The forest was eerily quiet. Mist clung to the trees, and the sound of the river faded behind her.
Kiara's breath came in ragged gasps as she pushed the wooden cart along the muddy trail, the wheels creaking with every desperate shove.
"Somebody! Please—help us!" she cried, her voice breaking. But the forest answered only with silence.
The cart jolted over a stone, and Yuvaan's limp body shifted — his skin pale, his veins faintly glowing a sickly green.
Kiara's tears streamed freely. "Yuvaan, wake up! You can't just leave me now…"
She looked around frantically — until her eyes fell on something glimmering in the distance.
A tree, towering and ancient, adorned with sacred threads, red cloths, tridents, and vermillion marks. Beneath it lay a small Shivlinga, half-covered in fallen leaves, but still radiating an aura of peace and power.
Kiara's knees buckled as she reached the shrine. She lowered Yuvaan carefully before the sacred tree, her hands trembling.
"Bholenath…" she whispered, pressing her palms together. "Please… please save him."
Her voice cracked, filled with both love and fear. "He might be a demon… a warlock… but he saved me so many times. He took a dagger for me. He jumped into fire for me. Please — demons don't do that, do they? They don't have hearts!"
Her sobs echoed through the forest. The air grew heavier — the wind whispering through the trees as though the universe itself was listening.
Kiara wiped her tears roughly, her gaze landing on the trident resting against the tree.
Determination flickered in her eyes. "If my faith means anything… if what binds us isn't sin but destiny… then, Bholenath, test me. But don't take him."
Her hand dipped into the vermillion, and she smeared it across her forehead, over her cheeks — the mark of devotion burning bright against her skin. Then, with trembling legs, she stood before the Shivlinga.
The first step of her dance thundered through the earth.
Her anklets jingled, her hair flew wildly as she began a fierce Tandav, the dance of both destruction and prayer. Her tears mixed with the rain as thunder rolled across the sky.
Each step was agony — her feet bleeding from the rough ground — but her rhythm only grew wilder, her body moving as though guided by divine force.
Behind her, the Trident mark on her back began to glow faintly, threads of light spiraling from it like divine fire — the dormant power of Jishwa awakening for the first time.
---
Far away, Varun and Vikram were still scouring the forest, their clothes soaked, eyes frantic.
"Kiara!" Vikram shouted into the wind.
Suddenly, lightning split the heavens. The sky roared, and both men froze.
"What in the world…" Varun murmured, staring upward. "That's… not a storm."
Vikram's eyes darkened with dread. "Something's happening — something divine."
---
Meanwhile, across realms, the dark forces stirred uneasily. The Yakshini looked up at the swirling sky, her eyes narrowing.
"This… this can't be," she hissed. "Why would heaven tremble for a mortal girl?"
But even she couldn't comprehend — Jishwa's first communion with God had begun.
---
In the spirit realm, Yuvaan stood in an endless void, surrounded by the silver glow of departed souls.
He blinked, dazed. "Wow. Didn't even last long this time," he muttered bitterly.
A gatekeeper of souls approached him, voice solemn.
"Once again, you face death, Kaal. Now enter the Pool of Reincarnation, and await your next birth."
Yuvaan sighed and stepped forward — but then froze.
A faint sound reached him — anklets.
He turned around slowly. Through the mist, he saw a vision — Kiara, drenched, furious, divine — performing the Tandav with fire in her eyes and blood on her feet. The earth trembled beneath her steps.
He whispered, awestruck, "Kiara…"
Her voice, fierce and filled with devotion, echoed across both realms:
"If my love is true, bring him back to me, Bholenath!"
---
In the mortal world, Kiara spun one final time and collapsed beside Yuvaan, her tears falling onto his chest.
Her breath came in sobs. "Don't die, please… not like this…"
A drop of her tear glowed as it touched his skin — the glow spreading across his wound. The greenish hue faded, his veins clearing. His heartbeat stuttered… then resumed.
The storm began to calm. The air shimmered faintly as if the gods themselves had exhaled.
Yuvaan gasped, his eyes snapping open. His chest rose with life again — a long, deep breath escaping his lips.
Kiara, trembling, reached for him — and fainted from exhaustion.
"Kiara!" Yuvaan caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her close. His eyes softened as he looked at her peaceful face.
He remembered the fall, her leap after him, her dance, her tears.
"She jumped for me," he whispered. "She brought me back from death…"
He held her tighter, emotion heavy in his voice.
"So this is love… the one power my darkness could never command. My powers couldn't save me… but her love did."
He looked up toward the heavens — the storm clouds now clearing into dawn.
"Maybe," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "maybe love really is stronger than darkness."
The wind stilled. The river murmured softly nearby.
And for the first time, the Warlock King bowed his head — not in defeat, but in reverence to the one who had defied death for him.
To be continued…