The echoes of battle still hummed in the air, but Vihaan's expression darkened. His golden and blue eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing across them.
"This is… boring," he murmured, his voice low but venomous. Without warning, he snapped his fingers.
A sudden, invisible force swept through the hall like a tidal wave.
Gauri felt her body stiffen. The Pratham Jaal slipped from her grasp and clattered to the floor, its glow dimming slightly. Panic surged as she tried to fight it, but her limbs refused to obey. Darkness clawed at her vision.
One by one, her family fell around her. Charvi's butterfly wings froze midair, her eyes wide in shock before she crumpled. Adrija's banshee scream cut off abruptly, her form slumping against the cold floor. Even Mohini—who had stood watching—smiled faintly, a cruel satisfaction curling her lips.
Gauri's consciousness faded, dragged down by the oppressive force.
When she finally opened her eyes, the world was muted and quiet. She groaned, the ache in her body sharp and heavy. Her gaze fell on Charvi, slumped beside her, barely moving.
"Charvi… wake up," Gauri whispered urgently, shaking her gently. "Tell me—where is everyone?"
Charvi stirred, blinking blearily. "Gauri… I… I don't know," she murmured, her voice shaking, weak.
Gauri's heart sank. Her breath caught as she turned to see Adrija, barely conscious, attempting to lift her head. "Adrija! Please, tell me! Where is the rest of the family?"
Adrija shook her head slowly, her voice hoarse. "I… I don't know, Gauri. I—"
Before Gauri could process their helplessness, a cold, familiar voice slithered through the shadows.
"You seem… confused, Gauri."
Mohini stepped forward, her dark robes flowing like liquid night. Her eyes sparkled with triumph as she observed the chaos. "Your family… they are no longer here."
Gauri's chest tightened. "What… what do you mean?" she demanded, her voice rising, trembling with shock and fear.
"They have been taken by Vihaan," Mohini said, each word measured and cruel. "To the place of sacrifice."
Gauri felt as though the floor had dropped beneath her. Her legs went weak. "The… the place of sacrifice?" she whispered, horror creeping into every corner of her being.
Mohini's lips curled into a victorious smile. "Yes. And now, Gauri… you are standing alone, just as you always feared. The Antim Katha… the final chapter… is about to begin."
Gauri's hands clenched the Pratham Jaal tightly. Her eyes, wide with shock, burned with a growing fire of determination. Though her body trembled, her spirit refused to break.
Mohini's smile lingered, cruel and unyielding. "Let's see how far your courage will carry you, Gauri. Because everything else… everything you love… is in Vihaan's hands."
The clearing before the Kothari mansion felt suspended in time. The red sky bled into the horizon, shadows stretching unnaturally across the earth. The air smelled of smoke, scorched leaves, and fear.
One by one, the family stirred. Creepers had wrapped themselves around their limbs, binding them tightly to the jagged stone pedestal. They struggled, but each pull only made the vines tighten, almost as if the earth itself were conspiring against them.
Veena's hands trembled, her fingers clawing at the green ropes that bit into her skin. Her eyes, wide with horror, fixed on Vihaan. He stood at the top of the pedestal, the Agni Talwar held in his hands like a crown of fire. Golden-red light spilled from his eyes, painting his face in terrifying brilliance.
His expression was calm, almost serene—but underneath it lay a storm of malice.
"I will sacrifice you all," he said, his voice steady, yet laced with an edge that froze every heart. "Only then will Pralay rise again. Only then will the first lineage ascend."
Veena's knees buckled. "No… Vihaan! My son, my boy…" she whispered, tears streaking her soot-smudged cheeks. Her hands shook as they pressed against the creepers. "Do you not see? We love you! We are your family! You are not alone!"
Sharda's voice cracked as she strained against the vines. "Vihaan… please, listen to your heart! Do you really want this? To destroy everything… everyone… who loves you?" Her chest heaved, her breaths ragged, as the ropes dug into her arms.
Even Shyom and Yug struggled violently, muscles taut, veins bulging. Fear and fury battled within them. Each shouted his brother's name, each tried to break free—not just for themselves, but to reach Vihaan's heart before it hardened completely.
Urvashi's face was pale, but her eyes burned with unspoken defiance. She tried to meet her son's gaze, to remind him of the countless days when he had been just her boy, the child who had laughed, who had dreamed without shadows haunting him. "Vihaan… remember… remember who you were!" she cried, her voice breaking with desperation.
Dadi's voice, frail yet unwavering, cut through the chaos like a beacon. "Vihaan! Do not let the darkness claim you! You are stronger than this… but strength is nothing without love!"
And yet, the vines held them firmly, unyielding, while Vihaan's aura flared brighter, scorching the earth beneath him. He lifted the Agni Talwar high, and heat radiated from it, licking the faces of the trapped family.
Veena's chest heaved as she sobbed, "My boy… my heart… my Vihaan…" She could feel the distance between him and the child she had raised stretching wider with every second, a chasm of power and darkness she could not cross.
Sharda's voice shook, but she would not stop. "Nephew… my son… please! You are not meant to do this! Remember love, remember family…"
Vihaan's eyes met theirs for a fleeting second. Golden-red fire reflected in their tear-filled eyes. And then the calm cruelty returned.
"My love, my family…" he whispered, almost wistfully, "those things are chains. Chains I will break. Only the power of Sarvansh, only the rise of Pralay… matters now."
The words fell like a hammer, each syllable shattering the hope that had built in their hearts. And yet, even bound, even beaten down by fear, every family member stared at him with unwavering defiance.
Veena's hands shook on the stone pedestal, yet she pushed a strand of hair from her face. "You will not win, Vihaan," she said softly, her voice raw with grief. "We are your family. We will not break, even if you try to destroy us. Even if you forget us, we remember you."
Sharda cried quietly, "You are our son, my nephew, our heart… and we will stand here, as you once stood for us, to remind you… what is right."
Urvashi clutched her Divine Gem Sand tightly, her jaw set. Shyom gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed. Even in the agony of being restrained, they had not lost their strength.
The forest around them was still, almost holding its breath, as Vihaan raised the Agni Talwar higher. The flames licking the steel reflected in their eyes—eyes filled with fear, sorrow, and yet an unbroken resolve.
And in the silence, the weight of it all settled on Gauri's heart. She was far away, with Charvi and Adrija, but she could feel every tremor of their fear, every pulse of despair. The final chapter of the Antim Katha had begun.
And Vihaan… Vihaan had crossed the line from which there was no return.