Mihir slid into the driver's seat of his black Mercedes, the engine growling to life with a vicious purr. He didn't even glance at the passenger side as Maira yanked the door open and planted herself beside him.
"What the hell are you doing?"Mihir snapped, fingers tightening on the steering wheel.
Maira buckled her seatbelt with a decisive *click*. "I'm your PA, sir. Where you go, I go."**
**"This isn't some corporate retreat,"** Mihir hissed, finally turning to glare at her. The usual sarcasm was gone, replaced by something darker—something almost protective. **"You don't understand the kind of danger we're walking into. This isn't work. This is *family*."**
Maira met his gaze without flinching. **"Teju is like *my* family. Like Sahir is yours."**
A muscle jumped in Mihir's jaw. For a moment, it looked like he might argue—then his lips twisted in a bitter smirk. **"Fine. Suit yourself."**
He slammed the accelerator. The car lurched forward, tires screeching against the gravel as they tore down the driveway.
Sahir's black Car rolled to a stop at the edge of the village, its headlights cutting through the thick evening mist. The air here smelled different—thick with the scent of damp earth, old incense, and something metallic beneath it all. Like rust. Like blood.
He stepped out, his polished Oxfords sinking slightly into the mud. The village was eerily quiet. No children playing, no chaiwallahs calling out—just the distant, rhythmic *thud* of a lone washerman beating clothes by the river.
And the crows.
Dozens of them perched on the thatched roofs, their beady eyes tracking his every move.
**The Dark Cave – Mohana's Rejoicing**
Deep in the heart of Bandhap's cursed forest, where the trees grew twisted and the river ran backward during the new moon, the crows' caws echoed through the cavern walls.
**"Kraa! Kraa!"**
Mohana's lips curled into a smile as sharp as a sickle. Her bare feet—one pointing forward, one backward—pressed into the cold stone as she rose from her throne of human bones.
**"At last,"** she whispered, her voice like wind through a graveyard.
The crows fluttered around her, their feathers brushing against the **star-shaped brand** on her palm—a mirror to the one Sahir and Mihir bore.
"My lost lamb has returned to be slaughtered."
Her laughter slithered through the cave, sending the torches' flames dancing in unnatural spirals. Somewhere in the village, a lone dog howled.
And in the Kakkar household,Teju's star-mark burned gold under her sleeve.
Deep within the ruins of the ancient cave, Mohana stood before her gathered daayans, their twisted forms silhouetted against the blood-red moon.
"Bring me my Davansh son,"she commanded, her voice echoing with centuries of malice. "Sahir Kashyap will kneel before me tonight."
Her command sent the daayans into a frenzy, their twisted limbs twitching, their hollow eyes gleaming with hunger. They surged forward, ready to take flight—
Then the sky ripped open
A column of blinding white light crashed down upon them, searing the earth. The daayans shrieked, their bodies convulsing as if struck by lightning. One by one, they collapsed, their dark magic evaporating like mist under the sun.
Mohana staggered, her hands flying to her face. Her once-jet-black hair bleached white in an instant, strands falling like dead leaves. Her skin, smooth and ageless only moments before, wrinkled like parchment. She gasped, her knees buckling as an unseen force **sapped her strength**.
"No..."she rasped, her voice now brittle. "This cannot be..."
She crumpled to the ground, her power draining away, leaving her as weak as a mortal.
Bandhap Village
Sahir's steps faltered as a sudden, inexplicable **weakness** flooded his body.He gritted his teeth and pushed forward. *Teju first. Answers later.*
The village sprawled before him, a patchwork of clay homes and narrow lanes. He spotted an old man hunched outside a tea stall, the glow of his beedi cutting through the dusk.
**"Where can I find the Kakkar household?"** Sahir demanded.
The man exhaled a slow stream of smoke, eyeing Sahir with amusement. **"Who in Bandhap doesn't know the Kakkars?"** He jerked his chin toward a large, ostentatious house at the village center. **"Sarkar Kakkar is our headman. Though if you're looking for a celebration, you're a day early."**
Sahir's pulse spiked. **"What celebration?"**
The man smirked. **"His runaway daughter's wedding. Tomorrow. Finally putting an end to that disgrace."**
Sahir's blood turned to ice. **"Teju's wedding ?"**
The farmer chuckled. **"The whole village's talking. Raj's family owns half the land here. Smart match, after her... indiscretions."** His gaze dropped meaningfully to Sahir's Sherwani
Bandhap Border – The Broken Machine**
The Mercedes gave one last, shuddering groan before the engine died completely. Mihir slammed his palms against the steering wheel, the leather creaking under his grip.
**"Perfect,"** he muttered, his voice dripping with venom. **"Just fucking perfect."**
Maira unbuckled her seatbelt, the silence between them thick enough to choke on. The road ahead stretched empty, swallowed by the gathering dusk. Bandhap loomed in the distance—its jagged hills like the spine of some slumbering beast.
Mihir kicked the car door open and stalked a few paces away, running a hand through his hair. His shoulders were rigid, his breath coming in sharp bursts.
Maira watched him for a moment before stepping out, the gravel crunching beneath her boots. She leaned against the car, the metal still warm from the drive, and recited softly:
"The road is long, the night is deep,
The winds may howl, the shadows creep.
But broken wheels and failing light
Won't stop the stubborn from their fight."
Mihir turned, his expression caught between irritation and reluctant amusement. "Did you just—poetry? Really?"
Maira shrugged, a small smile playing at her lips. "Sometimes words are the only thing that keep the dark at bay."
Mihir exhaled sharply, some of the tension leaving his frame."Let's hope we don't need more than words where we're going."
Ahead, the first stars blinked to life over Bandhap
In the dark cave
Mohana's hands trembled mid-incantation. The fading daylight seeping through the cave mouth should have fueled her magic—yet her veins felt scraped empty.
"What's happening?" She stared into the ritual basin's water. The reflection wasn't hers. Deep wrinkles fissured her once-flawless skin. Her legendary jet-black hair now streaked with brittle white.
The cave's whispering spirits fell silent as her favorite dagger—the one carved from a martyr's thighbone—crumbled to rust on the altar.
Kashyap Mansion – Puja Room –
The air inside the sacred chamber hung thick with incense, the smoke coiling like restless spirits around the flickering diyas. Sapna's hands trembled as she arranged fresh marigolds around the framed photographs of her sons—Sahir's university graduation, Mihir's rare, unguarded smile from childhood.
Moti Baa's voice, usually so steady, wavered as she recited the ancient mantras, her gnarled fingers moving the vermilion-dipped rice in slow, deliberate patterns.
"Yatra tatra vijayi bhava..."Wherever you go, emerge victorious...
Uma's normally sharp eyes were red-rimmed, her silk sari crumpled from hours of kneeling. She clutched the silver kalash, the holy water inside trembling with each shaky breath.
Akhil, ever the skeptic, stood rigid by the door—but even his jaw was clenched tight
Sharma Residence -
Kailashi's trembling finger underlined the pulsating text:
"When four flames kindle as one,
The dark one's eclipse shall be undone.
Star-crossed and shadow-bound,
Where lost and found are crowned."
The astrological chart beside it showed four planets aligning at the marriage hour.