Chaos reigned on the gala grounds. The crows, their eyes burning with malevolent energy, continued their relentless assault, diving and shrieking. Angad, his arm bleeding, pulled Mishka behind a overturned table. "Stay down!" he urged, his body tensed to shield her. Mishka, her own power simmering just beneath the surface, could do nothing but watch, forced to maintain her human facade.
Above, on the balcony, the battle reached its climax. Varun lunged at Ragini, his Reeva dagger gleaming. He struck true, the enchanted silver blade sinking deep. With a final, furious shriek that promised vengeance, Ragini's form dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, vanishing from the scene.
Below, Kiara, unaware of her family's victory above, rushed to her friend's side. "Anya!" she cried, helping a terrified and scratched Anya to her feet. "Get inside that classroom! Now!" She shoved her friend to safety, her own heart pounding. Her eyes scanned the frantic crowd, looking for her father and brother. Where are they? Are they safe? What is happening? Why are these crows here?
Her questions were cut short as a massive swarm of crows, as if sensing a prime target, broke from the main flock and dove straight for her. Kiara gasped, turning to run, but her heel caught on the cobblestones. She stumbled, certain she was about to be ripped apart.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, spinning her around. Yuvaan.
He pulled her tightly against his chest, his body a solid shield between her and the deadly swarm. Their eyes locked—hers wide with fear and shock, his intense and unreadable. In that protected space, time seemed to slow.
Without breaking their gaze, without Kiara even noticing the subtle movement, Yuvaan flicked his wrist.
Instantly, the screeching stopped. The entire swarm of crows, every single one, dropped from the sky simultaneously, hitting the ground with a series of soft, final thuds. They were just… dead.
The sudden silence was deafening. Kiara, still clutching his shirt, stared at the circle of dead birds around them, then back at his face, utterly bewildered. "How…?"
Yuvaan simply offered a mysterious, slight smile, his arms still wrapped protectively around her as the last of the black smoke from Ragini's defeat drifted away above them.
---
"It's over," Yuvaan whispered, his voice a low, reassuring murmur against Kiara's ear as she clung to him, her body trembling from the adrenaline and fear.
Relief washed over her, so potent it made her knees weak. She buried her face in his chest for a brief moment, taking solace in his solid presence, in the shield he had provided.
Just then, Vikram and Varun rushed onto the scene, their faces etched with panic and battle fatigue, their weapons now concealed. "Kiara!" Vikram called out, his voice raw with worry.
Hearing her father's voice, Kiara pulled back from Yuvaan and ran to them, throwing her arms around both her father and brother. "You're okay! Thank god you're both okay!" she cried, her voice muffled against Vikram's shoulder.
Vikram held her tightly, his eyes meeting Yuvaan's over her shoulder. In that brief, unguarded moment, the principal's gaze was not one of gratitude, but of cold, hard suspicion. He had seen the circle of dead crows, a perfect, unnatural kill zone centered exactly where Yuvaan stood. He saw the way his daughter had been clinging to him.
Varun, too, watched the exchange, his jaw tight. The scene before them—the protective embrace, the decimated crows—did not spell "heroism" to the Reeva hunters. It spelled manipulation and a terrifying, hidden power.
For Kiara, the nightmare was over, and her family and the boy she was falling for were all safe. But for Vikram and Varun, standing in the eerie silence littered with feathered corpses, a new and more terrifying nightmare had just solidified into reality. The enemy had not only infiltrated their world; he had just successfully positioned himself as the hero in their daughter's heart.
As the eerie silence settled over the gala grounds, Mishka turned to Angad, her voice soft. "Thank you," she said, "for shielding me."
Angad managed a pained grin, cradling his injured arm. "It's okay. Couldn't let you get hurt." His eyes, full of concern, searched her face. "You're sure you're alright?"
She nodded, a genuine—if slightly troubled—smile touching her lips. His selfless act had stirred something within her, a flicker of warmth for this brave, human boy.
Nearby, Vikram's voice, firm and authoritative, cut through the lingering tension. "The event is over. Everyone, please proceed to the exits in an orderly manner. Security will assist you."
He then turned to Kiara, placing a protective arm around her shoulders. "Let's go home, beta." His tone brooked no argument.
Kiara, still visibly shaken, nodded. She cast one last, lingering glance over her shoulder at Yuvaan, who stood amidst the scattered evidence of his hidden power, his expression unreadable. Then, she allowed her father to guide her away from the chaos, the night's terrifying events and passionate confusions locked tightly within her.