Kiara clawed at the shadows squeezing her lungs, panic flooding her veins.
This can't be happening.
Not today.
Not when she had just decided to be brave.
Why is my fate like this? she thought desperately. Why am I always stuck in some cursed dilemma?!
The creatures closed in, their skeletal hands reaching for her face—
And suddenly, a ridiculous memory flashed through Kiara's mind.
A girls' night out.
A horror movie Anya forced her to watch.
A heroine chanting a Chalisa to ward off spirits.
Kiara's eyes widened.
Wait… that actually worked in the movie… right?
It was stupid.
It was desperate.
But right now, desperate was all she had.
Her voice trembled at first, but she forced the words out:
"Jay Ambe Gauri…"
The bhootni froze.
Kiara's voice grew stronger.
"Maiya Jai Shyama Gauri…"
A shriek rippled through the air as the old woman clutched her ears, her form flickering violently.
The child-creature screeched, her cracked skin splitting wider like broken clay.
"STOP!" they roared.
But Kiara stood up—shaking, terrified, but chanting louder.
Each word struck them like fire.
"Nisidin sewak karat, nishdin sewak karat…"
A burst of invisible force exploded outward.
Both bhootnis were flung backward, crashing into the roots and dissolving into swirling black smoke.
The shadows around Kiara shattered like glass.
Her ankles loosened.
Her breath rushed back into her lungs.
Free.
Kiara staggered forward, sprinting through the trees. Branches whipped against her arms, roots clawed at her shoes, but she didn't stop until she reached the edge of the woods.
She pressed her back against a tree, gasping for air, her heart thundering.
"I… I can't believe that worked," she whispered.
Then, with a breathless, hysterical laugh:
"Anya, you absolute angel… forcing me to watch that stupid movie actually saved my life."
She pushed off the tree to leave—
But the ground beneath her trembled.
The forest wind stilled.
And suddenly—
The woods began to turn.
Not the trees.
Not the leaves.
The entire forest rotated with a low, grinding rumble, like a massive wheel trying to shift its place on earth.
Kiara froze.
A circle of black fog spiraled up from the soil, rising like a wall around her.
The exit vanished.
The woods closed in on her from all sides, sealing her inside a spinning labyrinth.
Kiara's breath hitched.
"No, no, no—don't do this—"
But the woods only spun faster, the darkness thickening.
She wasn't free.
Not yet.
Something—
someone—
had activated this trap.
And they wanted her to stay inside.
Pratap Singh Mansion – Study Room
Morning sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the study, casting warm lines across Yuvaan's black-clad form. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, a thick novel open in his lap. His expression was calm, almost serene… which was strange for someone who usually radiated storm energy.
He turned a page with unusual patience.
Just then, the door banged open.
Angad poked his head in. "Bhai, what are you doing?"
Yuvaan looked up slowly, annoyance flickering in his eyes before settling into amusement.
"I'm dancing," he deadpanned. "Of course I'm reading, fool."
Angad stepped closer, eyebrows raised. "True, true. I actually meant—won't you go to college today? And since when did you start reading?"
Before Yuvaan could stop him, Angad snatched the book.
He blinked at the cover.
"Love Between Fairy and Devil?"
Angad's expression turned mischievous. "La la la la la…"
Yuvaan narrowed his eyes. "La la la la my foot. I will slap you—what la la la?"
Angad grinned wider, waving the book tauntingly.
"Come on, bhai. Don't act all nonchalant. You're missing sister-in-law Kiara, and you're wondering if love is possible between a warlock king and a human girl."
Yuvaan corrected instantly, "Reevavanshi."
"Reewa what?" Angad blinked.
Yuvaan snatched the book back with a glare. "Angad, you are really naïve."
Angad folded his arms. "I'm not naïve. You might pretend, but you are eagerly waiting for sister-in-law's response."
Yuvaan's fingers tightened on the book's cover.
A muscle twitched in his jaw.
Angad smirked.
Because the silence said everything.
Meanwhile, back in the forest…
The world around Kiara didn't just sway — it whirled. Trees twisted like they were dancing to some ancient, forbidden rhythm. Leaves spiralled upward instead of down, as if gravity itself was confused.
Kiara planted one hand firmly on her waist, the other bracing against a nearby tree trunk.
"Is my head spinning," she muttered, narrowing her eyes, "or is the forest truly spinning?"
A moment passed. The trees continued to rotate in circles like merry-go-round poles.
She blinked. "No… no, the forest is truly spinning."
Her jaw dropped. "Holy. Moly."
The ground beneath her feet trembled, a faint vibration travelling up her spine. The air shimmered with silver dust—magic, unmistakably ancient and very, very active.
Kiara froze.
"Oh great… this is either a portal opening…" She gulped.
"Or I'm about to meet something I didn't register for on a Wednesday morning."
The spinning grew faster, the trees blurring into streaks of green and brown until the entire forest resembled a giant vortex swallowing light.
Kiara took a step back.
"Yuvaan better not have anything to do with this… or I swear I'll pluck his warlock crown and wear it while grounding him."
A gust of wind whipped her hair back, and suddenly the spinning halted — abruptly, unnaturally — and the forest went dead silent.
Kiara's heartbeat echoed in the quiet.
"…HELLO?" she called out, cautiously. "If anyone magical and creepy is about to appear, can you at least give a girl some warning?"
A faint glow appeared between the trees.
And the real madness began.