🌑 Inside the Pratap Singh Study —
Books lay scattered across the floor—ancient reeva scriptures, torn manuscripts, leather-bound scrolls Vikram had urgently sent from the Reevavansh archives. The study room looked like a storm had passed through it.
And in the center of that chaos was Kiara.
Her hands trembled as she flipped another brittle page, her breathing sharp and uneven. "No… not this one… not this either…" She tossed a book aside, her voice cracking. "There has to be something. There has to be a way to undo that potion—there has to be—"
But every page she turned said the same thing.
No known reversal.
No known cure.
No return from the Dark Lunar corruption.
Angad stood on the opposite side of the table, going through another stack with growing fear in his eyes. "Di… this is bad. That potion isn't just dark… it's made to erase goodness itself. Whoever consumes it…" He swallowed. "They can't come back."
Kiara froze. Her fingers slid off the page. Her shoulders slumped, her head bowing. Tears finally spilled onto the book beneath her as she whispered, broken, "Then I failed him… I failed my Yuvaan…"
The family, gathered near the doorway, watched helplessly—Bhoomi wiping her tears, Vinod unable to speak, Varun clenching his fists with guilt.
Kiara pushed back from the table and collapsed to her knees, the weight of everything crushing her chest. "Everything I loved… everything we built… gone. How do I save him now? How do I bring him back from—this?"
Her sobs filled the room.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Angad knelt beside her. His eyes were soft, but his voice held a quiet strength—something only a brother-in-law who had watched their love story unfold could have.
"Bhabhi…" he whispered, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Look at me."
Kiara lifted her teary eyes.
"You think you can't save him?" Angad shook his head, almost smiling despite the situation. "You've always saved him."
Kiara's brows drew together, lost.
Angad continued gently, "Do you remember what you did a year ago? When Kalashree—his evil maha-daakini mother—came for him? You didn't even know the extent of your jishwa powers, yet you faced her. You, Kiara. Not an army. Not magic. You."
Her breath hitched.
"And then you fought the cursed old hag Kalapishachi—the one whose death curse was strong enough to wipe out bloodlines." Angad's voice thickened with emotion. "You fought her. Alone. For my brother. And you won."
Kiara blinked, tears falling silently now, her shoulders shaking.
"And you remember Kajal aunty?" Angad whispered. "Her venom… no human survives that. But you jumped between her and Yuvaan without even thinking. You took the snake bite. You almost died." He swallowed hard. "You risked everything because you loved him."
Kiara's fingers curled into the pages beneath her, feeling every memory like a spark in her veins.
"And then…" Angad's voice softened. "You fought Agnishwa Dev himself. A celestial being. You stood between him and this family. You sacrificed your own powers—your birthright—to save us."
He lifted her chin gently.
"You are the strongest person I know, Bhabhi. And I'm telling you… if there is anyone who can bring Yuvaan back… it's you."
Kiara's breathing steadied—slowly, painfully—but the fire returned behind her eyes.
Her tears were still falling, but now there was resolve in them.
Hope.
She whispered, voice trembling but stronger than before, "I won't lose him. Not this time. Not to darkness. Not to fate. I will bring him back."
Angad nodded, a soft smile forming through his own tears.
"That's the Kiara I know."
The family straightened at her words, relief flickering in their expressions as Kiara wiped her tears and stood—still shaking, but standing.
The eclipse outside deepened—shadow crawling across the land.
Time was running out.
🌑 Kaalvansh — The Rise of the Eclipse
The air in Kaalvansh was thick—heavy with ancient magic, the kind that had slept for centuries and was now waking like a beast stretching its limbs.
At the center of the grand hall, Yuvaan knelt inside a complex formation carved into black stone. Runes pulsed beneath him—glowing brighter with every breath he took. Shadows curled around his form like loyal servants, feeding the growing darkness inside him.
His eyes remained closed, steady, unblinking.
Above him, the sky twisted unnaturally. The moon began its slow, ominous crawl across the sun. The eclipse was no longer a cosmic event…
It was his creation.
Every chant he uttered deepened the shadow across the land.
Mohana watched from a distance, her long braid swaying like a restless serpent. The dark glow from the eclipse reflected in her eyes, making them blaze with malice.
She smirked.
"So… my Kaal has finally risen," she whispered to herself. "The war for the dark throne begins."
She stepped closer, careful to avoid the edges of Yuvaan's formation. The raw power radiating from him made the ground tremble faintly. Cracks skittered along the stone floor, like the earth itself feared the eclipse king he was becoming.
Mohana's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"Let him prepare for his eclipse war," she murmured, voice low and hungry. "Let him gather all this darkness… summon the abyss… claim the throne."
Her eyes gleamed with a cunning, selfish intent.
"While he fights the heavens… I will secure what truly matters."
Her fingers tightened around her braid as a cold laugh escaped her throat.
"Kiaan…" she whispered with twisted affection. "That celestial brat holds the potential of a thousand lifetimes. His power will complete me… enhance me… make me stronger than even Kaal himself."
She glanced one last time at Yuvaan—still deep in trance, still summoning the eclipse that would plunge the realms into chaos.
The smirk that touched her lips was pure, victorious evil.
"When I take him… when I drain him… the dark clan will rise higher than ever before."
Her voice dropped, sharp as a blade:
"And this world… will kneel."
Behind her, the sky darkened further—day turning into unnatural night as the eclipse tightened its grip.
To be continued…