The Vanishing Stranger -

The little antique shop at the corner of the street smelled of old wood, parchment, and secrets. Aanya traced her fingers over a collection of trinkets, her eyes landing on a delicate gold pendant. It was simple yet elegant, with an intricate design. She flipped it over and noticed a tiny engraving, but it was too worn to read.

Without much thought, she bought it.

That evening, as she reached home, she clasped the pendant around her neck, admiring how it looked in the mirror. A knock on the door startled her.

She opened it to see a man standing there - a tall, charming stranger with an easy smile.

"Hey, I'm Agasthya. Your new neighbor. Just thought I'd stop by and say hello," he said.

Aanya smiled back. "Oh! Nice to meet you. I'm Aanya. Want to come in?"

They talked for a while, sharing stories about the neighborhood, their work, and little things that made conversation effortless. He was warm and easy to talk to, as if they had known each other forever.

Later that night, Aanya introduced Agasthya to her friends, Neha and Rohan. The four of them had a great time, laughing and chatting at a caf�. Agasthya blended in so naturally that it felt like he had always been a part of their group.

At home, Aanya sighed contentedly as she unclasped the pendant before heading to bed.

The next morning, she rushed out to work, completely forgetting to wear it.

During lunch, she casually mentioned Agasthya.

Her friends exchanged confused glances.

"Who?" Neha asked, frowning.

"Agasthya," Aanya repeated. "Our new neighbor? We literally hung out last night!"

Rohan looked genuinely puzzled. "Aanya, we didn't meet anyone new yesterday."

She chuckled, waiting for them to admit they were joking. But their faces remained blank.

A strange chill ran down her spine.

Agasthya was gone. Not just physically - but from their memories.

The Vanishing Stranger - Part 2

Aanya's mind whirled as she tried to process what had happened. How could her friends forget Agasthya overnight? It made no sense.

Maybe they were messing with her.

Still unsettled, she went home and instinctively put the pendant back on. There was something oddly comforting about its weight against her skin.

Later that evening, she met up with Neha and Rohan again, this time at the mall. They were laughing about something when Aanya stopped in her tracks.

Agasthya was there.

Behind the counter of a coffee shop, casually preparing an order, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey, Agasthya!" Neha greeted.

Rohan grinned. "Dude! Didn't know you worked here."

Aanya's breath hitched. Just yesterday, they had no memory of him. Now, they were greeting him like he had always been there.

What the hell was happening?

She forced a laugh, trying to mask her unease. "Oh, so now you recognize him, huh? You know, Agasthya, they were pranking me yesterday, pretending they had no clue who you were."

Agasthya smiled - a slow, knowing smile that sent a shiver down her spine.

"As they should," he whispered.

Aanya felt cold all over.

- ---

That night, she fell into an uneasy sleep, but the knock on her door jolted her awake.

A deep, familiar voice spoke through the wood.

"Hey, Saudamini."

The name wrapped around her like an incantation. It wasn't hers. But somehow, it was.

Aanya's body went rigid. Her mind screamed at her to move, to run, but darkness clouded her vision, pulling her under.

- ---

When she woke up, the air was thick with the scent of burning oil and damp stone. The soft mattress of her bed was gone - replaced by something cold and hard beneath her.

She blinked.

Iron bars surrounded her.

Panic seized her chest. She was in a cage.

Her breath came in short gasps as she scrambled to her feet, gripping the bars, heart pounding. This wasn't her apartment.

This wasn't even her time.

Beyond the cage, flickering torches cast eerie shadows against stone walls. It looked ancient - like she had been thrown centuries into the past.

And then she saw him.

A tall figure stepped forward, illuminated by the firelight.

Agasthya.

Only now, he wasn't just the friendly neighbor. His dark eyes glowed with something unreadable - something ancient. He was dressed in deep crimson and black, regal yet ominous, and there was an undeniable power radiating from him.

"Finally," he exhaled, his gaze drinking her in. "You are in my world."

Aanya's blood ran cold.

"I don't have to wait for you to wear that damn pendant just to meet you? just to see you," he murmured, stepping closer.

His lips curled into a slow, wicked smile.

"Finally."

And then, he laughed.

A deep, chilling sound that echoed through the stone walls.

- ---

The past of saudamini -

The Vanishing Stranger - Part 3

The Past Life of Saudamini

The kingdom of Malva was thriving under the reign of its just and beloved king. Within the palace, two young women shared a bond stronger than blood - Princess Devyani, the radiant jewel of Malva, and her closest confidante, Saudamini.

Saudamini was not of royal blood, but she had grown up in the palace, learning alongside Devyani. Their friendship was unbreakable, forged through years of secrets, laughter, and undying loyalty.

But fate had other plans.

A marriage was arranged between Princess Devyani and Prince Agasthya of the neighboring kingdom. A man of power, wealth, and unmatched charm. Yet behind his regal fa�ade lurked something dark - whispers of sorcery, of forbidden knowledge, of an obsession with powers beyond mortal reach.

Days before the wedding, Saudamini overheard a chilling conversation between Agasthya and his trusted advisor.

"She is merely a means to an end," Agasthya had said, his voice laced with amusement. "Once I wed the princess, the kingdom will bow to me. None shall stand against my power."

Saudamini's blood ran cold.

She rushed to Devyani, her heart pounding. "You cannot marry him! He is dangerous!"

Devyani paled. She trusted Saudamini with her life. And if Saudamini said there was danger, she would believe her.

And so, on the fateful day of the wedding, a plan was set in motion.

- ---

Draped in the princess's bridal attire, Saudamini sat beneath the heavy veil, her heart hammering. The sacred fire crackled before her.

She had taken Devyani's place.

Agasthya, dressed in royal finery, sat beside her, his eyes alight with something unreadable.

The priest chanted the holy verses. The wedding vows were spoken. The sacred thread was tied.

With each ritual, Saudamini felt the weight of destiny pressing down on her.

And then, it was done.

Saudamini had become Agasthya's wife.

The doors to the chamber closed behind them that night, leaving her alone with him for the first time as husband and wife.

The air was thick with silence.

Saudamini stood still, waiting for his rage to erupt when he discovered the deception.

Instead, Agasthya chuckled.

A slow, knowing sound that sent a shiver down her spine.

"I knew it would be you."

Her breath hitched.

Agasthya stepped closer, his dark eyes gleaming. "I saw the future long ago. I knew you would take her place. That you would be mine."

Saudamini's fingers clenched the folds of her bridal sari. "You're lying."

He smiled, tilting his head. "Am I?"

Her stomach twisted.

"I never wanted Devyani," he continued, his voice smooth as silk. "It was always you, Saudamini. From the moment I laid eyes on you."

A cold dread settled in her bones.

He had known. He had seen it all before it even happened.

And yet, he had let it unfold exactly as he wished.

Saudamini's mind raced. There was only one way out.

Without hesitation, she reached for the small vial hidden within her sleeve. A poison she had prepared in case the worst came to pass.

Agasthya's eyes flickered with realization.

"Saudamini - "

But she had already swallowed it.

A bitter burn spread through her throat, her vision blurring as her body weakened.

She smiled, even as the pain consumed her.

"You may have seen the future," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. "But you won't control me in this life."

Agasthya's hands gripped her shoulders, his expression unreadable.

"You think this is the end?" he murmured.

Darkness closed in, drowning her senses.

And just before everything faded, she heard his final words - words that would haunt her soul beyond time itself.

"I will find you again, Saudamini."

- ---

Present Day

Aanya gasped as the memories slammed into her.

She wasn't just Aanya.

She was Saudamini.

And Agasthya had found her again.

The Vanishing Stranger - Part 4

The Final Betrayal

Saudamini lay on a luxurious bed draped in silk, her wrists sore from the golden shackles Agasthya had placed on her. The room was filled with the fragrance of fresh roses, the soft glow of oil lamps flickering around her.

Agasthya sat beside her, his touch gentle as he wiped a damp cloth over her forehead.

"You fainted, my love," he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Saudamini shuddered at his words. Love? This wasn't love. This was obsession.

"You should rest," he continued, his voice softer now, almost tender. "You are back where you belong, and this time, nothing will take you from me."

Saudamini clenched her jaw, swallowing down the bile rising in her throat.

She remembered everything now.

The wedding. The deception. The poison she drank to escape him.

And worst of all - how none of it had ever been a mistake.

Everything - her stepping in for Devyani, Agasthya letting it happen, his twisted obsession - had all been planned. For her.

She needed to get out.

If she was here, in the past again, then Devyani must be here too. She was her only hope.

- ---

The Message of Desperation

Late that night, under the silver glow of the moon, Saudamini managed to steal a small parchment and ink. With trembling hands, she scrawled her plea.

"It's Saudamini. Free me, Devyani, please. I don't want to die again. He will put me here again."

She folded the message, attaching it carefully to the leg of a palace pigeon before releasing it into the cold night air.

She watched it disappear, carrying her last shred of hope.

- ---

Devyani's Discovery

Devyani was pacing in her chambers when the pigeon landed on her window, its tiny claws clicking against the marble.

Frowning, she untied the note, her eyes scanning the words.

Her blood ran cold.

Saudamini. Alive. Captured.

She had thought her best friend had died that night. But if Agasthya had brought her back, then -

A sudden realization struck her like lightning.

She had heard whispers. Dark rumors. Agasthya's family was not ordinary. They practiced witchcraft - magic that could bend time and fate itself.

Terror gripped her.

She needed to act fast.

Devyani rushed to the temple within her castle, where the kingdom's most revered monk resided - Agasthya's uncle.

She fell to her knees before him, her voice breaking.

"Please, help me," she pleaded. "Agasthya has trapped Saudamini. He is no human - he is a monster."

The old monk exhaled sharply, his eyes shadowed with something unreadable.

"I know," he said, his voice like stone. "And that monster needs to die."

He reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a small vial of deep red liquid.

"This is no ordinary poison," he explained. "No mortal weapon can kill him. But this - this will end him forever. Make him drink it on the full moon night."

Devyani clutched the vial, determination hardening her heart.

"I will do it."

- ---

The Full Moon's Betrayal

Two nights later, under the haunting glow of the full moon, Devyani prepared for her most dangerous deception.

She transformed herself completely - her long hair braided with golden ornaments, her body draped in the finest silks, her face painted like a celestial beauty.

A courtesan. A woman of pleasure.

With cunning precision, she infiltrated Agasthya's castle, blending seamlessly with the other concubines.

Her heart pounded as she moved gracefully through the halls, carrying a tray with a goblet of rich, spiced alcohol - laced with the deadly potion.

Agasthya sat in his private chamber, his eyes lazy with amusement as she approached.

"You're new," he mused, his gaze drinking her in. "Come, serve me."

Devyani forced a coy smile, kneeling before him, offering the goblet with trembling hands.

Agasthya took it, swirling the liquid inside before bringing it to his lips.

And drank.

Devyani held her breath.

A moment of silence.

Then - his body jerked. His breath hitched, eyes widening in shock.

He gasped, clutching his chest as the poison burned through his veins.

And then - he collapsed.

Devyani let out a shaky breath, her lips curling into a victorious smile.

He was dead.

Saudamini was free.

- ---

The Whisper That Haunts Forever

She rushed to free Saudamini from her captivity, her hands fumbling as she broke the chains that bound her.

They held each other, breathless, the weight of years of torment lifting.

"We're free," Devyani whispered.

But then -

A sharp, eerie whistle sliced through the silence.

Devyani froze.

Saudamini's skin prickled with terror.

That sound.

That sound belonged to him.

The room grew deathly cold.

And then, a whisper - low and haunting.

"I'll come again."

The torches flickered.

The shadows twisted.

And just like that - he was gone.