The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a golden warmth across the Kothari mansion. Upstairs, in Vihaan's room, Gauri sat quietly at his bedside. Her fingers brushed against his face with trembling tenderness.
"Wake up soon, Vihaan," she whispered, her voice quivering. "The sun is shining… the world is waiting for you."
Tears welled in her eyes as she leaned closer, her lips shaping soft words like prayer more than poetry:
"In the silence, you are my breath,
In the storm, you are my strength.
Even if the world turns dark,
You remain my light."
Her voice cracked, but she continued, almost to convince herself as much as him:
"I'll wait for you, through every dawn, every night, until you open your eyes again."
She bent and kissed his forehead gently, her heart aching. "Wake up, Vihaan," she whispered, before leaving the room to rejoin the family.
Downstairs, the family gathered in uneasy silence. Gauri's expression betrayed her exhaustion as she said quietly, "He still hasn't regained consciousness."
Veena's hands shook as she gripped her sari tightly, while Dadi placed a reassuring hand on Gauri's head, her voice firm yet gentle. "Don't lose faith, beti. God will not let anything happen to Vihaan. Sometimes the night feels endless, but dawn always comes. You must stay strong for him."
Gauri's voice was steady, though her eyes shimmered with emotion. "I just… want him to open his eyes. To be with us again."
The family exchanged silent, heavy looks—admiration, sorrow, and fear tangled together.
Just then, Yug's voice rang out with relief. "Bhaiya! He's awake!"
Everyone turned toward the staircase, where Vihaan stood. His figure was upright, but his presence carried an unfamiliar weight, an aura that silenced the room.
"Vihaan…" Gauri breathed, her face lighting with hope as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him.
But the warmth she expected was absent. Instead, a chill ran through her. Vihaan's body was rigid, his smirk strange, his eyes glinting with a sharp, alien intensity.
"Sweetheart…" he drawled, his voice husky, mocking.
Gauri froze, her heart thundering. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Veena stepped forward, tears of relief in her eyes. "Beta, are you alright?"
But before she could reach him, Vihaan shoved her back with such force she staggered. Gauri and Yug quickly caught her, horrified.
"Vihaan!" Gauri cried, her voice breaking.
His expression darkened. "I am not your son," he snarled, his tone venomous. "I have only one mother—Kamini."
The words struck like lightning. Silence crashed over the room.
"No…" Veena whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Dadi's face blazed with outrage as she stepped forward. "How dare you say that? How dare you raise your hand on your mother?"
Vihaan's glare burned into her, his voice dripping menace. "Raise your voice at me again, old woman… and I'll silence it forever."
Dark energy rippled from his body, rattling the furniture, shaking the walls. Glasses cracked and fell from shelves, a mirror shattered into shards across the floor.
Gauri shielded Dadi with her arms, but a flying shard grazed her arm. She winced, blood trickling down, yet her eyes never left Vihaan.
His aura grew darker, wilder, as he declared in a voice that wasn't wholly his own, "A lion has been freed from its cage… and no one can cage it again."
The family stood frozen, torn between fear and heartbreak, as Vihaan's transformation became more pronounced—his eyes glowing red, his veins streaking with serpentine patterns, his hands sparking with unearthly energy.
And Gauri, holding her bruised arm, whispered with trembling lips, "Vihaan…"
The man she admired was standing before her—but was it still him, or the Sarvansh within?
Vihaan's voice dripped with malevolence as he declared, "I am the son of the Queen of Witches—a Sarvansh, the King of the Dark World."
As the words echoed, his body twisted in a horrifying transformation. His nails elongated into razor-sharp claws, his veins pulsed black beneath his skin, and his eyes blazed a deep, blood-red glow.
The Kotharis stood frozen in horror as the atmosphere shifted. The sunlight faded unnaturally, shadows stretching across the walls. The very air grew heavy, pressing against their chests.
Dadi clutched her prayer beads. "Ya Devi Ma… save us," she whispered. Veena reached toward her son, but terror rooted her feet to the floor. Yug grabbed Raani's wrist, pulling her protectively behind him.
Suddenly, Vihaan roared—a sound that rattled the very walls. Furniture overturned, lamps shattered, and the mirror cracked into pieces as his aura burst outward. The sheer force of it sent everyone stumbling.
"Upstairs!" Yug shouted, pulling Veena along. The Kotharis scrambled, rushing up the staircase in panic, their terrified cries echoing through the house. Doors slammed shut one by one.
Only Gauri did not move.
Her body trembled, but her feet remained planted. Her wide eyes stayed fixed on Vihaan, drinking in every terrifying detail. She couldn't abandon him. Not when she saw—beneath the red fire in his eyes—a flicker. A shadow of the man she knew.
Vihaan's claws flexed. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. For a moment, his monstrous voice wavered—cracking with the ghost of Vihaan's true self.
"Stay away, Gauri…" he rasped, his tone laced with both menace and love. "Don't… come near me."
Her tears spilled freely. "Vihaan…"
He gave her one last tortured glance, a mixture of hunger and heartbreak, before his body blurred into motion. With a surge of unholy speed, he vanished into the daylight, leaving shattered glass and silence in his wake.
Gauri collapsed to her knees, her heart hammering. Above her, the family's fearful whispers leaked from behind closed doors.
She clenched her fists, her voice breaking into the stillness.
"No, Vihaan… you're not Sarvansh. You're mine. And I will bring you back, even if I have to fight the Dark World itself."