Aarohi's body lay still beneath the gnarled banyan roots.
But her soul… was somewhere else.
She floated in a void — black as ink — as whispers surrounded her.
"You shouldn't have entered the temple…"
"He tricked you…"
"The one you love wears two faces."
Suddenly, she saw two silhouettes emerge — both Ishaan.
One with kind eyes.
The other with bleeding ones.
She screamed, "Who are you?!"
🌪️ The Ritual Room
Meanwhile, deep inside the Nidhivan forest, Vrinda unlocked the last gate of the underground chamber: a room soaked in ashes, oils, and old mantras etched in blood.
At the centre — a single chamber mirror.
"Show me the truth," she whispered.
In the mirror — young Aarohi.
And behind her — the Devi of Roots. Watching. Smiling.
Then the mirror cracked… and showed Vrinda's own face.
"It was never Aarohi… it was always you."
She fell to her knees.
"Then… I'm the next vessel?"
🐍 The Reveal of Ishaan
Back in the void, Aarohi came face to face with Ishaan. But now… he was shedding skin — literally.
Like a snake.
His voice deepened.
"You weren't supposed to follow me past midnight."
His irises turned gold — just like the Naag Vansh symbols she had seen in Vrinda's diary.
"You're… not human?" she whispered.
"No," he said, solemnly. "I'm the Last Guardian of Kalchakra. And you? You're the key."
🕉️ Vrinda's Confession
Vrinda sat down by the sacred fire.
She whispered to the flames:
"Forgive me, Aarohi… I hid the truth because I thought love might save us."
She dropped a worn-out parchment into the flames.
On it were two names again:
Aarohi (Yogini)
Ishaan (Naagantak)
And a line underneath:
If they love, time shall die. If they fight, only one survives.
Vrinda cried.
Because she knew the final chapter wasn't written by fate.
It would be written by them.
🔚 Ending Hook
Aarohi opens her eyes — now lying on the forest floor.
Ishaan stands over her, a golden symbol glowing on his chest.
He reaches out his hand.
"Come with me," he says.
"It's time to choose — love me, or destroy me. There is no third path."
And above them, the trees of Nidhivan start to whisper again.
"Dwandva will decide."