The priest's chants grew louder, resonating beneath the vast canopy of the banyan tree. The flames in the havan kund leapt higher, as though the fire itself recognized the weight of the ritual about to take place.
Vihaan reached for the sindoor, his hand trembling slightly as he pinched the vermilion between his fingers. Gauri's tears blurred her vision, but she didn't resist—her heart a storm of anger, fear, and helplessness.
With deliberate care, Vihaan filled the parting of her hair with the sindoor. The crimson streak glowed under the moonlight, a mark that bound her fate to his. Gauri shivered, her chest tightening as if the very act had shackled her soul.
Next, the priest handed Vihaan the mangalsutra, its black beads glinting ominously. He stepped closer, draping it around Gauri's neck with a solemn determination. The chain rested against her skin, heavy with meaning, heavy with inevitability.
The chants quickened, and the priest gestured for them to rise. "Now, take the saat phere around the sacred fire," his voice intoned, echoing like a verdict.
Vihaan clasped Gauri's hand, leading her around the flames. Each step felt like an eternity. Gauri's tears fell silently, soaking the edges of her veil, but she walked beside him, bound by the fear for Charvi's life.
The moonlight intensified, the sigil burning brighter, its sinister glow entwining with the sacred fire. Shadows stretched and twisted across the temple floor, as though unseen forces bore witness to their reluctant vows.
With every circle around the havan kund, the air thickened, vibrating with a strange energy. Gauri's sobs grew heavier, but her voice stayed silent, her pain swallowed by the chants that sealed her destiny.
On the seventh round, the priest raised his hand, declaring, "The bond is complete. Before this sacred tree, beneath the holy moon, you are now husband and wife."
The final words echoed through the night like a prophecy.
Gauri collapsed to her knees, her hands clutching the mangalsutra at her neck as if trying to rip away the fate forced upon her. Vihaan stood above her, his expression torn—relief flashing in his eyes for Yug, but guilt weighing down every breath he took.
The flames roared, and the sigil on the moon pulsed once more, as if acknowledging the union.
And far away, Yug stirred in his bed, his convulsions halting for the first time, a faint breath escaping his lips.
The marriage had been sealed.
As the priest's final words faded into the night, the sigil that had burned ominously across the moon began to flicker. Its dark glow wavered, then slowly dissolved into nothingness, leaving the moon shining pure and unmarked once more.
The family in the Kothari mansion, who had been huddled in fear, rushed to the windows. Urvashi clasped her hands in relief, her voice trembling, "The sign… it's gone!" Dadi exhaled shakily, whispering prayers of thanks, while Shyom held Veena protectively. The oppressive weight in the air lifted, as though the household had been freed from an unseen grip.
But far away, in the depths of the witch island, chaos rippled through the coven.
The daayans gathered under the shadow of the Daayan Vriksh, their long black hair swaying unnaturally as the sigil above them sputtered out. Nishi's eyes widened in fury, her crimson pupils glowing like embers.
"No…" she hissed, her nails digging into her palms. "The sigil should not have disappeared!"
One of the daayans, her voice shrill, asked fearfully, "What does this mean, Nishi? Has the ritual been broken?"
Nishi's gaze snapped toward the unconscious figure bound against the gnarled trunk of the Daayan Vriksh. Adrija's body hung limply in the ropes, her forehead marred with scratches from the witches' binding spells.
But instead of satisfaction, dread clawed its way into Nishi's chest. Her lips curled into a snarl as realization struck.
"She isn't the real Jalpanchi…" Nishi spat, her voice trembling with rage. "We captured the wrong girl."
The other witches gasped, their whispers filling the clearing like hissing serpents. "Not the Jalpanchi? But then… who did the warrior marry?"
Nishi's glare burned hotter, her fury shaking the very air. She raised her hands, dark energy spiraling around her in violent currents. "It's Vihaan… Vihaan Kothari has married the true Jalpanchi!"
Her eyes gleamed with vengeful fire as she stepped closer to Adrija's unconscious body, her voice venomous. "And because of my blunder, their union is now sealed in sacred fire. The powers I sought to destroy… are stronger than ever."
The other daayans shrieked in dismay, their voices echoing across the island.
The Daayan Vriksh groaned, its branches trembling, as if even it sensed the tide turning against them.
Nishi's smirk slowly returned, twisted and deadly. "No matter. If Jalpanchi has been wedded… then her bond with Vihaan will be her greatest weakness. And I will rip it apart, even if I must burn this world to ash."
The witches chanted behind her, their cries of rage rising like a storm.
And on the distant temple grounds, Gauri still wept under the banyan tree, unaware that her forced marriage had set in motion a battle far darker than she could imagine.