The air grew thick, humming with an unseen force.
The road that had been silent moments ago now vibrated with a low, unholy rumble.
Inside the car, Kiara's heart hammered. The seatbelt tightened around her chest as the ground swallowed the tyres inch by inch.
"Yuvaan!" she screamed, pounding the glass, her breath fogging the window.
Claustrophobia clawed at her chest — the confined space, the sinking motion, the earth pressing closer — she could barely breathe.
Outside, Yuvaan froze, his sharp senses buzzing. His pupils flared crimson, and a wave of rage rolled off him like heat from fire.
"No one touches her," he growled — but this time, it wasn't just fury. It was fear.
In an instant, he thrust his arms into the air above the half-buried car. The ground cracked, gravel shattering like glass. A surge of dark energy coursed through his veins, his body glowing faintly with infernal light.
With an inhuman roar, he planted both hands beneath the car and lifted — the soil and metal groaning in protest.
The vehicle rose, suspended in the air like a feather in his grip. The sinking earth stilled.
He flung the door open — and Kiara stumbled out, gasping, her skin slick with sweat, eyes wild with panic.
Yuvaan caught her before she fell.
"Breathe, Kiara… you're okay. You're safe," he murmured, his voice trembling despite his strength.
She clutched his shirt, burying her face in his chest.
Her breath steadied against his heartbeat, the same chest that once held shadows — now her only refuge.
For a fleeting second, the world went quiet.
No magic, no darkness — just a warlock and his wife, clinging to each other under a bruised sky.
The mansion gates creaked open as Yuvaan strode out, his jaw tight with barely restrained rage.
Kiara had gone upstairs, shaken but safe — and that was all that mattered.
In his haste, his phone slipped from his pocket, landing on the marble path with a soft thud.
Unnoticed, a pair of slender hands picked it up.
Aish smirked faintly, the phone's reflection gleaming in her eyes.
"Soon…Yuvaan you will be mine," she whispered before disappearing into the shadows.
---
Meanwhile, deep in the cursed forest, Yuvaan's boots crushed the earth with every furious step. The trees bowed, their leaves trembling as if aware of the storm brewing in his aura.
When he reached the clearing, he slammed his fist into the ground — a shockwave cracked the soil open, sending dark fumes swirling into the air.
"Show yourself!" his voice echoed like thunder.
"I command you — in the name of Kaal!"
From the swirling mist emerged a shape — the Shadow Witch, her body woven from smoke and bone, her eyes glowing with ancient malice. "You summon me, my king, and yet you speak with such anger?" she crooned. "All this… for a girl of the enemy clan?"
Yuvaan's jaw clenched, his eyes igniting a deep red. "How dare you lay a finger on Kiara!" he growled. "She is my wife!"
The witch laughed — a hollow, metallic sound that shook the trees. "You forget yourself, Kaal reincarnate. You were born of darkness. Love is an illusion — a disease that will rot your power. If she weakens you, she must perish. That is my duty."
Yuvaan stepped closer, his aura flaring — dark fire snaking around him like living smoke. "Your duty ends today," he said, voice low and dangerous. "If you or any of your kind dare touch her again… I will destroy the Kaal Vansh with my own hands."
The forest fell silent. Even the shadows recoiled. For the first time in centuries, darkness itself feared its king.
The Shadow Witch's grin faltered. "You will regret this rebellion, my lord."
"I already do," Yuvaan muttered, his voice softer now, heavy with the conflict of two worlds. He turned away, his figure vanishing in a storm of black mist.
---
Scene: Pratap Singh Mansion – Night
Kiara sat by the window, her hair still damp from the shower, the silver moonlight reflecting in her worried eyes. The night was quiet — almost too quiet. Her mind replayed the day — the car sinking, the suffocating darkness, and then Yuvaan's hands pulling her to life.
Where could he have gone now? she thought, pacing.
She picked up her phone, dialing his number with trembling fingers. It rang once. Twice. Then, finally, a click.
"Yuvaan?" she breathed.
But it wasn't his voice that answered.
"Hey, Kiara." The tone was sugary, casual — Aish's.
Kiara's heart sank. "Aish? Why do you have Yuvaan's phone?"
A faint chuckle came through. "Because he's with me, sweetheart. We're just… catching up like old friends."
Before Kiara could respond, the line went dead.
She froze, the phone slipping from her hand. The words echoed in her head — he's with me.
Her chest tightened. After everything… after risking my life for him… he's with her?
The clock ticked in the background, the sound deafening in the silence of her heartbreak. She turned toward the window — the moonlight now seemed cold, distant.
In that moment, somewhere deep inside, the fire of love and the ache of betrayal burned together — a dangerous combination that destiny had only just begun to stir.