The mansion no longer felt like home.
It had become a prison echoing with screams.
Sharda stood in the center of the hall, her once-gentle eyes now black and gleaming like burning coal. The veins across her neck pulsed in rhythm with the dark energy consuming her. In her trembling hands shimmered a bow — the same dark weapon that had wounded her moments before.
"Sharda bhabhi…" Shyom whispered, stepping closer, his voice trembling. "Please, it's me—Shyom. You need to fight it."
But she didn't hear him.
Or rather, she did — and the darkness inside her did not care.
With inhuman speed, she pulled back the arrow. A hiss of black smoke followed the string's tension.
"Bade Ma, no!" Yug shouted.
The arrow flew.
It struck Shyom in the shoulder, the dark fire immediately spreading through his veins. His scream echoed through the hall as his body convulsed and his eyes turned pitch black.
"Hide! Everyone, hide!" Gauri cried from within the cage, her voice breaking.
The family scrambled toward the corridor — Veena clutching Dadi's arm, Charvi pulling Urvashi along. They rushed into one of the mansion's side rooms, bolting the door shut.
But the infected were already hunting.
From outside came the sound of dragging feet — and Shyom's hoarse voice, whispering, "Where… are… you…"
Inside the room, Urvashi clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs. But then—
"Achoo!"
The sneeze rang out like a death bell.
"Urvashi aunty!" Charvi hissed, gripping her hand.
A moment later, the door splintered. Sharda appeared, her bow drawn, eyes glowing with malice. The arrow shot forward — grazing Urvashi's arm. She screamed as black veins crawled up her skin.
"No!" Veena cried, dragging Urvashi back.
Sharda turned next to Veena, aiming again—
But Yug lunged from behind the sofa, pulling his aunt away just in time. "Run!" he shouted.
Dadi, however, stumbled and fell. The dark mist swirling through the air enveloped her before anyone could reach her. When she looked up, her eyes were no longer kind — they were hollow and black.
"Dadi…" Charvi whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Gauri's cries echoed from the hall. "No! Stop this!"
Inside the cage, she clasped her trembling hands together.
"Bholenath," she whispered desperately, "help me… I can't let them die like this. Please… save them."
But her prayer was drowned by the sound of slow clapping.
Vihaan — or rather, the cold shadow wearing his face — stood in front of her cage. His crimson eyes gleamed in the dim light.
"Your prayers mean nothing now, Gauri," he said softly, mockingly. "You're powerless. The gods can't hear you here."
Her eyes lifted to his. "What do you want from me, Vihaan?"
He tilted his head, almost curious. "First, stop calling me that. I am Sarvansh Raj. Not your Vihaan."
"I don't believe you," she said firmly. "My Vihaan is still inside you."
A flash of irritation crossed his face. "Then prepare yourself for what comes next — because you'll watch every single one of them die before your eyes."
Gauri's breath caught as she saw Charvi and Yug sprinting past the window, carrying Urvashi's weakened body, while Veena lagged behind. The infected — Shyom,Sharda and Dadi — pursued them relentlessly.
She turned back to Vihaan, her desperation giving birth to a dangerous calm.
"You think you can break me?" she said, voice trembling yet resolute. "You can't even admit the truth."
His brow furrowed. "What truth?"
"That you don't love me."
He smirked, leaning closer to the bars. "You're right. I love something else entirely— watching you suffer."
She held his gaze, unflinching. "Then say it to my face. Say you don't love me."
The faintest flicker — a hesitation. His jaw tightened, his eyes briefly softening.
"I said it already," he muttered.
"Say it again," she demanded, stepping closer to the bars. "Look into my eyes and say you don't love me, Vihaan."
The sound of her voice — the way she said his name — pulled him closer, almost unwillingly. The scent of her tears, the faint tremor in her breath… for a moment, the darkness in him wavered.
"Don't," he hissed under his breath, as if fighting himself.
"Why not?" she whispered. "If you truly hate me, it should be easy."
His face came dangerously close to the bars, his anger flaring. "I hate you!" he snarled. "I hate everything about you—your faith, your stubbornness, your love!"
As his rage burned, Gauri's hand slipped through the bars, brushing against his cloak— and in one swift motion, she tugged the keys from his pocket.
He didn't notice. His eyes were locked on hers, his chest heaving with fury.
"And one more thing," he said darkly. "When I ascend as Sarvansh Raj, your divine power will be mine. Your light will feed my darkness."
Her grip on the keys tightened. "You can steal my powers, Sarvansh," she said, her voice low but fearless, "but you'll never kill the part of me that still loves Vihaan. And that—" she looked up at him defiantly "—is what will destroy you."