Savi's lips curled in triumph as the flames engulfed the bed, her fiery eyes reflecting the destruction. But then-
The figure of Mihir *dissolved*.
Not into charred flesh or screams of agony-but into fine, glittering dust that scattered in the heat, leaving nothing but empty sheets.
Savi's smile froze
**"A... puppet?"** Her voice cracked with disbelief.
Savi stormed down the grand staircase, her fiery eyes still smoldering with rage-only for a glowing, golden lasso to snap around her waist with a *crack* of magic. She gasped, her body jerking to a halt as the bonds tightened, searing into her skin.
Kailashi stood firm at the base of the stairs, her grip unyielding on the enchanted lasso. Behind her, the entire Kashyap family stood united-Sahir's expression icy, Uma's hands clenched into fists, Sapna's face pale but determined.
**"You witch ?"** Kailashi's voice was razor-sharp.
Savi snarled, struggling against the lasso. **"You tricked me!"**
Sahir stepped forward, adjusting his glasses with deliberate calm. **"Exactly. Did you truly believe you could waltz in here and harm my brother? That your *dark presence* wouldn't be noticed?"** His voice dropped, laced with quiet fury. **"The moment you arrived, I felt it. Something was *wrong*."**
He gestured to the marble floor, where Savi's earlier footprints still smoldered, the stone blackened beneath them. **"Then I saw *these*. No human leaves burns in their wake."** His gaze hardened. **"So I went to Mihir's room, moved him to safety, and left you a little *gift* to play with."**
Savi's form began to flicker, her human disguise unraveling at the edges. The air around her shimmered with heat, the scent of sulfur rising. **"i will *burn* you all for this-"**
**"Not today,"** Kailashi interrupted, yanking the lasso taut. The magic flared brighter, forcing Savi to her knees. **"You are completely trapped*."**
Savi's body went limp, collapsing against the magical lasso like a discarded puppet-just as a searing fireball *erupted* from her chest. The Kashyaps recoiled as the flames twisted midair, taking shape into a towering figure wreathed in hellfire.
**"Fools,"** came a voice like crackling embers. **"You trapped the vessel, not *me*."**
The fire condensed into a woman with:
- **Eyes** of molten gold, dripping like lava.
- **Hair** that floated upward, each strand a dancing flame.
- **Reversed feet** that scorched the marble with every step, smoke curling from her footprints.
- **Hands** wreathed in blue fire, heat distorting the air around them.
She spread her arms, and the mansion's tapestries burst into flames.
**"I. Am. AGNI DAAYAN."**
The windows shattered from the sheer heat as she laughed-a sound like a forest burning.
The air itself screamed as Agni Daayan stepped forward, her fiery footprints burning permanent scars into the Kashyap mansion's marble floors. Flames licked up the walls, paintings curling to ash in their frames.
**"Mohana did not send me here to play games,"** she declared, her voice a chorus of crackling embers and roaring infernos. **"She sent me for one purpose-to kill Mihir Kashyap."**
Her molten gaze swept over the family, lingering on Kailashi's lasso now lying useless on the floor, its magic burned away. **"You can hand him over willingly...** she raised a blazing hand, **"or I will reduce this house to cinders searching for him."**
The temperature spiked violently. Glass vases exploded from the heat.
**"Choose."**
Meanwhile The air in the Darkest Forest grew heavy, the twisted branches of the Daayan Vriksh trembling as if in anticipation. Maira stood firm, the Rishdhanush drawn taut, its celestial arrow aimed straight at the Daavansh's heart.
The Daavansh didn't even flinch. Instead, he *laughed*-a sound like cracking bones.
**"A *Reevavanshi*,"** he sneered, his crimson eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. **"A mere witch hunter , thinking she can kill *me*-the King of the Dark World?"** He spread his arms, the shadows around him writhing like living things. **"Your arrows are nothing but twigs to a being like me."**
Maira's fingers trembled-not from fear, but from the sheer *weight* of the truth in his words. The Rishdhanush had felled demons before, but this... this was something else.
The Daavansh's grin widened. **"Go on. Shoot. Let me show you how *useless* your hope is."**
Maira released the arrow-silver streaking through the gloom like a falling star.
The Daavansh didn't move.
At the last second, his form *dissolved* into smoke, the arrow passing harmlessly through where his heart had been. Shadows coiled and reformed behind her, his breath chilling the nape of her neck before his voice slithered into her ear:
**"Predictable."**
She whirled, but he'd already vanished again-reappearing ten paces away, perched on a gnarled branch of the Daayan Vriksh. His fingers plucked the still-airborne arrow from the sky, snapping it in two with a casual flick.
**"Did you truly think,"** he mused, dropping the broken halves, **"that the weapon which killed a mere Dukaayan could harm *me*?"**
The forest seemed to laugh with him, the trees whispering in creaking tongues.
With a flick of his wrist, the Daavansh summoned a swirling tempest of black crows-their feathers slick with oily darkness, their beaks razor-sharp. They descended upon Maira like a living hurricane, a cacophony of shrieks filling the air as they tore at her skin.
**"Let's see how long your defiance lasts,"** the Daavansh taunted, watching as the crows' talons raked bloody lines across her arms, their wings battering her face.
Maira gritted her teeth, the metallic tang of blood filling her mouth as a crow's beak grazed her cheek. She swung the Rishdhanush like a staff, knocking several birds aside, but for every one she struck down, three more took its place.
A particularly vicious strike to her shoulder made her knees buckle-but she *didn't fall*.
She *wouldn't*.
With a roar, she channeled every ounce of strength into one sweeping arc, forcing the crows back momentarily. Her chest heaved, her vision blurred with sweat and blood, but her grip on the bow never wavered.
The Daavansh's smirk faltered-just for a second-before he regained his composure. **"Admirable. But pointless."**
Maira spat blood onto the forest floor, her voice raw but steady. **"Then why do I still stand?"**
The serpent's fangs gleamed, dripping venom as it lunged-only to crash against a sudden burst of golden light.
Teju's star-mark blazed as she threw up both hands, a shimmering forcefield erupting between her and the beast. The snake recoiled with a hiss, its massive body writhing as it struggled against the celestial energy pushing it back.
**"Nice try, scale-face,"** Teju panted, her arms trembling from the effort. The forcefield flickered but held, buying her precious seconds.