The Pratap Singh mansion lay bathed in the soft glow of the evening, the air thick with an unspoken tension. Kiara, Yuvaan, and Angad entered the foyer, their footsteps muted on the polished marble floors. Angad reached for his phone, a frown creasing his forehead.
"I'll call the family… make sure they know Yuvaan's out," he said, dialing quickly. "Moti Baa? Bhoomi Chachi? Dad? Aakash bhai?" Each call rang through emptily, unanswered. Even Chandrika's line remained silent.
Yuvaan's gaze darkened. A cold awareness prickled at the back of his neck.
"Still playing hide and seek… despite your age, Taamsi?" he murmured, his voice low, carrying both warning and curiosity.
From the shadows, a ripple passed, twisting and stretching until a figure took human form. Taamsi emerged, her long braid swinging like a pendulum, her eyes glinting with amusement and something far colder.
"You never fail to impress me, Kaal," she said, settling casually on the sofa, as if she owned the room.
Yuvaan stepped forward, his voice sharp and controlled. "Yuvaan. That's my name. Take note."
Taamsi's lips curved in a faint, knowing smile. "But not for long."
Kiara instinctively moved closer, her hand brushing Yuvaan's arm, while Angad's stance tightened beside her.
"Where is my family?" Yuvaan's tone was steady, calm—but the tension coiled in the room like a spring ready to snap.
"Oh… your family," Taamsi said, tilting her head, pretending to think. "I almost forgot. They're… in my custody."
Kiara's stomach tightened, and Angad's jaw set.
"Do you doubt me?" Taamsi asked, raising her hand. A mirror shimmered into existence, hovering between them, revealing Aakash, Riddhi, Susheela, Bhoomi, Vinod, and Chandrika encircled by flames. The fire danced unnaturally, licking around them but never consuming them.
Yuvaan's voice dropped, low and deadly calm. "If you so much as harm a single hair on their heads, Taamsi… I will end you."
Taamsi leaned back, unbothered, almost smug. "Relax, Kaal. Don't get so worked up. I have… so much in order to ensure my plans succeed."
"What plans?" Kiara demanded, her voice steady, though her hands curled into fists.
Taamsi's smile widened, a venomous curve. "I paid Aishwarya to frame you, Yuvaan. To make sure both you and Kiara would be absent from home when the time came. That way… everything unfolded exactly as I intended."
Yuvaan's fists clenched, but his composure never faltered.
"Couldn't you have just killed her?" Kiara's voice was sharp, laced with disbelief.
Taamsi's tone softened mockingly. "I could have… but no. I wanted the truth revealed. I wanted you to learn what had been set into motion, to be exonerated… and return home. Only then could you witness the inevitability of my designs."
Kiara gripped Yuvaan's arm tightly. "We'll save them. We have to."
Yuvaan's lips curved into the faintest smirk. "Let her play her little games. She's about to learn… we play by different rules."
The shadows in the mansion quivered as though sensing the coming storm, the air pregnant with the tension of an inevitable confrontation.
The mansion seemed to hold its breath, the flickering shadows from the fireplace stretching across the walls. Taamsi's voice cut through the silence, cold and calculated.
"You're all so naive," she said, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Yes, Yuvaan is more powerful than me… but only I can free your family from that mirror. And only I can destroy them completely if I choose."
With a flourish of her hand, a dark magic struck the mirror. Cracks raced across the glass, spiderwebbing through the reflection of Yuvaan's trapped family. Kiara and Angad's hearts sank.
"Taamsi…" Yuvaan's voice was calm but edged with steel. "What do you want?"
She stood, the shadows swirling around her like living silk. "Business," she said. "You will have to make a sacrifice… for your family."
Kiara's eyes widened. "A sacrifice? What sacrifice?"
Taamsi pointed at Yuvaan.
Yuvaan froze. "What do you mean?" His tone remained steady, but the tightening in his chest betrayed him.
"To save your family," Taamsi said, her gaze sharp, "you will have to sacrifice yourself. Only then will they live. Can you bear to watch your mother die… Bhoomi… if not for the rest of your family?"
Yuvaan's jaw clenched as he watched their reflections trembling behind the fractured glass. Fear, anger, and resolve battled within him.
Taamsi moved with grace, summoning a swirling, dark formation on the floor. Shadows coiled and shifted around it, pulsating with an eerie life. "Step into the formation, Kaal. Make your choice."
"How can I trust you?" Yuvaan asked, his eyes narrowing. "How can I be sure you won't break your word?"
She raised a hand, solemn. "I take the witch's oath. Your family will be freed if you agree."
Kiara grabbed Yuvaan's arm, her voice trembling. "Yuvaan… what is she planning to do with you?"
Taamsi's smirk deepened. "You'll all find out… only after he steps into the formation."
Yuvaan drew Kiara close, holding her hands firmly. "I will be fine," he whispered, his voice steady yet warm. "Just… stay with me in spirit. I need you."
Tears pricked Kiara's eyes as Yuvaan moved forward, stepping onto the dark formation. The shadows around him roared and twisted, and suddenly, chains erupted from the runes, wrapping around his hands and legs with an unbreakable grip.
Kiara's breath caught. "Yuvaan!"
He glanced at her, eyes unwavering despite the chains. "I told you… I'll be fine."
The mansion seemed to pulse with dark energy, the mirror looming over them, cracks spreading further as Taamsi watched with predatory satisfaction.
The choice had been made. The game had only just begun.
To be continued…