The light of touch

 Chapter 8: The Touch of Light

The evening skies over Shivdara were painted in soft shades of orange and grey. But inside Vaanika’s heart, a storm was rising.

Her stepmother had not given up.

Though the wedding had been cancelled, she still paced around the house, whispering threats, blaming Veer Baba, and trying to pressure her husband to “fix the mistake.”

“You’ve ruined her future,” she kept saying. “Raghav’s family will never forget this insult.”

But her father stayed quiet. And Vaanika?

She remained silent… but her silence was not weakness — it was a rising tide.

Suddenly, footsteps came rushing toward their home. It was one of the temple boys, breathless. “Didi… Arin bhaiya… he—he met with an accident near the river trail. He’s unconscious. Someone’s bringing him to Veer Baba’s hut.”

Vaanika’s heart dropped.

She didn’t wait. Her slippers flew off her feet as she ran barefoot across the village lanes, her dupatta trailing behind like a ribbon of fire.

Tears blurred her eyes. No, Arin... please no.

When she reached Veer Baba’s hut, her breath caught.

There he was — lying still, blood on his forehead, dirt on his clothes.

Her steps slowed. “Arin…?”

Veer Baba placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “He’s alive. But the light inside him is dim.”

Vaanika knelt beside him, trembling. Her fingers hovered over his chest. “I—I don’t want to lose him.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks and dropped onto his hand.

She didn’t think. She just held him.

A soft light burst around them.

The air shimmered.

Veer Baba stepped back — watching silently, as the old banyan leaves rustled without wind.

From Vaanika’s hands, a golden glow spread like warm sunlight, flowing into Arin’s body.

His wounds disappeared.

His breathing steadied.

And then — slowly — his eyes opened.

“Vaa…nika?”

She gasped.

He was awake. Whole. Alive.

She stared at her glowing hands in disbelief. “What… what did I just do?”

Veer Baba spoke calmly, “You are awakening, child. The magic inside you listens to your heart.”

Arin sat up slowly, dazed. “I saw you… in my dream. You were healing me.”

Vaanika’s voice cracked, “You weren’t dreaming.”

Their eyes met — full of emotion, unspoken love, and something beyond the ordinary.

“I was so scared,” she whispered. “I thought I’d lost you… and then I just wanted to hold you, to protect you—”

Arin reached out, brushing a tear from her cheek. “You saved me, Vaanika. Like magic.”

She looked at him, heart pounding. “Maybe because I… love you.”

The wind paused.

Even the trees seemed to sigh with joy.

Veer Baba smiled behind them, whispering to the air, “The light has chosen her.”

In the moonlight, under the banyan tree, two hearts beat in rhythm — and the world shifted.

Magic was real.

And so was their love.

🕊️ Next Chapter Coming This Friday – Stay Tuned!

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Because the light inside her… has just begun to rise.

— The Author (Kridha)