The Kashyap dining hall was no longer a place of warmth. The air was thick, oppressive, suffocating beneath the combined presence of the two Daavansh brothers. The flickering lights above dimmed as if even electricity dared not challenge them.
Mihir/Daavansh stood with his arm draped casually over Sahir/Daavansh's shoulder, the picture of brotherly unity twisted into something dark and menacing.
Moti Baa rose shakily to her feet, clutching her wooden staff for support. "What... what is this sorcery?" she demanded, though her voice trembled.
Mihir turned his gaze on her, his crimson eyes gleaming with mockery. "Sorcery? No, old woman," he said smoothly, his voice layered with venom. "This is truth. The truth your family tried to bury for years."
He stepped forward, each footfall echoing unnaturally loud in the silence. "For decades, you Kashyaps have thwarted my mother's plans. Every spell undone, every creature slain, every door to her freedom slammed shut by your meddling hands."
He stopped in the center of the room, his smile vanishing into a mask of rage. "No more."
His power flared, a shockwave of red energy rattling the chandeliers and sending crockery flying off the table. "You robbed Mohana of her freedom. You caged the might of the Mahādaayan. For that, every last one of you will pay."
Sahir/Daavansh lifted his head, his dark blue eyes glowing like frozen stars. "This house will be your tomb," he intoned, his voice a chilling echo of Mihir's fury. "Your bloodline ends tonight."
"Sahir, stop this!" Teju cried, tears streaming down her face as she stumbled forward. "You're not this... this monster! Fight it!"
Sahir's gaze flickered to her briefly-cold, detached. Then he raised his hand, a lance of blue energy forming in his palm, aimed directly at her.
"Do not speak my name again," he growled.
Teju froze, heart hammering in terror.
"The first to be punished," Mihir announced, his crimson eyes gleaming with cruel delight, "will be this family's beloved."
He raised his hand, and an invisible force yanked Sapna off the ground. She let out a strangled cry as she was lifted into the air, her body twisting as if caught in unseen claws.
"Sapna!" Uma shrieked, rushing forward-only to be thrown back by a wave of Mihir's power. Akhil tried to rise despite his earlier injuries, but Mihir's magic slammed him against the wall, pinning him helplessly.
"Mihir! Stop this!" Moti Baa's voice thundered through the room, her usual commanding presence trembling with fury and fear. "She is innocent!"
Mihir's lips curled into a sneer. "Innocent? Every one of you is guilty-for years, you've worked to keep my mother imprisoned. You thought you could steal our birthright. You thought you could win."
Sapna gasped for breath, her hands clawing at her throat as her skin paled.
"Let her go!" Teju cried, her eyes blazing with determination as she lunged forward, summoning a burst of energy in her palm.
But before she could strike, Sahir's glowing blue hand caught her wrist mid-motion.
"No," he said coldly, his voice stripped of warmth.
"Sahir!" Teju pleaded, trying to pull free. "This isn't you-please!"
His only response was to shove her back violently. She stumbled across the room and landed hard on the floor. With a flick of his hand, a shimmering dark-blue cage of energy rose around her, locking her inside.
"Try all you like," Sahir said, his tone a mocking purr. "Your powers are useless here. I've severed your connection to them. Now, stay out of this-or watch them all die."
Teju's heart pounded as she tried to summon her magic again, only to feel... nothing. Panic surged through her as she slammed her fists against the barrier, her voice breaking. "Sahir, please! Don't do this! I love you!"
He only smirked, though for a fleeting second, something flickered in his dark eyes-pain? Regret?
Meanwhile, Sapna's body convulsed midair, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. Maira dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Mihir.
"Mihir, I'm begging you!" she cried. "If there's any part of you that ever cared for her-stop this! Don't kill her!"
Mihir tilted his head, watching her with predatory calm, clearly enjoying the anguish around him. "Ah, the little wife still thinks love acan save me," he murmured, tightening his magical grip. "How... quaint."
Sapna let out a choked scream as dark veins spread across her skin. The family's terror reached a fever pitch-while Mihir, bathed in crimson light, closed his eyes and smiled.
Maira's tears dried on her cheeks as a sudden clarity washed over her. Words would not reach Mihir-not anymore. She turned on her heel and strode with purpose toward the ancestral temple nestled in the heart of the mansion.
Inside, the dimly lit space smelled of sandalwood and camphor. The serene faces of the deities seemed to watch her, silently urging her forward. She dropped to her knees before the idol, folding her hands tightly.
"I don't have the strength to fight him," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. "But You do. Give me the courage to protect this family-the family he has forgotten."
As if in answer, a soft golden glow illuminated the temple. Her eyes fell on the Rishdhanush, the legendary bow of the reeva lineage, resting on its mount. She reached for it and the moment her fingers touched the polished wood, the bow pulsed with light. Power surged through her veins like a river breaking free of its dam. She slung the quiver of Arrows across her back, her spine straightening with newfound resolve.
When she stepped back into the living room, the sight before her nearly shattered her resolve-Sapna hung limply in Mihir's invisible grip, her body pale and near-lifeless. Teju pounded helplessly on her magical cage, screaming. Sahir stood like a dark sentinel, his blue aura crackling.
Mihir turned lazily at the sound of her footsteps, his crimson eyes narrowing as he saw the bow in her hands. Then he laughed, a low, mocking sound.
"How adorable," he drawled. "My sweet wife thinks she can fight me? You won't even be able to hurt me, Maira. I am your husband."
Maira's hands trembled-but she held her ground, her gaze unwavering.
"You're right," she said quietly, but her voice carried an unshakable strength. "I can't hurt you, Mihir. I won't. But I can save my mother-in-law."
With a sudden, fluid motion, she drew an arrow, whispered a prayer, and loosed it.
The arrow blazed with golden energy, slicing through the air like a comet. It struck the invisible magic coiled around Sapna, shattering it in a burst of radiant light.
Sapna fell, limp but alive, into Uma's waiting arms.
"Sapna!" Uma cried, clutching her sister-in-law as Akhil, Moti Baa, and Tia rushed to her side, desperately checking her pulse.
Maira ran to them, kneeling beside Sapna as tears of relief streamed down her face. "She's breathing," she whispered. "She's alive."
For the first time since the nightmare began, hope flickered in the Kashyap mansion.