Gauri's breath hitched as she pushed herself up from the floor, her dupatta slipping from her shoulder. Her wide, trembling eyes locked onto Vihaan. "Vihaan…" she whispered, her voice breaking, the name escaping her lips like a plea, a prayer.
But the man before her was no longer the Vihaan she knew. His crimson serpentine eyes burned with an unnatural frenzy, his fingers twitching with inhuman power. One by one, the vases around the room lifted into the air, swirling slowly as if caught in an invisible storm.
"Vihaan, stop!" Gauri cried, her voice desperate, her palms outstretched. But the vases hurtled toward her.
She ducked, crashing to the ground as the first one smashed into the wall behind her, shards flying. Another missed her by inches. Heart pounding, she scrambled to her feet and bolted for the door, her sobs choking her voice.
Kill her… kill Gauri…
The whisper was low, venomous, slithering inside Vihaan's skull. Kamini's voice. It echoed, commanding, gnawing at his sanity. His breath grew ragged as his body obeyed the dark pull, his steps quickening as he pursued Gauri down the hall.
Gauri's cries pierced through the house. "Help! Someone—help me!"
The family gathered below turned sharply toward the stairs, their laughter and warmth from moments ago vanishing in an instant. But the orphanage children were gone, as if they had never been there at all.
Gauri reached the staircase, her hands gripping the railing, desperate to descend. But before she could take another step, Vihaan appeared in front of her—his body trembling, his eyes alight with a monstrous red glow.
"Vihaan… no!" she cried.
He raised his hand, and an unseen force slammed into her chest. The air around her shimmered violently as she was hurled backward off the stairs.
"No!"
Her body crashed onto the long wooden table below, splintering it with a sickening crack. She let out a sharp cry of pain before collapsing, blood staining her lips.
"Gauri!" the family screamed, rushing forward in horror. Dadi clutched her chest, Sharda and Urvashi stumbled toward her, and Yug froze, stunned, his mind refusing to believe what he had just witnessed.
And then—Charvi appeared in the doorway. Her sketchbook fell from her trembling hands as her eyes widened at the sight before her.
"Didi!" she screamed, her voice shattering as she ran forward.
Her cry cut through the chaos, through the screams, through the broken remnants of family joy—leaving only devastation.
The room was chaos—shouts, hurried footsteps, Charvi's sobs—but in the midst of it, Vihaan's lips curved into a strange, unnerving half-smile. His eyes gleamed, serpentine red.
He raised his hand, then snapped his fingers.
In an instant, silence fell. Every family member froze in place—Dadi mid-stride, Yug's hands half-extended toward Gauri, Charvi rushing forward with tears streaming down her face. Their bodies went rigid, their voices trapped in their throats. Eyes wide with panic, they tried to move, to scream, but their limbs betrayed them, bound by invisible chains.
Only Vihaan could move.
He stepped down from the stairs slowly, each footfall echoing like a drumbeat of doom. His gaze never left the broken figure of Gauri lying across the shattered table.
Then, without hesitation, he leapt. His body landed on the table with terrifying force, the wood creaking and breaking further under his weight. Gauri's wounded body was jolted violently, bouncing off the table with a cry of pain before rolling onto the floor, her saree streaked with blood and dust.
"Vihaan…" she gasped weakly, her voice cracking, her hand trembling as she reached toward him—not in fear, but in disbelief.
Above her, Vihaan stood tall, his chest heaving, his expression a war between the man she knew and the monster being forced upon him. The whispers of Kamini's voice slithered through his ears.
Finish it. Kill her. Kill Jalpanchi.
And yet—his hands shook. His breath faltered. His eyes flickered between fiery red and his old, familiar brown.
The family, trapped in place, could only watch in horror as the battle for Vihaan's soul played out in the space of a heartbeat
Vihaan's breathing grew heavier, his trembling hands curling into claws. Then, with a flick of his wrist, sharp silver daggers materialized in mid-air—gleaming wickedly under the chandelier light.
Gauri's eyes widened in terror.
"Vihaan…" her voice cracked, disbelief shattering her words.
Without warning, he thrust his hand forward. The daggers whirled into motion, slicing through the air toward her like guided missiles.
Gauri's scream tore through the hall as she scrambled, her wounded body reacting faster than her thoughts. Her eyes darted, searching—then she spotted the side table toppled near her. With a desperate cry, she pushed her palms upward, dragging every ounce of her will into her strength.
The heavy table shot up between her and the incoming blades.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The daggers slammed into the wood, embedding themselves deep. Splinters flew across the floor, some nicking her cheek, others scattering over her saree. The force sent her staggering backward, but she was alive.
From behind her barricade, Gauri panted, heart hammering, hands trembling. She muttered in a broken whisper, "Why, Vihaan… why are you trying to kill me?"
Vihaan stood still, his face contorted in a storm of rage and anguish, his red eyes glowing brighter. Kamini's whispers hissed in his ears—Do it. She is Jalpanchi. She is the end of us. End her now.
And yet, his jaw clenched, his arm trembled, as though another force inside him was resisting, screaming not to.