Meanwhile, at the Kothari Mansion…
The morning sunlight was pale and uncertain, as though the day itself feared to begin.
Vihaan stirred awake to the sound of someone calling his name. His eyes fluttered open to find Yug shaking him urgently.
"Bhai, get up!" Yug's voice was breathless.
Vihaan sat up, rubbing his temple. "Yug? What's wrong—and why do I feel like I've been asleep for hours? I can't even remember lying down…"
"There's no time to think about that," Yug said, his face pale. "We just got a message from Pratham Vanshi—she said our family is in danger!"
Vihaan's confusion turned to alarm. He jumped out of bed, pulling on his jacket.
"Danger? From what?"
"She didn't say. But it sounded serious."
They both rushed downstairs.
In the living hall, Veena, Sharda, Dadi, Urvashi, and Shyom were already gathered—faces clouded with fear.
Veena clutched her hands together. "Vihaan, my son… Pratham Vanshi never sends such warnings unless the threat is real. I fear something terrible is coming!"
Urvashi's eyes darted toward the windows. "Could it be… Kamini? Is she returning?"
Sharda shook her head firmly. "No. Gauri destroyed Kamini. Her ashes were scattered across the Ganga. She can't come back."
Vihaan raised his hands to calm them. "Everyone, listen to me. Panicking won't help. Whatever danger is coming—we'll face it together. I won't let anything happen to this family."
But before he could finish—
a scream echoed outside. Then another. And another.
It wasn't human.
It was a chorus of shrill, blood-curdling cries—like hundreds of voices screaming from the pits of hell.
The family froze.
"Those sounds…" Dadi whispered, clutching her rudraksha beads. "…they're daayans."
Vihaan and Yug exchanged a grim glance and rushed toward the front door.
The moment they stepped outside, the sight before them froze their blood—
a horde of daayans, all clad in flowing black, their feet inverted, their long braided hair whipping through the air like living snakes. The ground itself trembled under their eerie presence.
Sharda wasted no time. She grabbed a brass kalash, dipped her fingers into the sacred water, and drew a glowing protective line around the family.
"Stay behind me!" she commanded, her voice shaking yet strong.
The air grew colder.
The sky darkened.
And Vihaan—his heart thundering—took a step forward, standing between his family and the rising army of darkness.
The air trembled.
The shrill cries of the daayans suddenly stilled, and the once–whipping wind turned eerily still.
Vihaan, Yug, and the rest of the Kothari family stood within the sacred boundary, their eyes fixed on the darkened sky. A shower of crimson sparks fell from above—daggers of bloodlight streaking across the air before vanishing into mist.
Then, the daayans—hundreds of them—parted, forming a path.
A hush spread across the day which has suddenly turned night. Even the storm dared not breathe.
From the shadows, a woman emerged—
draped in a deep red saree, her face veiled, her movements graceful yet heavy with menace. Her long hair was tied in two serpentine braids that swayed as though alive. Her feet were reversed, each step leaving behind a faint scorch on the earth.
The daayans bowed low as she passed, whispering in reverence,
"Pralay Daayan… Manmohini…"
The name alone sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Sharda's lips trembled. "P–Pralay… Daayan?"
Vihaan's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The woman stopped just a few feet from the sacred line. Slowly, she raised her hands and pulled down her veil.
The family gasped.
Her face was hauntingly beautiful, ageless—her skin glowed faintly under the moonlight, untouched by time. But her eyes—oh, those eyes—each bore two red pupils, swirling like whirlpools of fire and blood.
When she spoke, her voice was sweet like nectar, yet every word carried venom.
"I am Manmohini," she said. "The Pralay Daayan."
The ground beneath their feet cracked slightly, as though her name itself bore weight.
"I have risen," she continued, her smile chillingly calm, "to bring an end to those who killed my sister, Kamini… and to the cursed family of Kotharis who dare to think they're free from darkness."
Vihaan clenched his fists, stepping protectively before his family. "If you've come for revenge, Manmohini—you'll have to go through me first."
Her red pupils flickered. "Oh, Vihaan Kothari… you and your wife are exactly who I came for."
The daayans behind her hissed in unison as the wind picked up again, swirling around her like a blood-red storm.
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