Vihaan's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. His eyes, a lethal swirl of gold and crimson, bore into Gauri. A cruel smirk tugged at his lips.
"Give up, Gauri," he said, voice like steel. "No matter what you do, no matter how hard you fight… I will always win. You are nothing against me, against Sarvansh."
For a long moment, silence hung over the battlefield. Ash swirled in the air like mourning spirits for the lives lost. Gauri's gaze lowered, her silver-blue lightning tattoo pulsating faintly against her arm—a heartbeat of defiance.
Then, slowly, painfully, she rose. Every motion radiated resolve, a quiet yet overwhelming force. Her eyes glimmered with unwavering fire. The Dev Dhanush materialized in her hands, glowing as if recognizing its true wielder once again.
"I will never give up," she said, voice steady but echoing through the world. "Not without a fight."
Vihaan laughed, a cruel, dark sound that sent tremors through the shattered earth. "A fight? You? Against me? You're delusional, Jalpanchi—or whatever name you call yourself now."
Gauri ignored him. She lifted the Dev Dhanush skyward, eyes closing, lips murmuring an invocation to the Tridev. She called upon the power of Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, her heart steady, her mind unwavering. The storm above responded.
Lightning tore through the sky, and suddenly the heavens themselves seemed to open. A torrent of divine lightning bolts rained down toward Vihaan, a celestial judgment forged from love, loss, and unwavering faith.
Vihaan swung the Agni Talwar with all his might, trying to deflect the storm, but the power of the Dev Dhanush was no ordinary force. Sparks flew, the talwar cracked, and with a final, deafening shatter, the blade broke. Vihaan stumbled, wounded, falling to one knee as the lightning struck mercilessly around him.
Gauri's chest heaved as the rain of arrows approached, sharp, deadly, unstoppable—but then she moved. She stepped forward, arms outstretched, and the arrows froze midair. With a burst of divine will, she held them at bay—shielding Vihaan, the very man who had sought to destroy her, who had tried to end her life countless times.
Vihaan's eyes widened. Confusion rippled across his face. "Why… why are you protecting me?" he whispered, almost disbelieving. "After everything… after all the death… all the pain?"
Gauri let the Dev Dhanush fall from her hands with a soft thud. She stepped closer, her voice gentle but unwavering.
"Because I trusted in love," she said. Tears glimmered on her cheeks, but her eyes blazed with sincerity. "Because I… I lost in love, Sarvansh. I couldn't kill the one I loved, even if you became my enemy. Even if it meant the world was against me."
Her words hit him like a tidal wave. His chest tightened, and for the first time, Sarvansh—the demon within Vihaan—stirred uneasily.
"Love… is the greatest power," she continued, her voice echoing like a song through the ruined battlefield. "It binds, it protects, it redeems… it never seeks to destroy. I don't want your destruction. I don't want powers. I want your love. I want the love we share, the family's love, the bonds that make us human."
She took a step closer, reaching out. Gauri wrapped her arms around him, her embrace warm, defiant, and yet gentle. Vihaan froze, completely unprepared for this act of mercy, the emotions he had buried for so long pressing against his heart.
Gauri pulled back slightly, looking up into his bewildered eyes. "I am testing you, Sarvansh," she said softly, yet with an unwavering edge. "I want to see… if love is truly weak. If you can strike me down, if you can overcome this mercy, then I will understand. But if you cannot—then perhaps even you can change."
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to still. The wind held its breath. Even the lightning above dimmed slightly, as if waiting for the answer that only Sarvansh could give.
Vihaan's face twisted—conflict and confusion battling with the demon he had become. And Gauri… Rishva… stood there, resolute, unwavering, the embodiment of courage and love, challenging him in the most dangerous way possible: not with a weapon, but with her heart.
The pedestal stood ominously in the middle of the ruined courtyard, thick creepers coiling around Gauri like living chains. Sarvansh—Vihaan consumed by the demon—loomed over her, the Agni Talwar glowing ominously in his hand. Charvi and Adrija were frozen nearby, their tears streaking their faces, helplessness written in every trembling motion.
Gauri's eyes, though bound, shone with determination. She whispered, almost inaudibly, a single word that carried more power than any spell could: "Love."