Kiara's body sagged against the battlefield dust. Her breath came in shallow, jagged gasps. Every blink seemed to take an eternity.
Kajal's scream ripped through the air. She lunged forward, coiling part of her serpentine body protectively around Kiara as she pressed her hands over the wound. Her eyes glimmered with desperate, motherly power, but the light faltered and dimmed. "Kiara… my child… you mustn't leave us! You cannot leave us!" Her voice broke, a high, keening wail, echoing across the still-smoking battlefield.
Vikram, kneeling beside them, cupped her head with hands that trembled, his body shaking with exhaustion and fear. "Kiara… please… you have to live. Look at us, look at Kiaan… you have to keep fighting! You must! Don't leave me in this world without you!"
But Kiara's eyes, though clouded with pain, focused faintly on the distant horizon where Yuvaan's shadow lingered. She barely whispered, "It… it's okay… stop… trying to heal me…"
Yuvaan staggered as the last trace of the lunar potion left his veins, the darkness lifting like mist from his soul. His eyes softened—gone were the black, merciless glints; they returned to the warm, familiar brown that Kiara had always known.
He froze, taking in the sight of her, her body trembling in the arms of his family. His chest tightened, and for a heartbeat, the battlefield seemed to vanish, leaving only her in his vision.
"Kiara…" he breathed, voice raw, trembling with disbelief and terror. He fell to his knees, both hands gripping hers, shaking as though holding on might tether her to life itself. "No… No! You—why… why would you do this to yourself? To me? To our son?" His voice cracked, the anguish spilling into every syllable. "You are insane! You—this… this is madness! You cannot do this!"
He pressed his forehead against hers, whispering fervently, attempting every spell, every charm, every fragment of his remaining power to mend her wounds. But nothing shifted. Her blood glistened in the dust, her pulse a faint, irregular flutter beneath his palm.
Kiara's lips parted in a trembling, gentle smile. "Yuvaan… it was… the only way… the only way to stop you… to save you… to save everyone…" Her voice was soft, quivering, yet firm in conviction. "No spell… no words… nothing will heal this. I… I cannot be healed by anyone."
"No!" Yuvaan cried, clutching her closer, shaking violently. "Don't—don't you dare talk about dying. I refuse to accept this. I will not let you leave me—not like this, not ever!" His tears fell freely, mixing with dust and sweat, dripping onto her hands as he held them against his face.
He shifted, gathering Kiaan into his arms, the boy's small fingers clutching at Kiara's trembling hand. "Look at him, Kiara," Yuvaan sobbed, his voice breaking, full of desperation and regret. "Look at our son. Look at the life we dreamed for him… every small moment we imagined. His first steps—you held him, we laughed, we cried together. His first day at school… remember how you told me we'd both cry more than him? How we'd stand by his side no matter what?"
He choked back another sob. "His first friends, his first games, his first joys… and one day… his first love. You and I promised him we'd be there for everything… every triumph, every tear, every moment of wonder. And I—I can't let him grow up without you. You… you cannot leave him without us."
Kiara's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Every breath was an effort. She looked from Yuvaan… to Kiaan… to each member of their family kneeling, crying, praying around them. Vikram's arms trembled, Kajal's face was streaked with tears and sorrow, Varun's jaw was tight as he held his mother's hand.
She remembered everything in a flood:
The night she first held Kiaan, trembling yet certain she would protect him with her life.
The long nights spent tending to Yuvaan when he was cursed, the small arguments and laughter in between.
The times she had saved him, and the times he had saved her.
The quiet moments, the laughter shared, the love that had blossomed against all odds.
The first festival they celebrated as a family.
The dreams whispered in the dark while watching their son sleep.
Her lips curved in a faint, faint smile. "I… I love you… all of you… every single one of you…" Her voice faltered, almost swallowed by her exhaustion and blood loss, yet it carried, filled with absolute devotion.
The family's tears fell harder. Vikram pressed his cheek against her hand, Bhoomi's arms trembled as she held her daughter-in-law closer, and Varun buried his face against her shoulder. Yuvaan's body shook uncontrollably, his tears soaking her bloodied hands. He pressed his forehead to hers once more. "I will not… I cannot… I cannot let you go, Kiara. You are my life… my soul… my strength. You are the center of everything. Please… fight… fight, just a little more. For him… for Kiaan… for all of us… fight!"
Kiara's eyes fluttered, filled with love, memories, and resignation. Her fingers barely tightened around Yuvaan's, then fell limply, her life slipping like sand through fingers.
The battlefield around them—the smoke, the dust, the lingering magic—seemed to pause, honoring the weight of the moment.
Every breath, every heartbeat, every tear lingered. The world itself seemed to wait, holding its collective breath as Kiara's life, love, and sacrifice radiated across the field.