Inside the fiery circle of the mirror, Veena's tear-streaked face pressed against the cold glass. She shook her head in disbelief, her voice hoarse. "Why… why are you so desperate to kill Gauri? What has she done to you?"
The Veena standing outside the mirror smiled darkly — the imposter, Kamini cloaked in her form. She dangled a single strand of hair she had pulled from Vihaan's comb, letting it glint under the lamplight.
"Oh my, such sudden affection," Kamini mocked. "You never liked Gauri yourself, Veena. That is why you so eagerly handed me her belongings. Wasn't it you who wished to see her gone?"
"No!" Veena cried from within the mirror, banging her fists against the barrier of fire. "I… I might not have liked Gauri, but I would never wish her dead! I only gave you those things because you deceived me. I thought I was protecting my son. I didn't know your ruse!"
Kamini tilted her head and smirked, her eyes glinting with venom. "Protecting him? Oh, you poor fool. You've only delivered him into my hands. With this hair, I will weave a spell strong enough to bend his will. And soon…" She leaned closer to the mirror, her face twisting into a grin. "…your precious Vihaan will commit the greatest sin of all — he will kill his own wife."
Veena gasped, her eyes widening in horror. "No! You cannot make him do this!"
Kamini let out a chilling laugh, tapping the glass where Veena's trembling hand pressed. "I don't need to make him. Once my magic takes root, he will believe it is his own choice. And when his hands are stained with Gauri's blood, there will be no turning back. He will belong to me — body, heart, and soul."
Veena collapsed inside the mirror, sobbing, powerless as the fire around her reflection flared higher. Kamini, still wearing her stolen face, whispered mockingly before walking away:
"Cry all you want, Veena. The game has already begun."
Kamini lowered herself onto the floor with deliberate grace, the flickering lamplight throwing monstrous shadows across the walls. She raised her stolen hand and, with a sharp movement, traced symbols in the air. The floor began to hum beneath her, glowing a deep crimson. Lines of fire spiralled outward, forming a pulsating witch circle, its runes twisting and shifting like living snakes.
Inside the mirror, Veena pounded her fists against the glass. "Stop this, Kamini! Stop it before it's too late!" Her voice cracked with desperation, but the barrier swallowed her pleas.
Kamini ignored her, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. She held up the strand of Vihaan's hair between two fingers and dropped it into the circle. At once, the flames hissed and flared, swallowing it whole. The smell of iron and earth filled the room.
Still seated cross-legged, Kamini drew a ceremonial dagger across her own wrist. Thick, dark blood welled up — but it was no ordinary blood. It shimmered green and black, viscous and venomous, carrying the mark of her serpentine nature. The drops hissed as they fell into the circle, each one igniting a spark of black fire.
Inside the mirror, Veena's scream was muffled and broken. "Please… please don't do this to my son!" Tears streamed down her face as she sank to her knees, powerless to stop the ritual.
Kamini's head tilted back, eyes gleaming a feral yellow. Her smile stretched wider, her voice a chilling whisper as the circle's glow climbed up around her like a crown.
"It has begun," she murmured, the sound like silk over a blade. "Soon, Vihaan will not even know where his will ends and mine begins."
The witch circle hissed, the symbols pulsing like a heartbeat, while Veena's sobs echoed helplessly against the glass.
Vihaan's room
The room was hushed, the silence carrying the faint hum of night insects beyond the windows. Vihaan stood rigid at the far end, staring out into the dark sky as though it alone could bear his burden. His back was to her, broad yet heavy with an unseen weight.
Gauri stepped inside quietly, her eyes lingering on him. She clutched the edge of her dupatta, her chest rising and falling as her heart swelled with unspoken emotions. "Vihaan," she began softly, her voice trembling, "I… I don't even know how to thank you."
She moved a little closer, her eyes shimmering with tears that refused to fall. "No one has ever done for me what you did today. You made me feel… like I mattered. Like I wasn't alone." Her voice cracked, but she forced a smile. "For someone who never even knew her real birthday… today, you gave me something that felt more real than anything I've ever had."
Her hand brushed across her own chest, steadying her racing heart. "And I'll never forget it. Ever." She bit her lip, the words pouring out in a rush, raw and fragile. "So thank you… not just for today, but for seeing me when I thought no one did."
For a long moment, he didn't answer. The silence grew heavy, almost unbearable. Gauri thought perhaps he wanted solitude, that he couldn't bear her words. She turned to leave, her steps slow, reluctant.
"Wait."
The single word was quiet, but it struck her like a command. She froze, turning back. Vihaan hadn't moved. His head remained bowed, his back still facing her, but his voice—low, hoarse—trembled with something she couldn't yet name.
"There's a truth you should know."
She blinked at him, her tears softening into confusion. "Then tell me."
His shoulders stiffened. "I'm not just Vihaan."
Her lips curved faintly, as if to lighten the moment. "I know. You're ACP Vihaan Kothari—"
"No." His voice snapped, jagged and filled with anguish. Slowly, painfully, he turned to face her. His eyes stayed closed for a heartbeat too long, as though dreading what she might see. Then, in one sharp motion, they opened.
Gauri staggered back. His eyes glowed a venomous crimson, serpentine and inhuman, cutting through the dim room like molten fire.
"I am the son of the serpentine witch," his voice thundered, raw and bitter. "A Sarvansh."
His body shifted grotesquely. Nails lengthened into sharp, claw-like talons. A web of iridescent snake scales shimmered across his neck, catching the light with a sinister gleam.
Gauri's legs buckled, her heart hammering in disbelief. She stumbled backward until her back hit the wall, her hand flying to her mouth. Her chest burned with betrayal, terror, confusion.
The man who had just given her the most cherished memory of her life now stood before her as something unrecognizable—something terrifying.