The cursed forest of Pratham Brisk trembled under Sarvansh's growing power. The roots of the Daayan Vriksh glowed with veins of red light, its branches whispering like the voices of trapped souls. The air was thick, every breath tasting of iron and decay.
Before the ancient tree stood Gauri, her aura faintly shimmering with bluish light, the divine mark of the Jalpanchi glowing at her arm.
"Stop this madness, Sarvansh!" she cried, the wind tearing at her hair. "You're drawing your strength from Vihaan's life! You're killing the man you were born from!"
Sarvansh turned, his eyes a storm of blood and fire. "Born from?" he repeated mockingly. "No, Gauri — I am the truth hidden within him. The part he keeps chained. I am his ambition, his hunger, his power."
"Power that feeds on the innocent isn't power," Gauri shot back, voice trembling with fury. "It's poison. And I will not let it destroy him."
Sarvansh's lips curved into a cruel smile. "You'll stop me, Jalpanchi? You couldn't even protect yourself when I walked into your home."
The taunt struck deep, but Gauri stood firm. "That day, I saw only Vihaan's face. Today, I see the demon behind it."
She extended her arm, summoning her Tidal Chakram — a ring of swirling water infused with light, spinning so fast it hissed like a living current.
"Then fight me," Sarvansh said, his voice turning low and deadly. "Prove your faith against my curse."
---
The Duel
The wind howled as their powers collided — water against shadow. Gauri's chakram slashed through the air, releasing rippling waves, but Sarvansh vanished into mist, reappearing behind her. His hand brushed her shoulder, whispering illusions into her mind.
Suddenly, she was surrounded — dozens of Sarvanshs, their voices blending into one.
"You love him," they said. "You want to save him… but to kill me is to kill him."
Gauri's grip faltered. "No…"
"You feel it, don't you?" Sarvansh's true voice echoed around her. "Every time you raise your weapon, your heart hesitates. That weakness will be your end."
Before she could react, the chakram twisted in her hand — controlled by his will — and struck her across the shoulder. The force sent her stumbling back, blood staining her white sleeve.
Pain seared through her, but the anguish wasn't just physical — it was emotional, spiritual. Her own weapon had turned against her.
Sarvansh stood still, silent, watching her kneel in pain. For a moment — just a fleeting moment — his expression shifted. Something human flickered in his crimson eyes. Gauri's tears, her determination despite the wound… it stirred something he didn't recognize.
"Why… does her pain feel—" He cut the thought short, his jaw tightening.
Gauri pressed her trembling hand against the wound, glaring up at him. The blue aura of the Jalpanchi reignited, swirling around her like water come alive.
"You think pain will break me," she whispered, her voice steady despite the blood at her lips. "But you've forgotten — I am Jalpanchi. I don't just fight for love… I fight because of it."
Her eyes glowed fiercely, the wound beginning to heal with water light. Sarvansh looked away sharply — but there was unrest behind his arrogance now.
---
Scene – The Kothari Mansion
Back home, chaos consumed the mansion. Adrija's banshee screams tore through the air, shattering glass, rattling the chandeliers. Her braid had grown impossibly long, her eyes burning red, her feet reversed as she scaled the wall like a monstrous gecko.
"Give me Vihaan!" she screamed, her voice layered and inhuman. "Give him to me, or I'll bathe this house in blood!"
The Kotharis clutched their ears, some collapsing as their eardrums bled. Sharda, summoning all her strength, threw Gangajal toward Adrija — it sizzled on contact, burning her flesh — but within seconds, the wounds healed.
"She's too strong!" Veena shouted, shielding Vihaan's faint body.
"Charvi! Raani!" Sharda yelled through the chaos. "Go — to the library! Find the Agni Tantra scroll — there's a way to sever a dayan's soul-link!"
Charvi nodded and pulled Raani away as debris fell around them.
Adrija laughed, her voice sharp as lightning. "Do what you will — the curse has already begun! Vihaan's soul belongs to her! To Manmohini!"
Her laughter echoed through the mansion, overlapping with the groans of breaking walls and the flickering of sacred lamps.
---
Scene – Pratham Brisk (Parallel)
Back in the forest, Gauri stood again — her power rekindled, the blue light of the Jalpanchi flowing through her veins like living water. The wounded earth beneath her feet rippled with every step she took forward.
Sarvansh turned, his crimson aura clashing against her blue glow. "You still wish to save him?" he asked, his voice low, almost soft.
"Yes," Gauri said, raising her hand, her eyes blazing with divine fury. "Because I am his shield. And you—" her chakram spun once more, gleaming like the sun on the sea, "—you are his shadow."
For the first time, Sarvansh didn't smirk.
For the first time, he hesitated.