Disclaimer: All characters described in the story are above the age of 18. All relationships described are also between consenting adults. The author does not condone any underage or unlawful sexual activity.
Note: The word Durmantravada in multiple Indian languages refers to black magic and dark arts.
Note to Readers- Thank you all for the comments and feedback given for the previous chapters. I found the suggestions given by you guys to improve the writing and detailing to be quite useful and relevant and will surely try to incorporate it in future chapters. Sorry I could not stick to the timeframe mentioned in publishing this chapter- had too much on my plate the past 2 weeks. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too.
Chapter-4 An Unexpected Visitor
As he came down from the attic with the ring on his finger, he could feel a real change come upon him. Both mentally and physically, he felt fresh and quite awake and alert. His senses seemed to tingle at the slightest stimuli, and he found himself perceiving minor stuff he had missed before. He remembered what his ancestor had told him and wondered how much of it was the ring's effect and how much the previous night's activities'.
Getting down from the ladder in his twin sister's room, he, for the second time that day, found himself face to face with a just showered, towel-clad woman. His beautiful twin Asha was in the process of selecting fresh clothes from her wardrobe when she saw him. She gave him an unsure smile.
"Oh, sorry, I'll get out right now," he said.
"No, it's fine, tuck the ladder in and close the hatch before going," she said.
He brought out the step stool again and pushed the ladder up, standing on it. The ladder slid back gracefully, and he closed the hatch. Stepping down, he saw his sister with her hands folded, waiting for him to leave.
"Well, I was almost hoping you would not mind me being here," he said, testing the waters. A new closeness had crept in between the twins after their talk, and Atharva was determined to keep the momentum up.
"You would love that wouldn't you?" she said.
Wouldn't you too?" he asked.
"Well, if only you weren't all dusty, we could have played a little, perhaps," she said.
The statement came as a pleasant surprise to him. She had always been shy and less forthcoming than his older sibling. "I'll take just a few minutes to shower," he said.
"Silly brother, Veena will be home soon, and it is almost dinner time anyway."
"Don't sleep with mom tonight," he said.
"Not tonight, tomorrow," she said, "And on one condition."
"Anything," he said, his heart fluttering wildly at the prospect.
"I'll stop you if we go too far," she said, "And you will stop if I say so."
"Deal."
***********
It was only after dinner that Atharva was able to corner Veena alone. The siblings hadn't talked after their previous night's romp. Veena gave a smile as she saw her brother. He could feel a great deal of emotion towards his sibling rising in his heart. The gravity of his previous night's actions flashed in his mind suddenly. The siblings had lost their virginities to each other, and he had pumped full of his seed. He realized that he had been in love with his sister ever since that momentous night a few months ago, and was determined to cherish and treasure her always.
"I had fun last night," he said.
"Me too," she said, coming close to him. She then whispered into his ears, "I could feel your fun leak out of me all day."
He grew hard at this. "Did you get a pill?" he asked.
Her smile disappeared at this. "I couldn't go to the store today. I just hope it won't be too late by tomorrow."
He put his hand around her and said, "Don't worry. I'll be there whatever happens."
She snuggled into his arms, kissed him gently on his cheek, and said, "Well, that means you can come around tonight too then since I'm gonna be getting a pill tomorrow anyway."
"Can't wait," he said. Though he was determined to make a quick stop tonight before going to his sister's room.
*********
Getting out of his room around midnight, Atharva silently made his way to the
Pala
tree. It was as if he knew what he needed to do in the back of his mind. He could feel an uncommon chill permeating the area, while the trees to his left seemed shrouded in mist. Nearing the tree, he could feel the unmistakably familiar scent and cool breeze in the air.
He could see her standing at the foot of the tree, beautiful and fearsome as ever. She had a smile on her face and looked pleased upon seeing him.
He approached her slowly, still intimidated and afraid of the wraith. She wasn't who he wanted to talk to, though. He felt the ring in his finger with his other hand. Soon he felt a presence in his back and turned around to see his grand uncle.
"You have done well, my child. I'm impressed with your progress so far,"
"What has happened to me?" asked Atharva.
He gave a condescending smile and said, "The powers you possess now is not even a fraction of what you can potentially possess under my tutelage child."
"What sort of magic is this?"
"The common folks call it the dark arts," he said, "Though there's nothing dark about it. What I'll teach you are the sciences passed on in our family from time immemorial. Something which has helped us maintain our dominance."