A hawan, or yagya, is a sacred ritual in which offerings are made into consecrated fire as an offering to the gods. Through these ahutis, divine beings gain strength, their powers are amplified, and in return, they bestow blessings upon the people.
Many times, a yagya is performed for a very specific purpose.
But one rule is absolute.
Meat or alcohol is never offered in a yagya.
The moment such impure offerings are made, the ritual collapses—and the yagya is considered broken.
This was exactly why panic had spread among the villagers.
If the yagya had failed…
then how were they supposed to face Vanshika now?
Murmurs of fear rippled through the crowd.
Seeing their unrest, Chandni stepped forward and raised her voice calmly.
"Please, everyone, remain calm. We can still imprison Vanshika. Nothing is lost yet—just calm yourselves."
After that, she turned toward Suraj and spoke firmly.
"We can seal Vanshika again. But for that… we will need someone's help."
She paused for a moment before clearly saying a single name.
"Rasika."
The moment the name left her lips, whispers erupted once again.
Everyone in this region knew that name.
Rasika was a witch—one deeply versed in black magic and tantric rituals. She appeared to be over sixty years old, though no one truly knew her real age. Despite practicing dark arts, she often used her powers to help people.
Yet because of her profession and her connection to black magic, villagers always looked at her with suspicion.
Few people knew this, but Rasika had once played a crucial role in sealing Vanshika.
Some even believed that she was the reason why all the sages and their disciples had eventually left this land.
Seeing the villagers whisper again, Suraj asked in confusion,
"Who is this Rasika?"
One of the villagers replied bluntly,
"She practices black magic."
Chandni shook her head.
"She is extremely capable—and kind at heart. If she agrees to help us, we can definitely seal Vanshika."
Suraj nodded slowly.
"Alright. Then let's call her."
But another villager immediately spoke up,
"She won't come so easily."
Suraj frowned.
"Why not?"
After hesitating for a moment, the villager replied,
"The head of the village—the Bade Malik—insulted her and threw her out years ago. Since then, she swore an oath."
Everyone leaned in.
"She said she would never return unless the Bade Malik—or his family and the village head—personally bowed before her and begged for forgiveness, rubbing their noses against the ground."
Hearing this, Suraj clenched his fists in anger.
But he controlled himself.
"Why did Father throw her out in the first place?" he asked.
The villager answered quietly,
"The Bade Malik suspected that she was hypnotizing members of your family and practicing dark magic on them. In his rage, he expelled her from the village."
Suraj turned toward Chandni.
"Do we really have to bring her?"
Chandni replied calmly,
"Either her—or someone equally powerful. This sealing ritual requires at least two people. There is no other way."
Suraj already knew the truth.
He himself was capable of performing the ritual.
But revealing that secret in front of everyone was not an option.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice steady.
"If bowing my head can protect the people of this village… then I am ready to bow."
The moment he said this—
Cheers erupted across the crowd.
Cries of praise filled the air.
Suraj had just proven once again why the villagers trusted him so deeply.
After some time, they arrived near a cave located a little distance away from the village.
Only a few people had come this far with Suraj—Chandni, Vikram, and Aliya.
Vikram was there for one simple reason: Aliya had come.
The four of them stood before the cave.
Vikram glanced around and scoffed,
"Seriously… who would even want to live in a place like this? Aren't they afraid of thieves?"
Chandni replied calmly,
"With the kind of powers she possesses, thieves should be the ones afraid."
One by one, they stepped inside.
The moment they entered, everyone fell silent.
Inside the cave stood an idol of Goddess Kali, her feet resting upon the form of Lord Shiva. Tridents of various shapes and sizes were embedded into the ground all around, forming a frightening yet sacred sight.
And right before the idol sat a woman—around sixty years old—her eyes closed, deeply immersed in meditation.
This was Rasika.
A devoted follower of Goddess Kali.
A powerful tantric.
Without opening her eyes, Rasika spoke in a sharp, mocking tone,
"So… what brings the young master so far away from his palace?"
Suraj took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"I don't know what happened between you and my father," he said honestly,
"but I am here to apologize on behalf of my entire family and the villagers. I have come to beg you—please return to our village with me."
Rasika replied instantly,
"Impossible. I will not set foot in that village again."
Suraj clenched his jaw.
"I beg you," he said again. "My village is in grave danger. Vanshika will destroy everyone."
As he spoke, Suraj bowed deeply, lowering his head.
"Please."
Seeing this, Chandni stepped forward and addressed Rasika respectfully.
"Rasika ji, what was done to you was unjust. But please don't punish the entire village for it. Vanshika isn't sparing anyone—she didn't even hesitate to kill someone from outside the village as her first victim."
That made Rasika pause.
"This is serious," she said slowly.
"Fine. I will help."
Suraj's eyes widened with relief.
"But," Rasika continued coldly,
"he will have to pay the price I deserve."
Suraj frowned.
"What kind of price?"
Rasika opened her eyes at last and looked straight at him.
"Your father promised me half of his property. That promise must now be fulfilled by you."
For a moment, Suraj was stunned.
Then, after a brief silence, he nodded.
"I accept."
Vikram spoke quietly to Aliya,
"I have to admit… Suraj didn't think about himself even once. For the sake of the villagers, he was ready to give up everything."
The danger wasn't over.
But the game had just changed.
Just then, Rasika's gaze suddenly fell on Aliya.
She froze.
Her eyes widened in shock as she raised her finger and pointed straight at her.
"You—"
Startled by the sudden attention, Aliya instinctively pointed at herself.
"Me?"
Rasika then turned sharply toward Chandni and said in a cold, accusing tone,
"You speak of stopping Vanshika, yet you roam around with her so freely?"
Chandni frowned in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
Rasika pointed at Aliya again, her voice firm and unshaking.
"This… this is Vanshika."
Aliya's face drained of color.
"What nonsense are you saying? I'm Aliya!"
At that moment, Vikram exploded in anger.
"I knew it! This woman has been talking nonsense from the start. Now she's calling my friend Vanshika?"
Rasika didn't even look at him. Her finger remained fixed on Aliya.
"I have seen Vanshika from very close. I could never forget her face—not even in my dreams. This girl is Vanshika."
Suraj stepped in quickly.
"Calm down, Rasika ji. She isn't Vanshika. She's Aliya—she came here from the city."
Vikram clenched his fists.
"I've known Aliya since childhood. If she were some evil witch, I'd have known long ago. This is ridiculous. We should leave."
Suraj suddenly turned serious.
"No. It's not that simple."
Everyone looked at him.
"At first, even I was shocked," Suraj continued.
"I also thought she might be Vanshika. I saw Vanshika's portrait in the haveli… and she looks exactly like Aliya."
The room fell into stunned silence.
A few hours later, everyone stood inside the haveli.
Before them hung an old portrait.
In it was a woman wearing a red sari—her face identical to Aliya's.
But it wasn't Aliya.
It was Vanshika.
Standing beside her was Suraj's father.
Everyone stared at the painting, utterly shaken.
Chandni broke the silence.
"If the villagers find out about this… I don't know what they might do to Aliya."
Vikram immediately grabbed Aliya's hand and pulled her close.
"Nothing will happen. We'll leave for the city today itself."
Suraj shook his head.
"There's a curfew. The police have sealed the village. Did you forget?"
Rasika spoke calmly,
"The villagers never saw Vanshika's face, so don't worry. But one thing troubles me…"
She looked directly at Aliya.
"Why does your face resemble Vanshika so closely? Could there be some relation?"
Aliya snapped, panicked.
"What rubbish are you talking about?"
Rasika's expression darkened as if recalling an old memory.
"I remember… Vanshika had twins—a boy and a girl. Both disappeared. Perhaps you're her daughter."
Aliya's breathing grew uneven.
"I've also heard," Rasika continued,
"that you people were involved in freeing Vanshika. According to the curse, she couldn't free herself completely."
Aliya shook her head violently.
"No! I'm not her daughter! Why would I free her? I didn't do anything!"
Her hands trembled.
Rasika leaned closer.
"Think carefully. Did you go near the seal? Did your blood fall on it?"
Aliya clutched her head, memories crashing in.
She remembered it clearly now.
Her blood… dripping onto the seal.
The seal breaking.
A horrifying thought crossed her mind.
Could I really be her daughter?
Before Rasika could say anything more, Vikram stepped between them. He pulled Aliya into his arms, holding her protectively against his chest.
"Enough!" he shouted at Rasika.
"Stop tormenting her! She has nothing to do with Vanshika. I know Aliya's parents—they are her biological parents. I have proof. So stop spinning these fabricated stories!"
Rasika calmly pointed toward the portrait.
"Then what about this painting? Is this fabricated too?"
Vikram clenched his jaw.
"It could be a coincidence. People can look alike. That doesn't make them related."
But deep down…
No one in that room truly believed it was just a coincidence anymore.
Near the old haveli, on the branch of a towering tree, a black crow sat silently. Its dark, unblinking eyes were fixed on the people below.
Through those eyes, Vanshika was watching everything.
At that very moment, Vanshika was seated at her hideout, deep in a meditative posture. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
"Our secrets are coming out far too quickly…" she muttered, unease flashing across her face.
Just then, a voice spoke from behind her.
"What happened, Maa?"
Vanshika turned around and saw Aanya standing there. Instantly, she masked her expression and said calmly, "Nothing."
Her gaze then fell on the book in Aanya's hands.
"How many books have you completed?" Vanshika asked.
"I'm on the tenth one," Aanya replied softly.
Vanshika clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"So slow. That human boy, Aarav—he finished all the books within ten days, memorized them, and has already started his sadhana. And you haven't even crossed the tenth book yet."
Aanya lowered her head, ashamed.
Indian parents really are savage.
---
Elsewhere, Aarav stepped out of the house, fully dressed, humming a tune and almost skipping with excitement.
Just as he reached the door, Suchi stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I heard a witch has come to the village," Aarav replied casually. "She's performing some ritual. I just want to see it."
"Enough nonsense," Suchi snapped. "Sit at home and study. Your entrance exams are coming. Kirti is studying—go study with her. Go!"
Aarav's face drooped. Muttering under his breath, he walked back to his room.
Inside, he saw Kirti surrounded by books and notebooks, completely focused. Aarav let out a long sigh.
Savage Indian parents…
---
Meanwhile, Chandni and Rasika were deep in discussion about the sealing technique.
"No," Rasika said firmly. "We need a new location. The place where she was imprisoned before is now impure. She cannot be sealed there again. We need somewhere isolated—where no one comes or goes."
After thinking for a moment, Suraj spoke up.
"There's a jungle behind the village. No one goes there. There's a massive banyan tree as well. We can seal her there."
To Vikram, all of this sounded like complete nonsense.
That was why, without telling anyone, Vikram, Nikhil, and Venkatesh had already started placing cameras around the village.
---
After nightfall, everyone gathered near the banyan tree.
Rasika and Chandni stood at the center. Suraj, a few villagers, Vikram and his companions, Venkatesh—and even Aarav, who had secretly slipped out after pretending to study—were all present.
They began drawing a large circle around the banyan tree using white flour. Inside it, they created intricate symbols and patterns.
Once everything was ready, the ritual began.
Mantras echoed through the forest. Suddenly, the designs drawn with flour began to glow—first with a faint blue light, then slowly turning blood red.
Vikram stared in disbelief.
"Is it just me… or is that actually glowing?"
Nikhil swallowed hard.
"No, bro… it's real. This means everything is real—Vanshika, black magic, tantric rituals… all of it."
Even Venkatesh was stunned, though he remained silent.
At that moment, the hanging roots of the banyan tree began to move. Slowly, unnaturally, they stretched outward—creeping in one particular direction.
The direction of Vanshika's hideout.
Aarav watched the roots carefully. A faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.
Through him, Vanshika was also watching those roots approach her.
For now, cooperate with the ritual, Aarav thought calmly. Don't struggle.
"But this will seal me inside that tree," Vanshika said anxiously.
"Don't worry," Aarav replied inside her mind.
"The tree can imprison you—but it can also hide you from that demon. Once sealed, your link with him will temporarily break. He'll panic and send another pawn to free you. In that desperation, he won't have time to grant powers—and that will make him easier to kill."
What Aarav didn't say was the truth.
The moment Vanshika was sealed, he planned to seal the demon's cave as well. He wasn't strong enough yet to face a Hell King—even if it was only using ten percent of its power.
Soon, the roots reached Vanshika and wrapped tightly around her.
"Maa!" Aanya screamed.
"Don't worry," Vanshika said calmly. "Nothing will happen. I'll be sealed only for a while. Take care of yourself."
The roots lifted Vanshika into the air and slowly dragged her back toward the banyan tree. One by one, more roots wrapped around her, binding her completely, pulling her into the trunk itself.
Then—
A terrifying roar echoed through the forest.
It sounded like a beast… but far more horrifying.
Suddenly, lightning struck the ground, hitting Chandni directly. She was flung backward and collapsed unconscious.
A massive wave of energy blasted outward, throwing everyone to the ground.
As the dust settled, a low growling filled the air.
When they looked up—
They were surrounded.
Dozens of wolves stood in a circle around them, eyes glowing in the darkness.
The forest fell deadly silent.