Mohini's eyes gleamed with a madness that sent chills through every corner of the mansion.
The Dayans' dance grew faster, their feet pounding against the ground in a rhythm that felt like the heartbeat of darkness itself.
Standing at the edge of the nakshatra circle, Mohini lifted her blood-red nails and hissed:
"Before Vihaan's final sacrifice… there is one more debt to settle."
Her gaze snapped toward the Kothari family with pure venom.
"Kamini was my sister.
My blood.
And Gauri Kothari killed her to protect all of you."
Gauri's eyes widened, breath catching in her throat.
Mohini smirked.
"So today… the payment will be taken from you."
She twisted her hand sharply.
A sickening crack of energy shot across the room—
—straight into Dadi.
Dadi's body jerked violently. Her eyes rolled back.
A second later, she straightened unnaturally, her posture rigid, her fingers curling like claws.
Her voice changed.
Low. Echoing. Wrong.
"Mohini rani ka aadesh…"
Gauri's scream tore from her chest.
"Dadi! No—no, leave her! Don't touch her! Mohini, stop!"
Mohini's laugh echoed through the walls.
"Don't worry, Gauri. I won't kill her yet. I just want to play."
Dadi—possessed by Mohini—tilted her head jerkily, staring at Gauri with inhuman coldness.
A sinister smile stretched across her wrinkled lips.
Gauri staggered forward.
"Mohini, I'm warning you—Dadi has nothing to do with this! Let her go!"
Mohini flicked her fingers.
With that single gesture, Dadi's hand lifted into the air, bending backward at an unnatural angle.
A horrifying snap echoed.
"Dadi!"
Gauri cried, her voice breaking.
Veena and Yug rushed forward helplessly but were blasted back by a wave of black fire.
Mohini tsked.
"Ah-ah. No interference."
Gauri's eyes filled with tears.
Her voice cracked as she turned toward Vihaan sitting inside the glowing nakshatra circle, still and lifeless like a statue.
"Vihaan… please… please wake up."
She dropped to her knees.
"You can hear me, haan? I know you can."
Her voice trembled.
"Look at what she's doing to our family… to Dadi… Vihaan, please… don't let her do this."
Nothing.
Not a blink.
Not a breath.
Just cold silence.
Mohini smirked, leaning close to Vihaan's ear.
"Why would he wake up? He belongs to me now.
He is Sarvansh Raj."
Gauri shook her head violently, tears spilling over.
"No! He is my husband! My Vihaan! He's not a monster—he's not yours!"
Mohini snapped her fingers.
Dadi's possessed body began walking toward the nakshatra circle like a puppet being dragged by unseen strings.
"Let's see," Mohini purred, "how far your love saves them."
Gauri lunged forward—
—only to be slammed back by the deadly Dayan chakra scorching the floor.
Pain tore through her arms.
She gasped but pushed herself up again, bleeding, shaking.
"Mohini… I promise you… if you harm Dadi… I will burn your entire existence."
Mohini's smile faltered for a moment, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features.
Then she laughed.
Cold. Cruel.
Deadly.
"Then save her, Gauri…
if you can."
Dadi—still possessed—stepped closer to the nakshatra circle where Vihaan's sacrifice would soon be completed.
The world trembled.
And Gauri realized—
She had seconds left before everything shattered.
The sky above the Kothari Mansion burned a deep, ominous red. Thunder rolled across the horizon, and the wind carried a taste of smoke and ash. Charvi's grip on Pratham Vanshi's hand tightened as they approached the gate, every step weighed down by the dread in the air.
"Nani… something's wrong," Charvi whispered, eyes scanning the darkening clouds.
Pratham Vanshi's silver hair fluttered in the wind, her face calm but grave.
"The signs are clear, Charvi. Pralay is close. We must enter carefully… but swiftly."
As they crossed the threshold of the mansion gates, a sudden chill slammed into them. Two Dayans materialized from the shadows, blocking their path. Their eyes glowed with malice, teeth bared in cruel grins.
Pratham Vanshi stepped forward, her voice commanding.
"Stay back, children. I will handle this."
Charvi shook her head firmly, stepping ahead.
"Nani, I can do this. You stay behind—I will not let them stop us."
The Dayans hissed, circling her like wolves closing in.
"Step aside, or be crushed," Charvi warned, her voice low and deadly.
The Dayans laughed, voices dripping with venom.
"Righteousness is finished. All that is good will die. Doom rises tonight. You cannot stop it."
Charvi's eyes snapped open—and instantly, they had turned blinding white. Painful, radiant light radiated from her pupils, and her body seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy. Suddenly, massive ethereal butterfly wings erupted from her back, beating powerfully.
A shockwave ripped through the air, slamming the Dayans backward. They screamed as the force of her power tore through them, and one by one, their bodies crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
The wings shimmered for a heartbeat… and then vanished as suddenly as they appeared. Charvi staggered slightly, breathing hard, her aura still crackling faintly.
From the shadows, a familiar voice called out.
"Charvi…?"
She turned sharply, eyes widening.
"Adrija… Didi?"
For a moment, the mansion gate seemed to hold its breath, the red sky above watching silently as sisterly reunion collided with the impending storm.
---
To be continued…