The drive back felt heavier than the journey into the cave.
Kiara leaned her head against the cool window glass, the moonlight painting pale stripes on her gown. Her heels tapped lightly against the car floor in nervous rhythm. Yuvaan kept his eyes fixed on the road—jaw tight, fingers gripping the steering wheel hard enough for the leather to creak.
Varun and Vikram followed in the second car, their headlights cutting through the darkness.
No one said a word.
Not after the waterfall's riddle.
Not after seeing how shaken Yuvaan truly was.
---
At the Pratap Singh Mansion
The front doors opened before they even stepped inside.
Bhoomi rushed forward first—eyes wide, trembling, her saree draped elegantly as always. Chandrika, Moti Baa, followed, while Susheela and Vinod trailed behind, expressions filled with worry.
"Kiara, Yuvaan—are you both alright?" Bhoomi's voice broke midway.
Kiara forced a warm smile and stepped closer, holding her mother-in-law's hands gently.
"We're fine, Mom. Really," she said softly. "Nothing happened. And there's nothing to be scared of."
Chandrika wasn't convinced.
Nor was Vinod.
Fear sat thick in the air.
Yuvaan stepped slightly aside—eyes dark, focused.
He lifted one hand, and the air trembled.
A deep hum filled the mansion.
Electric-blue waves spiraled outward from his palm—curling, expanding—becoming an enormous protective shield that wrapped around the entire property.
The chandeliers flickered.
The walls glowed faintly.
Dust rose from the floors as the magic settled.
Kiara watched him silently—half in awe, half in fear of the desperation she saw on his face.
Yuvaan lowered his hand, breath unsteady.
"I'm not taking chances," he said, voice cold, decisive. "Not with this curse. Not with her."
He didn't look at Kiara when he said "her," but the family did.
He turned away and headed upstairs without waiting for questions.
---
As soon as Yuvaan disappeared up the steps, Bhoomi pressed her saree pallu to her mouth, eyes filling with tears.
"Tomorrow… tomorrow is my son's twenty-fifth birthday," she whispered, voice trembling. "Years ago, because of my… condition… I couldn't celebrate him like a normal mother. I thought maybe—maybe this year—"
Her voice cracked completely.
"—maybe I could finally see him happy. Finally celebrate my child without fear."
She looked toward the staircase.
"And now this curse has returned… again."
Kiara immediately pulled Bhoomi into a hug.
"Mom… listen to me," Kiara murmured softly. "We will celebrate Yuvaan's birthday. I promise. Don't lose hope."
Chandrika, Moti Baa, wiped the corner of her eye.
"Kiara, beta… how? With danger still circling you both?"
Susheela nodded anxiously.
"We can't risk it. Not now."
Kiara straightened, eyes steady and filled with quiet fire.
"Because love is stronger than this curse," she said.
"And because Yuvaan deserves one day—just one—where he doesn't fear losing me."
Vinod hesitated.
"Kiara… are you sure about this?"
Kiara pressed her wedding chain unconsciously—her fingertips brushing the vermillion on her hairline.
"I'm sure," she whispered.
The family exchanged uneasy looks.
The danger hadn't passed.
The waterfall's warning still echoed.
Sacrifice of love.
But Kiara's resolve only grew stronger.
Tomorrow was Yuvaan's birthday.
And she was determined to make sure it wasn't his last.
The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a single lamp on the bedside table. Shadows stretched across the walls, distorted by Yuvaan's pacing. His hands were clenched into fists, jaw tight, eyes dark with frustration.
Two chances left… only two. The thought replayed in his mind like a relentless drumbeat.
He slammed his fist into the wall. The dull thud echoed, but it didn't quiet the storm raging inside him. How could he, Yuvaan Pratap Singh, the most powerful warlock of his generation, fail to protect her?
Another punch.
A soft, steady voice stopped him.
"Yuvaan! What… what are you doing?"
Kiara stepped into the room, her hand gently resting on his arm as he swung again. The warmth of her touch was a tether to his fraying sanity.
"Have you gone mad?" she asked, eyes wide. "Why are you… punching the wall? You know it's you who'll be hurt in the end, not the wall!"
His injuries, the cuts on his knuckles and forearm from the repeated blows, began to vanish as quickly as they appeared. But the real wound—the guilt, the fear—burned far deeper.
Yuvaan sank onto the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands. "I brought danger into your life. I… I can't even keep you safe. I failed you, Kiara. All my power, and still… I can't save you from fate."
Kiara knelt beside him, taking his face gently between her hands. Her eyes were firm, unwavering, a calm in the storm.
"Yuvaan," she said softly, her thumb brushing over his cheek, "look at me."
He met her gaze, dark and stormy, shadowed by guilt.
"My life," she continued, "before you… it was ordinary. Dull. Predictable. And then you came into it. You made it worth living. Every day. Every heartbeat."
He shook his head. "But I… I put you in peril. I can't—"
"You don't get to stop me from saying this," Kiara interrupted gently. "Because your entry into my life didn't ruin me. It saved me. Yuvaan… weren't we supposed to be enemies? Were we not fated to destroy each other? Yet we fell in love. You were meant to be darkness incarnate, yet you chose the light. We've been defying fate every step of the way…"
Her hands rested on his chest, over his heart, steadying him.
"…and now," she whispered, "we defy death."
Yuvaan exhaled slowly, letting some of the tension drain. For the first time that night, the storm inside him quieted, if only for a heartbeat.