The ground trembled as the colossal snake uncoiled, its golden eyes slitting open with a hiss that sent a chill down Maira's spine. The creature's head rose, swaying slowly, its forked tongue tasting the air—searching for them.
Maira yanked Teju behind a crumbling stone wall, their breaths coming in sharp, silent gasps. The snake's scales scraped against the earth as it slithered closer, its massive body blocking their path.
Then—just as suddenly as it awoke—the serpent's movements slowed. Its eyelids drooped, and with a final exhale, it settled back into slumber.
Teju let out a shaky breath. "Okay. New problem: how do we get past that to reach the forest?"
Maira's eyes narrowed. "Maybe we don't go past it."
Teju blinked. "What, you wanna climb it—?"
"No."Maira's voice dropped, recalling an old legend. "Hanuman ji entered Sursa's mouth to reach Lanka. What if the entrance to the Darkest Forest... is inside the snake?"
Teju's star-mark flickered in realization. **"Then we need to make it open its mouth."A slow grin spread across her face as she pulled out her phone. "Good thing I downloaded a snake-charmer app few days ago ."
Maira stared. "You—what?"
"Don't ask."Teju tapped her screen, and a tinny, hypnotic flute melody echoed through the cavern.
The serpent's eyes flew open. Its head lifted, swaying to the rhythm, its jaws parting in a trance-like daze.
"RUN!"Maira grabbed Teju's wrist, and they lunged forward—leaping straight into the yawning darkness of the serpent's maw.
The world twisted.
When the dizziness cleared, Maira found herself alone in a forest where the trees bled black sap and the air smelled of burnt sugar. Somewhere in the distance, a familiar voice shouted:
"Maira? MAIRA!"
Teju. But not with her.
They'd arrived—but the forest had separated them.
The doorbell's chime cut through the tense silence of the Kashyap mansion. Uma, her nerves already frayed from the day's horrors, forced a polite smile as she opened the door—only to find a young woman standing on the porch, her backpack slung over one shoulder and her expression disarmingly friendly.
"Hi, Aunty! I'm Savi, Teju's friend from college,"the girl said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We have a physics exam project to discuss. Is she home?"
Uma's grip tightened on the doorframe. Teju wasn't here—she was off hunting a shadow-demon in a cursed forest to save Mihir's life along with maira . But sending this girl away abruptly might raise questions.
*"Teju isn't home right now,"Uma said carefully, stepping aside. **"But you're welcome to wait for a bit. Come in."**
**"Thanks, Aunty!"** Savi chirped, stepping inside. **"I was really feeling thirsty—"**
**"Of course. Let me get you some water."** Uma hurried toward the kitchen, her instincts prickling. Something about Savi's smile was too... *bright*.
Behind her, Savi's foot crossed the threshold—and where her sole touched the marble floor, the faintest wisp of smoke curled up. The imprint left behind wasn't just a footprint.
It was *burnt*.
As Savi entered, Sahir descended the stairs,His brows furrowed when he saw her. **"Savi? What are you doing here?"**
**"Our quantum mechanics project, Professor,"** Savi replied smoothly. **"The deadline was moved up. I tried calling Teju..."**
Alright. You can wait here."** Sahir gestured to the sofa before turning back toward the stairs, his spine rigid with unease.
The moment his back was turned, Savi's smile twisted.
Her head tilted, just slightly, as her gaze locked onto the hallway leading to Mihir's room.
Then, silent as a shadow, she began to move.
The air in the Darkest Forest clung thick with the scent of rotting blossoms and iron-rich soil. Maira crouched behind the gnarled roots of a bloodwood tree, her fingers tightening around the Rishdhanush. Ahead, the Daavansh knelt before the Daayan Vriksh, his shadowy form bowed in reverence as the tree's twisted branches shuddered in response.
She nocked an arrow, the celestial silver glinting faintly in the dim light. *One shot. That's all I need.*
But as she drew the bowstring taut, the Daavansh's head tilted—*just slightly*—and his voice slithered through the clearing, thick with amusement.
**"Really, Maira? You think that toy can kill *me*?"**
He rose smoothly, turning to face her with a smirk that made her blood run cold. His crimson eyes gleamed as he spread his arms, the shadows around him writhing like living things. **"You came all this way to save Mihir... only to watch him die anyway."**
Maira didn't lower the bow. **"We'll see about that."**
The Daavansh laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally through the trees. **"Oh, I *adore* your stubbornness. But tell me—"** His form flickered, reappearing mere feet from her. **"Did you really believe it would be this easy?"**
The arrow loosed—and passed straight through him, embedding itself in the Daayan Vriksh's trunk. The tree *screamed*, a sound like splintering bone.
The Daavansh's grin widened. **"Oops."**
A sudden, slick weight dropped onto Teju's shoulders—cold, rubbery, *moving*. She barely had time to register the discarded snakeskin slithering down her back before the air behind her *shifted*.
Her star-mark blazed to life as she whirled around—
—and found herself nose-to-nose with the colossal serpent, its golden eyes glowing in the gloom, its forked tongue flickering just inches from her face.
**"Oh, *God*,"** Teju breathed.
The serpent's jaws unhinged.
The door to Mihir's room creaked open, revealing Savi's silhouette framed in the dim hallway light. Her cheerful facade had melted away, replaced by something far more sinister. Her eyes—once bright and friendly—now burned with an unnatural, flickering glow, like embers stirred to life.
Mihir lay motionless on the bed, his breathing shallow, his skin still tinged with the lingering darkness of the Daavansh's curse.
**"As per Mohana's orders,"** Savi murmured, her voice no longer her own—it crackled with heat, like a flame devouring dry wood. **"I have to kill you."**
She raised a hand, and the air around her fingers shimmered with intense heat. With a slow, deliberate motion, she pressed her palm against the bedsheet—
**WHOOSH.**
Fire erupted in an instant, the fabric blackening and curling as flames raced toward Mihir's unconscious form.