Meanwhile, at the hospital, Pranati's eyes fluttered open slowly.
For a few seconds, she simply stared at the white ceiling above her, confused by the antiseptic smell and the faint beeping somewhere nearby. Her head throbbed dully as she tried to move, only to realize she was lying on a hospital bed.
"H–hospital?" she murmured under her breath, panic creeping in. She turned her head slightly, scanning the unfamiliar room. Why am I here?
The door opened softly, and a doctor walked in, followed by a constable standing near the doorway. The doctor glanced at the chart before looking at her. "You're awake. That's good."
Pranati pushed herself up a little, wincing. "What… what happened to me? Why am I here?"
Before the doctor could answer, the constable stepped forward gently. "Miss, you were found unconscious near an accident site. You went into shock after witnessing a very severe incident."
The words triggered flashes in her mind.
The road.
The sudden chaos.
Metal hitting the ground.
The violent force that sent her scooter crashing.
Her breath quickened as she remembered the accident—but only up to that point.
"And after that?" she asked quietly, fear lining her voice. "What happened after the crash?"
The constable shook his head. "You collapsed shortly after. You don't remember fainting?"
Pranati frowned. No matter how hard she tried, the memories simply… stopped. There was a blank space where everything else should have been. No recollection of anyone approaching her. No memory of how she lost consciousness. And no trace—none at all—of the terrifying, inhuman presence that had surrounded her moments before.
"I don't remember," she whispered, unsettled. "I remember the accident… and then nothing."
The doctor exchanged a brief look with the constable. "That's normal," he said calmly. "Your mind blocked out what came after due to shock. For now, just rest."
Pranati nodded slowly, but unease settled deep in her chest. The emptiness in her memory felt wrong—too sharp, too deliberate.
As the doctor stepped out, she lay back against the pillow, staring ahead, unaware that the most dangerous part of the incident wasn't the accident at all—and that her mind had spared her from remembering the monster she had seen awaken.
Outside the hospital room, the constable stepped aside into the corridor and dialed a number.
"Yes, sir," he said in a low voice. "She regained consciousness a short while ago. The doctors say it was shock. She doesn't remember anything after the accident."
There was a pause as he listened. "No, sir. She doesn't recall anyone helping her. Just the crash."
"Understood." The constable ended the call and glanced once toward Pranati's room before returning to his post.
---
Meanwhile, at the Raizada villa, the night air was cool and still.
Ranav stood at the balcony railing with his phone in hand, the city lights of Udaipur stretching out below. Arav leaned against the side wall, arms folded, while Arnav stood a little apart from them, staring into the darkness beyond the villa grounds.
Ranav lowered the phone and exhaled. "She's awake," he said quietly.
Arnav turned immediately. "The girl?"
Ranav nodded. "Yes. She regained consciousness. Doctors say it was shock. She doesn't remember what happened after the accident."
Something tightened in Arnav's chest. He looked away, his fingers curling slowly against the cold railing. "Good," he said, but the word came out hollow. After a beat, his voice dropped. "I could have killed her."
Arav straightened. "But you didn't."
"That doesn't change what I almost did," Arnav replied. His jaw clenched. "If I hadn't stopped myself—"
Ranav stepped closer, firm but gentle. "You did stop yourself, Bhaiya. That matters. You came back. You fixed what you broke. And she's alive."
Arav nudged him lightly with his shoulder. "And conscious. That's a win, no matter how you look at it."
Arnav didn't respond immediately. His gaze drifted outward again, guilt sitting heavy in his eyes. "An innocent girl," he murmured. "She had nothing to do with any of this."
As Ranav was about to say something more, a strange sensation crept over Arnav's skin—cold, sharp, unmistakable.
His posture stiffened.
"Do you feel that?" he asked suddenly.
Ranav frowned. "Feel what?"
Arnav stepped closer to the railing, his eyes narrowing. A dark presence pressed against his senses, familiar and wrong, like a shadow brushing past his soul.
Slowly, he looked down.
Below the balcony, clinging effortlessly to the outer wall, was a figure—unnatural, still. Kapalika perched there like a gecko, her body fused with the stone, eyes glinting with cruel amusement. Her long braid whipped violently in the night wind, alive with its own will.
For a fraction of a second, their gazes met.
Arnav sucked in a sharp breath. "There—"
But before Ranav or Arav could follow his line of sight, the darkness shifted.
Kapalika vanished.
Gone as if she had never been there.
Arnav leaned forward, scanning the wall below, his heart pounding. Nothing. No movement. No presence.
Only the quiet night.
Ranav looked at him sharply. "Arnav? What did you see?"
Arnav straightened slowly, his face grave. "She was here," he said under his breath. "I felt her."
Arav exchanged a tense glance with Ranav as the unease settled over the balcony like an unseen storm.
Somewhere in the shadows, something had just announced its return.