Hours later, the family gathered quietly in the main hall, waiting for the bottle's glow to change — the sign that would confirm whether Vihaan's soul still lived within.
But instead of a glow, a crash echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned in shock as the bottle rolled across the floor — shattered and leaking its luminous contents before Sharda's feet. Above them, at the landing of the grand staircase, Sarvansh stood with Gauri struggling in his grip, her wrists bound by fiery energy.
"You wanted truth?" he said, his voice booming through the mansion. "Then here it is — your truth shattered like this bottle!"
He hurled Gauri aside into a glowing cage that materialized midair, its bars of crimson flame. She gasped, clutching the iron-like rails that burned against her palms.
"Vihaan!" she cried instinctively — but he only laughed.
Sharda stepped forward, trembling but resolute. "Listen to me, Sarvansh—this wasn't meant to hurt you. The test was only to confirm if Vihaan's soul still survives within you—"
"Enough!" he roared, the chandeliers above flickering violently. "I am Sarvansh Raj! I have no need for your faith, your family, or your lies!"
His gaze fell back on Gauri, trapped within the burning cage. "You wanted love, Gauri?" he hissed. "Then you'll have it — my kind of love. The kind that burns everything it touches."
"Vihaan—please!" she shouted, tears streaking her face. "This isn't you!"
But Sarvansh only smiled coldly. "You wanted to find Vihaan's heart. Now watch as I destroy yours."
He turned toward the rest of the family, his aura flaring with crimson fire. "From now on, every one of you will learn what it means to cross Sarvansh Raj. I will make you all suffer — through her."
The flames around Gauri's cage rose higher, and the family watched in horror — helpless, terrified, but clinging to the one thing Sarvansh could not yet extinguish: hope.
The air thickened with tension, the red glow of the Kaal Pinjra flickering across the marble floors like living fire. Gauri clutched the cold bars, her heart racing as Sarvansh paced before her, his every step deliberate — predatory.
The family gathered behind Sharda, their fear palpable.
"Enough of this madness, Sarvansh!" Sharda's voice thundered through the hall. "You've gone too far! Free Gauri before the curse consumes you."
Sarvansh turned to her slowly, his lips curling into a cold smirk.
"Consumes me?" His laugh echoed — low, mocking. "No, Sharda. It's you who should worry about what consumes you."
Before anyone could react, his hand flared with dark energy — a swirling arrow of black fire forming between his fingers. The air crackled as he aimed it straight at her heart.
"Sarvansh, don't!" Veena screamed.
But the arrow was already in flight.
A blinding streak of violet light cut through the air and struck Sharda square in the chest. The impact threw her backward, crashing against the temple's steps. The diya flames flickered violently before dying out, plunging the mansion into shadows.
"Bade Ma!" Gauri screamed, rattling the bars of her cage.
"Sharda jiji!" Urvashi rushed forward with Veena and Yug, kneeling beside her.
Sharda's eyes fluttered open weakly — breath shallow, her pulse fading. The dark flames of the arrow pulsed within her chest like living embers.
"No... please no…" Veena sobbed, pressing her hands over the wound.
But suddenly, the light in Sharda's eyes changed.
The trembling stopped. Her breathing steadied. Then — she sat up.
The arrow still protruded from her chest, burning faintly. With an eerie calm, she gripped it tightly — and pulled it out.
A gasp rippled through the hall.
The arrow dissolved into black smoke between her fingers, and as it vanished, her eyes snapped open — now pitch black, veins spreading beneath the skin like spiderwebs.
"Bade Ma…" Yug whispered in terror.
Gauri's heart pounded as she watched. "No… the arrow— it's cursed!"
Sarvansh's smirk widened. "Correct, my dear wife."
He turned to the stunned family. "The Vish-Teer. Once it touches flesh, the darkness begins to spread. Soon, her heart will turn to ash. And every soul near her… will share the same fate."
"Vihaan!" Gauri shouted, slamming her palms against the bars. "Let them go!"
Sarvansh turned to her, eyes glowing blood-red. "You're in no position to command me, Jalpanchi."
He stepped closer to the cage, his shadow falling over her trembling figure. "Your powers are divine, yes — but divine power cannot exist without freedom. And this cage…" he ran a hand across the glowing runes, "…is a prison for the divine."
Gauri closed her eyes, trying to summon her energy — the familiar rush of water, the whisper of wind — but nothing came. The air remained dead. Empty.
Sarvansh leaned in, voice dripping venom.
"Try all you want, Gauri. Your jal-aura, your celestial strength — every drop of it is sealed in these bars. You're powerless now."
Her eyes filled with fury and tears. "You can silence my powers, Sarvansh, but not my will. I'll find a way — I'll save them!"
He chuckled softly. "How touching. But you'd better hurry. Sharda's infection will spread before sunrise… and by dawn, this entire mansion will be a graveyard."
With that, he turned away, his laughter echoing through the hall.
Inside the cage, Gauri sank to her knees, clutching the cold floor, her heart breaking at the sight of Sharda's trembling form — black veins crawling up her neck as the others tried to help.
"Please, hold on…" Gauri whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Vihaan… wherever you are inside him, please hear me. Don't let your darkness win."
A faint tremor rippled through the cage — almost as if something deep within Sarvansh had heard her.
But the glow of the runes only burned brighter, sealing her hope once more.