Inside the daayan haveli, the flames around the sacred pit roared higher, casting long, dancing shadows across the walls. The air vibrated with dark energy as Mohini raised her hands, her eyes blazing.
"The time has come," she declared with chilling pride. "Soon, Vihaan will no longer exist. You will become the complete Sarvansh — Jalpanchi's greatest enemy, and the end of her kind!"
Vihaan's lips curled into a faint smirk, though his eyes burned with something far more dangerous than confidence — hunger for control.
"Let Jalpanchi try," he said coldly. "She will never get the Jal Mani. She will never find where I've hidden her power."
The flames hissed in approval as Mohini smiled darkly, satisfied with his cruelty.
---
At the Kothari Mansion
The night outside thundered as Gauri tore through the mansion halls, searching frantically. Her hands trembled as she lifted boxes, pushed open drawers, ripped through old cloths.
"Where did they hide it? Where is my Jal Mani?" she muttered in frustration, eyes brimming with tears. "No, Vihaan can't die… I won't let him!"
Dadi rushed in, clutching her rudraksha mala.
"Gauri, stop this madness, beta! Some powers aren't meant to be found. If you face Mohini now, you'll only lose yourself."
But Gauri's voice rose — steady, fierce, filled with love that defied fear.
"If Mohini completes the transformation, Vihaan will be lost forever. I'll kill her before that happens, Dadi! I don't care what happens to me!"
Veena entered quietly, her face pale with grief.
"Gauri…" she whispered. "We've already lost Vihaan. But even then… we can't stop fighting. He deserves that much."
Gauri turned, wiping her tears, determination hardening in her eyes.
"Then we fight. Together. For him. For love."
She looked around at her family.
"This isn't about powers or curses anymore. Love is my power. And if the world wants to burn, I'll burn with it — but not without him."
---
At the Daayan Committee
Darkness rippled through the council hall as Mohana's laughter echoed from the shadows.
> "How touching," she hissed. "The little Jalpanchi thinks love can save her husband. How foolish."
Her grin widened.
> "Soon, Vihaan will kill Jalpanchi with his own hands… and destroy the very family he's trying to protect."
The other daayans chuckled, their crimson eyes glinting in delight.
---
Back at the Mansion
Lightning cracked outside as the mansion doors creaked open. A gust of wind swept in, and Vihaan stepped inside — or rather, Sarvansh in Vihaan's body. His aura radiated darkness; even the lamps flickered in fear.
Everyone froze. Without a word, one by one, the family members slipped into their rooms, trembling.
Only Gauri stood still in the hallway.
Sarvansh smirked.
"Still here, Gauri? Brave… or simply foolish?"
"Maybe both," she whispered. "Maybe that's what love does."
He walked toward her, his steps slow, deliberate.
"Love," he scoffed. "That fragile word again. It's what makes mortals weak."
"And yet," she replied softly, "it's the one thing that can melt even fire."
He stopped, eyes narrowing — her calmness disturbed him. She moved closer, pretending to search around the hall.
"I lost my necklace," she murmured. "It has a blue stone… maybe it's in your room."
Before he could react, she reached up, tugging at his shirt collar — and with a quick pull, ripped his shirt open.
Their eyes locked.
For a moment, time stood still. Her breath brushed his chest. His heartbeat — or rather, Sarvansh's heart — thudded wildly, not in rage, but in something far more dangerous.
A heat spread through him — unfamiliar, intoxicating. His hand trembled as he reached toward her face… almost gently. His fingers brushed her hair.
Then realization struck like lightning.
No.
It wasn't Vihaan's love.
It was his — Sarvansh's — heart reacting.
And that meant only one thing: if he fell in love, Vihaan would win.
His eyes flared red with fury. He shoved her back violently.
"Don't you dare play with me, Jalpanchi!" he roared. "Your games end tonight!"
Gauri met his anger with calm defiance.
"Maybe it's not a game," she said softly. "Maybe you're just afraid of what you're becoming."
Sarvansh's voice cracked, the faintest hint of pain beneath his rage.
"I am not afraid. I destroy — I do not love!"
But even as he said it, the flames around him flickered uncertainly — as though the fire itself doubted his words.
---
Meanwhile — The Daayan Lair
Far away, Mohana began her final chant, the black wind circling her throne.
"Sarvansh will rise completely tonight. His heart shall turn to ash, and Vihaan's love shall die forever."
---
At the Mansion
Gauri's voice echoed through the hall, trembling yet fierce.
"You can destroy the world, Sarvansh… but not love. Because even your fire burns only because of it."
Sarvansh looked at her one last time — expression unreadable, torn between hatred and the very thing he feared most.
Then, coldly, he whispered:
"Your life… is over, Gauri."
And with a blast of dark energy, the lights shattered, plunging the mansion into darkness.