The Kothari family gathered in the living room, their faces etched with worry and curiosity. Veena sat on the sofa, Vihaan beside her, his eyes questioning and tense.
Veena took a deep breath, her eyes locked on Vihaan. "Yes, I told you a half-truth, but now it's time you know everything."
Vihaan's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. What had his mother kept from him? What secrets had been hidden all these years?
Shyom, Urvashi, Yug, and Raani exchanged nervous glances, sensing that something monumental was about to be revealed. Yug and Raani looked puzzled and concerned, while Shyom and Urvashi, the elders, nodded solemnly, their faces grave.
Dadi, seated in her armchair, nodded encouragingly at Veena, patting her hand with quiet understanding. "Tell him, Veena. He deserves to know."
The elders shared a collective seriousness, their faces heavy with the weight of truth.
Veena drew a deep breath, her eyes fixed on Vihaan. "It's true that your father, Ravikant, fell for a bar singer and brought her home, even though he was married to me," she said, her voice steady but sharp. "But what I didn't tell you… is that she was also a witch. Your birth mother."
Vihaan's eyes widened in shock, his mind spinning. Yug and Raani exchanged stunned glances, their faces pale with disbelief.
The room fell silent, save for the heavy breaths of the family. Vihaan's gaze remained locked on Veena, a mix of confusion, shock, and curiosity written across his face.
"I… I'm the son of a witch?" he whispered, voice trembling.
Veena's expression hardened, her voice laced with controlled anger. "Yes!" she said firmly. "Your mother was Kamini, the queen of witches—a powerful Sarpdaayan. That's why I've always hated her and everything she represents. She brought nothing but chaos into our lives."
The tension in the room thickened. Vihaan's mind raced to process the woman he had never met, the bar dancer, the witch, the Sarpdaayan queen… all colliding with the family he knew.
"She bewitched your father, Ravikant," Veena continued, her voice low and sharp. "Made him fall in love with her by pretending to be a bar dancer… that's why I can never forgive any bar dancer."
Vihaan's hands trembled as he absorbed the truth. The mother he had never known, the bar dancer, the witch queen Kamini… it all shattered the reality he thought he understood about his family.
Veena's voice was laced with controlled anger as she revealed the dark past. "Her objective was to bear a child with a human… a child who would be a Sarvansh, a being with power enough to destroy."
Vihaan's eyes widened in shock, the revelation hitting him like a thunderbolt. "And… that child… that child was me?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
Veena nodded slowly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Yes, beta. You were the child she wanted. But when you were born, Kamini realized that you were not what she had expected. You were… different. Far more powerful than she anticipated. She planned to kill you to achieve immortality."
Vihaan flinched, his hands trembling as he tried to process the betrayal.
Veena's expression hardened. "Your father overheard her plans from the bushes. He came to me, revealing not only his affair with Kamini but also the truth—that she was a witch. At first, I hesitated… I didn't want to involve myself. But when I saw a photograph of you, my heart… it skipped a beat. I realized I had to save you—not as his son, but as my son."
Her gaze softened briefly as she looked at him, but the intensity returned immediately. "Then I contacted a friend of mine, a Reevavanshi, a witch hunter. Her name was Vedika. She gave us the Seth Mani, a magical crystal dust capable of weakening any dark force."
Vihaan swallowed hard, his mind struggling to comprehend the events of the past.
Veena continued, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and pride. "Your father, cunning as he was, tricked Kamini into coming to our home, pretending the family would accept her. But when she arrived, we were ready. We attacked her, saved you, and turned her to stone."
The room fell silent as the weight of Veena's revelation settled over Vihaan. He stared at her, a whirlwind of emotions churning inside him—shock, fear, confusion, but also a flicker of gratitude and awe.
Veena's gaze softened ever so slightly. "Beta… that's why I've always been strict with you. I love you, and I will always protect you. But Kamini… she is the darkness that tried to destroy everything we hold dear."