Upstairs, the entire Pratap Singh family and the Shetty family rushed into Chandrika's old room. Vikram shut the heavy wooden door and slid the bolt into place. The metallic click echoed like a warning.
Bhoomi sank against the wall, her breath trembling. "Yuvaan… Kiara… please let them be safe," she whispered, voice cracking at the edges.
Varun gently placed a reassuring hand on her arm, but it was Vikram who stepped forward, steady as stone. "Bhoomi ji," he said quietly, "Yuvaan and Kiara are not helpless. Together… they're stronger than any shadow Taamsi summons."
Kajal nodded, though the tension around her eyes betrayed her fear. The lamp in the corner flickered, throwing uneven gold light across the room's old manuscripts, dusty relics, and shelves that hummed with forgotten power. Chandrika's room felt alive… as though the air itself held its breath.
Varun inhaled deeply, jaw tightening. "It's time," he murmured.
Vikram, Varun, and Kajal stepped closer, forming an imperfect circle. They exchanged a determined glance—one shared language of hunters who had faced the unimaginable.
Then, without another word, they joined hands.
Their fingers locked.
The room shifted.
Something ancient stirred.
All three closed their eyes as they began to chant a mantra that had not been spoken in years—one that belonged not to witches, but to witch hunters. A mantra that called upon Reeva's judgment.
Their voices started soft, almost swallowed by the stillness:
"Reeva ma, humme darshan de…
Reeva jyoti, humme shakti de…"
The air grew heavy. The lamp flame stretched upward unnaturally, as if reaching toward the sound of the mantra.
Their voices strengthened, weaving in harmony:
"Reeva raksha, satya dikha…
Reeva prerna, granth bula…"
A faint tremor rippled through the floorboards. Dust rose in a gentle swirl.
Golden particles began to gather in the circle—first faint like fireflies, then multiplying… thickening… spinning in a small vortex.
Kajal's breath hitched, but she did not break the chant.
The mantra deepened, the rhythm becoming an invocation:
"Reeva devi, hum pukarte…
Gyaan ka dwar hum par kholte…"
Light swelled between their joined hands.
And then—
With a soft, resonant thrum, a glowing book materialized in the center of their circle, descending as though lowered by invisible hands.
The Reeva Granth.
Its cover shimmered with gold and silver sigils, ancient and pulsing like a heartbeat.
Varun opened his eyes first, awe flickering in them. "It worked…"
Vikram stepped forward with reverence, releasing their hands and lifting the book as though it weighed more than mere pages. When he opened it, the wind seemed to sigh around them.
The pages turned on their own—fluttering, searching—before stopping at an illustration of blank-eyed figures bound by shadowy tendrils.
"Zombie puppets…" Vikram whispered.
The script shifted, glowing faintly, revealing instructions in flowing lines—how souls were trapped… and how they could be freed.
Behind him, Bhoomi, Vinod, Chandrika, Susheela, Aakash, Riddhi and Angad, and watched with wide, fearful eyes, not daring to speak.
The book shimmered once more, and a small chest materialized beside Vikram—ancient, rune-marked, humming with protective power.
Varun exhaled softly.
Kajal stepped closer, gaze steady.
"So these… these will help us make the cure?" she asked, voice low.
Vikram nodded slowly. "Yes. If we follow every step exactly… we can break Taamsi's spell. We can save the guests."
Varun straightened, resolve settling onto his shoulders like armor. "Then let's begin. Before darkness spreads any further."
Outside the locked door, muffled thuds echoed—zombies pushing, clawing, searching.
And far below, in the grand hall stained with venom and shadow, Taamsi laughed…
unaware that her darkness had just awakened something far more powerful.
Downstairs, the war had already taken shape.
Taamsi lounged on the velvet sofa she had claimed as her throne, chin lifted, braid coiled like a dark serpent beside her. The chandeliers glowed dimly, the hall thick with the groans of the advancing zombies she had created.
She tapped her fingers together, smirking.
"So tell me, Jishwa… Warlock King Kaal's reincarnation… how will the two of you handle so many puppets alone?"
Kiara stepped forward, her golden aura rising like controlled fire beneath her skin.
She smiled.
A slow, fearless smile that made Taamsi's own smirk falter for a fraction of a moment.
"It seems you've forgotten something," Kiara said softly.
"I killed your Maha Daakini… the mother of the Kaalvansh… Kalashree."
Her voice sharpened.
"And I killed that cursed old hag Kalapishachi too. Compared to them—"
she flicked her fingers toward the zombies,
"—these are mere puppets. And they will be saved."
Taamsi's nostrils flared. "I am not scared of you, Jishwa."
Kiara leaned forward slightly, eyes glowing.
"But you should be."
Before Taamsi could retort, Yuvaan took a step beside Kiara, dark energy crackling faintly around him. His presence alone made the nearby zombies pause mid-lurch.
"You know," Yuvaan said casually, "people who pretend to be tough… are usually the weakest."
Taamsi bristled.
"That's why you need others to fight for you," he continued.
"Because you can't fight your battles alone. You never could."
Taamsi's eyes flashed with fury.
Yuvaan's tone hardened, the hall vibrating faintly with the depth of his power.
"I may not be the evil I once was… but I'm still far from ordinary. And I won't let someone like you walk into my house… and misbehave."
The zombies shambled closer—dozens now—arms outstretched, voices hollow.
Kiara glanced at Yuvaan.
Yuvaan glanced at Kiara.
And in one fluid heartbeat—
Both leapt.
Their feet left the ground with supernatural force, their combined power bursting through the air like a shockwave. They flipped over the first row of zombies, landing hard—
BOOM.
The impact split the floor tiles beneath them, sending a violent ripple of power outward.
Every zombie around them was blasted backward, thrown to the floor in a sprawling wave of bodies.
Taamsi shot to her feet, eyes widening.
Kiara straightened, golden fire curling around her fists.
Yuvaan's dark aura expanded behind him like the shadow of a king returning to his throne.
Together…
they turned to face Taamsi's entire army.
And Taamsi—
for the first time that night—
felt her heartbeat skip.