Teju's shield flared with one last, brilliant pulse of golden energy, shoving the advancing horde back just enough to create a narrow path. **"NOW, MAIRA! GO!"** she screamed, her voice strained with the effort of holding the immense magical barrier.
Seizing the opening, Maira and Mihir didn't hesitate. They broke from the group and sprinted for the mansion's heavy oak door, vanishing into the dark interior just as it slammed shut behind them.
The shield flickered and died, and Teju collapsed to her knees, panting. The temporary reprieve was over. The zombies, their movements jerky and relentless, began their advance once more, closing in on the circle of remaining couples.
This was it. The time for hiding was over.
**Sahir** let out a slow, controlled breath. He reached up, calmly removed his glasses, and folded them, placing them safely in his pocket. When he looked up, his eyes were no longer their usual warm brown but a piercing, glacial **blue**. The air around him crackled with intense, focused energy. **"We have to handle them until maira and mihir gets the cure,"** he stated, his voice cold and analytical, devoid of its usual warmth.
Beside him, **Rishank's** head tilted, a low growl rumbling in his chest. His own eyes ignited into a smoldering, demonic **red**, a stark contrast to Sahir's icy cool. A playful, dangerous smirk touched his lips. **"Let's play."**
**Armaan** threw his head back and shouted into the chaos, **"BAZIGAR!"** The cry was answered by a piercing shriek from above. A massive, spectral eagle made of pure moonlight and shadow dove from the sky, folding in on itself as it descended until it transformed into a sleek, powerful obsidian wand in his waiting hand.
A unified golden aura erupted around **Rikki** and **Rainaksh**, their power intertwining so seamlessly it was impossible to tell where one began and the other ended. They stood back-to-back, a united front of formidable, glowing energy.
**Rahi** grinned, slapping a hand over a hidden, glowing lightning bolt mark on her forearm. With a sizzling sound, a crackling whip of pure electricity materialized in her grasp, snapping and sparking against the ground.
**Chandni** raised her hands, and sharp, elegant shards of condensed moonlight-cold and brilliant-orbited her like deadly satellites.
Finally, **Shaurya** stepped in front of a terrified Saiyaara. A low hiss escaped his lips as his eyes shifted into slitted, **yellowish-red orbs**, burning with a primal, protective fury. The air around him seemed to warp with barely contained serpentine power.
Saiyaara peeked out from behind him, her fear momentarily eclipsed by awe. **"What... what are you all?"**
There was no time to answer. The horde was upon them.
The first zombie lunged. Sahir didn't even move his hand; a wave of invisible force erupted from him, freezing three attackers in their tracks. Rishank followed up, a blast of crimson energy sending another group flying back.
The battle for the courtyard had begun.
The heavy door of the Kashyap mansion thudded shut behind **Maira** and **Mihir**, sealing them in a tomb-like silence. The raucous chaos of the courtyard was now a muffled, distant threat. Dust motes danced in the slivers of light cutting through the gloom.
**Maira** immediately pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed. She held the device to her ear, her face a mask of concentration that slowly crumbled into frustration. **"No... no, no!"** She lowered the phone, staring at the screen. **"It's unreachable. I can't get through to Nani."**
**Mihir** was already peering down a dark hallway, his senses on high alert. **"Your psychic grandmother picks *now* to be off the grid?"**
**"She could have gotten information from the Reeva books!"** Maira insisted, her voice tight with panic. **"She knows things about ancient magic, curses... she would know what those things are out there!"**
Mihir snapped his fingers, a spark of realization in his eyes. **"Wait. Books. Sahir!"**
Maira looked at him, confused. **"What about him?"**
**"Professor doesn't just read boring academic journals. He's obsessed with mystical lore, the Daayan verse, all that stuff. He's always buried in some ancient text in the mansion library,"** Mihir explained, a hint of his usual irritation at his brother's hobbies creeping into his voice. **"this house has one of the most extensive collections of magical theory in the country. I usually find it intensely boring and irritating, but right now..."**
**"It's our best shot,"** Maira finished, a new determination settling over her. **"Where is it?"**
**"This way,"** Mihir said, leading her toward a grand, sweeping staircase that descended into the mansion's lower levels.
They moved quickly, the only sound their hurried footsteps on the polished marble. As they started down the stairs, Maira's heel caught on the edge of a worn Persian rug runner. She gasped, her balance gone, pitching forward into the dark stairwell.
Time seemed to slow. But before she could fall, **Mihir's** arm shot out. His hand locked firmly around her wrist, and he pulled hard, yanking her back toward him. The momentum spun her around, and she crashed into his chest instead of the steps below.
For a moment, they froze.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm echoed by his own. His arms were wrapped securely around her, holding her upright. Her hands were splayed against his chest, gripping the fabric of his *kurta*, now smeared with green and pink powder.
The world outside-the zombies, the magic, the danger-faded into a distant hum. In the dim light of the stairwell, all that existed was the two of them. Their breath mingled, coming in sharp, shared gasps from the adrenaline and the near fall. His eyes, wide with alarm, searched hers, which were reflecting the same shock and a sudden, startling intensity.
The air crackled, thick with unspoken words and a connection that thrummed between them, as real and potent as any magic.
The moment stretched, fragile and electric.
Then, Mihir cleared his throat, his voice unusually soft. **"You okay?"**
Maira nodded slowly, not pulling away just yet. **"Yeah... thanks."**
The spell broke, but the charge remained. They quickly righted themselves, but the ghost of the contact lingered as they continued, more carefully now, down into the dark library, the memory of that eye lock a bright, burning spark in the overwhelming darkness.