The heavy silence of the mansion broke as footsteps echoed down the marble staircase.
Sarvansh descended with a sinister calm, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "J.P…" he called out in a low, taunting voice, "Jalpanchi… where are you hiding?"
Just then, Gauri stepped out from the corridor, holding the Maan Kalash close to her chest. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes fierce yet weary from the underwater ordeal.
Sarvansh's lips curved into a mocking smile as he approached her. "Ah… my brave Jalpanchi. You actually did it." His tone dripped with sarcasm. "You've stolen Makasuur's treasure. And in doing so, you've awakened him from his slumber."
Before Gauri could speak, a low rumble rolled through the walls. The chandelier trembled above, and a faint groaning sound echoed from within the house — like stone grinding against stone.
---
Meanwhile, in the Daayan Realm
Mohini stood at the center of a fiery circle, surrounded by her coven of Dayans. Flames danced in her eyes as she raised her hands.
"Very soon," she declared, "the transformation begins! Vihaan's mortal soul will vanish… and Sarvansh will finally be complete!"
The Dayans howled in delight, their laughter piercing through the veil between worlds.
---
Back at the Kothari Mansion
The unsettling creaks grew louder. Paintings shook against the walls. Dust fell from the ceiling.
"Maa!" Yug exclaimed, rushing to Veena's side. "What's happening?"
Sarvansh sat lazily on the sofa, stretching as if he were watching a play. "Relax," he said coolly. "It's just Makasuur. He's on his way to claim what's his. You all are about to meet the guardian of the underworld treasury."
Veena's voice trembled. "Gauri… open the Kalash, beta. Maybe it can protect Vihaan."
Gauri knelt, trying to twist open the seal, but the vessel refused to budge.
Sarvansh smirked. "Don't waste your effort. Only my magic can open it."
Gauri glared at him. "Then help us, Vihaan! Before it's too late!"
He tilted his head, eyes burning crimson. "Why should I? You're the one who stole it. Now deal with the consequences."
Just then, Gauri noticed muddy footprints outside the window — enormous, clawed, and fresh. Her heart skipped. "Everyone, close the doors and windows!" she ordered. "Don't let anything in!"
The family scrambled, bolting the entrances. But before they could take another breath, an eerie voice slithered through the walls — deep and resonant, shaking the air itself.
"Return… what is mine…"
The chandelier flickered violently. The floorboards quivered.
"Gauri!" Sharda cried out. "It's here!"
Gauri turned desperately to Sarvansh, who leaned back with a cold, amused expression.
"Vihaan, please!" she pleaded, tears brimming. "If not for me, then for your family!"
He met her gaze, eyes unfeeling. "Return the treasure, and he'll leave. Your problem… not mine."
With that, he rose, adjusted his cuffs, and walked away — his shadow stretching long and dark across the trembling floor.
As his footsteps faded down the hallway, Gauri's voice broke. "Vihaan!"
But there was no answer. Only the echoing growl of Makasuur closing in — and the haunting whisper of something monstrous clawing its way into the mansion.
In the Kothari Mansion — The Library
The air in the library was thick with dust and dread. Gauri's trembling fingers flipped through the brittle, yellowed pages of an ancient scripture — one that seemed to hum faintly with forbidden energy. The candle beside her flickered violently, its flame dancing as though warning her to stop.
Her eyes widened as she read the inked Sanskrit verses aloud under her breath.
"Makasuur… the guardian of the drowned vault… shall rise only through the path of his birth — the element of water."
She gasped softly. "Water…"
Snapping the book shut, she raced out of the library. Her anklets jingled urgently against the marble as she ran down the hall.
In the drawing room, the family gathered — Veena clutching her rosary, Yug pacing restlessly, and Sharda glancing anxiously toward the trembling walls.
"Listen to me carefully!" Gauri said, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Makasuur can't enter unless there's water! He travels through it — taps, pipes, even droplets. We have to cut him off!"
"What do you mean?" Veena asked, confused.
"Shut every tap, every valve — anything connected to water! Now!"
Yug immediately ran toward the kitchen, shouting orders to the servants. Sharda and Urvashi hurried upstairs, sealing the bathrooms and balcony lines. The house echoed with the frantic rush of footsteps and the slamming of faucets.
But even as they worked, faint gurgling noises began seeping through the drains… a low, unnatural growl echoing from beneath the floors.
Gauri pressed her palms together, whispering, "Bholenath, protect them… protect Vihaan from himself."
---
Meanwhile — In the Daayan Committee Hall
Far away, in the eerie, flame-lit cavern of the Trikaal Sabha, Mohini stood at the center of a dark congregation. The Dayan committee surrounded her, their hair floating like black serpents in the air, their eyes gleaming crimson in the firelight.
"Soon," Mohini declared, her tone dripping with cruel authority, "the dawn of the Dark Dynasty begins!"
The Daayans chanted in unison, their voices rising like the sound of breaking glass. Mohini raised her hands, and before her, a flaming mirror appeared — showing a vision of the Kothari mansion and the terrified family inside.
"Vihaan's bloodline is sacred," she hissed. "And that makes them dangerous. His family must be sacrificed — every last one — to unleash the full might of Sarvansh."
With a wicked smile, she turned to a small pedestal behind her. There, suspended in fire, floated an orb of crimson flame — Kesar's Agni Paanchi power.
One of the Daayans gasped. "That's… the power of the Fire Bird!"
"Yes," Mohini said, her eyes glowing gold with greed. "Kesar's essence — pure fire bound in mortal form. It is the perfect weapon against water… and against Jalpanchi."
The Dayans murmured in dark awe as Mohini extended her claws into the fire, shaping it with her magic. Slowly, the flames coiled and hardened, forming into a weapon — a sleek, burning Sword of Agni, pulsing with Kesar's fiery energy.
"Behold," Mohini whispered, her voice echoing through the cavern. "The weapon destined to end the Jalpanchi forever. Gauri will perish… by her own bloodline's fire."
A sinister smile spread across her face. "Let the hunt begin."