The air crackled with panic and dust.
Kiara's hands trembled as she looked around at the encroaching men. "Yuvaan, you no longer have your powers for twelve hours!" she said, panic rising in her voice. "They're ten men—how are you going to fight them?"
Yuvaan turned to her with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Am I really that delicate?"
Kiara gaped at him, her frustration mixing with fear. "Take a look at yourself and your size! Yes, you've got the perfect body shape, six-pack abs and all, but look at them! They're hefty, armed, and—"
"—and badly dressed," Yuvaan interrupted smoothly, brushing a speck of glass from his shoulder. "Then pray for me, sweetheart."
Before she could respond, one of the men charged at Kiara with a thick wooden log. Yuvaan spun on his heel, catching the man's wrist mid-air and flinging him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing. The man hit the ground with a thud.
"Stay back!" Yuvaan barked, lunging forward with a burst of sheer physical agility. He flipped midair, kicking two men squarely in the chest; they went flying back, crashing into the others.
Kiara's eyes widened—he was fast, fluid, feral—but still human. Each movement carried effort, strain.
"Yuvaan!" she shouted as more men swarmed.
He spun, ready for another fight—but then something strange happened. The men suddenly ignored him altogether. Their eyes went blank, hollow. One by one, they brushed past Yuvaan as if he didn't exist—charging toward Kiara instead.
Yuvaan's expression darkened in realization. They're enchanted… she's their target.
One of the men drew a dagger and lunged straight for her.
"Kiara!"
Before she could even react, Yuvaan threw himself between her and the blade. The dagger plunged into his back. He groaned, his body jerking from the pain.
Kiara's scream pierced the air. "YUVAAN!!"
Tears blurred her vision as she caught him, her trembling hands pressing against the wound. Blood soaked her fingers, hot and real. "Why would you—why would you do that!"
But before Yuvaan could answer, her voice echoed strangely—deep, resonant, almost divine.
The ground trembled. A massive tree nearby groaned and collapsed, its trunk crashing down between them and the attackers, blocking the men's path.
Yuvaan, grimacing in pain, took her hand. "We have to run—now!"
She nodded, half-supporting his weight as they fled into the dark jungle. Branches lashed their faces, roots tangled their feet, but they didn't stop running. Kiara's mind raced faster than her heartbeat—Yuvaan's blood was still warm on her hands, and every step he took left a faint trail behind.
He protected me… even without his powers.
Finally, the trees opened up—only to reveal a steep cliff edge. Below, the river thundered like an angry beast.
Yuvaan turned, breath ragged, placing himself in front of her as the sound of footsteps grew louder from behind. The enchanted men were coming again—relentless, soulless.
Kiara's throat tightened. "You're hurt… and still, you're standing between me and them."
Yuvaan smiled faintly, his eyes soft despite the pain. "That's what husbands do, sweetheart."
Tears welled in her eyes, her chest aching. She had seen arrogance in him, cruelty, chaos—but never this.
"Yuvaan…" she whispered, voice trembling.
"Don't cry," he said, raising his hand weakly to brush a tear off her cheek. "You'll make me look like a hero."
As the men broke through the treeline, Yuvaan's stance straightened despite his wound—his arm stretching out to shield her once again.
Kiara clutched his shoulder from behind, her heart pounding. She didn't know what scared her more—losing him… or realizing she didn't want to.
The world seemed to still — the rustle of the jungle, the whisper of the wind, even the breath between heartbeats — everything froze in a fragile moment of disbelief.
Yuvaan's chest heaved, sweat and blood glistening under the fading sunlight. The group of enchanted men charged closer — but before they could reach, a strange shimmer began to drift from the sky. Ashes… silver-gray, glowing faintly like dying embers.
As the ashes touched the men's skin, their eyes rolled back. One by one, they crumpled to the ground — unconscious, their enchantment broken.
Kiara blinked in confusion. "What's happening?"
Then, from the edge of the trees, two figures emerged — cloaked in determination and rage. Vikram and Varun.
Kiara's face lit up with relief. "Dad! Varun!" She took a step forward, her heart lifting for the first time in hours.
But something in their eyes — cold, focused — stopped her breath.
Before she could speak, two arrows whistled through the air, slicing through the mist with deadly precision.
They struck Yuvaan square in the chest.
The world went silent.
The sound of the impact echoed like a thunderclap. Yuvaan's eyes widened — not in pain, but in disbelief. The poison surged instantly through his veins; his knees weakened.
Kiara turned, frozen in place. "No…" she whispered. "No, no, no!"
Vikram's voice rang through the air, cold and unyielding. "I've avenged my daughter's honor." His grip on the bow tightened as his tone hardened. "And fulfilled my duty as a Reeva hunter. Warlock King — your reign ends here."
For a long, unbearable moment, no one moved.
Yuvaan's breathing grew shallow. He stumbled back, his dark eyes locked on Kiara — a thousand emotions flickering between them.
Pain.
Shock.
And something far deeper — the unspoken truth they never dared to name.
Kiara couldn't breathe. Her heart felt like it was splitting apart. Every memory flashed before her eyes — the arguments, the stolen glances, the way he had shielded her from blades and fire without a second thought.
Her lips trembled. "Yuvaan…"
He smiled faintly, the strength fading from his voice. "Sweetheart… looks like… this is goodbye."
He took another step back — and his heel met the edge of the cliff.
"YUVAAN!!!"
The name tore from Kiara's throat as he lost his balance. Without hesitation — without a single thought — she leapt after him.
Varun's bow slipped from his hand in horror. "Kiara!!!"
Vikram shouted, "NO!" racing forward, his face twisting with dread.
Below them, the two figures fell — one wrapped in shadows, the other in light — tumbling into the mist and roar of the river below.
As they plummeted, Yuvaan's arms instinctively wrapped around Kiara, trying to shield her from the jagged rocks.
She looked up at him through the wind and chaos — tears streaming down her face.
"You fool…" she whispered.
He managed a faint, broken smile. "You jumped after me… you really want to die for me."
For the first time, the Warlock King's eyes softened — not with pride, but with something painfully human.
And as they vanished into the roaring abyss together — heaven and hell held their breath.
To be continued…