The battlefield had fallen into a wounded silence.
Dust drifted like dying embers in the air, settling slowly over shattered weapons, torn flags, and the broken bodies of the Reevavanshi warriors. The earth itself seemed exhausted—cracked, trembling, as if it had suffered too much.
Vikram lay on his side, chest rising in sharp, painful jerks. His vision blurred at the edges, but he forced it to stay open. Varun, bleeding from his forehead, crawled toward him inch by inch, dragging a leg that barely responded. Every wince from his son twisted Vikram's heart deeper than his own wounds.
And then—
Bootsteps.
Unhurried. Heavy. Cold.
Each step echoed like a countdown across the devastated valley.
Yuvaan—no longer the man they knew—emerged through the swirling eclipse fog. His walk was almost lazy, almost regal, as if he were strolling through a kingdom he already owned. His eyes were obsidian, bottomless, drinking in Vikram's pain like a wine he had been starved of.
Behind him, the dark abyss churned wider and wider, its vortex swallowing the sky.
Yuvaan crouched beside Vikram with a slowness that felt like torture in itself.
He tilted his head, a mockery of gentleness—like a predator pausing to admire its prey.
"Guess what, Vikram Reevavanshi…?"
His voice was soft. Too soft. Deadly soft.
"Your sacred mantra, the one your clan clung to like breath… I can break it."
A pause.
A cruel, savoring pause.
He leaned closer, his shadow falling over Vikram's face.
"Because I am bound to Kiara—your daughter."
The words slid like poison into the air.
A strangled breath escaped Vikram's throat.
Varun froze mid-crawl, horror draining the last color from his face.
Slowly, with the unhurried ease of a king reclaiming his throne, Yuvaan rose to his feet.
Dark magic rippled through his arm.
A sword—formed from shadows thick as tar—manifested in his hand with a low, guttural roar.
"But before I rewrite your sacred laws," he murmured, voice cooling into steel,
"I want to send a message."
He raised the blade higher—inch by excruciating inch.
"A reminder of what happens when Reevavanshis stand against me."
Vikram's breath trembled.
His eyelids lowered.
And in that instant, memories flickered through the darkness:
Kiara's tiny hand tugging his beard…
Varun taking his first aim with a bow…
Kajal's laughter echoing through their old home…
Little Kiaan's smile when Vikram lifted him up…
A lifetime, collapsing into one final heartbeat.
"DAD!!!"
Varun's voice tore through the valley, raw and breaking.
Yuvaan swung—
CLAAAAAAAAAAANG!
The impact split the silence.
A Trident—blazing with divine light—struck the dark sword so forcefully it spun out of Yuvaan's grip, slicing through the air before crashing into a distant boulder.
For a moment, no one moved.
Not a warrior.
Not a shadow.
Not even the wind.
The eclipse fog shuddered… then began to peel away in slow rolling waves, like curtains drawn back by unseen hands.
Heads turned—Reevavanshi and Kaal Vansh alike—toward the ridge of the mountain.
Light—soft at first, then swelling—bloomed across the stones.
And then…
Kiara stepped into view.
She descended from the mist like a vision carved of moonfire.
Her white-golden gown shimmered with every breath of wind, catching the dim light of the eclipse and turning it into something sacred. The burning Trident mark beneath her shoulder glowed through the fabric, alive, pulsing like a beating heart.
The family stood behind her in a unified, unbroken line:
Chandrika clutching Kiaan protectively,
Bhoomi with a bow so steady it looked like part of her arm,
Susheela gripping her blade with white-knuckled resolve,
Aakash bracing himself with determination shadowing his jaw,
Vinod leveling his shotgun with calm fury,
Angad's stance fierce, unwavering, lit by a fire that matched his sister-in-law's.
The last of the eclipse smoke dissolved, revealing Kiara fully—every step of hers weighted with divine purpose.
Yuvaan's eyes widened—just slightly—before softening into a slow, dangerous smirk.
"So," he murmured, the sound echoing through stone and silence alike,
"the Jishwa finally arrives."
Kiara didn't flinch.
Her breath didn't break.
Her gaze didn't waver.
Both armies held still, caught in the breath between lightning and thunder.
The sky hovered, suspended.
The earth waited.
Because the true war… had only just stepped into the light.
Kiara leaps from the mountain peak, descending like a streak of celestial light. She lands with divine grace, the earth beneath her feet rippling with power.
Vikram and Varun's eyes widen—relief flooding their wounded faces.
Kiara raises her hand. A surge of white-gold energy bursts from her palm.
Vikram and Varun are pulled toward her in a smooth telekinetic sweep, their bodies weightless in her aura.
The moment her hands touch them, a radiant glow blooms.
Their wounds seal.
Their strength returns.
Their pain evaporates.
The battlefield falls silent—both Kaal Vansh and the battered Reevavanshi warriors staring in disbelief.
Kiara lifts her gaze to Yuvaan, her eyes burning with a brilliance he has never seen before.
To be continued…