Mysteries in the Shadows

Shapra and Anmol walked side by side toward their school, the morning sun rising above them. But Shapra couldn't shake off the mystery of the rock. Anmol noticed his friend seemed distracted.

"Alright, we've got to figure this out. That rock's still bugging you, huh?"

Shapra nodded, still lost in thought. "I just feel like it means something... something important."

"Well, we can't just ignore it," Anmol said, pulling at Shapra's sleeve. "Let's go talk to the poojari. He might know something."

Shapra agreed, and together they made their way to the temple they had passed earlier. The temple stood tall and inviting, its calm presence urging them to uncover what was hidden.

Inside, the poojari was deep in prayer. When he saw Shapra and Anmol, he greeted them with a respectful nod.

"We need to talk about something," Shapra began, taking out his phone. He scrolled through his gallery, searching for the photo of the mysterious rock. But in his haste, his thumb accidentally scrolled to the family photo.

The poojari's eyes locked onto the screen instantly. His face paled, and he pointed at a man in the photo. "Who is this man?" he asked, his voice shaky with fear.

Shapra froze. "That... that's my grandpa, Viren."

The poojari's eyes widened, and he whispered, "Viren…"

Shapra felt a chill run down his spine. "Why? What's wrong? What's going on?"

The poojari took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "He... he was the master I spoke of before. The one who taught us poojaris how to meditate and gain our powers. He wasn't just any man."

Anmol and Shapra exchanged confused glances. "What do you mean?" Shapra asked, growing more curious.

The poojari's expression turned grave. "Viren was a kind soul, but there was more to him than you might realize. He had deep ties with demi-monsters."

"Demi-monsters?" Anmol repeated, sounding curious. "What are those?"

The poojari looked around, then gestured for them to follow him into another room. As he rummaged through a drawer, Shapra and Anmol looked at each other, puzzled. The poojari pulled out an old photo and showed it to them.

"This," he said, holding up the image, "is your grandpa, Viren, in the center. The people beside him are demi-monsters."

Shapra's heart skipped a beat. He recognized the photo right away—the same one he had seen when he first held the gem. Everything was starting to make sense.

"I saw this photo before," Shapra said, his voice shaky. "When I looked into the gem's light, I saw this face."

The poojari frowned. "What do you mean? What did you see?"

Shapra explained the vision he had when he accidently gulped the gem. The poojari was puzzled.

"That's strange… how could you have seen it?" the poojari muttered, then paused as if thinking. "But wait… there's more to this."

"What gem are you talking about," poojari asked with some anger in his eyes. Shapra explained all the things about gem and his family to poojari.

With glaring eyes, "Now leave it" poojari said.

Shapra glanced at the photo again, his eyes scanning every detail. As his gaze shifted, something caught his eye.

"Wait... there's someone else in the picture."

Shapra felt a strange, unsettling feeling. "That's... that's my grandma on the left... but I don't know who the man on the right is."

Anmol raised an eyebrow. "Wait, your grandma? What? And why didn't you know this man?"

After connecting all the strings,

The poojari's face grew serious. "Your grandmother... and your mother... both can be demi-monsters. It's possible since I know these both are demi-monsters on photo and you said that you had that same feeling when you saw your mother."

Her blood was of this world, but not entirely human, a hidden truth that lingered just beneath the surface. The gem's energy made the child feel an uneasy link to something she couldn't escape.

"Also the hints on the rock you mentioned that you saw directs to that point", poojari says with sweat in his head.

Shapra felt his heart pound. Demi-monsters? His grandmother? His mother? He wasn't sure what to think anymore. Everything he knew about his family was suddenly in question.

Anmol's voice cut through his thoughts. "What do you mean by 'demi-monsters'? Are they... like monsters?"

The poojari sighed deeply and began explaining. "Demi-monsters are beings who have human-like bodies but something uncommon about them—like horns, ears, or eyes that resemble those of pure monsters. But there are also demi-monsters who appear to be fully human, with no exceptions. However, they possess extraordinary senses—like better hearing, smell, or even vision."

Shapra's mind raced. His family is really connected to these demi-monsters?

As Shapra continued to stare at the photo, something else began to trouble him. He squinted at the man on the right, his heart suddenly racing.

"Wait... I know this man," Shapra and Anmol said slowly. "This man was the one who attacked us on the street."

A heavy silence filled the room. The realization hit hard—this man, somehow connected to Shapra's family, had attacked them.

Shapra's stomach twisted with unease.

Anmol looked at Shapra, then the poojari. "This is getting bigger than we thought."

Shapra nodded, trying to absorb everything. His family was hiding something, and the truth was more complicated and dangerous than he had ever imagined.

 To be continued.....