Shetty Mansion – Kiara's Room
A soft knock came from the door just as Kiara and Yuvaan stood close, breath mingling, hearts still tangled from the moment before.
"Kiara, open the door. Your best friend Anya is here," Varun called from outside, voice warm and cheerful.
Kiara's eyes widened in alarm. She turned sharply to Yuvaan, who was leaning against the window with that maddeningly calm expression. His arms were crossed, his hair falling in gentle waves over his forehead as he watched her with a teasing gleam.
"Oh no… Yuvaan, go," she whispered urgently. "Anya cannot see you here. Please."
Instead of moving, Yuvaan stepped toward her, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"So now I'm a secret," he murmured, as though amused by the idea.
Kiara's breath hitched in frustration. She pushed his shoulder lightly, her fingers trembling with nerves.
"Yuvaan, this is not the time. I'm serious. If Anya walks in and finds you here, she'll faint, scream, revive, and then interrogate me for the next forty-eight hours."
Yuvaan chuckled softly, his eyes resting on her with unspoken affection. He reached for her hand and gave it a slow, deliberate tug that drew her a step closer to him.
"And you?" he asked in a low voice. "Will you miss me?"
Her cheeks flamed instantly. The knock came again, louder this time.
"Kiara, Anya is waiting in the hall," Varun called. "Open the door soon."
Kiara turned back to Yuvaan, panic rising. He brushed his fingers along her cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a care that melted her resolve.
"Ask me nicely," he whispered, eyes glinting. "Only then I'll go."
Kiara's breath slowed, caught somewhere between irritation and melting affection. She looked up at him with soft eyes, her voice dropping into a whisper she hadn't meant to sound so intimate.
"Yuvaan… please," she breathed, her lashes dipping. "For me… go."
Something changed in his expression, the teasing fading into warmth. He leaned in until his forehead almost touched hers, his voice barely more than a breath.
"Fine. Only because you said it like that."
She looked down shyly as he stepped away toward the window. Just before climbing out, he glanced over his shoulder with a smirk that warmed her entire face.
"Tonight," he said softly, "I want the first smile of the engagement to be mine."
Her blush deepened, and she shooed him away with flustered hands. He slipped out the window with ease, the curtains fluttering softly behind him as if whispering their own farewell.
Kiara took one long breath, pressed her palms to her heated cheeks, and hurried toward the door. She swung it open—
"Kiaraaaaa!" Anya squealed before she could even speak.
Kiara let out a delighted sound as Anya pulled her into a crushing hug.
"I missed you so much," Kiara laughed breathlessly.
Anya pulled back to look at her more closely, her eyes widening dramatically.
"Excuse me," she exclaimed, "why do you look like you're glowing? What's happening? Tell me everything!"
Kiara froze for a heartbeat, the color blooming across her face again. Her hand lifted reflexively to the spot near her temple… the spot where Yuvaan's fingers had lingered just moments before.
A shy smile escaped her before she could stop it.
A secret smile.
One Anya didn't see… but the reader could feel.
Shetty Villa – The Basement
While the villa above buzzed with sweet chaos — the laughter, the rustle of sarees, the clatter of decorations — the basement remained silent, cold, and untouched by celebration. Shadows clung to the stone walls like whispers that refused to leave.
Vikram Shetty stood in the center of the dimly lit chamber, the old lantern on his desk flickering with an unsteady flame. Its glow revealed the open pages of ancient Reevavanshi manuscripts spread before him, each marked with symbols older than any living memory.
His fingers trembled slightly as he ran them over one particular line — the same encrypted message that had arrived two nights ago. It crackled with dark energy even now.
A cry for help disguised within sacred geometry.
A voice calling only to him.
He exhaled slowly, his brows knitted together. "Whoever you are," he murmured under his breath, "you are fighting to survive."
He turned to the circular projection on the table, where faint shadows swirled inside the glass bowl. A face appeared for a heartbeat — blurred, distorted, reaching out — then vanished again as if pulled back by invisible chains.
Vikram's jaw tightened.
So it was true.
The person wasn't in the mortal world at all.
They were trapped in the Shadow Realm.
A realm not meant for the living.
A realm no one escaped alone.
He rose from his seat and walked toward the far end of the basement, where four glowing pyramids lay covered in a velvet cloth. He pulled the cloth away with a slow, deliberate motion. Golden light spilled over them, catching the edges of their runes and making them shimmer with restrained power.
Each pyramid pulsed once — faint, like a heartbeat.
He placed them one by one in the four corners of the chamber. As soon as each pyramid touched the ground, lines of energy shot outward, forming a geometric pattern that pointed toward the old mirror mounted on the opposite wall.
A mirror so ancient, even the family history refused to record its origin.
A mirror no one in the house knew was actually a portal.
When the fourth pyramid locked into place, the symbols on the mirror responded with a faint, eerie glow — a whisper of activation, nothing more.
Vikram stepped back, adjusting his glasses, breath held in anticipation.
But the light quickly died.
The pyramids dimmed.
The air fell still again.
He let out a frustrated sigh. "Of course… it needs moonlight."
His gaze lifted toward the basement ceiling, as though he could see past the floors above, past the roof, all the way to the sky. The moon was still sleeping.
Only when night descended…
Only when moonlight touched the mirror…
Only then would the portal open.
And only then could he reach the one calling him.
Vikram's hand tightened into a fist at his side, his voice low but filled with determination.
"Hold on, whoever you are. When the moon rises tonight… I will bring you out."
Above him, the villa bustled with preparations for Kiara and Yuvaan's engagement.
Below, in the cold silence,
the mirror waited,
the pyramids slept,
and the Shadow Realm whispered…
hungry and restless.