Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya

Part III: The Unraveling Truth

Chapter 23: The Failed Ritual

The air in the grand chamber was thick with incense, the scent of burning herbs permeating the walls of the palace as Rajguru and Raja Vikram stood in a circle drawn with sacred powders. The ancient symbols glowed faintly in the dim light of the torches, casting eerie shadows that flickered against the stone walls. At the center of the circle, Maya sat, her hands bound with ceremonial ropes made of blessed silk. She was unconscious, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Yet her face was contorted with distress, as if locked in a nightmare she could not escape.

Rajguru stood before the altar, his face lined with concentration as he prepared for the ancient ritual. His voice was low and steady, reciting incantations in the ancient tongue, words passed down through generations, meant to call upon the gods to rid the palace of the malevolent spirit of Rani Aranya.

Raja Vikram, his heart heavy with fear and desperation, glanced at Maya’s still form. The hauntings had escalated beyond anything he could have imagined—objects flying across the room, doors slamming shut with no one near them, and Rani’s whispers haunting his every waking moment. The palace, once his refuge, had turned into a nightmare.

“Rajguru,” Vikram spoke, his voice hoarse with worry, “are you certain this will work? Rani’s spirit... it’s grown too powerful. I fear we are too late.”

Rajguru, without looking up from his preparations, responded in his calm, assured tone. “This is the most ancient of rituals, Raja. If there is anything that can rid this palace of her vengeful spirit, it is this. But you must be strong. Any doubt, any hesitation, could doom us.”

Vikram clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe deeply. He couldn’t allow fear to take hold of him now. Maya’s life depended on this. If the ritual failed, he knew Rani’s spirit would consume Maya completely, leaving nothing of the woman he loved.

As Rajguru finished drawing the final symbol on the ground, he turned to Vikram, his eyes filled with warning. “Once we begin, there is no turning back. You must stay within the circle, no matter what happens. Do you understand?”

Vikram nodded, though his heart pounded with uncertainty. “I understand.”

Rajguru began to chant, his deep voice filling the chamber with a haunting melody. The flames of the torches flickered wildly as if responding to the power of his words. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly, and Vikram could see his breath in the cold air. He glanced around nervously, feeling the presence of something unseen, something dark, watching them.

Maya stirred slightly, a faint groan escaping her lips. Vikram’s heart clenched in his chest. “Maya...”

“Stay focused, Raja!” Rajguru’s voice cut through the air. “She is still under Rani’s influence. You must not let your emotions guide you.”

Vikram bit down on his lip, forcing himself to look away from Maya and focus on the ritual. He had to trust Rajguru. It was the only hope they had left.

The wind howled outside, and the walls of the palace seemed to tremble as the energy in the room grew stronger. Rajguru raised his hands toward the ceiling, his voice rising in intensity, calling upon the divine forces to cleanse the palace of its curse. The circle around them glowed brighter, the symbols burning with an ethereal light.

Suddenly, Maya’s body convulsed, her eyes snapping open, but they were no longer her eyes. They glowed with the cold, haunting light of Rani Aranya’s spirit.

“Vikram!” The voice that came from Maya’s lips was not her own. It was filled with malice, with hatred. “You think you can banish me? You think you can be rid of me so easily?”

Vikram’s blood ran cold. He stepped back, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword, though he knew no weapon could save him from this.

“Rani!” he shouted, his voice trembling with both anger and fear. “Leave her! This is not your body! You have no right to torment her!”

Maya—no, Rani—laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the chamber. “You think I care for your pitiful demands? I was yours, Vikram! You swore to me! And yet, you replaced me, betrayed me!”

“Rajguru!” Vikram turned to the old priest, panic rising in his voice. “Do something!”

But Rajguru’s eyes were wide with shock as he stumbled backward. The ritual circle, once glowing with divine energy, began to dim, its light flickering as though it was being snuffed out by a greater darkness.

“It... it isn’t working,” Rajguru whispered, his voice filled with disbelief. “The spirit is too strong.”

“No!” Vikram shouted, stepping toward Maya. “It can’t fail! Rajguru, we have to try again!”

Rani’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “You cannot stop me, Vikram. You will be mine again. And she...” Rani’s lips curled into a wicked smile as she looked down at Maya’s body, “she will be nothing but a memory.”

Maya’s body convulsed violently, her face contorted in pain. Vikram’s heart shattered as he watched her suffer, powerless to stop it. He rushed forward, grabbing Maya’s shoulders, trying to shake her free from the spirit’s grasp.

“Maya, fight her! Please, fight her!” Vikram pleaded, tears filling his eyes.

But Maya’s body continued to thrash, her voice a terrifying mixture of her own and Rani’s. “It’s too late, Vikram... too late...”

Suddenly, the walls of the chamber trembled, and a deafening crack filled the room as one of the ancient stone pillars split in two. The ground beneath them shook violently, sending Rajguru tumbling backward.

“The palace... it’s falling apart!” Rajguru shouted, struggling to regain his footing. “Raja, we must leave! The spirit is growing too strong!”

But Vikram couldn’t move. He couldn’t leave Maya behind. “No! I won’t abandon her!”

The room continued to shake, dust and debris falling from the ceiling. The torches were snuffed out one by one, leaving only darkness and the faint glow of the dying ritual circle.

With a final, blood-curdling scream, Maya’s body went limp in Vikram’s arms. The wind ceased, and the shaking stopped, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Vikram stared down at her, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Maya...?”

There was no response.

Vikram’s breath caught in his throat. He cradled her lifeless body, tears streaming down his face. The ritual had failed. Rani’s spirit was still there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike again.

And now, Vikram realized with a crushing sense of dread, they were all trapped in a palace where death had become a living nightmare.