A sharp gasp tore from Yuvaan's lips as he jolted awake.
He wasn't on the floor beside Kiara's lifeless body anymore.
He was… standing in the corridor, heading toward the room to change his shirt.
His heart thundered.
It worked.
Baaldevi's orb had brought him back.
Without wasting another second, Yuvaan spun around and sprinted toward the staircase.
Downstairs, Kiara had just spotted the family gathered in the living room. Smiling softly, she began descending—unaware of the faintly shimmering water spread across the steps. The curse twisted reality subtly… hungrily.
Her foot lifted.
She stepped forward—
Yuvaan reached her in time.
He grabbed her waist and yanked her backward, pulling her flush into his arms.
Kiara gasped, startled.
"Yuvaan… what—?"
Yuvaan didn't answer. He crushed her against his chest, trembling with relief, his breath shuddering against her hair.
For a long moment he just held her, eyes squeezed shut, thanking every deity alive that he had reached her before fate did.
Confused, Kiara gently pulled back.
"What happened? Why are you so tense?"
Wordlessly, he pointed at the shimmering patch of water on the steps.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh… oh God."
She looked back toward the family—still talking, unaware—and quickly turned to Yuvaan.
"Please… don't tell them," she whispered. "They'll stress even more. I don't want them worrying over nothing."
Nothing.
Yuvaan's stomach twisted painfully at that word.
She didn't know. She didn't remember.
To her, this was just a small slip.
But to him… it had been her death.
He swallowed the ache in his throat and nodded.
"Fine. I won't tell them."
Kiara gave a small relieved smile.
Yuvaan raised his palm and with a flick of his fingers, a warm blaze of magic swept across the stairs, evaporating the cursed water instantly.
But his heart was still hammering.
One danger down. Six more chances left.
And the curse wasn't going to let go so easily.
Kiara and Yuvaan finally descended the stairs—this time safely—hand in hand.
The moment Kiara reached the last step, she walked straight into Vikram's arms, hugging him tightly.
"Papa… why does everyone look so tense?" she asked softly, glancing around at the anxious faces gathered in the living room.
Susheela exhaled shakily.
"How can we not be tense, Kiara? After that curse… every second, we fear losing one of you."
Kiara's brows pinched slightly, but she forced a bright smile, stepping back and holding both Susheela's hands.
"Arre, nothing will happen to either of us," she said gently, as if reassuring a child. "I promise. You all are worrying for no reason."
The elders exchanged helpless looks—she didn't understand how real the danger was.
Yuvaan swallowed hard beside her, hiding the memory of her lifeless body that still burned behind his eyes.
Kiara turned to Bhoomi next, cupping her mother-in-law's cheeks tenderly.
"Maa, please… don't stress yourself. You just recovered from your last health scare. If you fall sick, Yuvaan and I will be the ones panicking."
Bhoomi's eyes brimmed instantly.
"Beta… how do you expect a mother not to stress when her children are in danger?"
Kiara hugged her tightly.
"Because your daughter is stronger than any curse. Believe in me, Maa."
Yuvaan watched quietly, jaw clenched, heart heavy.
He knew the truth.
There was danger.
The first chance was already used.
But Kiara's warmth, her innocence, her confidence…
For a moment, even he wished he could believe her words.
At the Celestial Realm
A soft golden radiance opened like a blooming lotus in the vast expanse of the cosmic void.
Baaldevi stepped forward, her aura shimmering like molten sunlight, and bowed deeply before the three supreme forces—Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, seated upon their eternal thrones of creation, preservation, and destruction.
"Pranam, Tridev," she whispered, her voice echoing like temple bells in the stillness.
"According to your command… I have granted Yuvaan Pratap Singh—Kaal's reincarnation—seven chances to save his love."
The Tridev regarded her in silence for a moment, the universe trembling ever so slightly under their combined gaze.
Brahma, creator of destinies, stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Love is mankind's greatest paradox—its weakness and its strength. It can destroy an empire… or save a soul."
Vishnu's calm eyes glimmered with quiet curiosity.
"Yuvaan was born from darkness, shaped to be Kaal—the ruler of chaos. Yet he chose the path of light for Kiara. We must see whether love can truly rewrite one's fate."
Then Mahesh—Shiva Himself—opened His eyes, deep as the void, fierce as the dance of destruction.
"Even the mightiest fall before love… or rise because of it."
His voice rolled like thunder across galaxies.
"Kaal was once the greatest dark warlock king," Shiva continued.
"Now he walks the earth as Yuvaan—mortal, flawed, yet capable of immense devotion. Let us see if love can tame the shadows inside him… or if the shadows consume his love."
Baaldevi bowed her head again.
"Whatever the outcome… the universe shall witness a test never seen before."
The Tridev lifted their hands in silent blessing.
"Let destiny unfold," they declared in unison—
and the cosmos rippled with the power of their verdict.
✨ PRECAP — The Seven Fates Begin ✨
Baaldevi appears before the Tridev, bowing respectfully as divine light surrounds her.
"Following your command," she says, her voice echoing through the heavens, "I have granted Yuvaan seven chances to save Kiara's life. The outcome of their destiny now rests in his hands."
Meanwhile, back in the mortal world—
Yuvaan's eyes widen in horror as he notices something shifting in the background… something that wasn't supposed to happen this early.
He runs forward, panic breaking through his voice.
"KIARA!"
She turns, startled—
Something terrible is about to strike.
---
Will Yuvaan be able to save his love this time?
Or will Fate steal Kiara again?