The serpent's throat pulsed, a sickly green glow building behind its fangs. Teju's star-mark flared in warning-just as the creature *spat*.
She pivoted sharply, venom splashing against the ground where she'd stood. The earth sizzled, tendrils of acrid smoke rising from the scorched soil.
No words. No taunts.
Teju's eyes locked onto the serpent, her breathing steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her. This wasn't a mindless beast-it moved with purpose, its golden gaze tracking her like a predator who'd played this game before.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Then-
A distant scream echoed through the trees. *Maira.*
The serpent struck.
Agni Daayan's molten gaze swept across the Kashyap family, her very presence making the air ripple with heat. Flames licked up the walls, devouring tapestries and scorching the ceiling.
**"Hand over Mihir Kashyap,"** she commanded, her voice a chorus of crackling embers. **"Or this house burns with all of you inside."**
A tense silence followed. Then-
Sahir slowly removed his glasses, folding them with deliberate calm before tucking them into his pocket. His eyes, usually sharp with academic focus, were now steel-cold.
**"And what if we don't?"** he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
Agni Daayan's fiery hair writhed like living flames. **"Then you will learn why even gods fear my wrath."**
Agni Daayan's flames surged forward in a roaring tidal wave, the heat blistering the walls as they raced toward Sahir. The family gasped-
Then Sahir *moved*.
With a sharp flick of his wrists, his hands cut through the air in a precise arc. His eyes-normally warm brown-flashed an eerie, luminous **blue**, and the fire **halted** mid-air as if hitting an invisible wall.
The flames writhed, trapped in a shimmering barrier of sapphire light.
Agni Daayan's molten eyes widened. **"You-"**
Sahir exhaled slowly, his voice steady but laced with something ancient. **"I might not truly accept who i am but don't forget it doesn't change the fact that I'm a daavansh and you are just a daayan?"**
With a sharp twist of his hands, Sahir *hurled* the contained flames away-the fireball smashing into a far corner of the room, where it dissipated in a shower of harmless sparks.
Agni Daayan's molten eyes narrowed. **"Interesting,"** she purred, her voice like a forest fire consuming dry timber. **"But let's see how you fare against *this*."**
She lunged, her burning fingers outstretched-
Sahir met her mid-air, his palms slamming against hers with a shockwave of force.
**BOOM!**
Blue and crimson energy erupted from their collision, sending a gust of scorching wind through the room. The Kashyaps shielded their faces as the walls trembled, cracks spiderwebbing through the marble.
For a moment, the two stood locked in a deadly stalemate-Sahir's cerulean magic writhing against Agni Daayan's inferno, neither giving ground.
The forest twisted as the Daavansh's laughter multiplied, his form splitting into ten identical specters that circled Maira with predatory grace. Each shadowy figure wore the same cruel smirk, their voices blending into a chorus of taunts.
**"Go ahead, *Reevavanshi*,"** they jeered. **"Shoot. Let's see if your love is stronger than my magic."**
Maira's grip on the Rishdhanush trembled-not from fear, but from the weight of his words. *Mihir is going to die.* The thought threatened to choke her.
She closed her eyes.
*"Guide me,"* she prayed silently, not to any god, but to the earth beneath her feet, to the wind that had carried her arrows true before.
When her eyes snapped open, her aim had shifted.
Not toward the mocking illusions.
Not toward the Daavansh at all.
But toward the **Daayan Vriksh**-the twisted tree that pulsed with the same dark energy as the shadows around her.
The arrow loosed with a *twang*, its silver tip blazing like a falling star as it streaked toward the gnarled trunk-
**"NO!"** The Daavansh's scream was raw, *real*, as his illusions shattered like glass.
But it was too late.
The arrow struck true.
The Daavansh staggered back, his clawed hands clutching at his abdomen where dark, viscous blood seeped through his fingers. His crimson eyes widened in shock as he lifted his shirt, revealing the wound mirroring the arrow's strike on the Daayan Vriksh.
Maira lowered her bow, her smile sharp. **"Attacking *you* would've been futile,"** she said, voice steady. **"But that tree?"** She nodded toward the shuddering Vriksh, its bark now oozing the same inky blood. **"It's been pulsing with your magic every time you moved. You didn't just draw power from it-you *hid your core* inside it."**
The Daavansh's snarl twisted into something panicked. The forest itself seemed to recoil, the ground quaking as the wounded tree's roots writhed like dying serpents.
The serpent coiled, its golden eyes gleaming with malice as it prepared to strike. Teju braced herself, her star-mark flaring in defiance-
Then, a sudden warmth bloomed behind her.
A figure materialized from the air itself-tall, radiant, her presence humming with ancient power. **Goddess Shoolini**, her three eyes glowing with divine fury, placed a hand on Teju's shoulder. In her other hand, she held a **trident**, its prongs crackling with celestial energy.
**"Strike true, child,"** the goddess murmured, pressing the weapon into Teju's grip.
The serpent lunged-
Teju didn't hesitate.
With a cry, she drove the trident forward, impaling the beast through its gaping maw. The serpent *shrieked*, its body thrashing as golden light erupted from the wound, searing through its scales like paper.
Then-silence.
The creature dissolved into wisps of shadow, the forest itself shuddering at the divine blow.
As the last remnants of the serpent's shadow dissipated into the air, Teju dropped to one knee, bowing her head in deep respect. The weight of the divine trident still hummed in her hands, its celestial energy fading along with the goddess's presence.
**"Thank you,"** Teju whispered, her voice thick with gratitude-and resolve.
When she lifted her gaze, Goddess Shoolini was gone. Only the faint scent of lotus blossoms lingered, a silent reminder of the divine intervention.
The trident, now inert, dissolved into golden motes of light, its purpose fulfilled.
Teju rose to her feet, her star-mark pulsing with renewed vigor