"Ah… the sky…"
His voice trembled… almost like he had forgotten how to speak.
"Blue… the blue sky…"
He slowly lifted his face upward, eyes squinting under the harsh sunlight.
"It feels like… centuries since I last saw this…"
As the man stepped out of that glowing exit from Pataal Lok, the sunlight hit his eyes so hard that he had to raise his hand to shield them.
For a moment… he just stood there.
Breathing.
Feeling.
Alive.
Then his gaze slowly moved forward.
A forest.
Dense. Wild. Free.
The world above.
He turned back… looking at the path he had just come from.
But there was nothing.
No cave.
No opening.
Just… a strange mark on the ground.
A symbol.
Shining faintly… like a star carved into the earth.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like… this mark is the only passage…" he muttered.
"No human can go there… and no demon can come here… unless this mark allows it."
A pause.
Then his expression changed slightly.
"But then… how did Mahishasur reach the surface?"
His thoughts deepened.
Questions building… one after another.
Meanwhile…
Back in Pataal Lok—
Mahishasur returned.
Empty-handed.
Takshak's rage exploded instantly.
His fist slammed into the stone wall—
BOOM!
A massive crater formed instantly, cracks spreading like lightning across the surface.
But Mahishasur…
He wasn't even looking at the wall.
He was lost in thought.
Thinking about the prisoner's words.
Takshak forced himself to calm down.
Barely.
Then spoke in a cold, controlled voice—
"It doesn't matter."
"He's just a human. He can't do anything."
His eyes darkened.
"Start the preparations immediately. I don't want a single mistake."
Mahishasur nodded silently…
And walked away.
But his mind…
Was still somewhere else.
On the other side…
In the garden—
Om and Vijay stood face to face with Manoj.
Waiting.
Watching.
The silence was heavy.
And Manoj…
He hesitated.
His lips parted… then closed…
Finally, he spoke.
"Vijay… and my child, Om…"
His voice was low. Careful.
"I only know this much… when my company collapsed… your aunt… she went into hiding from the bank officers."
He swallowed.
"And then… one day… she suddenly came to me and said—why don't we go to Vijay brother's place…"
He let out a weak breath.
"To be honest… I was so happy at the thought of meeting you… and Om… that I didn't think about anything else."
A faint, broken smile.
"I just came here…"
"And after meeting you both… it felt like I forgot all my problems…"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Vijay snapped.
His expression hardened instantly.
His voice rose.
Sharp.
"Manoj brother… you're bankrupt?"
The directness of the question hit hard.
Om's eyes widened slightly.
A flicker of fear crossed his face.
Manoj tried to speak—
"Vijay… my brother, listen to me—"
But Vijay raised his hand.
Stopping him.
His anger now fully visible.
"I knew it."
His voice was cold.
"I knew something was wrong."
He stepped closer.
Eyes locked onto Manoj.
"So this is the reason… huh?"
"You destroyed your property back in Delhi… and when the banks and police came after you… you ran here?"
His tone turned mocking.
"Thinking your younger brother… and nephew… will take care of everything?"
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Tell me… what does your great wife want this time?"
His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Money? Property?"
He stepped even closer.
"Or should we just hand over everything we own?"
"Vijay, listen to me—"
But Vijay didn't stop.
His anger had taken over completely.
"What do you people want from us?!"
His voice echoed across the garden.
"Is your wife sworn to never let us live in peace?"
"Or has she taken an oath to destroy our entire family?"
"Doesn't she understand… she has already taken everything from the Ahuja family?"
His fists clenched.
"She swallowed all our wealth once… what more does she want now?"
His voice cracked with rage.
"Should we just give our lives next?!"
"And you…"
He pointed at Manoj.
"What kind of man are you? Can't you even tell your wife she's wrong?"
"At least now… learn something!"
"Don't stand with what's wrong!"
"We're not some treasure chest… that you come to whenever you want… take money… and leave!"
His voice turned darker.
Lower.
"You're the one who ruined Vipul brother… YOU are the one who made him lose everything!"
Vijay was about to say more—
SLAP!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Sudden.
Loud.
Vijay's face snapped to the side.
The mark of the slap burning on his cheek.
Om froze.
Shock filled his eyes.
The world seemed to stop.
Meanwhile…
Far away…
Inside the forest—
The escaped man walked forward, speaking to himself.
"Vipul… you need to hurry…"
His voice was serious now.
"The demon world will complete its preparations soon…"
"And I have my own tasks to finish."
"I need to find that sage…"
"I need to meet that child… who, by now, must have grown into a young man…"
"And the queen… I must deliver the message of the gods to her as well…"
He exhaled.
"So much to do… and very little time."
Suddenly—
He stopped.
A faint glow surrounded him.
His body shifted.
His long hair… shortened.
His rough beard… vanished.
In a matter of seconds—
He transformed.
Now he looked around 30… maybe 35.
Sharp.
Confident.
And strangely…
His face resembled Om's.
Almost like…
An older version of him.
But then—
Something strange happened.
Near his eye…
His skin began to peel slightly.
From beneath—
A glowing blue light emerged.
Not blood.
Not flesh.
Just… energy.
The man immediately touched his cheek.
A strange warmth spread under his fingers.
His expression turned serious.
"Looks like… this body is weakening…"
"I need to hurry."
"There's too much left to do…"
He let out a frustrated breath.
"Gods… and your rules…"
Then suddenly—
He looked up at the sky again.
And for the first time…
A soft smile appeared on his face.
"Om…"
Just saying the name…
Changed everything.
"My little Om… must have grown up by now…"
His eyes softened.
"I wonder who he looks like… his mother… or me…"
A quiet pause.
Filled with longing.
"Once I finish everything…"
"If I still have time…"
"I'll meet him."
"I'll tell him… how much I missed him…"
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"My little Om…"
And with that—
Vipul stepped forward…
Walking deeper into the forest.
Toward a destiny…
That was finally catching up.