Vihaan's eyes blazed crimson as he thrust his hand forward. A violent wave of dark energy erupted from his palm, crashing into Gauri with crushing force. She was hurled across the room, her body slamming into a pillar before collapsing to the ground. The family cried out in horror, struggling to rise, but Vihaan's power held them pinned, their voices breaking in helpless despair.
"GAURI!" Yug shouted, but the weight of Vihaan's spell choked the sound in his throat.
Slowly, coughing, Gauri dragged herself up on trembling arms. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, her breaths ragged, but her eyes burned with defiance.
Vihaan's form shimmered with dark flames as he strode across the hall. With a flick of his hand, Gauri rose helplessly into the air, her feet kicking above the ground. His fingers closed around her neck, squeezing, choking the breath out of her.
"You speak of defeating me," he mocked, his tone laced with venomous amusement. "And this… this is how you plan to do it? Pathetic. Tell me, Gauri, will you save me like this? With your gasping breaths and broken body?"
The family struggled harder, panic surging in their eyes, but Gauri… she smiled faintly, even as the air left her lungs. Her trembling hand slowly lifted, clutching something she had hidden in her fist.
"Yes…" she whispered, her voice breaking, yet carrying a strange certainty.
Vihaan's eyes flickered in confusion as her hand pressed against his chest, right over his heart. He looked down sharply—seeing the worn, dust-cleared bangle glowing faintly in her grasp.
And then—her voice broke into a soft, melodic recitation, the poem they had once spoken together in that field of fireflies, long ago, the night Gauri had been trapped by wolves:
"When the wolves circled me,
eyes glowing in the night,
you scared them away,
and made everything right.
A hand extended, a friend I found,
in the dark, where fear was loud.
Through tears and laughter, pain and cries,
our bond was sealed beneath the skies.
Though time has passed, our hearts still know,
the path we walked, where fireflies glow.
And now I call, my promise true,
to reach the boy I once knew."
Vihaan staggered back, his grip faltering. Memories of a scared little girl trapped in the jungle, of the boy who had scared away the wolves—himself, a younger, lost version of Vihaan—flooded his mind. The bangle, the promise, the fireflies… all surged back, piercing through the layers of darkness that had taken hold.
"This… this can't be…" he whispered, his voice cracking, torn between rage, disbelief, and the echo of the boy he had once been. The crimson glow in his eyes flickered, wavering for the first time.
The family froze in stunned silence, their eyes darting between Gauri's unwavering determination and Vihaan's shaken expression.
And for the first time, the dark Sarvansh within him felt… threatened.
Vihaan's knees buckled under the weight of the dark energy swirling around him. The crimson flames of Sarvansh flickered, hissing and recoiling as his body trembled violently. Gauri, her breaths ragged but steady, pressed the bangle tightly against his chest, her voice rising over the roar of his powers.
"Vihaan, listen to me!" she cried, tears welling in her eyes. "The boy who scared away the wolves for me, the boy who laughed under the fireflies… he is still inside you! You are not Sarvansh, not Kamini's darkness. Fight it—for yourself, for me, for all of us!"
His hands twitched, shadows clawing at the walls, the demon inside him struggling to dominate. Gauri's words, however, cut through the chaos like sunlight piercing a storm.
"Think of your mother, Veena maa, who loves you beyond measure and fears for your soul. Think of Bade Maa Sharda, who has always stood as the heart of this family. Think of Yug, your brother, who calls you Bhaiya and idolizes you. Think of Raani, Dadi, Aunt Urvashi, Uncle Shyom—we all love you, Vihaan! None of us will abandon you to Kamini's darkness."
She pressed the bangle closer to his heart, voice trembling but unwavering. "Remember, Vihaan, the boy who ran with me through the fireflies, the boy who saved me from the wolves… he is still here! You belong to your family, to your wife, to the people who love you—not to her!"
A guttural growl erupted from Vihaan as his body shook violently. Vases teetered, shadows writhed along the walls. Still, Gauri's hand on his chest anchored him, her words wrapping around the dark energy like a lifeline.
"You are stronger than her magic, stronger than this rage, stronger than the shadows in your heart," she continued, her voice raw with emotion. "I know you, Vihaan. The man I married, the man who fights for his loved ones… he is still alive. Come back to me. Come back to us!"
Vihaan's crimson eyes wavered, flickering between darkness and the amber warmth of his true self. Gauri began to whisper the poem they had once shared in the field of fireflies, seventeen years ago, her voice shaking but full of conviction:
"Through tears and laughter, pain and cries,
Our bond was sealed beneath the skies.
Through every shadow, through every fear,
I'll be beside you, always near."
His hands clawed at his chest, fighting the invisible chains, the Sarvansh's darkness snarling and resisting. Slowly, the crimson flame in his eyes dimmed. His knees sank to the floor as the energy recoiled, and the room's oppressive darkness lifted.
Gauri dropped to her knees before him, holding his hands tightly. "Vihaan… my husband… come back to me. To your family. You're stronger than her darkness."
Amber replaced crimson in his eyes. Exhausted, broken, yet alive, he whispered, "Gauri… I… I remember… everything."
The family, seeing the miracle, rushed forward—Veena, Sharda, Dadi, Yug, Raani, Urvashi, and Shyom—all surrounding him, relief and awe flooding their faces. Darkness lingered faintly at the edges, a reminder that Sarvansh had not vanished completely, but for now, Vihaan had returned to the man Gauri had always known and loved.