Vihaan stormed downstairs, his voice echoing like a dark oath. The family hesitated, torn between fear and helplessness.
Upstairs, Charvi banged on the locked door, her voice cracking.
"Gauri Didi! Please say something!"
Inside, Gauri's steady voice came, muffled but firm.
"I'm fine, Charvi. Don't cry. What matters is stopping this marriage before it happens. We cannot let Betalini take my Vihaan away."
Her calmness cut through their fear like a blade. Sharda wiped her tears, straightening her shoulders.
"She's right. Only the Pratham Vanshi will have an answer. We must seek her guidance."
Yug clenched his jaw, fire in his eyes. "Then I'll go with Gauri. She won't fight this battle alone."
"I'm coming too," Charvi insisted, her voice trembling but determined. Then she faltered, glancing at the locked door. "But… Gauri Didi, you're still trapped inside. How will you even come with us?"
The family fell silent, the weight of hopelessness pressing down again.
Inside the room, Gauri's eyes scanned the walls until they landed on the tall window. Determination flared in her gaze. She walked to it slowly, placing her hand against the cold glass.
"When one door closes," she whispered, her voice carrying to the family through the cracks, "…another opens."
Charvi pressed her ear to the door, her heart thudding. "Didi, what are you saying?"
Then, with a sudden motion, Gauri grabbed a flower vase from the table and smashed the window. The sharp crack of shattering glass made everyone jump. Shards rained down like falling stars.
"No cage—human or demonic—can hold me back," Gauri declared, her voice fierce.
The family rushed to the courtyard just in time to see her climbing out of the window, her hands cut and bleeding from the glass. She winced but didn't stop.
Yug and Charvi ran to steady her as she landed, their eyes wide with both fear and admiration.
"Didi…" Charvi whispered, tears brimming, "…you're hurt."
Gauri brushed it off, her eyes blazing with resolve. "This pain is nothing compared to losing Vihaan. Tonight, I'll stop this wedding even if it costs me my life."
The family stood frozen, awestruck. In that moment, Gauri wasn't just their bahu—she was their shield.
As Gauri steadied herself on her feet, her hands still faintly bleeding from the glass, Sharda quickly hurried to her room and returned with an old, rolled-up parchment. She held it out with trembling hands.
"This…" Sharda said, her voice thick with urgency, "was given to us long ago by the Pratham Vanshi herself. She said one day it would serve as a guide to reach her abode in times of great darkness. That time… has come."
Gauri carefully unfolded the parchment. Strange ancient symbols and lines, glowing faintly with a golden hue, shimmered on its surface. The map seemed alive, pulsing as though it could sense her touch.
Sharda cupped Gauri's face, her eyes moist.
"May Devi's blessing be with you, beti. Tonight, the fate of Vihaan—and of all of us—rests in your hands. Bring him back."
Yug stepped forward, determination blazing in his eyes. "We won't fail, Bade Maa. As long as I'm breathing, nothing will touch Gauri or Charvi."
Charvi clutched her sister's hand tightly, her voice firm despite her fear. "Didi, together we'll bring jiju back. I'll stand by you, always. Bade Maa, trust us—we won't return without him."
Gauri pressed the glowing parchment to her chest, her voice steady with unshakable resolve.
"Bade Maa, I swear on everything sacred—Kamini will not take my Vihaan. I will bring him back, no matter what it costs me."
Sharda, overwhelmed, placed her palms on their heads, her voice breaking as she whispered a blessing.
"Go, my children… and may the path light itself before you. Succeed, or all will be lost."
The three exchanged a glance—one filled with unspoken courage and solidarity. Then, clutching the glowing map, they turned toward the daylight outside, stepping out of the Kothari haveli.
The heavy wooden doors creaked as they shut behind them, leaving the family standing in anxious silence.
As Gauri, Yug, and Charvi disappeared into the night, the faint glow of the map flickered brighter, pulling them forward—toward the mysterious realm of Pratham Vansh.
As the haveli doors closed behind the youngsters, silence hung in the air, heavy and tense. Sharda's eyes lingered on the faint glow of the map until it vanished into the night. She then turned back to the family, her expression hardening.
"We must go back inside," Sharda said firmly, her tone carrying the weight of authority. "If Vihaan suspects even for a moment that Gauri, Yug, and Charvi are gone… he will not spare us."
Urvashi's lips trembled as she asked, "But, Bhabhi… how can we stand quietly while they face this darkness alone?"
Sharda closed her eyes briefly, fighting her own fear, before replying, "Because that's the only way we can help them. If Kamini or Vihaan senses anything unusual, they will unleash their wrath before Gauri even has a chance. Our silence is their shield."
Veena wiped her tears, whispering brokenly, "My son… my Vihaan…"
Dadi clasped her trembling hands together, chanting under her breath for divine protection. "May Devi walk with those children tonight."
Sharda straightened, her face carved with determination. "We will hold this haveli together, no matter what happens. The youngsters are carrying our hope into the unknown—our duty is to make sure Vihaan never doubts them."
With that, she ushered the family back inside, their hearts pounding with fear and faith alike, each step echoing with the silent prayer that Gauri and the others would succeed before nightfall.