SHETTY MANSION — BASEMENT
The cauldron simmers softly now, the golden fumes settling into a quiet glow. The revelation still hangs in the air like smoke that refuses to disperse.
Vikram stands still for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the Reeva Grimoire as though it might move again. Varun watches him, waiting for whatever decision is forming behind his father's silence.
Finally Vikram exhales.
"Varun, you must go to the Cave of Answers."
Varun blinks.
"The mystic waterfall?"
Vikram nods slowly.
"That cave never lies. It knows every creator of divine mixtures. If anyone besides Jishwa has the ability to craft this potion, the waterfall will reveal it. We need to find out who made it and why they want Kiara separated from Yuvaan."
Varun straightens a little, seriousness settling into his expression.
"Alright, Dad. I will go."
Vikram places a hand on his son's shoulder, the weight of a father's worry slipping into the gesture.
"And I will go to Kiara. She must know someone is targeting her. We cannot take chances now."
Varun nods again.
"I will be back before the night ends."
Father and son share a look that says everything—fear, urgency, and the unspoken truth that this enemy is bigger than anything they've faced.
Varun heads for the stairs.
Vikram stays behind for a moment, his fingers brushing the glowing sigil in the book, dread pooling quietly in his chest.
---
PRATAP SINGH MANSION — YUVAAN'S ROOM
The room is dim, the party noise muffled through the walls. Yuvaan sits on the edge of the bed, his posture tense and still.
His hand rests on his knee.
The skin is burnt… faintly charred from where he tried to touch Kiara.
He turns it slowly, watching the marks catch the light. The bruise lines shimmer with a strange energy—something divine, something not his.
He whispers to himself under his breath.
"Who would do this… and why now?"
His eyes harden.
"Is it Taamsi…? Is she back?"
A storm of thoughts rushes behind his eyes.
Taamsi had tried once before to separate him from Kiara.
She had almost succeeded.
Yuvaan clenches his injured hand, ignoring the sting.
"No. I won't let anyone come between us again. Not Taamsi… not anyone."
The burn pulses sharply, a quick electric bite.
Yuvaan flinches—just a little—but he smirks through the pain.
"You think this will stop me…?"
Outside the window, the night wind shifts.
A faint, unfamiliar whisper moves through the shadows.
Something unseen… something waiting.
Yuvaan doesn't hear it.
But it hears him.
And it smiles.
Scene: After the Party
The party had finally died down. The music was gone, the laughter had faded, and only the echo of footsteps lingered in the corridors.
The last guests had left… except Kamla, Ruchi, and Dev, who stayed back, claiming the roads were too foggy to drive at night.
The mansion felt unnervingly quiet.
Kiara entered the kitchen to breathe, to get away from the heavy stares. She filled a glass with water, her hands trembling just a little, then reached for an apple from the fruit basket.
The moment her fingers brushed the apple's skin—
Dev appeared behind her.
She didn't hear him enter. She only felt a cold shiver run through her spine.
And then—
A sharp, brutal pain stabbed through her stomach.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
Her fingers loosened around the apple.
She looked down—
Dev's hand was inside her, the knife buried deep.
Blood soaked her dress.
Her scream stuck in her throat.
Dev leaned close, whispering:
"You should've been more careful, Kiara."
Her knees buckled—
Her vision blurred—
Her heartbeat stopped—
---
Kiara gasped awake.
The apple rolled out of her hand. The glass nearly slipped.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, breath shaky as she stared at the empty kitchen.
No blood.
No knife.
No wound.
Just Dev… standing right behind her.
The exact position from the dream.
Kiara froze.
Her throat dried up.
Dev's voice was smooth, gentle—too gentle:
"Kiara?"
He picked something from the kitchen counter.
A knife.
He held it out to her by the handle, careful not to touch her fingers—because he couldn't.
"You need this knife?"
"You were reaching for one earlier."
Kiara's heart raced. Her hand twitched backward instinctively.
Dev tilted his head, studying her with unsettling calm.
"Don't look at me like that," he murmured.
"I don't bite."
Her breath hitched.
Her dream flashed again—the blood, the pain, his whisper.
Before she could respond, Yuvaan entered the kitchen, breaking the tension like a sword.
"Kiara, come. Kamla Aunty wants to talk to you."
Kiara nodded slowly, gripping the edge of the counter for balance.
But before leaving… her eyes instinctively drifted back to Dev.
He smiled at her.
Soft.
Polite.
Completely unreadable.
And somehow, that scared her even more.
Kiara quickly walked out with Yuvaan—
But the dread remained, crawling under her skin, whispering that the dream wasn't just a nightmare.
It was a warning.