Kiara's knees hit the muddy ground as she stared in horror at the crimson spreading across Yuvaan's chest. "Yuvaan…" she choked out, tears mixing with the rain.
Yuvaan's face twisted in pain, but his eyes—those deep, unreadable eyes—remained steady. With a low growl, he grasped the first arrow, the veins in his arms bulging as he yanked it free. The blackened tip shimmered faintly with an eerie glow.
The moment Kiara saw it, Vikram's voice rang out sharply, "That arrow is laced with Nether Potion! The bane of every dark being—it burns their essence!"
Kiara's breath caught. Dark being? What was he saying?
Before she could ask, Yuvaan ripped out the second arrow, his blood splattering across the soaked grass. Kiara screamed, crawling toward him, but Varun caught her by the arm, pulling her back. "Stay away from him, Kiara!"
"Let me go!" she cried, thrashing in his grip. "He's hurt! Can't you see that?"
Vikram's face was grim. "He's not human, Kiara! He's a warlock—born of darkness!"
Kiara froze, staring at her father as if he had lost his mind. "A warlock? What are you talking about? You've both gone insane! Why are you dressed like hunters? What is this madness?"
Yuvaan's low, cold voice cut through the chaos. "You want to know what's going on, sweetheart? I'll tell you."
Her heart stopped as he pulled out the last arrow. Then, slowly, deliberately, he lifted his shirt. The bleeding wounds on his torso glowed faintly—and before Kiara's widening eyes, they began to close. Skin knitted back together, leaving no trace but faint scars.
Her trembling hand covered her mouth. "What… what's happening?"
Yuvaan looked at her, his expression unreadable. "The truth."
He snapped his fingers.
The rain—heavy, relentless moments ago—suddenly halted. Every drop froze midair, suspended for a heartbeat, before vanishing into mist. Silence blanketed the open field.
Kiara's eyes darted between him and her father. Her pulse thundered in her ears.
Vikram nocked another arrow, fury in his gaze. "Monster!" He loosed it—and Varun followed suit.
Both arrows shot through the air with divine precision… only to stop inches from Yuvaan's chest, hanging motionless.
Yuvaan's calm voice carried through the air. "I'm tired of hiding."
His head lifted, eyes glowing a deep, blood-crimson hue. The wind shifted, swirling around him in dark spirals. His nails elongated into black talons, and the aura around him pulsed with raw, ancient power.
"This," he said, his voice echoing with a dark resonance, "is my truth, Kiara."
Lightning flashed behind him, illuminating his sinister yet majestic form. "I am the reincarnation of the Warlock King of the Kaal Vansh… Kaal."
Kiara stood frozen, drenched and shaking, her mind spinning.
Warlock. Kaal. Kaal Vansh.
The words were foreign, terrifying—and yet, they came from the lips of the man she loved.
Yuvaan began to circle them slowly, like a predator savoring his advantage. The rain-soaked field had gone silent, every drop of water on the grass trembling from the power that rolled off him.
"Do you know what's truly amusing?" he said, his tone velvet-smooth yet edged with cruelty. "Your family, Kiara… is the greatest enemy of my clan. The Shettys are Reeva hunters—descendants of the Reeva clan, born to slay dark forces like me."
Kiara's eyes darted between her father and brother, disbelief widening them. "Reeva… hunters?" she whispered. "Papa? Varun?"
Vikram's expression hardened; Varun lowered his bow but said nothing.
Yuvaan's crimson gaze fixed on her. "Yes, sweetheart. You're a descendant of the Reeva clan. The blood of hunters runs through your veins."
Kiara shook her head violently, stumbling back a step. "No. No, that's impossible. This—this is insane. I'm dreaming, right? I have to be dreaming!"
"Oh, sweetheart," Yuvaan said with a mocking laugh, his voice low and intoxicating. "It isn't a dream. It's the harsh reality." He tilted his head slightly, studying her trembling figure. "Humans are blind to the world that exists around them. Oblivious. And you… you were just like them—so beautifully gullible. That's why you fell right into my love trap."
His words hit like physical blows. Kiara's knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the wet ground. Her lips trembled. "So… it was all a lie? Your love… it wasn't real?"
For a long moment, Yuvaan was silent. The wind howled between them, carrying the faint scent of rain and betrayal. Even he didn't know if his feelings were a game or something far more dangerous—but he forced a cold smile and whispered, "Yes. I fooled you into loving me."
The color drained from her face.
"Why?" she rasped, tears mixing with the rain.
Before Yuvaan could answer, Vikram's voice thundered across the clearing. "He did it for one reason alone!"
Varun stepped forward, eyes blazing. "The Dark Stronghold."
Kiara looked from one to the other, lost in the storm of revelations. "The… Dark Stronghold?" she repeated weakly. "What even is that? What are you all talking about?"
Her voice cracked, small and broken, as if she were the only one trapped in a nightmare everyone else understood—everyone but her.