The door to the secluded house in the bush creaked open, revealing Mishka's calm face. "Uncle," she greeted, her voice low. She stepped aside, allowing Vikram to enter the dimly lit interior before swiftly locking the door behind him.
This was a secret known only to the two of them. Mishka, the daughter of Vikram's brother Vivek—a Reeva hunter who had broken the clan's most sacred law by falling for a Daayan. Disowned and cast out from the order, Vivek's line was a shameful secret. Neither Varun nor Kiara knew the sharp, observant girl in their college was their own cousin. To them, she was a stranger. To Vikram, she was his most valuable, hidden asset—a spy who walked the line between both worlds.
"What have you learned?" Vikram asked, dispensing with pleasantries. The weight of the recent events was heavy on his shoulders.
Mishka's expression was grim. "I have been observing, Uncle. Two people stand out, and my instincts scream that they are not what they seem." She held up a finger. "The first is the new professor, Ragini Malhotra." Her eyes met his, unwavering. "She is a Daayan. A powerful one, using a concealing artifact. I sensed her malice during the excursion. She was the one who orchestrated the trap for Kiara."
Vikram's jaw tightened. He had suspected as much, but the confirmation was chilling. "And the second?"
Mishka paused, her brow furrowed in genuine uncertainty. "Yuvaan Pratap Singh." She let the name hang in the air. "There is a void around him. An emptiness that swallows light and sound. I cannot get a read on him. He could be a high-level demon, a powerful cursed soul… or he could be something far, far worse."
She looked directly at her uncle, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at him. "I cannot tell if he is just another random dark entity, or if he is… the father of evil himself. The Warlock King, Kaal. The problem is," she admitted, a note of frustration in her voice, "I have not yet witnessed him actively use his powers. Without seeing the magic, its source and scale remain a mystery."
Vikram absorbed her words, the puzzle pieces shifting. He had one spy in the enemy's camp through Varun, and another, hidden in plain sight, confirming the gravest of his fears. The net was closing, but the true nature of the predator at its center remained infuriatingly elusive.
Vikram's expression turned even more grim as he processed Mishka's confirmation. "He's not just a random threat, then. He has a specific target." He paced the small room, the floorboards creaking under his weight. "Kiara. He's systematically inserting himself into her life."
Mishka nodded, her hybrid nature giving her a unique perspective on predatory behavior. "It's calculated. The 'chance' partnership, the rescue in the palace, the late-night texts. He's building a connection, and she's responding."
"Which is what terrifies me," Vikram admitted, the father in him overriding the clan leader for a moment. "He's charming, powerful, and she has no idea of the danger she's in." He stopped pacing and fixed Mishka with a resolute look. "The Lalwani Gala is this weekend. It's a high-profile event, a perfect hunting ground. I need you there. Keep a close eye on Kiara. Don't let her out of your sight. I want to know his every move, his every word to her."
"Of course, Uncle," Mishka affirmed without hesitation. "I'll be her shadow."
A heavy silence fell between them, filled with the same unspoken question.
"But what is his purpose?" Vikram finally voiced the thought haunting them both. "Why her? She's strong-willed and beautiful, yes, but she's just a normal girl. What could a being of such immense power possibly want with my daughter?"
Mishka's gaze was distant, as if trying to peer through the layers of Yuvaan's deception. "That is the question, isn't it? Is she a pawn in a larger game? A means to get to you and the Reeva clan? Or…" she trailed off, the possibility both disturbing and plausible, "…is his interest somehow… genuinely personal?"
The mystery of Yuvaan's true intention towards Kiara became the central, terrifying unknown around which all their fears now orbited.