Gauri's tear-streaked face lifted suddenly when a low, guttural growl reverberated through the ruined halls. Her heart lurched—she spun around, eyes darting in panic.
"Who's there?" she whispered, her voice shaking. The corridors stretched into endless darkness, but no one was there. Only the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Shadows writhed along the cracked walls, curling like smoke, but when she blinked, they vanished. Gauri stumbled back, clutching her dupatta tight. "What… what is this place?"
---
Meanwhile, in Veena's room, she paced restlessly, wringing her hands. Her mind was torn in a storm of guilt and fear. Kamini's cold words echoed in her ears: "I'll take Gauri with me to the shadow realm."
"But… why?" Veena muttered, pressing her palms to her temples. "What does Gauri have to do with Kamini? She's not her blood… she has no ties with her…"
And then—like a flash—Veena stilled, her eyes widening in realization. She remembered the Janmashtami night, how the sacred flame had refused to burn until Gauri stepped forward. Only Gauri had lit the flame that shielded Vihaan.
Her chest tightened, horror dawning. "No… Kamini doesn't want Gauri for herself…" Her voice trembled. "She wants her out of the way… so she can strike at Vihaan without the protection Gauri brings."
Veena sank onto the bed, clutching her dupatta, her face ashen with guilt. "In my foolishness, I've helped Kamini… I've given her what she needed to destroy my own son…"
Downstairs, the Kothari family gathered restlessly around the puja setup. Gayatri fidgeted, her eyes fixed on the staircase.
"Charvi," she whispered, her worry evident, "why hasn't Gauri come with her luggage yet? She said she'd only take a moment…"
Before Charvi could answer, Vihaan and Yug descended the stairs. Vihaan's eyes were red-rimmed, his face pale, as though he had been crying for hours. He stopped before Gayatri and folded his hands.
"I… I'm sorry," Vihaan said hoarsely. "For the insults… for everything you both endured today. You didn't deserve it."
Gayatri glanced at him in surprise, her anger softening but her worry only deepening. "Where is Gauri, then? Why hasn't she come downstairs?"
Vihaan blinked. "She… she left the room already," he stammered, a flicker of panic crossing his face. "She should have been here before us."
The family exchanged uneasy glances. Suddenly, Charvi gasped, clutching her forehead. A faint glow flickered there—like the tiny spark of a sacred flame dancing across her skin. Her eyes glazed, and her body moved on its own, trance-like.
"Charvi!" Gayatri cried, rushing forward. "What's happening to you, child?"
Charvi ignored her, stepping to the altar. Her trembling hands reached for the silver tray of vermillion meant for the puja. The family watched, stunned and confused, as she carried it with uncanny precision to the center of the hall.
And then—abruptly—Charvi flung the tray forward. The vermillion scattered, its red dust burning across the air before settling to reveal a ghostly outline of Gauri on the floor—her body sprawled as though she had been pushed down violently.
The Kotharis gasped in horror. Gayatri screamed, "Gauri!" and dropped to her knees.
Charvi's voice emerged, deep and otherworldly, not her own:
"Gauri is trapped… in the Shadow Realm…"
Her words struck like thunder. Dadi clutched her chest, Urvashi froze in disbelief, and Yug stumbled back.
Vihaan's heart clenched, his breath catching. "No…" he whispered, rushing forward. "No, that's impossible!"
But the vermillion's burning shimmer refused to fade—proof of Gauri's existence beyond the veil.
The family stood in shocked silence as Charvi's body trembled, her eyes still glowing with that faint flame, a divine signal that could not be ignored.
Vihaan staggered forward, his chest heaving. "The… Shadow Realm," he muttered, the words tasting like poison. His mind spun back to the moment earlier in his room when he felt Gauri's presence—her silent tears, her unspoken calls—when he broke down before Yug. That's what it was. She was there… she was with me!
Without another word, Vihaan turned on his heel and bolted upstairs, ignoring everyone's startled cries.
Sharda stepped forward, panic flashing in her eyes as she looked at Charvi, still trembling with the faint remnants of that eerie flame. "What is happening to her? What's wrong with this girl?"
Yug's face darkened as he clenched his fists. "I should have said this earlier… but no one would've believed me then."
Everyone turned toward him.
He drew a sharp breath. "The day of Holi, Charvi didn't just play with colors. She… she drew brother Vihaan's room on a piece of white cloth. Every detail—every mark—as if she was seeing it from someplace else. I followed her afterward… and that's when I found Ma—Urvashi—in Vihaan's room. But she wasn't herself. She was possessed."
Gasps rippled through the family. Sharda pressed a hand to her mouth, disbelief clouding her face.
Just then, Charvi's hand trembled violently. With her finger dipped in the spilled vermillion, she scrawled jagged letters across the marble floor.
KAMINI IS BACK.
The red words blazed against the white stone, stark and chilling.
"No…" Dadi whispered, clutching her beads. "This cannot be…"
As soon as the last letter was formed, Charvi collapsed backward, her body limp.
"Charvi!" Gayatri shrieked, rushing forward.
Yug quickly caught his sister-in-law before she hit the floor. "She fainted. I'll take her to the guestroom." His voice was firm despite the terror flickering in his eyes.
Gayatri, trembling, followed closely behind him, her hands hovering protectively over Charvi.
The rest of the Kotharis remained frozen in the hall, their eyes fixed on the crimson words glowing faintly under the dim light.
"Kamini…" Sharda whispered hoarsely, her face draining of color. "How is this possible?"