Ranav slowly loosened his grip, though his hands still hovered near Arnav's bare shoulders, as if afraid letting go would make him disappear again.
Rainwater traced slow paths down Arnav's chest, over the marks and faint burns that hadn't fully faded yet.
"What were you thinking, Bhaiya?" Ranav asked, his voice hoarse.
A beat.
"What were you thinking when you decided to leave us like that?"
Arnav didn't answer at once.
He turned slightly, the movement revealing the raw tension in his muscles, his breath uneven. His gaze drifted toward the side—toward the conjured bench, where the girl lay unconscious, sheltered now beneath the quieted sky.
"If I hadn't left…" he said at last, voice low, stripped bare like he was, "I would've hurt you all."
Ranav's brow creased. "What do you mean?"
Arnav's jaw clenched. "The monster inside me—it was awake. Stronger than ever."
His eyes flicked back to Pranati. "Just like I hurt her."
Ranav and Arav followed his gaze.
Only then did they truly see her.
She lay still, drenched hair clinging to her face, her breathing shallow but steady. Small. Human. Terrifyingly vulnerable against everything Arnav was.
Arav's throat tightened.
"Bhaiya…" he whispered. "Is she— is she alive?"
Arnav nodded immediately. "Yes."
His chest rose sharply. "Somehow… I came back to my senses before it was too late."
His hands curled slowly, claws long gone but the guilt still sharp.
"I don't know how. One moment, I wasn't myself. The next—" His voice cracked. "I realized I was about to take an innocent life."
Ranav shut his eyes, relief crashing into him like a wave. When he opened them, a fragile smile trembled on his lips.
"Thank God," he breathed.
Arnav looked at him, confused.
Ranav gave a quiet, uneven chuckle. "At least I won't have to arrest my own brother," he said softly. "Being an ACP comes with… some really ugly possibilities."
Arav let out a nervous breath, rubbing his arms. "Yeah. That would've been… really bad."
Arnav didn't react.
His eyes remained on Pranati.
On the life he had almost destroyed.
"I didn't leave because I didn't love you," he said quietly, rainwater sliding down his face like tears. "I left because I love you too much."
Arnav stood a little away from the bench, rainwater tracing down his bare chest, his shoulders still tense as if the monster hadn't fully loosened its grip yet. His wings were gone, his claws retracted—but the weight of what he had almost done sat heavy in his eyes.
Pranati lay unconscious on the conjured bench, her hair plastered to her face, breath shallow but steady.
Ranav and Arav stood near her, shaken.
Arav swallowed hard, glancing between the girl and his elder brother.
"Bhaiya…" his voice trembled despite himself. "Come home with us."
Arnav didn't turn.
"Chachi Vedshree…" Arav continued softly, choosing his words carefully, "she's losing herself with worry. She hasn't left the mandir since evening."
Ranav stepped forward, his tone firmer but eyes just as wet. "She raised you, Bhaiya. You know what you mean to her."
Arnav finally looked at them.
His eyes weren't glowing now. They were human. And haunted.
"That's exactly why I can't come back," he said quietly.
Both brothers froze.
Arnav clenched his fists, rain dripping from his knuckles. "You saw what happened today. I didn't recognize myself. If I had lost control for even a few seconds more…" His gaze flicked to Pranati. His voice broke. "She would be dead."
Arav's breath hitched. "But Bhaiya—"
"No," Arnav cut in, sharper than he intended. He exhaled and softened again. "If I stay near family, near Chachi… near Mom… I'll hurt someone. I can't live with that."
Ranav shook his head in disbelief. "You think running away will fix this?"
Arnav gave a hollow smile. "No. But staying will destroy everything."
A long silence followed, broken only by the fading rain.
Ranav ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, scared. "Do you have any idea what kind of danger you're inviting? Daayans, dark forces—"
"I already am the danger," Arnav replied.
Arav's eyes filled. "You're still our Bhaiya."
Arnav stepped closer and placed a hand on Arav's shoulder, then Ranav's. His touch was warm. Real. Human.
"And that," he said softly, "is why you need to let me go."
Ranav looked away, jaw clenched, fighting tears.
"…At least let us tell Chachi you're alive."
Arnav nodded after a pause. "Tell her I'm trying to protect what she gave me—my humanity."
His gaze drifted back to Pranati.
Unconscious. Unaware. Alive.
Neither brother noticed the faintest shimmer beneath the sleeve of her kurti.
Something ancient.
Something waiting.
To be continued…