"Silence isn't the absence of sound… it's the presence of secrets."
The air inside the Citadel of Silence was still. So still, it almost felt sacred — like even whispers would echo across time.
The sisters entered side by side, their steps echoing off ancient stone floors marked by sigils of Tatva — Earth, Fire, Water, Air… and Void.
In the center stood Rudraksh, his shadow long, his eyes unreadable.
But it wasn't him who drew their eyes.
It was her.
The Silent Sister.
Clad in glacial armor, her face obscured by a frozen veil, she stood still — unmoving, unreadable. But Avantika felt it.
Something… familiar.
Vrinda's voice broke the silence.
"Who is she?"
Rudraksh only smiled.
"The one you left behind."
Suddenly, the ice cracked.
The Silent Sister raised her hands. Wind howled. Snow whirled. And from her palm rose a shard of frozen flame — a paradox weapon that no single element could birth.
Devsena's voice wavered.
"That's… impossible. Fire can't freeze."
Avantika whispered, her heart racing.
"Unless she's not bound to one element."
The revelation hit Vrinda first.
"She's a convergence. A soul born of imbalance — or perhaps… unity."
A memory surfaced — old and blurred.
Vrinda, years ago, during the escape from the burning palace…
Holding both babies. A storm. A shipwreck.
One child swept away by waves…
But a third cry echoing from the shadows…
Her knees buckled.
"There was… another."
The Silent Sister stepped forward, slowly removing her veil.
A collective gasp filled the hall.
Her face bore resemblance to both Avantika and Devsena — a third twin?
No. A sister, but not by blood.
She had been created — forged from stolen essence by Rudraksh, using fragments of the elemental prophecy and the bloodline of Vrinda. A child of Tatva… without allegiance to balance.
She finally spoke.
"I was born in silence. Raised by shadow. But my heart still remembers the sun."
Turning to Rudraksh, her voice sharpened.
"You promised me belonging. But all you gave me was vengeance."
And in one swift motion — she turned against him.
A battle broke.
Not between sisters… but between fate and manipulation.
Rudraksh, caught off guard, summoned the corrupted Shankh Astra — its scream ripping through realms.
But together — Avantika's song, Devsena's flames, and the Silent Sister's frost-fire — created a resonance so strong that the Astra cracked.
Rudraksh fell.
Not dead… but banished — sealed in the Chamber of Echoes, where even screams turn to silence.
The Silent Sister turned, eyes softening.
"My name… is Samaira."
Vrinda stepped forward, voice trembling.
"Then come home, Samaira. Let us rewrite our destiny — together."
Outside, the storm finally cleared.
But above them, the stars shifted slightly… as if the heavens themselves were preparing for Act II.