He walked to the closet. "I had to do all that because I couldn't let him harm my bhai." Krishav opened his sherwani. "But, where the hell is this Veeransh?"
* * *
*2:30am, elsewhere in forest*
The skeletal remains of the palace still stood intact even after 37 years. Its crumbling ivy-covered walls and humanoid statues gave the entire place the appearance of a nightmare. A figure moved through the deserted hallway before stopping in front of that same portrait of the Raja.
"Bhai…" Tamas whispered, his fingers brushing gently against the painting. "Don't worry. We'll bring back our rakt kumbh from those Singhanias." He slowly turned away from the portrait and stepped out in the open night sky. Silver moonlight fell across his unnaturally pale skin while dark veins spread visibly beneath it. His sharp canines slowly extended further from his mouth. Then his eyes turned deep blood red.
"No," he said in a raspy voice. "We cannot let our plan fail this early."
A sudden crash echoed from outside the palace as one of the massive dead trees crashed down. Tamas' attention shifted instantly towards that sound. Then came the sharp echo of footsteps against the ancient marble floor.
"My child is here." Tamas smiled.
And another figure emerged from the darkness of the corridor, dressed in a long black coat with a hood shadowing the face. Tamas stared and a smile spread across his face.
"My child…" he murmured. "You came, Jhanvi."
The figure slowly lifted the hood back. Long dark hair spilled over pale shoulders. Blood red eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight, and her face was fully visible.
"Baba…" she said as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Tamas tightly. He embraced her immediately. "Jhanvi beta," he said softly while holding her shoulders. "Are you alright?"
Jhanvi slowly pulled away from the hug, but fury burned in her expression. "Alright?" she said bitterly. "I'm mad and losing my mind. Our plan was going perfectly," she hissed. "And then Krishav married that stupid Veeransh."
Tamas turned to face her. "Par beta…" he asked slowly, "who exactly is this Veeransh?"
"Baba…" Jhanvi's voice echoed. "Veeransh is Pawan Sharma's son. Pawan was one of the Singhanias' most trusted men. Dead now, unfortunately."
"Well," Tamas said coldly, "that is unfortunate for him."
Jhanvi let out a bitter laugh and turned away. "Right now, I don't feel bad for anyone. That Veeransh ruined everything. Krishav was supposed to marry me."
Tamas studied her carefully. "It's not like you actually loved him."
"No," Jhanvi admitted without hesitation. "But after marrying Krishav, I would've gained complete ownership and access to the Singhania estate. Everything was going according to plan."
Tamas folded his hands behind his back and slowly walked across the ruined corridor. "But now Krishav has married Veeransh instead. Which means he might inherit everything." His red eyes shifted toward her. "Yet you said Krishav loved you."
"That's exactly what's confusing me," Jhanvi muttered darkly.
For a moment, silence filled the palace. Then Tamas spoke again.
"Regardless, we'll find another way into that family. All these years of keeping you away from me… all those years of sacrifice… they cannot go to waste now."
Jhanvi's expression hardened instantly. "Yes, Baba." Hatred burned in her eyes. "I will destroy the Singhanias for what they did to my mother."
Tamas stopped near one of the pillars. "That night… 37 years ago…" he said slowly, "those humans murdered your mother brutally. She was just protecting the rakt kumbh. And, that very night, she was finally supposed to take her human form."
"I'll never forgive them," Jhanvi said bitterly. "Those eight people crushed her skull like she was nothing." Her voice cracked with both rage and grief. "You have no idea what it felt like watching her die… my mother…"
Tamas immediately stepped toward her and pulled her close. "My child…" he murmured softly while stroking her hair. "You have suffered enough."
Jhanvi slowly sat down upon the broken staircase nearby. "And those hunters…" she muttered.
Tamas gave a low, mocking chuckle. "You mean your 'parents'?" he asked sarcastically.
Jhanvi's eyes flashed violently red again. "They are not my parents." The black veins in her throat were fully visible. "After those humans stole the rakt kumbh, our rakt pishach clan lost much of its strength." Her gaze lifted towards the giant portrait. "But we belong to the royal bloodline, so our powers still remained."
Tamas nodded slowly. "The rakt kumbh once protected our people from hunters," he said grimly. "But after it was stolen, our kind became prey."
Jhanvi's lips curled into a dark smile. "That's why I killed the real Jhanvi Suri five years ago in a car accident," she confessed. "And took her face for myself."
Tamas looked at her for several long moments before speaking, "You know our kind can only possess one human form. Yet you still chose her face."
"Anything for revenge," Jhanvi answered without remorse.
Tamas smiled faintly at her words. "My child…" He slowly walked back towards the painting. "After my elder brother's death," He said quietly, "you and I are the only remaining carriers of the royal pishach bloodline."
Jhanvi looked up at the raja. "But Baba… you never told me how Bade Papa died."
"He fell in love with a human," Tamas said. "Neither humans nor pishach accepted their relationship. So they killed his lover. And after losing her… my brother could not survive the grief. So... he ended his own life."
Jhanvi looked away slowly. "The forbidden love…"
Tamas nodded. "My mother used to say they had a son together." He paused for a second. "A child born from both human and pishach blood. A living violation of nature itself. But nobody ever found the boy." His eyes shifted toward Jhanvi again. "So now, you must continue our royal bloodline."
Jhanvi lowered her gaze respectfully. "Yes, Baba. After I finish my revenge… I'll remember my duty."
"Good girl." Tamas placed a hand against her head. "But revenge alone is not enough." He turned toward the moonlit horizon. "How will you enter into that family now? Veeransh has taken your place."
"My instincts are telling me to kill him tonight," she hissed. "That Veeransh destroyed everything."
Tamas looked at her. "No." His tone became commanding instantly. "You must become part of that family first. I sensed it too in that villa. The rakt kumbh is hidden somewhere inside the Singhania villa."
Jhanvi slowly nodded. "Yes, Baba."
"Good." Tamas turned away from her. "Keep informing me about everything happening inside that house." His lips curled. "Meanwhile, I will destroy Krishav's company piece by piece." His eyes gleamed with vengeance. "I want the Singhanias humiliated before the entire world too."
Jhanvi smiled darkly. "And tonight, I'll finish my 'parents'.
Tamas nodded. And after that, Jhanvi suddenly leapt upward onto the broken corridor railing with inhuman speed. The force of her jump cracked the old stone beneath her feet. Within seconds, her figure vanished across the ruined palace walls.
Tamas turned towards the painting. "Devvrat Bhai…" he smirked devilishly. "I cannot allow the real truth to come out that easily."
* * *
At the villa, anxiety was bubbling in Sonia as she paced the room. Every second she glanced at the clock and it rose her anxiety more. She looked at Yogesh. "Yogesh, it's four in the morning. Where is Jhanvi?" she asked sharply.
Yogesh looked up from his phone, trying to stay calm. "Maybe she went to clear her head—"
"Without telling anyone?" Sonia interrupted. "That girl never disappears like this. She isn't answering my phone either."
"Why are you so tensed? Our beti will come back. She's an adult and she needs some time." Yogesh said typed something in his phone.
Sonia sat on the bed. "My daughter.... Where has she been?" She looked at Yogesh and spoke up, "These Singhanias are no good. First Ayesha and now Jhanvi. They made both my daughters to suffer. I'll never forgive them, especially that Lalita and Krishav."
Yogesh glanced and rubbed his nose. "Dekho Sonia, you can't say like that to them. Do you even know how much profit we got from living with them?" He stood up and walked to Sonia, "Because of that kumbh, not only Singhanias but anyone around them gets the luck of eternity. That is the vase of prosperity."
"I don't know anything. We still hunt those vampires right?"
"Because, we are hunters. Our ancestors started hunting these rakt pishach so that one day, they could find that rakt kumbh." Yogesh sat and caressed Sonia's cheeks.
"Sonia, get ready for tomorrow. We're taking our daughters on a hunt."
"Are you sure about this, Yogesh?" Sonia asked worriedly. "They're still young."
"Yes," he replied. "Our daughters need something to channel their anger into." He turned toward Sonia. "Teaching them hunting is the best thing for them and for us."
Sonia sighed before stepping closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you're right," she admitted quietly. "After everything that happened… perhaps this will help them heal."
Before Yogesh could answer—
"Mama?"
The sudden voice made both of them freeze. Sonia and Yogesh immediately turned toward the door of the room. And, Jhanvi stood there.
"Jhanvi!" Sonia rushed toward her instantly and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Beti, where were you? Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Yogesh stepped forward too. "Your mother has been panicking for hours," he scolded. "At least answer your phone next time."
"I just went to clear my mind," Jhanvi said. Something about her voice was strange and Yogesh sensed it.
Sonia finally pulled away from the hug and cupped her daughter's face. "You scared us."
For a second, Jhanvi simply stared at her.Then—
A sharp metallic sound sliced through the flesh as Sonia's eyes widened. A knife had buried itself deep into her stomach. The breath caught in her throat as blood immediately began staining her saree as she stumbled a bit.
"Sonia!" Yogesh froze completely.
Jhanvi slowly twisted the knife deeper without a revengeful emotion on her face.
Sonia cried out painfully. "Jhanvi…" she said weakly, unable to understand what was happening. "W-what are you doing…?"
Then Jhanvi shoved her backward violently. Sonia collapsed against the floor, clutching her bleeding wound and trying to pull the knife out. "SONIA!" Yogesh shouted and rushed toward Sonia. But before he could reach her, Jhanvi kicked him hard against the chest with unnatural force. Yogesh crashed backward into the wooden table.
Jhanvi stepped into the bedroom and locked the door.
Yogesh stared at her in horror now.
"Jhanvi…" he breathed heavily. "What the hell is wrong with you?! WHY DID YOU KILL—"
Jhanvi turned sharply at him and threw the nearby flower vase at his head. Yogesh screamed in pain and blood started dripping from his head.
And then they saw it. Jhanvi's skin had become unnaturally pale. Dark veins spread beneath her throat and jaw while her eyes glowed a horrifying shade of blood red.
Sonia's entire body trembled. "No…"
A dark smile slowly spread across Jhanvi's lips. "Jhanvi?" she repeated mockingly. "That girl died five years ago."
The words shattered the room into silence. Yogesh gripped his head. "What…?"
"I killed your precious daughter in that accident," she said calmly. "And I took her place."
Sonia broke into horrified sobs. "No… no…" she cried weakly while crawling backward across the bloodstained floor. "You're lying…"
"But I must thank you both," Jhanvi continued while stepping closer slowly. "You raised me so lovingly. Even while hunting my own kind."
Yogesh's expression twisted with rage and horror. "You're one of them…."
"A rakt pishach," she said with a smirk.
Suddenly, Yogesh grabbed the iron lamp from beside him and swung it toward her. But Jhanvi moved faster than humanly possible. And within seconds, she appeared directly in front of him.
Yogesh's eyes widened. "How—"
Jhanvi grabbed his throat, her nails piercing his skin as blood gushed out and then, slammed him against the wall hard. "You hunters are pathetic," she hissed near his face.
Sonia cried helplessly from the floor. "Please… leave him…"
Jhanvi's glowing eyes slowly shifted toward her. "Leave him alone?" Then her expression darkened with pure hatred. "Did you people leave my mother alone 37 years ago?"
The room fell deathly silent. Tears streamed down Sonia's face. Realization slowly hit Yogesh. "That woman.... yo-you are her daughter..."
"Yes." Jhanvi finally released Yogesh, letting him collapse breathlessly onto the floor.
"My mother died protecting the rakt kumbh while your people crushed her skull like animals." Her voice shook with fury now. "And ever since that night… I've waited for revenge." Winds from outside sent the curtains flying.
"And tonight, your punishment finally begins."
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣
Guide:
Chhaliya - deceitful
beta - here as child
Par - But
rakt kumbh - vase containing blood
Bade Papa - father's elder brother
Dekho - look