The laughter carried through the decorated hall—bright, loud, innocent. Like a day stolen back from a cruel destiny.
Kiara felt the warmth of it all settle in her chest. But beneath it… a faint dryness tugged at her throat.
Water… or juice. Anything.
She slipped away quietly, her gown brushing lightly against the floor as she moved toward the refreshment counter. The fairy lights reflected off the glass bottles, making them glow warmly.
She reached for the chilled orange juice, poured herself a glass, and leaned slightly against the counter… watching her family from a distance.
Bhoomi trying to smear more cake on Yuvaan's face.
Angad dancing terribly.
Vinod arguing with Aakash about who cheated in the sack race.
And in the center of everything—
Yuvaan, laughing openly, freely, like the boy who never had a childhood.
A soft smile curved Kiara's lips.
He deserves this joy.
She raised the glass and took a long, refreshing gulp.
The cold sweetness slid down her throat.
And then—
A sharp wave hit her.
Sudden.
Violent.
Her fingers slipped from the glass.
The world tilted.
The room spun wildly around her—lights blurring, voices stretching into distant echoes.
"Kiara?"
She heard her name faintly… maybe Bhoomi's voice… maybe none of it.
Her knees buckled.
The glass shattered on the floor.
And Kiara collapsed—
her gown pooling softly around her like fallen petals.
"Kiara!"
Yuvaan's voice cracked as he lunged forward, catching her limp body before it struck the floor. Her head fell against his arm, eyes shut, breath frighteningly faint.
The family rushed in like a breaking wave.
"Kiara beta!" Bhoomi's voice trembled.
Chandrika pressed a shaking hand over her mouth. "Mahadev… no…"
Angad, still frozen with shock, glanced down—and his eyes widened.
"Uncle… look…"
He pointed at the fallen glass.
Inside the pale orange residue…
curled a deadly black scorpion, its stinger raised even in death.
"A kaalvish scorpion…" Vinod whispered, horrified. "One sting is enough to kill instantly. Its venom in a drink—"
Bhoomi sobbed. Chandrika staggered back.
Riddhi clung to Aakash; Angad looked like he might faint.
But Yuvaan didn't hear any of them.
His entire world was Kiara's unmoving face.
Her cold hands.
Her breath fading.
Sixth time.
He clenched his jaw.
His vision blurred—not with tears, but with fury at destiny.
"You won't take her," he whispered to the universe itself.
Before anyone noticed, he closed his fist around the last small orb tucked near his shirt.
And swallowed it.
A bright, violent pull yanked him backward—
a tunnel of spinning moments, collapsing timelines, the echo of Kiara's voice calling his name from five different deaths—
Then—
---
Rewind: Moments Before the Poison
The music, the laughter, the balloons—everything snapped back into place.
Kiara was walking gracefully toward the refreshment counter, heels tapping the floor. The exact moment before her doom.
Yuvaan didn't waste a breath.
"Kiara!"
He caught her wrist—not rough, but urgent enough that she paused.
She blinked up at him.
"What happened?"
"You're not drinking anything," he said immediately, voice firm. "Especially not orange juice."
She frowned. "Why? I'm just thirsty—"
"No."
His tone made her fall silent.
He glanced at the counter… and saw it.
The faint glint of a small crawling shadow inside the jug of orange juice.
He exhaled shakily.
Turning toward the family, he raised his voice:
"Everyone—stop the celebration. NOW."
The room fell silent.
The balloons swayed in the sudden tension.
The childish music seemed almost mocking now.
Faces turned to him, confused and concerned.
Kiara touched his arm, worried.
"Yuvaan… what's wrong?"
He didn't answer.
His eyes stayed fixed on the jug—
where death itself was waiting in the juice.
Angad stepped closer, brow furrowed.
"Bhai… what happened? Why stop everything?"
Yuvaan didn't answer immediately.
Because at that exact moment—
the magical shield he had woven around the mansion began to flicker, tiny ripples of distortion trembling through the air like cracks in glass.
His heart dropped.
It was happening.
He turned sharply to Kiara.
"Come with me. Now."
She frowned, confused.
"Yuvaan, what—"
But before she could finish—
THWIP. THWIP.
Two arrows tore through the air like lightning.
Blood splashed across Yuvaan's face.
Kiara's body jerked violently—
two arrows buried deep in her heart.
The world froze.
"KIARA!"
The scream ripped out of Yuvaan as he caught her collapsing body.
The family cried out in horror.
Bhoomi stumbled forward.
Chandrika's knees gave way.
Vinod and Aakash rushed, helpless.
Kiara's head fell back, her eyes glassy, breath gone.
Yuvaan's vision blurred with pure agony.
Six…
five…
four…
three…
two…
one…
This was his last chance.
Hands shaking, breath ragged, he pulled out the final orb—
And swallowed it.
The world shattered into white.
---
Rewind: The Last Reset
The timeline snapped back.
The decorations.
The lights.
The celebration.
And the shield flickering again.
Only this time—Yuvaan didn't waste a single heartbeat.
He grabbed Kiara and hugged her—
tight, desperate, overwhelming.
She stiffened.
"Yuvaan? What happened? You're scaring me—"
He cut her off, burying his face in her shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered, voice shaking.
"I don't know which life… or how many deaths… but I will always love you."
The family stared, confused and uneasy.
"Yuvaan—" Kiara touched his cheek, worried. "Why does this sound like a goodbye?"
He didn't answer.
Because the air suddenly shifted.
A chill.
A ripple.
The same shadow emerging from the corner—
bow drawn, two arrows glowing with cursed energy.
Kiara didn't see it.
Yuvaan did.
And he understood the waterfall.
---
The Arrows Fly
THWIP. THWIP.
The arrows shot toward Kiara's heart—
faster than any magic could stop.
But Yuvaan moved before thought.
Before fear.
Before fate.
He stepped in front of her.
The arrows pierced his chest—
deep, cruel, fatal.
His blood sprayed, warm and bright against Kiara's gown.
She screamed.
"YUVAAAN!"
He staggered, knees hitting the floor.
Kiara caught him, trembling uncontrollably.
"No—no—no—Yuvaan—please—look at me—"
He smiled faintly, blood at the corner of his lips.
And in the cave of answers—
far away, the waterfall's voice echoed like a divine sermon:
"Love born from darkness seeks redemption in light.
Every curse woven through fate binds itself to destiny's thread.
But only one act can break what was written—"
Yuvaan's grip on Kiara tightened weakly.
"—the sacrifice of the one who loves more."
His breathing grew shallow.
Kiara sobbed, shaking her head violently.
"No! No! You can't—Yuvaan—please, don't do this—"
His forehead touched hers.
"Curse broken…" he whispered.
"Your life… for mine… worth it."
Kiara screamed his name as his eyes slowly closed—
his sacrifice sealing the curse's fate.
The arrows dissolved into dust.
The air stilled.
The shield around the mansion glowed strong again.
And the curse—
shattered.