**Wednesday, 6:45 a.m. – Yamuna Riverside Villa**
The kitchen smelled of **elaichi chai** and **crispy medu vada**.
Rajesh stood at the island, grey streak shining like a silver tilak, flipping vadas with one hand while texting with the other.
**Group: Priya's Village**
**Rajesh:**
Morning briefing.
1. Void lady neutralized.
2. I'm officially mortal-ish.
3. School drop-off at 7:30.
4. **Neha** – bring idlis. **Brijesh** – bring silence. **Dr. Iyer** – bring blessings.
Priya burst in wearing her Lotus Academy uniform (navy skirt, white blouse, silver lotus badge).
"Papa, your hair is magic! Like Professor Dumbledore!"
She climbed onto a stool, stole a vada, and dipped it in coconut chutney.
Anjali followed, hair in a loose braid, ring catching the light.
She touched the grey streak. "Looks distinguished."
Rajesh grinned. "First wrinkle by Friday, guaranteed."
---
### 7:15 a.m. – The Drop-Off
The Bentley rolled up to **Butterfly Gate**.
Ms. Ritu waved. "Priya, show-and-tell is today! Bring something special."
Priya whispered to Rajesh: "I'm bringing Sheru's spark trick!"
Rajesh paled. "Only if he behaves."
Little Sheru (back in Pug form) gave a solemn nod, bandana now reading **"Good Boy (Mostly)"**.
Anjali kissed Priya goodbye. "Mummy picks you up today. We'll get ice-cream."
Priya squealed and ran inside.
---
### 8:00 a.m. – The Council of Mortals
Back at the villa, the team gathered on the terrace.
Neha arrived with a tiffin of **gunpowder idlis**.
Brijesh carried a steel flask of **filter coffee** and a small velvet pouch.
Dr. Iyer brought a **rudraksha mala** and a smile.
Rajesh poured coffee.
"Status report."
**Brijesh:** "Garuda Force scanned the Yamuna. No residual void energy. River's clean."
**Dr. Iyer:** "The lotus petals from last night — they're sprouting new plants. Overnight. Unnatural growth."
**Neha:** "I pulled satellite data. At 00:01 a.m., a **red pulse** left Earth's atmosphere. Heading toward Orion. Gone."
**Anjali:** "And Priya slept through it all."
Rajesh exhaled.
"The Debt Collector was the last shard. She's banished. The Mirror's memory is broken."
He opened Brijesh's pouch.
Inside: **108 bronze coins**, now dull, ordinary.
He scattered them into the lotus pond.
They sank like stones.
"Debt paid. Guardians released."
Dr. Iyer placed the rudraksha mala around Rajesh's wrist.
"For the mortal path. May it be long and sweet."
---
### 9:00 a.m. – The First Mortal Morning
Rajesh tried to levitate the coffee flask.
It wobbled, then fell.
He laughed (real, human, slightly panicked).
Anjali caught it. "Welcome to gravity, Mr. Kumar."
Neha filmed on her phone. "This is going viral. *'Supreme Daddy Trips Over Mortality'*."
---
### 3:00 p.m. – School Pickup
Anjali waited at the gate, heart pounding (first pickup as **Mummy**).
Priya ran out clutching a **glittery drawing**:
Stick-figure family (Papa with grey hair, Mummy with ring, Priya with crown, Sheru with wings).
Title in wobbly letters: **"My Superhero Family"**.
Ms. Ritu smiled. "Priya's spark trick? The class loved it. Controlled, harmless. We're calling it *creative expression*."
Anjali hugged her. "Ice-cream time."
---
### 4:30 p.m. – Kulfi & Promises
At **Giani's** in Gurgaon, Priya licked **kesar-pista kulfi**, legs swinging.
Anjali fed Rajesh a bite. "So, mortal husband—what now?"
He wiped kulfi from her lip.
"Parent-teacher meetings. Grocery runs. Burnt rotis on Sundays.
And maybe… another child?"
Priya's ears perked. "Baby brother? With Sheru's sparks?"
Rajesh choked on kulfi.
Anjali laughed until tears came.
---
### 7:00 p.m. – The Grey Streak Ritual
Back home, the family sat under the banyan.
Rajesh held a small clay diya.
Inside: the **last lotus petal** from the binding circle (now glowing softly).
He spoke to the night:
"To the Mirror that broke,
To the Void that lost,
To the daughter who won—
Thank you."
He lit the diya.
The petal burned (gold, then silver, then nothing).
A single spark floated up, became a tiny grey streak in the sky (
a shooting star that spelled **"Family"**).
Little Sheru sneezed.
This time, no spark.
Just a happy Pug yawn.
---
### 10:00 p.m. – The New Normal
Rajesh and Anjali tucked Priya in.
She clutched her drawing. "Papa, will you always have grey hair?"
He kissed her forehead. "Only if you keep being this brave."
Lights dimmed.
The villa whispered:
"**Family mode: eternal. Lullaby: *Soja Rajkumari*."
Rajesh and Anjali stood on the terrace.
He wrapped arms around her.
"Day 18.
No powers.
Just us."
She leaned back. "Best ending ever."
Above, the grey streak in the sky faded.
But in Rajesh's hair, it stayed (
a mortal crown,
earned in fire,
worn for love).