His new flat in Hyderabad faced a cluttered intersection. The kitchen was in the northeast—bad for health, his mother-in-law insisted. And the master bedroom? Southwest, yes, but the toilet alignment… something felt off.

Venkatesh deleted the link. The next morning, he walked to the neighborhood bookshop and bought the original book. The shopkeeper, an old man with kind eyes, smiled. "Ah, Reddy garu's work. My father used his charts. Your house will speak to you now."

"Don't take shortcuts with the house's soul," his father had said. But the hardcover Vastu book cost ₹450, and the builder had already bled him dry.

A soft voice spoke—not from the phone, but from the wall behind him. "You seek Gouru Tirupati Reddy garu's wisdom, but you knock on a thief's door."

Startled, Venkatesh turned. No one was there. But on the wall, a shadow in the shape of a seated man remained.