🏰 Meanwhile, at the Fort
The ancient fort trembled with an unnatural chill.
At its center lay a vast stone courtyard, cracked and stained with the remnants of forgotten rituals. In the middle, a demonic formation glowed violently—lines shifting like living veins, pulsing with each breath the forest took.
Kiaan lay at the heart of the formation, tiny, helpless, crying uncontrollably.
Above him, threads of shimmering golden light—his life force—rose from his body like mist… drifting into the dark pool at the far end of the courtyard.
The pool rippled.
Something beneath it—unseen, unheard—was drinking in Kiaan's essence.
The Boss.
The Tri-kaalishini stood around the formation in a triangle:
Urvi, braid writhing like a serpent.
Ratri, eyes burning with hunger.
Nishi, whispering incantations under her breath.
All three chanted as the ritual intensified.
Urvi smirked. "Look at him cry… poor powerless celestial child. Once his life force feeds her, the world will tremble again."
Ratri leaned forward, licking her lips. "Just a few more breaths… and his essence will be ours."
The pool darkened—almost humming.
Just then—
FWIP!
An arrow cut through the air like a streak of lightning.
It struck the formation's edge with a sharp crack—
SHATTERING one of the glowing demonic lines.
The entire formation exploded with a burst of sparks, throwing the Tri-kaalishini back a step.
Kiaan stopped crying for a moment, startled.
Urvi's eyes widened. "WHO—?!"
Before she could finish—
Another arrow whistled past her ear.
And out of the swirling fog at the fort entrance—
Kiara and Yuvaan appeared.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just fury.
Kiara's eyes blazed, bow drawn again, her dark yellow outfit smeared with forest dust, breath ragged but focused.
Yuvaan walked beside her, Reeva Talwar glowing with a cold, terrifying silver. His jaw was clenched, eyes fixed on his son.
His voice was low, dangerous.
"You made a mistake," he said.
"You touched my child."
Kiara raised her bow, arrow aimed directly at Urvi's throat.
"And now," she whispered, "you answer to us."
The Tri-kaalishini recoiled, their confidence wavering for the first time.
Kiaan whimpered, weak but sensing his parents.
The fog behind Kiara and Yuvaan swirled with the last traces of their blood-bond magic… as if even the magic itself was ready to fight beside them.
Ratri hissed. "You should have stayed out of this."
Kiara stepped forward, voice trembling with fury and protectiveness.
"He's our baby. We will always come for him."
Yuvaan lifted his sword.
"Round two."
The courtyard shook as the confrontation ignited.
The air shifted.
Not wind.
Not movement.
A shift—like the entire fort exhaled at once, knowing something terrible was about to unfold.
The Tri-kaalishini rose together, their silhouettes framed by the dying torches.
Ratri's lip curled back, a feral snarl vibrating through her chest.
Nishi's hiss slithered through the stone hall like a venomous whisper.
Urvi's eyes darkened to blood-red, glowing with an old, ancient hunger.
Without a word—
without even looking at each other—
their hands rose perfectly in sync.
A terrifying unity.
"TRI-KAAL… TORPEDO…"
The air cracked.
A pulsing mass of black magic spiraled between their palms.
It grew—slowly, horribly—like a living heart stitched from screams.
The power hummed, vibrated, then shrieked as if it recognized Kiara and Yuvaan as threats.
And then—
They thrust their hands forward.
The torpedo shot like lightning—
But—
WHOOSH!
Yuvaan and Kiara threw themselves apart, breath catching in their chests as the dark beam tore past them.
The torpedo missed by inches—
slamming into a stone pillar with a violent, deafening blast.
The pillar shattered, powdering the air with sand and ancient debris.
Urvi's mouth tightened, irritation flickering.
"They learned," she muttered through clenched teeth.
Ratri cracked her neck slowly, deliberately.
"Annoying insects…"
Nishi's voice dropped to a guttural growl.
"Rip them apart."
---
🌑 Yuvaan vs Ratri & Nishi — The Father in Combat
Ratri lunged first, the movement more beast than woman.
Yuvaan felt her shadow before her body reached him—
Instincts firing.
Blood roaring.
He slid back, grounding himself, both hands tightening around the Reeva Talwar.
Focus. Kiaan. Kiara. Protect.
Her claws slashed—
CLANG!
Sparks burst as steel met bone.
The impact trembled up Yuvaan's arms, but his grip didn't falter.
Nishi appeared behind him—a whisper, nothing more—
Her claws aimed for his spine.
Yuvaan twisted at the very last second.
Her claws tore through the air where he had been.
He dropped low—
swept his leg—
Nishi hit the ground with a snarl, the sound vibrating in Yuvaan's chest.
Ratri lunged again, faster, angrier.
But Yuvaan saw through her rage.
He stepped aside—smooth, precise—caught her wrist, and used her momentum to slam her into a broken pillar.
Her scream cracked the air.
Nishi conjured dark runes—symbols twisting, dangerous—
They flew at Yuvaan like black arrows.
But—
SHING!
His sword cleaved through the spell, dispersing it into a shower of dark dust.
Nishi lunged, her face contorted with fury.
Yuvaan bent back—almost horizontal—her nails grazing the air above his face.
He flipped over her, landing behind her in a perfect crouch.
His breathing was harsh but disciplined.
His eyes—burning with a father's fury.
He wasn't fighting for pride.
Or glory.
He was fighting for his son.
---
🌕 Kiara vs Urvi — The Mother's Wrath
Kiara ran, panic and determination fighting inside her chest.
"Kiaan… baby, mama's coming—"
Her voice cracked. She didn't care. She couldn't.
But a dark shadow slid in front of her.
Urvi.
Her appearance was almost elegant—
but there was poison in the grace,
death coiled inside the smile.
Kiara stopped abruptly, breath sharp.
Her bow was in her hand before her mind caught up.
An arrow nocked.
Her heartbeat loud in her ears.
"Move," she said quietly.
A command, but also a plea.
Urvi tilted her head, eyes glowing.
"Why would I? This is too much fun."
Kiara didn't wait.
She released.
The arrow flew—silent, swift, perfect.
Urvi didn't blink.
She raised a single finger.
The arrow stopped mid-air.
Kiara's stomach dropped.
Urvi's smirk deepened.
"Oh, sweetheart…"
She flicked her wrist.
The arrow spun—
the air rippling around it—
and shot back toward Kiara with lethal speed.
Kiara lifted her eyes.
Time felt thick.
Her breath stuck in her throat.
Then—
FLIP!
Her body arched backward, slow, controlled.
The arrow sliced past her cheek, a whisper from death.
She landed lightly.
Not a stumble.
Not a tremble.
Slowly—very slowly—Kiara lifted her gaze to meet Urvi's.
No words.
Just fire.
Urvi's smirk wavered.
For the first time—
a flicker of uncertainty.
Kiara raised another arrow.
But this time…
her hands didn't shake.
This wasn't the fear of a mother.
It was the wrath of one.