The family stood shoulder to shoulder, the glow of the torches flickering across their determined faces. The air crackled with tension — the serpent queen's golden eyes watched them lazily, a cruel smirk tugging at her lips.
"Get ready," Vihaan warned, though his powers still refused to answer his call.
At once, Sharda raised her crossbow, Yug and Shyom cocked their shotguns, Urvashi aimed her pistol, Gauri gripped her dagger tightly, and Dadi lifted the sacred urn of Ganga jal. Their movements were perfectly synchronized — a single heartbeat of unity against the darkness.
"Now!" Sharda shouted.
The weapons flew through the air, bullets, arrows, and silver blades gleaming as they sped toward Kamini. For a brief, glorious moment, it felt like light itself had risen against the witch.
Kamini, still seated on her serpent throne, merely raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
The sound echoed through the hall like a crack of thunder.
In an instant, every weapon froze midair — the crossbow's bolt, the bullet shells, even Gauri's dagger — suspended, shimmering, and utterly motionless. The air itself seemed to shatter with the strain of her power.
The family stared, eyes wide, their courage clashing with disbelief.
Kamini tilted her head, the smile never fading. "Oh dear," she said softly. "Did you really think human toys could harm me?"
With another flick of her wrist, the weapons turned to dust, falling harmlessly to the floor like ash.
Gauri's voice broke the silence. "You… you monster."
Kamini rose slowly from her throne, her serpent braid swaying behind her, eyes burning gold. "Monster?" she purred. "No, my dear. I'm your end."
The hall darkened, wind swirling, and the serpentine symbols on the floor began to glow faintly beneath their feet.
Kamini's laughter rippled through the hall — cold, mocking, and sharp enough to pierce through courage itself. The dust of their shattered weapons still floated in the air like dying sparks.
"Did you truly believe," she drawled, her voice echoing unnaturally, "that mere weapons could destroy me?"
She stepped down from her serpent throne, her silver ornaments clinking like chains in a crypt. Each step she took left faint scorch marks on the marble floor.
"You stand before Kamini, the Queen of Darkness," she declared, spreading her arms wide. The wind howled through the hall, rattling the windows. "Your arrows, your bullets, your sacred water — all of them crumble before my breath!"
A surge of black energy swirled around her feet, her serpentine braid hissing as if alive. The ground trembled under her power.
Gauri clutched her dagger's hilt tighter, her voice shaking yet firm. "We won't let you harm anyone again. You may call yourself a queen, but even darkness has an end."
Kamini's eyes gleamed gold, a grin twisting across her face. "And yet it's always darkness that survives the longest, child. You are all so fragile… clinging to light that flickers at my touch."
Dadi's trembling hand tightened around the urn of Ganga jal. "Your arrogance will be your undoing, Kamini. Evil never wins for long."
Kamini tilted her head and smirked. "Perhaps. But it wins long enough to destroy fools who defy it."
The serpents carved into her throne began to slither down, their jeweled eyes glowing crimson as they formed a circle around her — a living crown at her feet.
The family backed away as the ground pulsed with black fire.
Kamini raised her hand toward Vihaan. "Now, my son," she said mockingly, "watch as your real family meets their fate."
Kamini's golden eyes glowed like twin embers in the dark, her voice dripping with false affection.
"Vihaan," she said softly, almost tenderly, "I'll give you one last chance. Come with me willingly… and I shall spare them. A son belongs beside his mother."
Vihaan lifted his head, his gaze unwavering even as his heart thudded painfully in his chest. "My place," he said, his voice breaking slightly, "is with my family — where love isn't a weapon."
Kamini's expression froze for a moment before twisting into an icy smile. "Ah… such poetic words." Her tone darkened, venom dripping with every syllable. "But when children refuse to listen to their mothers… they must be punished."
Veena gasped, clutching Vihaan tightly. "No! You won't touch my son!" Her tears fell freely as she spread her arms protectively, her trembling body shielding him from Kamini's wrath.
Gauri's fingers clung to Vihaan's hand, her eyes glistening with fear and helpless determination. Yug and Charvi exchanged anxious glances, each second stretching like eternity as Kamini's power thickened the air.
Still seated on her serpent throne, Kamini slowly raised her hand to the side. The air crackled, shimmering with dark energy. In an instant, black daggers materialized in the air — sleek, humming, and dripping with shadow.
Kamini smirked, her golden eyes reflecting the swirling blades. "So be it," she murmured. "If you will not walk to your mother… your mother's wrath will come to you."
The daggers began to spin around her in a deadly circle, each one aimed straight at the Kothari family.
Gauri's heart pounded as she stepped forward, shouting, "No! Stop!"
But Kamini's smile only widened.
To be continued…