upstairs, when Khushi called him from behind.

The man looked back at her and waited patiently for her to say what she wanted to, and after a dramatic pause, Khushi formed her words,

'I believe you knew a lot about my grandmother Amelia. Can you..''

She hesitated, slightly confused at how to frame her words right.

The man only encouraged her with a warm smile and that acted as a morale boost for Khushi, as she drafted her words finally, this time with certainty.

'Can you tell me how she managed to grab the bracelet back from Aloysius, if you know?''

Ralph couldn't help but smile deeper at her query, knowing very well that being inquisitive beyond limit was definitely a part of her genetic traits.

When Khushi saw him smiling to himself, she knit her brows in confusion and before she could say anything, Ralph spoke,

'Well, you sure have the Vermount spark in you. Willing to learn, know, simply everything.''

Khushi knew it was a compliment but she was too lazy to rejoice and waited impatiently for the answer. And thankfully, Ralph didn't disappoint her.

'Well to put it in a simple way, the Vermount witches have always had impeccable power, be it your grandmother Amelia or your ancestor Meredith. The power cauldron has been running in their genes since ages now. And the power here is not something extraordinary by nature or god, but the power to make remarkably unusual manifestations of all that's given to every one of our kind.''

Khushi still didn't get what he meant. But fortunately, he went on to elucidate.

'Just like a recipe may have some ingredients, and even if the same list of ingredients is circulated to you, me, and someone else, the end result, the meal that is, is bound to taste different every time. What you cook, what I cook, and what someone else cooks. It is all about how one makes use of the available ingredients and gets the best dish, best taste on the platter.''

'The Vermount coven had been the same. The same common resources, nature, earth, events, yet they could always invent something beyond ordinary. Your grandmother Amelia was the best one at that.''

Now Khushi understood a lot of it. And she couldn't help but smile at the warmth she felt knowing how amazing her grandmom was. It was such an amazing feeling. But she still waited for Ralph to answer the main question she had asked, and thankfully, he did just that.

'One of the extra-ordinary spells invented by the Vermount bloodline was used by your grandmother to retrieve the bracelet from Aloysius' custody. So far I know, the spell was called A thousand and one reflections.' And Amelia did it brilliantly.''

Khushi was way too impatient to know more now.

Reading the eagerness on her face, Ralph said,

'A thousand and one reflections is a maze. A very, very powerful maze, that created 1001 frames of illusion all around. To the inflictor, the one who casts the spell, everything remains the same, but for the inflicted, on whom the spell is cast, he or she sees 1001 frames of illusion, losing track of reality.''

Khushi gasped at that.

She had so much to learn, so much to know. Suddenly it occurred to her that perhaps one lifetime would fall short when it came to learning all about Witchcraft. Her little talk with her conscience broke when she heard Ralph's voice again.

'From what I know Amelia had got to know of Aloysius' location somewhere in Wisconsin, and that's when she had tracked down him place of hiding, and single-handedly cast the spell to retrieve the bracelet. It makes me respect her guts all the more, because although this is one of most powerful spells of your coven, it has a loophole too.''

Khushi frowned at the last words of Ralph and asked immediately,

'What loophole?''

Ralph looked at her to build a proper eye contact and spoke,

'Well, illusions are always created when our brain is in a haze. Magic is just an extension of what we fundamentally are Khushi. So this spell can be broken only with one thing: Faith. If you have clear-headed vision and faith, the spell can't keep you enveloped in it for long. For Aloysius, your grandmother remarkably knew that despite being immortal, he never had full faith in him. Because deep down he had a fear that something could threaten his immortality. Yes, he didn't have any inkling of the future that time, about you or anything else, but still he had betrayed Meredith and acquired an ornament that was hers, and no matter what, the haunting truth was always going to stay with him. And as for Amelia, I don't know how she could estimate this characteristic of his and she went on to cast thousand and one reflections spell on him and like she had predicted, his fear had created a haze and caught him in a predicament, buying her enough time to retrieve the bracelet and flee from there.''

Khushi felt pride, joy, sentimental, and sad, all at the same time.

Pride because of the brave woman who was her grandmother, joy because she was glad to be a part of the same blood, something that she had almost stopped doing ever since she found out the evil Meredith was her great grandmother. Sentimental, because her emotions were on a rise because of the legacy her grandmother left behind her for her to continue, and sad because Khushi couldn't really see much of her grandmother while she was alive.

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Finally done with a lot of revelations, Ralph smiled warmly at her and she took gave him a kind smile in gratitude for revealing so much about her own identity to her.

When the man finally headed upstairs to his room, Khushi was still left deep in thoughts and Arnav thought it was high time some normalcy was restored in her life.

So he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close, and whispered, 'If you are done with your spellcraft Q and A, can I remind you, you also have a boyfriend?''

And like expected, that just did the trick as he watched a crimson blush rise up her cheeks and she gave him a shy smile, making Arnav smile too.

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Taking her hand in his, Arnav guided her through the giant staircase while she watched the beautiful paintings that were hanging on the ivory coloured wall.

His steps finally halted, as he opened the mahogany door in front of them, while she stared at the beautiful sight ahead of her.

"It's my room."

He whispered against her ear, as he led her inside and slowly closed the door behind them.

The surroundings made her heart thud as she watched the interiors of the room, the round white bed, the maroon recliner and..

The beautiful paintings that made her feel like she stood in a completely different time, a completely different century altogether.

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"..You are an artist.."

She said softly, while he gently tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Some say so.."

He replied in that husky voice, while she smiled at him, taking in his irresistible musk that only intensified her desires for him

Letting out a deep sigh, she kept her hands in the pockets of her jeans as she slowly walked towards the corner of the room where his paintings lay in an organized order.

Her eyes refused to believe the sight they witnessed as she considered it only humanly impossible to be a creator of such flawless art.

She took tiny steps as she examined every painting vividly, comprehending its purpose, the meaning of every vibrant colour, while he stood behind her observing every move she made silently.

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"It's so mesmerizing. So beautiful."

She spoke softly, awestruck, as she saw a mother standing with a small child on her lap awaiting her husband's return in the railway platform, in the painting.

For a second, she was so lost in that scenario that it felt like these characters were indeed real and not trapped in this painting anymore.

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He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, making her gasp suddenly while he softly kissed her hair and she couldn't help smiling at his touch.

Taking another step, she stood in front of the next painting which was completely different than the one she saw before it.

The dark sky, the tall trees, the mystic ambiance.

It didn't take much time for Khushi to realize what it was.

"The woods. The clouds. The sky.."

"Verman Hills.."

She uttered softly as he smiled at her in approval and she reciprocated the same, taking another step to see the next painting.

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Her mind froze and eyes grew wide in shock as she tried to figure out the reality behind the sight that her eyes were witnessing.

No words escaped her mouth although her insides ached to shout.

'That's-'

"My favourite."

Arnav completed her sentence softly while she turned her head to look at him and then again to look back at the painting.

The pale skin..

The hazel eyes..

The long wavy brown hair..

It was difficult to fathom, how flawlessly he had painted her on the canvas, in that same black dress that she had worn on their Fresher's Eve in college.

It only appeared to her as a mirage, though her heart already knew how real it was.

Regaining the normalcy back gradually, she finally asked him,

"..Why this one in particular?"

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She waited for his reply but no words came her way which made her slightly annoyed.

She pouted her lips innocently, demanding the deserved answer when she saw that smirk appearing on his face, melting that mock anger in her instantly.

After a brief silence, he finally spoke,

"..Because that was the day I realized I'm in love with you.."

Though this wasn't the first time he confessed his love for her, every time he said it, it only seemed like the first time all over again.

Mild visions took over her mind as she remembered that day when he was disturbed by the sight of her dancing close to Mason and then how he saved her at the end of the rainy night.

A faint smile took over her face, as she spoke,

"..But to rectify one thing, I didn't have my hair open that day. I had tied it in a French knot."

She pointed at the painting, emphasizing on the open hair in it to prove her point.

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The smug continuing to dominate his face, he moved closer to her, as he lifted his hand and removed the small clip that she had put on one side of my hair.

"That is because I like you more with your hair open."

And saying that, he claimed her lips while she wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to match his height as their tongues continued to fight a sweet battle, fighting for dominance on each other.

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His hands held her waist in a tight grip while her fingers ran through his hair.

There was no denial to this fact that they were both bewitched by one another ever since they saw each other for the first time.

Pulling away slowly from the kiss, she watched him as he kept looking at her, the glint of love and desire not leaving his eyes.

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"You know the scores aren't settled yet."

He whispered to her.

She arched an eye brow, confused at what that statement meant.

He cleared that line of confusion soon as he spoke,

"You know so much about me. What I feel.. What I felt when I met you, etc. Don't you think you need to open up too, eh?"

The smirk once again made its way on his face, and Khushi exhaled deeply as she said,

"Oh, was this a postulate in the sign up process when I agreed to be your girlfriend?"

She winked at him playfully, while he gave her a broad smile, making her sit on the recliner, accompanying her by sitting beside her.

"When I first met you, I thought.. You were.. Umm.."

She struggled to utter the word, and more than thought contemplated if she should say it at all, but alas! She did say it.

"Sadistic"

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"Ounch!"

He exclaimed in the most dramatic way, mock disgust taking over his face, giving her a shudder as she found it difficult to believe he reacted that way.

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"Sadistic? Seriously?"

He finally said after a brief pause, sarcasm evident in his tone.

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"Umm.. No."

She replied looking at him, reflecting his own devilish smirk on her face.

He furrowed his brows, his face thoughtful as his expression indicated a question to her-

"Then what?"

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Her eyes downcast, she adorned a serious look this time, making him look cautiously at her, when suddenly the mock seriousness left her face and she showcased an evil grin at him while she said,

"A Devil!"

His face transformed into mock anger as he held her wrists tightly, bringing his face closer to hers, pulling her in for a wild kiss, giving her no moment to grasp what was happening.

She regretted her words, which invited this sudden moment but every cell of her body was rejoicing it somehow.

She didn't realize how far their desperation spoke as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and there was absolutely no distance between them.

Their chests almost colliding each other, his kiss was too demanding, at the same time she left no stones unturned to give in to her desires, though her initial motive was only to tantalize him, the way he had always done the same with her.

'Make me stop, Khushi! Tell me to stop.''

He whispered between his wild kisses, trying to make the lethal desire go away, but he knew it would be foolish for him to even think that he could do that when she was so close to him.

And Khushi too knew that if they didn't stop now, it would lead to...

And so, she did stop.

Running short of breath, they both finally pulled away, though his hands remained locked on her as he continued to shower feathery kisses all over her face.

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He continued to admire her, love her, and she couldn't help her face turning crimson, knowing very well that both of them were pretty much in a disheveled state right now, thanks to their wild make-out session less than 10 seconds ago.

She was still reeling in the after effects of it when suddenly her eyes fell on his study that was attached to his room.

He brushed his nose against hers, before taking her in his arms and saying to her,

"Wanna see those bunch of books?"

She nodded enthusiastically, books always appealing her no matter what.

.

.

As he gently placed her on her feet, she examined his study that was covered with books everywhere.

On a closer analysis, she came to conclusion that those weren't mere books or novels, but..

"Are those Spell books?"

She finally asked him.

He smiled at her, nodding his head in affirmation.

"Spell books, Witchcraft encyclopedias, Grimoires. Whatever you wanna call it."

He said shrugging his shoulders.

Her lips curving into a smile, she took one of those giant books in her hands, its cover slightly resembling the one her grandmother had left for her.

Her eyes lit up with a spirit of joy as she flipped through the pages and encountered the ancient spells, objects, lore and the legend.

"Whoa! This is so fascinating!"

She spoke, truly mesmerized by the historical element that she held in her hands.

He smiled at her, as she watched him walk towards the small closet that was at the extreme right corner of the study.

Opening the closet, he quickly grabbed something in his hands and stepped towards Khushi.

As he came closer, she noticed him holding a white cloth in his hand.

Confused, she asked him,

"What is it?"

.

Raising one eye brow at her, he sat beside Khushi on the small chair as he slowly pulled the corners of the white cloth unveiling another secret in front of her.

"Watch for yourself."

He said.

She stared at the new sight, astonished, while he handed her the unusual object, the shiny silver knife which by its look itself seemed to possess something supernatural in it.

.

.

"It was my biological father's."

He told her, while they both continued to look at the knife which shone brightly as the rays of the sun reflected through the glass windows.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke while his hands continued to graze the knife,

"So far I can remember, my father had cast one spell which has been bound in this knife before he died."

She listened to him carefully, as he continued,

"..What I believe is.. This knife, it is.. It is capable of killing Aloysius, an immortal."

His words gave Khushi a shudder as she looked at him in horror, his words still echoing in her mind.

.

"You mean to say..?"

He nodded at her question.

.

.

"Then why don't you-"

She couldn't complete her question as he interrupted her and said,

"..Because I'm not sure."

"Witchcraft has its own limitations and loopholes Khushi. And this may not work. It is way too tricky."

"But Arnav, this is important, I mean-"

He stopped her midway once again, as he spoke,

"I know.."

"But this knife has a demerit Khushi. We can use it just once."

The hope on her face began to falter as she heard his words further,

"Now tell me. Do you still think it's worth taking the risk? How are we supposed to know if this would work or not? You use it once, it works-it's good, it doesn't- then you are dead! What's the use, anyway?"

'That's how this world of ours work Khushi. There's just way too many trials and errors, but that's okay only for trivial learning. We are talking about immortals here. And this seems like a huge dead-end.''

His words convinced her as she shook her head in approval.

It was true.

Aloysius was a havoc and they weren't supposed to take such a big risk by following trial and error with him.

.

.

"You are right. But does your family, or anyone in the cult know about this?"

She asked him.

.

"No one knows apart from you."

His answer once again buried her in an exquisite feeling as she couldn't help nurturing the essence of exclusivity that he offered to her with every passing second.

"I didn't want to reminisce this Khushi. I kept this thing only as a memory of my father and hence shielded the thoughts of it and the powers it possesses from everyone, but you."

He averred.

Khushi smiled at him as she held his hand and squeezed it softly, assuring him that come what may, it would always remain a secret as it was supposed to be, at the same time making him believe that no matter what, she would always stand by him.

.

.

As he kept the knife on the nearby table, she hugged him tightly, close to her, as they found themselves lost in each other's embrace, relishing the warmth and the love.

"I love you, sunshine"

He whispered against her ear as she felt his warm breath on her skin, when suddenly a silly confusion hit her.

.

.

"Sunshine?"

She broke the hug to look at him, while he smiled at her and softly pecked her forehead, saying,

"You came and conquered me like no one ever did and gave a new light to my dark world. See even the Sun seconds me on that."

He pointed towards the window, marking the rare sight of the bright sun in the town, while she buried her face in his chest shyly.

She recalled the moment when they had confessed their love for each other in the woods, when the dawn was breaking.

Even that day they had marked a new beginning, their new beginning with the rising of the Sun.

She smiled to herself thinking about all the times he had been her saviour dragging her out of the darkness, when she had those nightmares, when she was on the verge of dying and so much more.

If she was his sunshine, then he was nothing less than an Angel for her.

Yet she couldn't replace that one word that her heart and mind had already set for him since day one and now fondly so.

Her Devil

"I love you too."

She uttered softly while he caressed her hair and she found herself lost in his embrace like always.

*

It was night already and Khushi was back home long ago. Yet the reeling effects of this day didn't leave her at all.

She smiled to herself thinking about everything that happened this morning while Jazz continued to stare at her with a perplexed face.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot?"

She finally asked her elder sister, breaking Khushi's reverie while she looked at Jazz, slightly embarrassed.

"Any problem?"

She gave her the typical elder-sisterly reply while she irked hearing Khushi, and went straightaway to her room.

She stood up with the plate in her hand, done with her dinner and walked towards the kitchen when suddenly her mom took the plate from her hand and gave Khushi her trademark broad smile.

"I will take it. You sit."

She told her as she quickly kept the plate on the kitchen counter and approached Khushi.

Some part of Khushi shouted that she must get going and disappear into her room before her mom threw any further questions at her, but thanks to her good girl instincts, she sat there like an obedient kid.

"So, tell me."

Adrienne said, making Khushi look at her with wide eyes while she bit her lips, trying hard to avoid the conversation which was about to take place.

She never thought that she would ever be facing this situation of having The Talk with her mother, but now, she wasn't a newbie to this either!

"So you and the ASR dude, huh?"

Adrienne asked her in a cool-mommy tone, the smile still not leaving her face, which kind of gave Khushi the hopes that she wasn't going to disapprove of anything.

No matter what she was and what powers she possessed, in front of her mother she was just a teen aged daughter who was obviously nervous discussing her relationship with her Mom!

Khushi nodded her head in affirmation while she watched Adrienne's face lighting up and she instantly pulled her for a hug.

"Aww, Sweetie! I'm really happy for you. I've liked that guy since the beginning. Very decent and sincere."

"I should have known it that day itself when he brought you home after you fainted during the party in your college. He was so concerned about you."

.

Adrienne's words only made Khushi elated as she finally found sun shining in her life in its truest semblence, as she had her love and her family together in this.

Though it was already night, she could still feel the sun's bright rays which shone on her with every happy moment that life was offering her today.

Smiling at her mother, she felt like framing this perfect moment before wishing her good night as she finally retired headed towards her room, leaving a happily smiling Adrienne downstairs.

*

Despite it being a long day, it appeared to be too short.

Perhaps that is how happy moments are!

Days of lament and sorrows appear to be so long, while days of happiness seem to end in no time.

.

.

Blushing constantly at the thoughts of the events that took place today, she quickened her steps as she walked towards her room and finally opened the door only to be shocked at the sight in front of her.

.

.

"You!"

She stared at the figure standing in front of her, while her mind absolutely went numb wondering, how could he be here.

**