I touched my temple after hearing Mama’s comment.

Then I looked at him—grinning, with his right hand hidden behind his back. I walked toward him and gently took his hand, only to find an injury—a large, blackened burn mark.

I stared at it in worry, but he just ruffled my hair and said with a smile, “It’ll be fine.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I immediately hugged him tightly. He hugged me back and patted my head gently.

“I hate to interrupt such a beautiful moment,” Roshan chimed in, gesturing to the chaotic mess around us, “but… how do you plan to explain this to everyone?”

Adinath Mama grinned. “Oh, don’t worry about that. We’re not actually in the hospital.”

Roshan and I exchanged confused glances. Roshan scratched the back of his head. “But this is the hospital!” he exclaimed.

“No, it only seems like it,” Mama replied calmly. “Didn’t you find it strange that not a single person came, despite all the noise?”

As he said it, the realization hit me—no one had come. Not a doctor, not a nurse, not even a curious patient.

“This is a mirror world,” Mama stated.

“Wh-What?? What does that even mean?” Roshan snapped, visibly irritated. I looked at Mama too, wondering if he’d been watching too many sci-fi movies lately.

“It’s better if I show you,” Mama said. He gestured for us to follow. We hesitated, but eventually gave in.

“What about Nitu? She’s still unconscious,” I asked, worried.

“Lay her on the bed,” Mama instructed. “I’ll place a protective barrier around her.”

Roshan and I carefully laid her down. Mama stood in a prayer stance, chanting something under his breath. He placed four rudraksha beads near her hands and feet, and finally, a fifth one on her forehead. As he did, a shimmering blue light enveloped Nitu.

She looked peaceful. I reached out to touch her head, but my hand couldn’t pass through the barrier.

“She’ll be safe this way,” Mama assured me.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand. I followed him, misty-eyed. If Mama hadn’t been here today… I wouldn’t have been able to protect anyone. I glanced at Roshan and noticed the dried blood on his forehead. Guilt twisted in my chest. I didn’t know how to face him.

“If you’ve got the energy to cry over things that weren’t your fault, use it to understand what’s going on instead,” Roshan snapped at me.

Mama looked back at us, then ahead. “He’s right,” he said simply.

I swallowed hard and kept following them.

After a while, we stopped in the middle of the corridor, right in front of the reception area.

“Look around. Notice anything strange?” Mama asked.

“Where the hell is everyone? It’s peak hours! Where are the patients, the nurses, the receptionist? Not even a single guard?” Roshan’s voice rose in panic.

“Look at the clocks. Every single one,” Mama said.

We looked—on the wall, on the reception desk, even in the nearby rooms. All of them had stopped.

Every single one showed 4:01.

“This is a place where time is constant—and yet, not,” Mama said, pointing at a convex mirror on the wall.

“A space as fragile as illusion, and yet as strong as reality,” he continued. We joined him, standing behind and peering into the mirror.

“A realm between Earth and the Judgement Plane. A tear in reality where the dead escape.”

As he smiled at the mirror—something strange happened. Instead of just his reflection, all three of our reflections smiled back.

Roshan and I gasped in horror. The reflections were too wide in their grins, too close to the glass. They twisted and leered with unnatural glee.

Roshan stumbled backward in fear. I caught him, and we both sank onto a bench as the eyes of our reflections followed us.

“What the f*ck is that?!” he screamed, pointing at the mirror. He began to hyperventilate, and I tried to calm him down.

Mama gently placed his hand over Roshan’s trembling eyes.

With his other hand, he sprayed something onto the mirror. As the reflections scattered instantly, I could hear creepy giggles fading through the corridor. I clasped Roshan's hands as his breathing grew heavier.

“Shhh… breathe in… breathe out… Relax, they’re gone now.”

Roshan slowly calmed down. Mama removed his hands.

“Chalavi,” he said. “They are the evil spirits of the mirror. Be careful—if you stare too long, they can possess you.”

“What is this place, Mama? Where the hell are we?" I asked.

“To explain that, I’ll have to explain…” He paused and then grinned at me. “We tell this to new warriors to help them understand their mission. Consider this your induction.”

I was confused by his words, but he began to speak again, so I stayed quiet and listened.

“In ancient times, back when there were no warrior-shamans—only guides for grieving souls to the Judgement Realm—things were simpler,” Mama began. “Souls would either be reincarnated to complete unfinished business, face the karmic cycle, or be sent to heaven.”

“But one day, a young soul, wronged by the world, challenged the Gods.” He said this while pacing the corridor, his face grim. “He raised an army of the undead and waged the Great War. As the war progressed, he became known as Tamoraj.”

As soon as I heard the name, goosebumps crawled over my skin. I looked at Roshan. He was watching Mama, waiting patiently for his next words.

“Anantashaktika, the Primordial Creator, the Mother of All, watched as he wreaked havoc on Heaven and Earth—gaining powers from the gods he defeated, along with his ten commanders.”

“Unable to bear the suffering of Gods and humans alike, she commanded Goddess Antayeshwari to fight Tamoraj and his army.”

“But even Antayashwari Devi began to falter. She called upon her most devout follower—Ankeshwar—and his ten comrades to counter Tamoraj and his forces.”

Mama paused, his voice filled with reverence.

“Ankeshwar triumphed. Mata Anatashaktika banished Tamoraj and his undead army to the Punishment Realm—a barren, fiery plane where only agony exists.”

“What does that have to do with all this?” Roshan asked, his voice shaky.

“Everything,” Mama replied heavily. “After being cast into Hell, Tamoraj didn’t perish. He endured it all and rose above the calamities. He guided his fallen army and made them stronger under his leadership. Impressed by his chaotic nature, Kaalketi—the Primordial God of Chaos and Darkness—crowned him Hell’s first king, giving him powers not to create life, but to create chaos.”

"Tamoraj became the father of the Asuras and the Undead. He empowered his ten commanders, making them the Dukes of Hell. Then he created this Mirror Realm—between Earth and Hell—to trap and tempt corrupt souls and let the dead disturb the living. It is said he completed building it at 4:01, and that is why this realm activates at that time.”

“This place is where evil spirits and demonic beings thrive. There are no laws here—not even physics works properly.” He picked up a pot of water and flung it into the air. The water floated instead of falling. We stared in shock.

“They are most powerful here, and if you’re not a higher-level Shaman, this realm itself can swallow you whole.” He turned to me. “Which is why you wouldn’t have been able to win against her.” He patted my shoulder, and I lowered my head, ashamed of my recklessness.

“Don’t be ashamed! Be proud that you still managed to protect your sister—and him,” Mama said solemnly, placing both hands on my shoulders.

Roshan gently held my hands. “We would’ve died if you hadn’t stepped up. But yeah, don’t be so reckless next time.”

Even though the guilt lingered, their words made me feel a little lighter. I smiled.

“I have a question though,” Mama said, turning to Roshan.

“How did all of you end up here?” he asked.

“I can guess how Nilu got here—but what about you and Nitu?”

“Well, Nitu came running to me and said she had a bad dream about Nilu. She insisted she had to see her immediately,” Roshan replied.

“As I tried calming her down, she suddenly saw that old hag.” His face twisted in irritation.

“Nitu was making a scene, and the hag kept taunting her. It was around 3:45 a.m. I told Nitu to come with me to check on Nilu, just to calm her down—and used my power to make the old hag come after us.”

“As we walked to Nilu’s room, the lights flickered and the hallway went eerily quiet.” Roshan furrowed his brows.

“But the old hag wouldn’t stop taunting Nitu. I was too busy trying to manage both of them to notice much else.”

“When we reached Nilu’s room, we saw another ghost trying to harm her. I tried restraining Nitu and got hit by the hag. The next thing I remember, I woke up-injured but healing Nilu was beside me, and you were fighting that crazy old bat.”

“She must’ve lured you into the Mirror Realm,” Mama said. “She knew her powers would be amplified here.”

“How do we get out?” Roshan asked.

“Don’t worry about that. Let’s just grab Nitu and head back. Your mother must be waiting in your room, Nilu.”

“A-Aai is in the hospital?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Mama said. “We came here as soon as I reached Pune. When we got to your room, we found you hyperventilating and both of them unconscious on the floor!” His eyes were wide with urgency.

“The reason I was late was because it was extremely hard to calm your mother down and convince her to stay and pray while I went to save your asses!”

My body turned cold. Aai must be in shambles right now.

“Let’s hurry back now, Mama!” I said, my voice full of agitation. I got up and ran back towards my room, with Mama and Roshan following close behind.

When we arrived, Mama gently collapsed the barrier around Nitu and lifted her in his arms.

With one hand, he began chanting a spell. Suddenly, what looked like a tear in reality appeared, glowing with golden light. Through it, I saw the room on the other side—my room—where Aai was holding my hand, praying and crying.

I didn’t wait. I ran straight toward the light.

The moment I crossed through, I felt a tug—and then I woke up in my bed again.

“Aai,” I called out to her.

She looked up with wide eyes and practically leapt onto me, hugging me tightly.

I wrapped my arms around her and began to cry.

Through my tears, I saw Roshan and Nitu waking up too, and Mama helping them sit up.

I was so thankful to be alive.

I hugged Aai tighter and signaled Nitu to come closer.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes and hugged both me and Aai. Mama and Roshan stood nearby, watching us with solemn expressions.

Just then, Dr. Kabir walked in.

“Did I miss something?” he asked, walking towards Roshan. “What happened to your head?” he added, inspecting it carefully.

Roshan just hugged him tightly and said, “No, it’s all right now. I just tripped and fell.”

Dr. Kabir hesitated for a moment, then hugged him back when he realized Roshan wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“Go home. I’ll talk to you later,” he said, guiding Roshan toward the door. Roshan nodded and began to leave.

As he was walking out, Dr. Kabir gently grabbed his hand.

“I’ll order your favorite besan ladoo and have it delivered home. So please stop crying and get some rest,” he said softly.

Roshan smiled sweetly at him and walked out.

Dr. Kabir looked at us, then turned to Mama. He asked him to step outside for a moment, and the two of them left the room.

Aai immediately began checking me all over for injuries, fussing as she did.

Nitu had already fallen asleep in my lap.

I asked Aai to calm down, but she started nagging.

“You should know I’ve been crying non-stop for you, you bad child! How could you make your mother worry like that?” she scolded, lightly hitting me with her fists.

I grabbed her hands gently and looked into her eyes.

“Seriously, Aai. I’m fine. Please calm down,” I said to her softly.

She looked like she might cry again, but then she relaxed a little and sat beside me.

I found myself wondering whether or not to tell her about Nani’s demonic form... and about the bits of my memory that had started returning. But I decided not to—for now. I just wanted to rest.

Mama came back into the room and told us the doctor said I’d be in the hospital for a few more days for observation. Aai nodded. I nodded too. Mama sat down on the couch and fell asleep within seconds.

I held Aai’s hand and laid my head back on the pillow.

This night had been so chaotic that these calm moments felt like a dream.

As I tried to sort through the mess in my head, I remembered something Mama had said.

Something about induction.

I wonder what he meant...