Kashyap Mansion – Two Days Later
Downstairs – Family Worries
Moti Baa clutched her shawl tighter as Kailashi traced healing runes over a bowl of turmeric water. "Their bodies are whole, but their spirits... they pushed too far against Dola's darkness."
Sapna stirred the herbal tea too forcefully. *
"When will they wake?"
"When their souls finish fighting what we cannot see,"Kailashi murmured, watching the water's ripples distort their reflections.
Mihir's Room – The Dream & Awakening
Maira's Nightmare:
- A sun-drenched garden, petals swirling around her bare feet.
- Mihir stands ahead, back turned, wearing his usual sleeveless hoodie and ripped jeans, sunlight glinting off the silver rings on his fingers.
- She reaches out—"Mihir?"—her fingertips graze his shoulder blade—
He whirls.
Black veins explode across his skin.His usual smirk twists into something grotesque, eyes hollow pits. "You can't keep me away from the darkness."
Reality – Shattering Back
Maira gasped awake, drenched in sweat—just as the door slammed open.
The room tilted. Her hands flew to her chest, clawing at the memory of Dola's curse. "M-Mihir—?"
A weight shifted beside her.
Before she could process, calloused fingers closed around her wrists—not restraining, just grounding.
"Breathe."
That voice. Rough with sleep, but steady.
Her vision cleared. Mihir sat on the edge of the bed, shadows under his eyes,He'd been here the whole time.
"Two days,"he said, answering her unasked question. "You and Teju gave us one hell of a scare.
She shuddered. "I saw—you were—"
"Not real."His thumb brushed her pulse point. "I'm here. Alive. Annoyingly handsome."
A weak laugh escaped her. He smirked, but his grip tightened—like he needed the proof too.
Maira's fingers dug into Mihir's forearm. "Mihir please take me to Teju."
Mihir didn't speak. Just hooked an arm around her waist and lifted.
Sahir's room
They found Sahir at his wife's bedside - back straight, jaw tight. His fingers moved in precise, clinical strokes across Teju's wrist, checking her pulse for the hundredth time. "Enough sleeping,please wake up"he murmured. Not asking. Telling.
The door creaked. Sahir was on his feet before the sound faded.
In three strides, he was at Maira's side, his gaze scanning her for any weakness . "You're awake. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Maira said, offering a weak smile. "Just... need to see her."
Sahir nodded, guiding her to the bedside and maira sat beside teju
Teju's hand felt cold. Maira folded both of hers around it.
Maira lowered herself beside Teju's still form. Sahir sat straight-backed beside his wife, his fingers wrapped around her motionless hand. The star-mark on Teju's palm pulsed faintly.
When Maira touched it, the memory surfaced:
Two infants bathed in golden light. One stretched out a tiny hand marked with a blazing star. The other reached back, a silver crescent moon glowing on her arm. Their fingertips touched—
Maira's breath caught. Why did this feel like truth?
A tear fell onto Teju's star-mark.
Light flared.
Teju's eyes flew open.
Mihir stiffened. Sahir's grip tightened on the bedsheet.
Silence held for one suspended heartbeat—then Teju's fingers curled around Maira's.
Teju pushed upright with Sahir's steadying hands. Maira immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.
"You're okay?" Maira whispered.
Teju nodded. "Yes."
As they separated, Sahir drew Teju into his own firm hug—silent, but his grip lingered a second longer than necessary.
The grandfather clock ticked through the silence. Moti Baa's knuckles whitened around her rosary. Sapna stared at the staircase, her untouched tea cooling on the side table. Akhil paced near the window. Uma and Kailashi sat motionless, their knees touching.
A floorboard creaked upstairs.
Uma's head snapped up. "They're coming."
Four pairs of footsteps descended—first Mihir's confident stride, then Sahir's measured steps, followed by two lighter but steady gaits.
Moti Baa's rosary clattered to the floor as Teju and Maira appeared at the stairwell.
Sapna burst into tears. Akhil crushed Uma in a one-armed hug. Kailashi pressed her palms together, lips moving in silent thanks.
Before the echoes of celebration faded, Sapna rushed to the prayer alcove. Her trembling hands lifted the silver thali - its surface crowded with kumkum, rice grains, and a smoldering camphor cube.
"Hold still," she murmured, circling the platter three times before Maira, then Teju. The camphor's citrus-clean smoke curled around them as Sapna chanted:
"Nazar na lage, devi raksha kare..."
Tears streaked through her smile as she pressed the thali to her forehead. "Thank you, Bhagwan."
Moti Baa nodded approvingly while Kailashi added a fistful of vetiver-scented rice to the platter - amplifying the blessing.
Uma clasped her hands together, eyes shining. "This family is doubly blessed - our eldest daughter-in-law is Bishwa, the Protector," she said, nodding at Teju, then turned to Maira, "and our second is Reevavanshi. Now Mohana's dark magic can't touch us."
A shadow crossed Teju's face as memories surfaced - Kailashi's story of the infant Bishwa...the basket in the river...her mother Vedika's last act of love before the daayans came. Her fingers rose unconsciously to trace her star-mark.
Sapna noticed the tear first. With gentle fingers, she wiped it away. "I know why you cry, beti," she murmured. "The truth carries both joy and sorrow."
Teju's voice was barely audible. "I finally know who I am...and what my parents sacrificed."
Kailashi moved forward, placing a weathered hand on Teju's head. "Wherever Vedika and Dev are," she said, her own eyes suspiciously bright, "they see the warrior their daughter became - and their sacrifice was not in vain."
Then teju shares an heartfelt hug with kailashi
Teju and Sahir's Room – Evening**
Teju stood by the balcony, the fading sunlight catching the unshed tears in her eyes. The weight of her parents' sacrifice pressed heavy on her chest.
The floor creaked behind her. Sahir's fingers brushed her cheek, wiping away a stray tear.
**Sahir:** *"Tears don't look good on you."*
She didn't turn, but her breath hitched.
Sahir says teasing "If you don't stop, I'll go complain to your mother and father. Mother-in-law Vedika and father-in-law Dev won't be happy seeing their daughter like this."
Teju spun around, pressing her hand over his mouth. "Don't—"Her voice cracked. "Don't even joke about leaving me too."
Sahir's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close."Of course I won't. Who'd protect me if my Bishwa wife wasn't here?"
A small, reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
Knock. Knock.
Sapna entered, balancing a stack of silk sarees and a velvet box of ornaments. "Beti, I'm hosting a peace veneration tonight. Wear these."
Teju responded softly "Okay,mother-in-law ." She accepted the bundle.
As Sapna left, Sahir pulled her into a back hug, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Can't wait to see you in this,you will look extremely beautiful ."
Teju raising an eyebrow says."So I'm not beautiful right now?"
Sahir grins and respond "I didn't mean that. You're always beautiful."
Teju rolled her eyes—but she was smiling.
Mihir's Room - Getting Ready
Maira sat at the vanity, carefully applying sindoor along her parting. The red powder blurred into a memory—that chaotic mass wedding where they'd accidentally gotten married while fleeing goons. Her lips quirked at the absurdity.
The bathroom door clicked open.
"Damn, I forgot my—" Mihir's voice cut off mid-sentence.
In the mirror's reflection, Maira saw him frozen in the doorway, towel slung low on his hips, water droplets glistening down his torso. His gaze was locked on her—on the sindoor, on the way her lehenga hugged her waist—with an intensity that made her fingers still.
The towel hit the floor with a soft *plop*.
Maira's eyes widened. A silent beat. Then—
"Mihir," she hissed, pointing frantically at the mirror.
He looked down. "Shit."The towel snapped back up with record speed, his ears turning pink. *"Not how I planned this."*
Maira bolted for the door, her giggles escaping in bursts. Behind her, Mihir's groan echoed: *"This isn't funny, Reevavanshi!"*
It absolutely was