The Raichand estate was alive with voices, but in Mukul's private hall the air was tense, heavy with a silence that seemed to press against every wall. Around him stood his fiancées, his cousins, and Avni herself. At the center of it all—Anaya, no longer veiled as the quiet cousin they thought they knew.
Her dark eyes glimmered with the weight of secrets long buried. And finally, she spoke:
"I am not just Anaya Ahir. I am Aralyn Nyx… Mistress of the Ebon Veil."
The words struck like thunder.
Rishika gasped, clutching Diya's hand. Rhea and Kaira exchanged wide-eyed looks of disbelief. Even Varun and Arjun, usually quick to jest, stood frozen. Mukul's fiancées—Vanya, Kiara, Sakura, Aarohi, Liya, and Sirisha—watched with quiet intensity, sensing the magnitude of what was being revealed.
Avni's lips trembled, her eyes clouding with both pride and sorrow. For years, she had wondered what became of her lost daughter. To hear this truth—that the soft-spoken Anaya had become a queen of shadows—was both awe-inspiring and heartbreaking.
Mukul's Quiet Response
Mukul, unlike the others, did not flinch. He simply studied her—his gaze sharp, unreadable, but tinged with something deeper. Perhaps recognition. Perhaps understanding.
"So," he said slowly, his voice steady, "all this time you walked beside me not as Anaya, but as Aralyn Nyx."
Aralyn met his eyes. "I kept the shadows to myself because that was my duty. The Ebon Veil could not be exposed—not even to family. Until now."
Avni's Question
Tears finally spilled down Avni's cheeks as she stepped closer, her hands trembling.
"My daughter… you chose the name Aralyn Nyx to survive, to lead, to carry your master's legacy. But today, standing here as my child, I ask you…" Her voice broke, then steadied with a mother's resolve.
"…Do you wish to keep that name? Or will you return to us—not just as Aralyn, but once more as Anaya? Anaya Avni Raichand."
Her words carried through the room, silencing every breath.
The Turning Point
All eyes turned to Mukul. He stepped forward, placing himself between his mother and his sister, his expression thoughtful.
"Names," he said, "carry both chains and wings. Aralyn Nyx is a name forged in shadows, one you earned with blood and brilliance. But Anaya… Anaya is not a chain. It is a promise. A bond to us. To family. To a future where you no longer walk in the dark alone."
He extended his hand, his eyes softening for the first time. "Keep both, if you choose. Be Aralyn Nyx to the world, and Anaya Avni Raichand to us. The shadows do not erase your light—they prove how brightly you burn."
Aralyn's Decision
For the first time, the woman known as Aralyn Nyx faltered. Her composure cracked. Her body trembled as her lips parted and tears slid down her face.
"Anaya Avni Raichand…" she whispered, testing the name like it was both foreign and familiar. Then, with a voice thick with emotion, she said louder, "Yes. I will be her again. I will be both. I am Aralyn Nyx… but I am also your daughter. Your sister. Anaya Avni Raichand."
Avni pulled her into a desperate embrace, sobbing into her shoulder. The cousins cheered, some with tears streaming down their own faces. Mukul's fiancées exchanged warm smiles, quietly moved by the moment.
And Mukul—standing with the faintest smile and a glimmer of pride—whispered only one word under his breath.
"Welcome home, sister."