🪬🔮𝔅𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 𝔅𝔶 𝔇𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔶🪷🪬

Chapter 6: The Unexpected Guests

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow in Anaya's living room. Anaya and Arjun sat at the dining table, a bit tired from the previous day's intense discussions, but there was a quiet sense of anticipation in the air. The night had passed without incident, yet both knew the day ahead would hold its own set of surprises.

Anaya's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Verma, were bustling around the kitchen, brewing tea and preparing breakfast, while Arjun's parents chatted softly nearby. When Arjun's father noticed Anaya and Arjun sitting quietly together, he gave a small nod to his wife, and the two exchanged a knowing smile. This gathering wasn't just about ancient powers and relics; it was a long-overdue reunion of two families connected by lineage, destiny-and a shared history.

The moment breakfast was served, everyone relaxed, and laughter soon filled the room. Old stories were swapped, inside jokes resurfaced, and the tension of their shared mission melted away, at least for a few minutes. Even Anaya and Arjun found themselves laughing, feeling like kids again, lost in the joy of family.

But then, as her father set down his teacup with a serious expression, Anaya knew the laughter was about to be interrupted.

"Alright, everyone," Mr. Verma said, clearing his throat. "We need to refocus. We're here for a reason, and it's important we-"

Suddenly, a loud knock at the door interrupted him, and all heads turned toward the entrance. Before anyone could react, two figures bustled in, their entrance as grand and unapologetic as could be. Anaya's and Arjun's grandmothers had arrived-each with a regal air and mischievous glint in their eyes.

"Well!" Anaya's grandmother exclaimed, planting herself right in the middle of the room. "Looks like the party started without us, huh?"

Arjun's grandmother, right on her heels, gave a dramatic sigh. "All this, and nobody thought to inform the family elders? Really, boys?" She fixed her son with a stare so powerful he visibly gulped.

The room fell into a stunned silence before bursting into laughter. The two grandmothers swept through the room like twin whirlwinds, each directing a reproachful look at their respective sons.

"How could you not tell us about any of this?" Anaya's grandmother scolded, hands on her hips. She gave Mr. Verma a light swat on the shoulder, causing him to jump in his seat, his face red with embarrassment.

Arjun's grandmother was equally unforgiving. "And you, my dear boy, letting me find out last minute from a neighbor of all people! Imagine my horror!"

Anaya exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Arjun, both struggling to contain their laughter. There was something so timeless, so endearing about watching their fathers get scolded like they were still children themselves.

Mr. Verma tried to explain, his hands raised in a futile attempt to calm his mother. "M-Ma, we were going to tell you, but it's all been a bit... complicated."

"Complicated?" Anaya's grandmother scoffed, giving her son a little shove. "Too complicated to let your mother know about something as big as this? Hmph!"

Anaya's father could only nod sheepishly, while Arjun's father suffered an equally relentless scolding.

"I swear," Arjun's grandmother muttered, folding her arms as she fixed her son with a glare. "I have no idea how you've managed to keep your job with these communication skills. I've seen pigeons with better manners."

The room erupted in laughter again as Mr. Verma and Mr. Sharma exchanged pained looks of shared humiliation. Anaya and Arjun had tears in their eyes from laughing, the weight of the previous night momentarily lifted.