Veer roared, his monstrous form shaking the entire Red Moon Fort. Shattered fragments of moonstone rained from the ceiling as his wings spread wide, casting a shadow that swallowed every ray of light.
Gauri raised both hands, her eyes glowing a fierce ocean blue.
"Jai Devi Maa!" she cried, her palms surging with waves of energy. A swirling torrent of water erupted beneath Veer, twisting into a cyclone that wrapped around his body like a living chain. The water glimmered, growing colder, sharper — until it froze into a shell of ice around the beast.
For a brief, breathless second, Veer was still — a frozen statue of fury.
Vihaan exhaled, stepping closer. "It's over, Veer."
But the ice began to crack.
"Not… yet!" Veer's voice tore through the silence. With a deafening roar, he shattered the ice in a burst of dark energy, shards flying like glass blades. Before Vihaan could react, Veer lunged — his massive clawed hand swiping across the air — and struck Vihaan hard, sending him crashing into a stone pillar.
"Vihaan!" Gauri screamed, rushing toward him as the impact split the marble behind him. Blood trailed from his lip, but even through the pain, he forced himself to his knees.
Veer's eyes burned with vengeance. "You should have stayed buried with your serpent ancestors!"
He stomped forward, turning his monstrous gaze toward the terrified family. Chandni raised her moon shield, the luminous barrier shimmering like liquid glass — but Veer's next strike was too strong. His hoof slammed into the shield, cracking it, splinter by splinter.
"No!" Charvi cried, holding Veena close as the barrier began to fracture.
Seeing his family moments away from being crushed, Vihaan gathered his remaining strength and rushed forward, ignoring Gauri's desperate call.
"Stop, Vihaan! You're hurt!"
But he didn't stop.
With blood running down his arm, Vihaan threw himself in front of his family just as Veer's colossal foot came crashing down. He caught the blow with both hands — his body trembling under the sheer force, every muscle burning in agony.
The ground beneath him cracked. His knees threatened to buckle. But still… he didn't let go.
"Not… my family…" Vihaan groaned, his voice breaking but resolute. "You'll never touch them!"
Gauri's eyes filled with tears as she watched him, the man stripped of all powers but still standing as their shield — the protector born not of darkness or divinity, but of love.
Vihaan's arms trembled as he held Veer's monstrous foot above the ground, every bone in his body screaming for mercy. The marble beneath him splintered into deep cracks, dust swirling through the air like storm clouds.
Gauri watched, her breath heavy, her heart aching.
Her husband — bruised, bleeding, human — was still fighting for everyone.
Tears welled in her eyes, but they no longer spoke of fear. They shimmered with wrath.
She rose slowly, her expression hardening as her gaze locked onto Veer's monstrous form. Her trembling lips curved into a furious whisper.
"You dared to harm him… my family…"
The phoenix tattoo on her arm began to burn — its icy blue hue turning molten white. The water around her feet rippled, spreading across the floor like a living river. Her tears fell into it, merging with a divine glow.
"Jai Ganga Maiya!" she shouted, her voice echoing through every stone of the Red Moon Fort.
A surge of radiant blue light exploded from her body. Her long hair lifted in the divine wind, her mortal form dissolving into water and reforming in a blaze of brilliance. The ground trembled as a majestic crocodile — radiant, shimmering with celestial silver scales — rose beneath her feet.
Gauri was no longer herself. She was Ganga Maiya incarnate, the sacred river given life.
The family, even bound by chains, bowed instinctively, their eyes wide with reverence.
"Devi Maa…" whispered Veena, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Dadi folded her hands, trembling. "The river herself has taken form…"
Veer growled, pressing his enormous hoof harder on Vihaan, but Gauri's divine gaze turned toward him — calm, cold, and terrifying.
Her voice deepened, resonating with ancient power.
"The river gives life… and it also takes it away."
She raised her hand, and waves of holy water surged upward from beneath the cracked floor, circling her like dancing serpents. The crocodile beneath her tail-flipped, releasing a roar that shook the skies.
Veer's monstrous eyes widened for the first time — in fear.
Veer's roar shook the hall, his monstrous form towering over all — half-man, half-beast, his eyes blazing red with hatred. The moon eclipse outside reached its deepest hue, staining the world in blood light.
But in the midst of that crimson shadow, Ganga Maiya's radiance shone brighter — her form serene yet terrible, her eyes shimmering with both mercy and wrath. The waters swirled behind her, forming waves that mirrored her divine fury.
She looked upon Veer — not with anger, but with divine disappointment.
"Veer…" her voice echoed through the hall like a temple bell.
"You were born to be a son who brings pride… a brother who protects… a nephew who honors… a cousin who cherishes… But instead—"
Her gaze hardened, and the waves behind her rose like towers.
"You stained every bond with your greed. You turned kinship into cruelty. You betrayed your blood, sought power through sin, and trampled upon dharma."
Veer snarled, clutching his horned head, "I was denied power! Denied destiny! You cannot judge me, goddess or not!"
Ganga Maiya's expression remained calm, but her voice grew thunderous.
"You seek to blame the world for your darkness, when the true evil lies within. You desecrated the gifts of life, turned love into weapon, and dared raise your hand upon your own mother."
Sharda fell to her knees, tears flowing as if the goddess's words had broken every wall of grief inside her.
The goddess extended her hand, and from the waves formed a divine water trident — translucent and glowing like liquid moonlight.
"This world forgives many things," she said softly, "but not the sin of a son who forgets his mother… nor the man who raises his blade against the innocent."
Veer, defiant to the end, roared, "I bow to no one!" and charged toward her, claws gleaming with dark energy.
The goddess closed her eyes, murmuring a final benediction.
"I gave you a chance to repent. Now… the river shall claim you."
She hurled the Trident of Purification straight into his heart.
A burst of divine water erupted through Veer's chest, dissolving the demonic energy that sustained him. His monstrous scream echoed across the mansion, shaking its foundations. His body began to dissolve into streams of black water that evaporated in the divine light.
Within moments, nothing remained — only a ripple of water and a faint whisper of wind.
Ganga Maiya lowered her hand, her glow dimming slightly.
"The curse has been washed away… but the scars shall remind this world what happens when love is replaced by greed."
The family knelt, tears and reverence blending into the flowing waters that still shimmered across the floor.
As her divine light began to fade, Gauri's human form slowly reappeared — weary, sacred, and teary-eyed — as Vihaan, weak but alive, reached out to hold her hand.