Chapter 51: Echoes of the Forgotten

The chamber felt alive. The air crackled with an unseen energy, and the whisper seemed to echo from the very walls.

"You have come too far."

Saanvi's grip on Satya's hand tightened as a shiver ran down her spine. Devraj held up his flashlight, but the beam flickered weakly as if struggling against an invisible force.

Professor Raghav took a cautious step forward. "This isn't just history we're uncovering," he murmured. "Something—someone—doesn't want us here."

Satya, his heart pounding, scanned the walls again. His eyes locked onto a particular engraving—Veer kneeling before the royal throne, shackles on his wrists. The scene depicted a trial, with Meera standing nearby, her face unreadable.

And then—his breath hitched.

Another carving. One that had been worn down over time.

It showed Veer inside this very chamber… but not alone.

A hooded figure loomed over him, hands raised in a ritualistic manner. The details were faded, but the meaning was clear—this wasn't just imprisonment. Something else had happened here.

"We need to leave," Devraj said, his voice urgent. "Something about this place is—"

Before he could finish, the temperature in the chamber plummeted.

A gust of wind spiraled through the room, extinguishing their light.

And then—

A sound.

A deep, guttural whisper.

"You were never meant to return."

Saanvi gasped as an unseen force pushed her back, sending her stumbling into Satya. The ground beneath them trembled, dust falling from the ceiling.

Professor Raghav's voice was sharp. "This is why they erased Veer's history. It wasn't just a forbidden love story—it was something more. Something they wanted buried forever."

Satya clenched his jaw. He refused to back down. "Then we need to know why."

With shaking hands, he reached for the wall, tracing the outline of Veer's figure. The moment his fingers made contact, a rush of images flooded his mind—

A dark chamber. Shackles biting into his wrists.

A voice, low and commanding. "You will forget."

Pain. Agony.

A scream—his own.

Satya's knees buckled, and Saanvi barely caught him. His breaths came in short gasps as he clutched his head, the memories clawing at the edges of his consciousness.

"Satya!" Saanvi's voice was full of concern. "What happened?"

He looked up, eyes wild. "They didn't just imprison Veer." His voice was hoarse. "They erased him."

Silence fell over the group.

Professor Raghav's expression darkened. "Then we may be facing something far worse than just history."

Satya steadied himself. Whatever had been done to Veer in the past—whoever had tried to erase him—was still lingering. Watching. Waiting.

And they were closer to the truth than ever before.

But at what cost?