Scene – Pratap Singh Mansion, Late Evening
The courtyard shimmered with the soft glow of lanterns, casting long shadows that danced across the marble floor. The scent of incense mingled with the night air, fragrant and calming, yet the atmosphere held an unspoken tension. Bhoomi sneezed, shivering despite the warmth of her shawl.
"Bhoomi Baa, I'll get you another shawl," Kiara said, her voice gentle as she rose from her seat. Her fingers brushed over the soft folds of her saree as she moved toward the staircase, her steps light and cautious. She had no idea that outside the mansion gates, two dark silhouettes waited patiently, eyes gleaming in the dim light.
Betty, face hidden beneath a black veil, whispered to her companion Tulika, whose elongated, predatory eyes scanned the mansion like a hawk.
"This is it," Betty murmured, her voice low and icy. "The Reeva girl. You go after her — I'll make sure the Demon Lord doesn't interfere."
Inside the courtyard, Yuvaan leaned casually against a stone balustrade, arms crossed, his expression amused yet alert. His sharp eyes had already detected the presence of dark magic lingering outside — the subtle, almost imperceptible pulse of malevolence that even normal senses could not catch.
Without anyone watching, Yuvaan silently leaves going out of the mansion where he finds a veiled Betty.
He stepped forward, voice smooth, dripping with sarcasm. "Hmm… is your husband here, have you also kept a fast for him?" he asked mockingly, tilting his head, his tone both playful and dangerous. "Or have you come just to take a moonlit stroll across my humble abode?"
Betty paused for a fraction, taken aback by his audacity, but she quickly masked it with a sly, practiced smile. "Oh… not husband,my King," she said, bowing in a mock obeisance, the words laced with feigned reverence. "I've come… for my King."
Yuvaan let out a low, teasing chuckle, his dark eyes glinting. "Ah, of course," he said, voice dripping with villainous amusement. "Midnight visits, mysterious veils… how utterly… civilized." His smirk stretched slightly, but his senses remained razor-sharp. Every shift in the shadows, every whispered movement, pulled at his awareness.
Upstairs, Kiara quietly entered Bhoomi's room. Her fingers grazed the wardrobe, pulling out the shawl, when a faint, unnatural chill brushed the back of her neck. The hairs on her arms stood on end. She froze. The room seemed to stretch, the corners growing darker, shadows moving with intent. Slowly, she turned, and her breath caught.
Tulika was there. Her daayan form twisted unnaturally, limbs elongating as she crawled up the wall with gecko-like grace. Her eyes burned with malice, her grin sharp and cruel.
Kiara stumbled backward, heart hammering. "No… no, no, no!" she whispered, attempting to flee, but Tulika's braid shot out like a living whip, wrapping around Kiara's neck. The pull was sudden, violent, and unyielding. Kiara's hands reached instinctively toward the mirror — and the glass responded. The surface rippled, alive, sucking at her fingers as though it were a portal hungering for her soul.
"Yuvaan! YUUVAAN!" she screamed, panic shredding her voice.
Outside, Yuvaan's instincts flared. He turned his gaze toward the courtyard, nostrils flaring as the scent of foul intent tickled his senses. "Ah… so that's the plan," he muttered under his breath, dark amusement dancing in his voice. "Daakini you are trying to stall me."
He turned, ready to head to the mansion, but invisible chains shot out from the shadows, wrapping around him. Yuvaan's smirk only deepened. "Really?" he drawled, his voice low and dangerous. With a sudden, brutal jerk, the chains snapped like brittle glass. Betty stumbled back, caught off guard by his strength, her veil slipping slightly to reveal the sharp glint in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Kiara's hands were drawn further into the mirror, trembling as she clawed at the glass. Tulika's form flickered, her malicious grin disappearing into shadows. Kiara's mind raced — she had to survive, but the force was too strong, pulling her closer to a realm she had only glimpsed in nightmares.
From the corridor, Angad's ears caught her screams. His legs moved before his mind could process, bolting toward Bhoomi's room. His eyes widened in disbelief, the impossible sight freezing him for a heartbeat — Kiara being pulled into a mirror, reality bending around her.
"Sister-in-law?!" he stammered, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Angad! Call Yuvaan!" Kiara cried, her voice echoing from the mirror as the pull intensified.
Angad sprinted down the corridor, the distant echo of her screams guiding him. The last glimpses of Kiara were swallowed by the mirror, leaving only ripples across the glass, like ink dropped in water. The shadows thickened, the air grew heavy, and the mansion seemed to hold its breath.