Inside the Sarpanch’s House

Chapter 4

The heavy iron gate opened slowly with a loud creaking sound.

Anaya watched as Raghav and two villagers carefully carried her grandfather inside the large house. The moment she stepped through the gate, she realized the place felt very different from the rest of the village.

Outside, the village had been peaceful and simple.

Inside, the house felt… controlled.

Every corner seemed perfectly arranged. Tall stone walls surrounded the courtyard, and the silence inside the property felt almost intimidating.

Anaya followed closely behind.

The Sarpanch, Devendra Singh, walked ahead with slow, confident steps. Everyone inside the house moved respectfully when he passed.

Servants lowered their heads.

Villagers stepped aside.

It was clear that his authority here was absolute.

“Take him to the guest room,” Devendra ordered calmly.

The villagers nodded and carried Anaya’s grandfather into a quiet room on the ground floor.

Anaya hurried inside.

The room was simple but clean. A large wooden bed stood near the window, and soft evening light entered through thin curtains.

They carefully placed her grandfather on the bed.

Anaya immediately checked his breathing.

Still weak.

Still unstable.

She turned to Raghav.

“Well?” she asked impatiently.

Raghav didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he stepped closer to the bed.

His expression had become serious again.

Slowly, he placed two fingers on the old man’s wrist.

The room fell silent.

Even the air felt still.

Anaya watched him closely.

His eyes were half closed as if he was concentrating deeply on something only he could sense.

Seconds passed.

Then a full minute.

Finally, Raghav opened his eyes.

His expression was unreadable.

“What is it?” Anaya asked.

Raghav looked at her briefly before turning toward his father.

“This illness…” he said quietly.

“…is strange.”

Anaya’s stomach tightened.

“What do you mean strange?”

Raghav ignored her question and examined the old man again.

He gently pressed different points on the wrist and neck.

Then he suddenly stepped back.

“This is not a normal disease,” he said.

Anaya’s patience snapped.

“That’s exactly what every doctor in the city said!”

Devendra stepped closer.

“Explain,” he told Raghav.

Raghav’s gaze returned to the old man.

“The pulse is weak… but not because of illness.”

Anaya frowned.

“Then why?”

Raghav hesitated for the first time.

“Something is… draining his life energy.”

The words sounded ridiculous.

At least, that’s what Anaya’s medical training told her.

But something about the seriousness in his voice made her hesitate.

“That’s impossible,” she said.

Raghav looked at her calmly.

“Modern medicine cannot see everything.”

Anaya opened her mouth to argue but stopped.

Because suddenly—

Her grandfather moved.

His fingers twitched slightly.

Then his eyes slowly opened.

Anaya rushed to his side.

“Dadaji?”

For a moment his gaze looked confused.

Then he suddenly stared straight at Raghav.

A strange fear appeared on the old man’s face.

“No…” he whispered weakly.

Everyone in the room froze.

His trembling hand slowly lifted.

Pointing directly at Raghav.

“The guardian bloodline…” he murmured.

Anaya blinked in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

But her grandfather wasn’t listening.

His eyes widened as if he was seeing something terrifying.

“It has begun again,” he whispered.

Before anyone could ask what he meant, his body suddenly went limp.

“Dadaji!” Anaya cried.

Raghav quickly checked the pulse again.

Still alive.

But unconscious.

A heavy silence filled the room.

Anaya turned toward Raghav.

“What did he mean by that?”

Raghav didn’t answer.

Instead, his gaze slowly shifted toward his father.

For a brief moment, Devendra’s expression changed.

Just slightly.

But Anaya noticed.

And suddenly she felt something she hadn’t felt before.

A quiet realization.

Her grandfather’s illness…

The strange healer…

The powerful Sarpanch…

None of this was a coincidence.

There was a secret in this village.

And somehow…

Her grandfather knew it.

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