Meanwhile, at the Shetty mansion, Kiara stood at the balcony, the night wind tangling her hair around her face. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she tried to make sense of everything—her life had changed so abruptly. The carefree college diva she once was now felt worlds away, replaced by the wife of the warlock king, Yuvaan, whose past was steeped in darkness. Her own family, the Shettys, were Reeva hunters, and the truth about her mother's death—murdered, not an accident—pressed heavily on her heart.
Vikram and Varun approached silently, their presence steady and comforting. Vikram placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, his voice soft but earnest. "Kiara… I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark all these years," he said, his eyes reflecting the weight of untold stories. "It's time you learn the history of our family—everything that has led to this moment."
Kiara took a shaky breath, her gaze lingering on the moonlit horizon. A mixture of fear, grief, and determination swirled within her. She nodded slowly, ready, in her own way, to confront the truths that had been hidden from her.
Vikram and Varun guided Kiara down a narrow spiral staircase hidden behind the towering shelves of the library. Each step echoed softly, swallowed by the heavy shadows that clung to the walls. The air grew cooler, denser, carrying the faint scent of old parchment and wax. When the ancient wooden door at the bottom groaned open, Kiara's eyes widened, taking in the secret basement for the first time.
"What the fudge… this place has been hidden all these years?" she whispered, awe and disbelief lacing her voice. "And I had absolutely no idea?"
Varun's gaze was steady, almost grave. "Even I wasn't fully aware until I was fourteen. Only Dad knew… everything."
Kiara let out a low whistle, her eyes scanning the rows of dusty artifacts and portraits. "Wow… you really know how to keep secrets. And you even kept the fact that Mishka is my cousin from me?"
Vikram placed a hand gently on her shoulder, his touch warm but firm. "I did it to protect you, Kiara. Some truths are dangerous until you are ready to bear them. But now… the time has come. You need to know everything."
They stepped further into the basement, the walls lined with the stern faces of ancestors who had lived and died over a thousand years. Their painted eyes seemed to follow Kiara, silent witnesses to history she had never known. Vikram stopped before the first painting, his voice low, reverent, and echoing in the cavernous chamber.
"These are our ancestors," he began, his eyes sweeping across the gallery. "From a thousand years past, to this very day. Long ago, witches, demons, and all manner of dark forces ravaged the Earth. Back then, the Gods themselves descended in mortal Avatars—Krishna, Ram, and others—to restore balance. But in this Kaliyuga, the Gods no longer walk among us… and yet the darkness has not ended."
He gestured to the intricate, glowing sigils etched into the stone walls, each one humming with a quiet power. "To protect humanity, the Gods blessed certain families with divine knowledge and weapons. They became the Reevavanshi. Our ancestors were among them. They stood as the shield between the innocent and the ever-encroaching darkness."
Vikram's voice grew heavier, burdened with history and sorrow. "When Kaal rose, bringing with him his reign of shadow, even the Reevavanshi struggled. Every dark force coveted the Dark Stronghold, hidden deep within the Dark Abyss, which opens only once every twenty-five years, during the Great Eclipse. Seeing that the Reevavanshi alone could not prevail, the Tridev sent one… one being capable of leading humanity against the darkness."
Kiara's breath hitched. "Who… who was it?"
Vikram's voice fell to a whisper, reverence coating every syllable. "Jishwa."
The name hung in the air like a storm about to break. The shadows of the basement seemed to deepen, pressing closer, as if the ancestors themselves leaned in to witness her reaction. Kiara felt the weight of history settle upon her shoulders—an inheritance of courage, responsibility, and a destiny that now, somehow, belonged to her too.
Vikram led Kiara deeper into the chamber, past rows of ancient weapons and glowing scripts of forgotten languages. Finally, he stopped before a towering portrait draped in a velvet cloth. With a slow breath, he pulled it away.
Kiara's lips parted.
Before her stood the portrait of a woman unlike anything she had ever seen—
Jishwa.
Her form was regal yet ethereal, draped in white-gold attire that shimmered like stardust. The flowing skirt of her lehenga seemed almost alive, painted with strokes that captured both grace and fury. In her hand she held a divine Trident, its three tips glowing as though lit from within.
Even in stillness, the portrait pulsed with sacred power.
Kiara whispered, "She… she looks like light given form."
Vikram nodded, reverence softening his features. "She was. Jishwa wasn't just a warrior—she was God's own gift to the Reevavanshi. Blessed by the Tridev themselves. With her guidance, our ancestors held back Kaal's darkness for centuries."
Varun added quietly, "She was the strongest Reeva to ever walk the Earth."
Vikram's expression darkened as he continued, "But twenty-five years ago… the final war came. Jishwa and Kaal fought for seven nights and eight days. Their powers shook the realms—earth, heaven, hell. And in the end… they destroyed each other."
Kiara stepped closer to the portrait, her fingers trembling as if drawn to the ancient power. "They died?"
"They vowed to return," Vikram corrected, voice low. "Both of them. And they fulfilled their vow. Kaal was reborn as Yuvaan. But Jishwa…"
He hesitated, pain flickering across his face.
"No one knows who she is. No one but one person ever did," Vikram said softly. "Your mother. Kajal."
Kiara's breath hitched—sharp, fragile. "That's why Taamsi murdered her… fifteen years ago."
Her voice broke. "Mom knew the truth. She knew who Jishwa is."
Vikram closed his eyes for a moment, grief and fury tightening his jaw. "Haan, Kiara. Your mother protected a secret that even the darkest forces feared. Taamsi killed her because Kajal refused to reveal the identity of the reborn Jishwa."
The silence that followed was thick—filled with unsaid truths, dangerous possibilities, and one inescapable reality…
Kiara's entire life had been a lie.
And the real story—her story—was only now beginning.