Night is deep now in the Junagarh royal palace. The entire palace is submerged in silence, with only the occasional sound of the guards' footsteps. Just moments before the clock struck twelve, Shilajit and his daughter Sushila firmly bolted the door of their room from the inside. They knew that in a few moments, the effect of the witch's magical potion would wear off for exactly one hour. This one hour was like a curse to them, for it was during this time that their original, hideous, and primal forms would emerge. No one in the world knew this secret, and they desperately wanted to ensure it stayed that way.
Exactly at midnight, Sushila's magical beauty began to melt away like wax. Her bright, fair skin shriveled, becoming bronze and coarse; her eyes sank deep into their sockets, glowing with a strange ferocity. Shilajit's condition was the same—inside his expensive clothes, the grotesque silhouette of a cunning and hideous old man appeared. Seeing her old, ugly form in the mirror, Sushila exploded in rage and frustration. She began smashing expensive vases and exquisite items inside her room, but very cautiously, so that no one outside could hear the noise.
During this one hour, their temperaments also changed. Sushila became extremely violent and foul-mouthed. Hurling vile insults, she told Shilajit that only her command would rule this kingdom. Their hideous forms and diabolical conversations remained confined within those four walls. Sushila found a strange, demonic pleasure in wreaking havoc during this time. She slightly parted the window of her room, gazed into the darkness outside, and whispered that one day she would destroy the sanctity of the Junagarh palace just like this. All the malice and hatred within her heart came out during this hour.
Shilajit sat trembling in a corner, staring at his gnarled, ugly fingers. He kept reminding Sushila that in just a little while, they would regain their previous forms. Sushila then ruthlessly tore the expensive silk bedsheet in her hands into pieces with her teeth. There was no way for anyone outside to know about their terrifying forms and mental depravity because they did not dare to step out. If anyone were to catch a glimpse of this form, Shilajit's mask of ministership and Sushila's facade of a princess would crumble into dust instantly.
Just before the clock struck one, they cleaned their room and tried to regain their composure. As the clock chimed one, their skin became bright again under the influence of the magic potion; Sushila regained her enchanting 'Subarnalata' form, and Shilajit returned to his grave, cunning persona. They opened the door and stepped out as if nothing had happened. Aditya or anyone else in the palace did not have the slightest inkling of the gruesome atrocity and ugly truth hidden behind this veil of illusion. Only Arohi, alias Snigdha, had caught a slight hint of this transformation through a corner of the window, which sowed a seed of suspicion in her mind. She realized that these devils must have a secret weakness that she had to find.
As days and months passed, four long years flew by on the calendar. Many things had changed in the nooks and corners of the Junagarh palace. The shadow of grief in the corners of Aditya's eyes had deepened, as the memory of Arohi did not grant him a moment's peace. Meanwhile, that one hour of secret horror for Subarnalata and Shilajit remained intact. Every night from twelve to one, they remained confined in the corner of their room with their hideous forms, and for the rest of the time, they ruled by weaving a web of illusion.
Now, only one month remained before the completion of five years. In the deep forest of Kanchangarh, at the Guru's hermitage, Arohi's twin children—the boy and the girl—were no longer little children. They had grown into formidable and brave warriors. From swordsmanship to occult arts, they were now proficient in everything. The fire of revenge burned in their eyes, for they knew they had to deliver justice for the wrongs done to their parents. In just one month, they would step into the Junagarh palace with a new identity.
On the other hand, Sushila's daughter, Prabhasha, was now a sweet four-year-old child. She roamed the palace with tottering steps, her speech still broken and innocent. But surprisingly, Prabhasha's nature was not filled with a single drop of her mother Sushila's malice. She was the very image of Aditya. Her heart was full of mercy and love. She often followed the maid Snigdha (Arohi), holding onto her saree and asking to hear stories. When Arohi looked at Prabhasha, her heart would ache. She thought that this innocent child had no idea how terrifying her mother truly was! Prabhasha's enchanting smile had become Aditya's only reason for living.
Everyone in the palace was now counting down the days in a state of strange excitement. On one hand, Sushila and Shilajit believed their power was eternal; on the other hand, Arohi, alias Snigdha, was awaiting the day when her own blood would return to wipe away all the stains from this palace. Only one more month, and then the final conflict would begin. The walls of the Junagarh palace seemed to echo with the resonance of the impending war.