Gauri's breath faltered as she stumbled round the mansion. The sight hit her like a physical blow—Veena lay crumpled near the staircase, Urvashi beside the overturned vase, Sharda and Shyom collapsed against the wall, Yug unconscious on the floor, and Dadi slumped in her rocking chair as if frozen mid-breath. For a second her mind refused to accept it. Then the horror settled in her chest like ice.
"No… Maa… Dadi… everyone—" Gauri dropped to her knees, trying desperately to shake Veena awake. Nothing. Her trembling hands moved from one family member to the next, her voice cracking each time she called their names. "Please… someone wake up… Vihaan what have you done…"
Her strength finally gave out. She fell beside them, her body curling in on itself as darkness swallowed her.
Somewhere in the house, echoing through the silent halls, a voice drifted out—soft, distorted, chilling.
"Happy birthday to me… happy birthday to me…"
Vihaan. Singing to himself. In a tone that didn't belong to him. A tone that belonged to someone already half-devoured by Sarvansh Raj.
When Gauri regained consciousness, her head throbbed and her vision blurred, but she forced herself upright. One by one, she shook the others awake, relief washing over her each time someone stirred. They were alive—but weak, terrified, confused. And Vihaan was nowhere.
Gauri's heart began to race. "He's gone," she whispered. "He's gone to Mohini. If he finishes the sacrifice—"
They all scrambled to their feet, leaning on each other for support, trying to rush toward the exit. But just as they reached the doorway, a cold gust of wind slammed the doors shut. Shadows twisted above them. Laughter echoed like a chilling nursery rhyme.
Mohini stepped out of the darkness, her sari fluttering unnaturally behind her, her eyes blazing with triumph. Around her, a swarm of Dayans descended, their hair rising as if touched by invisible storms.
"Going somewhere?" Mohini asked, her grin stretched too wide. "Arre jalpanchi pariwar, the final chapter has already begun."
The Dayans hissed with wicked glee as they surrounded the family, blocking every escape. Gauri instinctively pulled Dadi behind her while Yug and Shyom stepped forward protectively, but the Dayans only laughed harder, circling them like vultures waiting for the last breath.
"Run if you want," Mohini whispered, tapping her fingers against the doorframe. "There is no path left for you. Your fate was sealed the moment Vihaan chose his destiny."
Gauri's blood went cold.
Sarvansh Raj had awakened.
And the night had only just begun.
The air outside the mansion cracked with thunder as a dark wind swept across the courtyard. Every tree bent violently, as if bowing to the arrival of something ancient and feared.
Then he appeared.
Vihaan arrived draped in black—an unsettling, lifeless black that seemed to drink the very light around him. His footsteps echoed like a distant drumbeat, hollow and slow, as if he were walking toward his own funeral.
Mohini's lips curled into a triumphant smile.
"Here comes… my Sarvansh Raj."
Her voice dripped with victory.
The Dayans hissed in chorus, forming a tight circle as they shoved Gauri's family backward, forcing them into the mansion. Veena stumbled, Yug caught her, and Urvashi choked on a terrified sob.
Gauri's heartbeat stuttered as she saw Vihaan approach Mohini—expression empty, eyes dark, no trace of the man she loved.
Mohini dipped her fingers into a pot of black ashes and smeared them across Vihaan's forehead.
Cold. Final. Claiming.
"With this tilak," she declared, "the transformation is complete."
Vihaan didn't resist. Didn't blink. Didn't breathe like a human.
Gauri's throat closed painfully.
"Vihaan… look at me. Please."
Her voice cracked like breaking glass.
He didn't.
Mohini guided him to the center of a massive nakshatra circle, ancient symbols pulsing with eerie black light. Vihaan sat down obediently, like a puppet whose strings were held by darkness.
The Dayans began their ritual dance—sharp, twisted, jerking movements—each stomp sending waves of black energy rippling through the room.
When Sharda rushed forward, Gauri grabbed her arm.
"No!" she whispered sharply. "Dayan rekha… one step over it and it will kill you."
Mohini laughed, delighted by their fear.
"This chakravyuh—this Dayan Chakra—cannot be crossed by humans. Only a dayan can break it."
She stepped closer to Vihaan, her eyes shining with mad devotion.
"When the black nakshatra awakens, Pralay will begin."
Gasps spread through the family.
"Vihaan's death," Mohini continued, "will awaken the Sarvansh statue… and then Sarvansh himself will rise. The world will end, and I—" she caressed Vihaan's cheek with sickening tenderness, "will watch him reign."
Gauri stumbled back, holding her chest.
"No… I won't let this happen… Vihaan can't—he can't die."
Her voice trembled but her eyes burned with fierce determination. She scanned the room, searching for any weakness, any gap, any hope.
Behind her, Sharda whispered, almost trembling:
"Gauri… only a dayan can break that chakra. We… we can't do anything."
Gauri's breath froze.
Her world darkened.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Only a dayan…
---
Meanwhile — Pratham Vanshi
A violent tremor shook the celestial ground. The skies turned gray. Winds roared like wounded beasts.
Pratham Vanshi lifted her glowing staff, watching the horizon crack open.
"It has begun… the world's end approaches."
Charvi grabbed her Nani's hand, voice urgent and breaking.
"If Pralay happens, Gauri Didi will—no, Nani, we have to go! Please! The whole family is in danger!"
Pratham Vanshi closed her eyes, grim.
"To stop Sarvansh… we need the Pratham Jaal."
Charvi's eyes widened.
"Then let's get it! What are we waiting for?"
Pratham Vanshi turned toward the darkening portal that led back to the mortal world.
"To obtain the Pratham Jaal… we must re-enter the house. And this time, child…"
She gripped Charvi's shoulders.
"…the cost will be far greater."
Charvi swallowed, fear swirling in her chest—but her resolve was stronger.
"I don't care. I'll save Gauri Didi… even if I have to face Sarvansh himself."
The portal ripped open with blinding light.
They stepped through.
The final war had begun.