"Darkness does not arrive with thunder—it comes in whispers, unnoticed, until it's already inside you."

Diwali night. The village glows under countless oil lamps and bursting fireworks. Laughter and cheer fill the air as children run through the streets, their faces lit with excitement. Among them is 11-year-old Arjun, holding a pack of firecrackers with eager hands.

For the first time, he feels normal. Just another boy celebrating a festival.

His best friend cheers him on as he kneels to light a flower pot cracker (anar). The matchstick flickers, touches the fuse... but nothing happens.

Frowning, he tries again. The fuse remains unlit.

A strange chill creeps up his spine. The warmth of Diwali suddenly feels distant. The air stills. Then—

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Flicker.

Every streetlight, every diya, every source of light vanishes in an instant. The world is swallowed in darkness. Gasps echo through the streets.

And then, a voice—deep, distant, inside him.

"Bhairaa..."

Arjun's breath turns shallow. His hands tremble. He whips around, eyes darting across the blackened street.

"Who's there?!" he shouts, his voice barely a whisper against the suffocating silence.

Nothing.

Then, another whisper—this time, closer.

"You will know soon... I am inside you."

The streetlights flare back on. The world returns to normal. But before Arjun can even process what happened—

BOOM!

The cracker in his hand erupts violently, flames licking his skin. His scream pierces the night. His best friend rushes to him, but something inside Arjun shifts. Pain twists into rage. Hatred. He clenches his burned hand, staring at the sky, and mutters a single, bitter sentence:

"There is no God."

That night, something deep within Arjun stirs. Unseen, unheard—but awake.

The seal has begun to crack.

Was the voice a hallucination... or was something calling out to Arjun from within?