Gauri's trembling hands set the payment slip down at the reception. Relief mixed with dread, her heart still racing. The nurse reassured her that Charvi's surgery had begun, but those words brought no comfort—only a heavier storm in her chest.
Her footsteps carried her to the small hospital temple, dimly lit by flickering diyas. Kneeling before the idol, she folded her hands tight, her tears falling freely.
"Please, Lord Krishna," she whispered, her voice breaking. "You've always tested me, but today I beg… save my Charvi. Take everything I have, but let her live. She's just a young girl… she deserves a life."
Her forehead touched the cold marble floor as her sobs echoed softly in the stillness.
---
Pratham Vansh – The Cottage
Far away, deep in the secluded wilderness, the ancient Pratham Vansh stirred. In a simple clay cottage hidden among towering trees, the eldest of the Vanshis suddenly opened her eyes.
Her breath quickened. A pulse of danger rippled through her bones.
"We must leave," she said sharply, her voice carrying the weight of command. The other old Vanshi women looked up from their quiet work, startled.
"Leave? At this hour?" one of them asked.
The elder Vanshi's tone was urgent, her eyes wide with unshakable dread. "This place is no longer safe. Out—now!"
Confused but trusting, the women hurried after her. They stepped outside just as the ground beneath their feet shivered, and a dark wind howled through the trees.
Their eyes widened in horror.
Hovering above the cottage was a towering female shadow, her form shifting like smoke, her presence suffocating. A low, guttural laugh echoed as the thatched roof of the cottage suddenly burst into flames, the fire consuming it within moments.
The women clutched each other in fear, while the elder Vanshi's lips pressed into a grim line. She knew exactly what this meant—the one they dreaded most had finally returned.
The flames roared behind her as Pratham Vanshi and the old women stumbled out. Above the burning cottage hovered the shadowy figure, her form dark and terrifying against the firelight.
Pratham Vanshi gasped, her voice trembling, "You… you are indeed back."
The shadow let out a low, mocking laugh. "Yes, I am back. What you see now is only a warning—never stand in my way when I go after the Kotharis."
Pratham Vanshi gripped her staff tightly, her tone firm despite the fire. "Why would I stop you? It is not me who will stand against you. It is the God-sent who will rise."
The shadow tilted her head with curiosity. "God-sent? Who dares oppose me?"
Pratham Vanshi's gaze hardened. "The child born of the sea, Jalpanchi. She carries divine power. She is destined to stop you."
The shadow hissed, her form twisting with anger yet amusement. "Then let her come. I will crush her, and with her, the Kotharis."
With that, the shadow dissolved into the night sky, leaving the cottage in ruins. Pratham Vanshi stood rooted, her staff glowing faintly as she whispered to herself, "Jalpanchi… the time has come for you to rise."
At the city hospital
Gauri knelt before the idol in the small hospital temple, her hands folded, eyes brimming with tears. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "Please, Lord Krishna… save my Charvi. She's so young, her life has just begun. She's all I have,she made realize what a family truly is."
As her head bowed, a sudden beam of radiant light streamed down, engulfing her in its warmth. Gauri gasped softly, the world around her blurring and fading.
When she lifted her eyes again, she was no longer in the temple. Instead, she found herself standing on a narrow stone platform, high above an endless ocean. Waves crashed violently below, their roar echoing through the vastness. The salty breeze tugged at her hair, sending shivers across her skin.
Her lips parted in shock. "Where… where am I?"
Then it came.
A deep, echoing whisper, carried by the wind, rolling like thunder across the sea.
"Jalpanchi…"
Gauri spun around, her eyes darting across the horizon. The voice seemed to come from everywhere—out of the waves, the sky, the air itself.
Again, the whisper surged, stronger this time, vibrating in her very bones.
"Jalpanchi…"
Her breath quickened, fear and awe colliding within her. "Who's there? What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Suddenly, the ocean surged upward. From its depths rose a majestic phoenix made entirely of water, its wings stretching wide as it circled above her. Droplets shimmered like diamonds in the sunlight as the creature glided gracefully around the tower, its cry echoing across the horizon.
Gauri's eyes widened, her hands instinctively clutching her chest. She stood frozen, mesmerized, as the water phoenix swooped once more before diving back into the sea, vanishing in a spray of light.
The world shook violently, the waves rising higher as though ready to swallow the tower whole. Gauri gasped and shut her eyes tightly—
And in the next instant, she was back in the hospital temple. The diya flickered in front of her, the familiar scent of incense filling the air.
Her body trembled, her palms damp with sweat. She touched her forehead, whispering to herself, her voice faint.
"Jalpanchi… why did I hear that? What was that bird?"
The unanswered questions lingered like shadows, leaving her shaken and restless.