The ritual had ended, but the flame of the diya still flickered in the hall, casting a soft golden glow over the room. Slowly, the family dispersed into smaller circles. The laughter of children carried through the corridors, yet in one corner of the villa's terrace, the siblings gathered—drawn together by something heavier than celebration.
The night sky stretched above them, a canopy of stars that seemed almost too calm after the storm their family had endured. Aghav leaned against the stone railing, his face partly hidden in the moonlight. Vivaan sat cross-legged on the floor, fiddling with the red thread on his wrist. Reyansh stood with his arms folded, gaze sharp but distant, while Mukul sat quietly, his head lowered, listening more than speaking.
It was Aria who broke the silence. "That ritual…" she murmured, her voice thoughtful. "It felt like a seal, but I can't shake the feeling that Savita's shadow is still out there, waiting."
The name dropped into the circle like a stone into still water. For a moment, no one spoke.
Aghav finally exhaled. "She may not be here in flesh, but the damage she caused… it lingers. Trust shattered, families torn. Sometimes I wonder if her ghost isn't in us more than outside."
Vivaan looked up, his usual spark dimmed. "Maybe. But tonight showed me something else. That no matter what she tried to destroy, we found our way back. Isn't that stronger than her shadow?"
Reyansh gave a half-smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You always make it sound simple. Shadows don't vanish just because you light a lamp. They stay, long after the flame burns out."
The words stung, but Mukul, the youngest, raised his head. His voice was quiet, but it carried weight beyond his years. "Maybe they don't vanish. Maybe they're meant to stay—to remind us of what we survived. A scar is still part of the body, isn't it? But it doesn't stop us from living."
The terrace fell silent again, only the night breeze moving between them.
Aghav turned, his gaze resting on Mukul. For the first time in years, there was no hardness in his eyes—only pride. "You speak like someone who's carried more than he should."
Mukul gave a small shrug. "We all have." His eyes moved to each of them, steady and sure. "But Savita's power was always built on fear and division. Tonight proved we're stronger than that. If her shadow lingers, then let it. We'll cast it down together."
Vivaan's grin returned, faint but genuine. "Leave it to the youngest to sound like the eldest."
Reyansh smirked. "He's right, though. Maybe unity doesn't erase shadows. But it makes them powerless."
Aria reached for the red thread around her wrist, running her fingers over the knot Mukul had tied. "Then let this thread remind us every time doubt creeps in. That we're bound to each other. That even shadows can't undo that."
For a while, they stood there, not as warriors or strategists or heirs, but simply as siblings—broken once, mended now, still learning to trust the light again. The weight of Savita's name didn't vanish, but it no longer pressed so heavily.
Below them, the sounds of family continued—the children chasing each other, Avni's soft laughter, the chatter of cousins blending with the night. Life, stubborn and beautiful, moved forward.
Aghav straightened, his voice low but firm. "Savita's shadow may linger, but it won't define us. From now on, only we decide what the Raichand name means."
The others nodded, and together they turned their eyes back to the stars.
For the first time in years, the sky didn't look so distant.