I still remember the night the moon turned blood-red. I was standing on the cliff’s edge, ready to end it all after Champa’s fall and Bansi’s cruelty. The wind howled like the world was mourning with me. Then—light. A shimmering figure emerged from the mist, her eyes glowing like embers. She didn’t speak at first. Just touched my forehead, and warmth flooded through me. When I opened my eyes, Champa stood before me—alive, smiling. I didn’t know then it was Bhanu, the shape-shifting serpent queen, wearing my sister’s face to save me.

Now, weeks later, I live in a mansion I never dreamed of, trained daily by Pritam, the silent warrior who calls me ‘brother’. He says I have a destiny. But tonight, everything changed. Aghori’s poison burns in my veins. I can feel my heart slowing. Bhanu collapsed after sucking it out. Pritam holds us both, whispering ancient mantras. Through blurred vision, I see the temple gates opening in the sky. Aghori laughs, his arms spread beneath the eclipse. ‘Bring me the light,’ he commands, ‘or watch them die.’