The moment the Jeevan Ras touched Mihir's lips, his entire body locked in agony.
A gasp tore from his throat as golden light erupted beneath his skin, veins igniting like molten rivers. His knees hit the marble with a sickening crack, hands clawing at his chest as shadows shrieked within him-thrashing, fighting, *burning* as the sacred elixir scoured his soul.
"*Beta!*" Sapna lurched forward, only for Moti Baa's gnarled hands to yank her back.
"Let the medicine work!" the old matriarch barked, though her own knuckles whitened around her cane.
Sapna crumpled into Uma's arms, her sobs muffled against her sister-in-law's shoulder. "He's in so much pain-"
"He's surviving," Uma corrected fiercely, her tears falling unchecked even as she held Sapna upright. "Look at him-he's *fighting*."
And he was.
Through the white-hot fire, Mihir heard them-his mother's weeping, his aunt's prayers, the steady murmur of Sahir's protective mantras. But loudest of all was Maira's voice, cutting through the storm:
"*Breathe, Kashyap. Just breathe.*"
His head snapped up, eyes meeting hers through the haze of pain. Her palms were pressed flat against the glowing ritual circle, her own arms trembling with the effort of holding the magic steady. No pity in her gaze. Only fury. Only faith.
Mihir bared his teeth in something too ragged to be a smile.
And kept breathing.
Mihir's body jerked as the last of the darkness tore free-a thick, swirling fog of inky black that poured from his chest like smoke from a dying fire. His muscles gave out, but before he could collapse, Sahir and Maira lunged forward, their arms locking around him.
**"I've got you,"** Maira gritted out, her knees buckling under his weight.
Sahir braced against them both, his scholar's grip surprisingly strong. **"Stay with us, Mihir. It's almost over."**
The fog coiled in the air, twisting like a living thing-until suddenly, it **slammed** downward, crashing onto the velvet sofa in a wave of shadow.
Then, it **took shape.**
A figure rose from the darkness-tall, broad-shouldered, unmistakably **Mihir's mirror image**-but wrong. His eyes burned crimson, his skin traced with veins of black. His lips curled into a smile that held no warmth, only predatory amusement.
**The Daavansh.**
Sapna let out a choked gasp. Moti Baa's cane clattered to the floor. Uma staggered back, her hands flying to her mouth.
Kailashi was the only one who didn't flinch. **"So,"** she said coldly, stepping forward. **"You're the parasite that's been feeding on him."**
The Daavansh tilted his head, his voice a dark, distorted echo of Mihir's own. **"Feeding? No."** He flexed his fingers, examining them with detached curiosity. **"I *am* him. The part you never wanted to see."**
Mihir, still half-conscious in Maira's arms, let out a ragged breath. His eyes met his shadow's-**and for the first time, he truly understood the enemy.**
The Daavansh rose to his full height, his crimson gaze sweeping over the stunned Kashyap family with a smirk that dripped with cruel amusement.
**"I am Daavansh,"** he purred, rolling the name on his tongue like a fine wine. **"Mihir's alter ego. Mohana's beloved son. And soon... the true king of the dark world."**
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
Sapna's hands flew to her mouth. **"Mohana's... *son*?"**
The Daavansh chuckled, the sound like cracking bones. **"Did you think your precious Mihir was merely *cursed by mohana blood *?"** He tilted his head, his black-veined fingers flexing. **"No. I was *born* the night Mohana marked him. A seed of darkness, nurtured by his rage, his pain..."** His grin widened, revealing unnaturally sharp teeth. **"Mohana's *blood*."**
Mihir, still supported by Maira and Sahir, felt the truth slam into him like a physical blow.
Kailashi stepped forward, her voice razor-sharp. **"You are *nothing* but a parasite."**
The Daavansh's laughter echoed through the hall, dark and melodic. **"Oh, Old lady ..."** He spread his arms, shadows writhing around him like living serpents. **"I am the part him this family *feared*.His eyes locked onto Mihir's, gleaming with twisted triumph. **"And now? I am *free*."**
The Daavansh's crimson eyes locked onto Sahir, his smile twisting into something grotesquely amused. **"You cling so tightly to your humanity, professor,"** he sneered, shadows writhing around him like living things. **"But I see the cracks in you too. That cold, calculating rage when you try to hide. The way your hands tremble-not from fear, but from *restraint*."** He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a poisonous whisper. **"Your darkness is coming, Sahir Kashyap. And when it does... you and I will free our true mother together."**
The room seemed to freeze.
Then Sahir-ever the professor, ever the rationalist-adjusted his glasses with one deliberate finger and said, voice crisp with disdain:
**"Mihir and I have only one mother."**
He didn't raise his voice. Didn't need to. The words landed like a blade.
**"Her name is Sapna Kashyap."**
A beat of perfect silence.
Then-
**"LIAR!"** The Daavansh's shriek shattered the windows, glass exploding inward as his form contorted in rage. **"You *dare* deny your blood?! Mohana's power runs in your veins just as it does in his!"**
Sahir didn't flinch. **"Then it's a good thing,"** he said mildly, **"that blood doesn't define family."**
Behind him, Sapna straightened, her tear-streaked face hardening into something fierce.
Mihir, still leaning heavily on Maira, let out a hoarse laugh. **"Took the words right out of my mouth,*."**
The Daavansh's laughter slithered through the room, thick with malice. **"You think you're so different, Sahir Kashyap?"** His shadow-cloaked form leaned closer, voice dripping with mock sympathy. **"The same cursed blood flows through your veins. Mohana's mark is just as much yours as it is Mihir's."**
Sahir's expression remained eerily calm, but his fingers curled into fists at his sides.
**"Coming from blood?"** he said, his voice low but carrying the weight of absolute conviction. **"Don't forget - Mohana isn't my mother. She never was."**
The Daavansh's grin faltered.
**"Sapna Kashyap is my birth mother. My only mother."** Sahir took a deliberate step forward, his gaze never wavering. **"Mohana only became our cursed maker after she forced her blood upon us. But I refuse to be defined by what was done to me."**
A tremor ran through the Daavansh's form, shadows flickering like disturbed flames.
**"You can twist words all you want,"** Sahir continued, his voice gaining strength. **"But you'll never change this truth - we choose who we call family. And we will never choose her."**
Behind him, Sapna pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes. Mihir, still supported by Maira, managed a weak but proud smirk.
The Daavansh's form rippled with barely contained fury. **"Foolish words from a fool who doesn't understand his own nature!"** he spat. **"When your darkness awakens, you'll beg for Mohana's embrace!"**
**"Then you'll be waiting a long time,"** Sahir replied coolly. **"Because unlike you, I'm not afraid of my shadows. I've already made peace with them."**
The declaration hung in the air like a challenge, the room seeming to hold its breath at Sahir's quiet show of strength. Even weakened, the Kashyaps stood united - a family bound not by blood curses, but by something far more powerful: choice.