"Ouch!" Mahima let out a little cry. Lakshya stared at her wondering if he was right to suspect her while expecting that her true form would be revealed. However nothing happened and she handed over the festoon to Lakshya following which she began to tend to her bleeding finger which apparently seemed to have been pricked by a thorn.
"What's wrong?" Lakshya asked her out of concern
"It's nothing, just pricked my finger" Mahima answered him much to his surprise given that he now felt a tiny pang of guilt creeping up within him.
"Shall I get you something to fix that?" He asked Mahima
"No thanks, I'll be fine" Mahima then walked out after picking up her stuff from the table as Lakshya watched her who then headed upstairs to his room and pulled out his smartphone. He dialed up a number and waited till the person on the other end answers.
"Hello, who is this?" the voice indicated that the call was received
"Hello Adish, It's me Lakshya"
"Is everything okay?" Adish asked over the call
"Yeah, it's just that I was wondering if you're sure about the method you suggested earlier to expose a shapeshifting serpent" Lakshya questioned Adish
"Excuse me? What do you mean?" Adish asked sounding pretty offended
"I mean it didn't work" Lakshya answered and then told him about how the bilva leaves had no effect on Mahima.
"If it had no effect then doesn't that mean she isn't a naagin like you suspected?" Adish suggested
"Then how do you explain her relationship with that Vikram?" Lakshya pointed
"What about it? First of all you haven't been able to prove that he is a naag so please spare the girl and relax" Adish reasoned with Lakshya
"It's about my family so how can I? I may not be able to prove anything but I know what I saw that day" Lakshya told Adish over the phone
"Okay just answer this question, do you really think Mahima is a naagin?" Adish asked Lakshya
"I don't know and I hope not but I don't want to take a chance here, if she is a naagin then we'll need to do something about her sooner" Lakshya clarified although in a slightly hesitant manner.
"If that's how you feel then fine, I guess I can share with you some other methods" Adish then explained the same over the phone as Lakshya took note of it.
........................................................................................................................................................
Anvay, and all the elders gathered inside the room where Kamalraj rested.
Shipra stood inside pretty upset over their situation as she glared at Anvay and the rest present there, it was understandable given that her sons got dragged into this war between the serpents and their family and that they would be targeted for the same as well.
"The haldi is tomorrow and then the Mehendi the day after that, what if they strike during these events" Shipra raised her concern as she worried for both her sons
"She's right, is it even safe to hold these events considering the risk involved and the absence of that tantrik?" Soumya added
"What Tantrik?" Shipra asked them
"Years ago, this issue was resolved by a tantrik" Soumya told her
"Has anyone managed to contact him?" Shashi asked everyone present in the room to which everyone shook their heads.
"So what now?" Chandrika asked as she looked at them, Shipra who was in deep thought for a while thought of a solution.
"Can I make a suggestion" Shipra asked as she got everyone's attention
"Go ahead" Anvay asked his wife to speak and discuss her idea to which everyone seemed to agree as well.
........................................................................................................................................................
The next day
Srishti was in her bedroom, it was 8 am in the morning and she was still asleep. She kept twitching around indicating a dream where she found herself in the middle of a battle zone of some sort. There were people in an unusual yet seemingly traditional attire attacking one another with one side dominating the fight as people on the losing side kept dying one by one causing her to panic. She then heard a woman's voice call out to her, "come and find me" the voice told her which she instinctively followed amidst the chaos and was led to the abandoned mansion.
Srishti stood outside the gate as she stared at the ruins ahead of her. She wondered if it were alright to get inside given it was a private property, moreover she knew it wasn't safe to enter the place by herself alone.
"Come inside" the voice called out to her
"Who are you? And what do you want?" Srishti asked the invisible presence around her
"Come inside and you'll find out" the voice answered her
On hearing that Srishti involuntarily opened the gate and entered the premises of the abandoned mansion. She walked all the way inside till she reached the porch. The doors at the entrance which were shut swing open allowing her to get inside. The voice then led her down to a basement where she came across a metal door which seemed to have been sealed and shut.
"Open the door" the voice directed Srishti who then stepped forward and approach the same.
As she was about to undo the seal placed on the door, a serpent sprang out of nowhere right before her blocking her way. Soon more serpents showed up and surrounded her as the serpent which blocked her way grows up into a giant as Srishti stood and froze before it. A petrified Srishti tried to get away but her feet wouldn't move. The serpent then sprang forward aiming at Srishti's forehead to bite and eliminate her causing Srishti to wake up back to reality in cold sweat.
"What was that, what does this dream even mean and why does it keep showing up?" Srishti wondered as the door to her room open and her mother walks in to check on her. Apparently the dream kept recurring ever since she returned back from Manasgadh.
"It's good that you're up, now get ready" Smitha then sat on the bed and took note of the uneasiness Srishti felt at that moment. "What's the matter? Is something bothering you?" Smitha asked her daughter pretty concern about her inner state of mind.
"The same dream keeps showing up every other day" Srishti told her mother
"You dreamt about the same thing again?" Smitha intently looked at her daughter
"Yes mom, it was the same dream. I'm beginning to freak out now" Srishti began to panic
"Okay calm down, it was just a dream. If you're still bothered by it then we'll consult a specialist but for now please get ready as we need to leave in 2 hours" Smitha requested to which Srishti agreed and prepared to leave for the ceremony at the Singh's Mansion.
........................................................................................................................................................
Mahima was up and began to get ready to leave for the Singh mansion. She was dressed in a yellow sharara suit and let her hair down

(This is what the suit looks like)
Mahima set the table and served her father breakfast following which she walked towards her handbag placed on the sofa and pulled out a little book which seemed to have a little checklist.
"I guess everything's done" She muttered to herself as she then placed the book back inside her handbag following which her smartphone began to ring.
"Yes I'll be there soon till then fix the decor that came off " Mahima answered, it was her assistant that called up to report her woes.
Mahima then got up and was about to walk out until her father called out to her, "wait" he told her. She then turned around to face him who then got up from the dining table and walked right towards her.
"Today's your ceremony as well, please make sure you show up for it on time"
Arvind urged her
"Don't worry Papa, I'll make sure to return as soon as the main ceremony is done there" Mahima assured him.
They then heard a knock at the door and turned their heads to find Vikram at the entrance.
"Don't worry Papa, I'll be driving her today and will make sure to pick her up on time" Vikram assured his would be father in law
"Okay I'll be counting on you for that then" Arvind told him
As they got ready to leave Mahima realised she forgot to wear her wristwatch.
"Just give me a minute, I just realised that I don't have my wristwatch on" She told Vikram
"Okay no issues, I'll wait inside the car then" He told her as she then headed back into her room.
Vikram then walked out to his large SUV and entered the same as he took the driver's seat. However he then realised that he wasn't alone inside the vehicle.
Ashlesha was seated right behind him as he saw her through the driver's mirror. He then partially turned his body around while still seated to face her, "What brings you here at this time?" He asked her slightly annoyed ti find her inside his vehicle
"I'm here to discuss what's to be done regarding that Lakshya" Ashlesha told him
"And what do you have in mind?" Vikram asked her who then gave him a vile containing a liquid.
"What's this?" Vikram asked out of curiosity
"It's a slow poison, add this to his haldi and it should get the job done by the end of the day" Ashlesha told him
"And why aren't you doing this yourself?" Vikram looked at her with narrowed eyes
"Because there's an event going around and there'll be cameras everywhere, so it would be quite difficult to transform while I'm in there so it would help if you get it done as an outsider by disguising yourself as one of the organisers" Ashlesha explained to him
"You do realise that doing this would jeopardise Mahima's work right?" He pointed
"Relax, the effects won't be immediate and you know making poison undetectable is my specialty" She told him
"And what about the other people who come in contact with the poison?" He asked her who then handed him a small glass bottle. "This is the antidote, mix this in the food and drinks while serving the guests who got exposed to the poison" Ashlesha instructed him
Vikram then noticed Mahima step out of the house and looked back at Ashlesha as if it were a cue for her to leave.
"Relax" Ashlesha told him as she assumed her serpent form and slithered away before Mahima entered the vehicle.
"Let's go" Mahima told her fiance who then started the engine and drove away.
........................................................................................................................................................
The haldi ceremony was due to commence at the Singh mansion, while Mahima was busy overseeing the arrangements for the same.
Srishti was right next to Lakshya, "the set up and arrangements are beautiful, don't you think so" she asked Lakshya who seemed to be lost in deep thought as he observed Mahima working in the background much to Srishti's displeasure who now seemed to have a dejected look on her face as she noticed Lakshya focus all his attention to Mahima while seemingly ignoring her.
"Lakshya!!!! what's the matter and why are you staring at her like that?" Srishti asked him seemingly upset with him who then turned his attention towards her, "Sorry, I was just lost in thought" he told her
"Pretty lost, I'd say, is something bothering you" she asked him out of concern
"Just wondering If everything being put forward at the moment is real or just another facade" Lakshya answered
"What do you mean by a facade?" Srishti gave him a puzzled look
"You needn't worry about it" Lakshya then turned his attention away from her once again.
"Are you happy with this alliance" Srishti asked him sounding quite unsure about his response however he remained silent making her wonder if she were pressuring him to say agree.
Vikram who stood outside the Singh mansion assumed the identity of one of the staff working at Mahima's event company allowing him to sneak into the place where the haldi was kept. He then pulled out the vile handed over to him by Ashlesha and poured the contents into the haldi vessel meant for Lakshya and walked out before anyone else showed up.
Mahima's assistant arrived to collect the haldi pot and was about to take it to hall where the ceremony was being held, however she receives a call from her colleague.
"What?! Okay I'll get there soon" the assistant told her colleague and then walked out along with the haldi pot. While on the way to the hall she runs into Mahima and requests her to take the haldi pot to the hall so the ceremony can begin.
"Sorry Mahima, but I need to go home, it's a little urgent" the assistant told her
"What happened?" Mahima asked
"My mom suddenly collapsed at home" the assistant answered
Mahima then agreed to let her assistant leave for the day and collected the haldi pot from her. As she was on her way some kids who were playing around run into her and cause her to stumble and nearly fall, though she managed to maintain her balance some of the haldi spilled onto her hands.
"Crap!!! I better wipe this off" She then looked around and found a table in the corridor where she placed the pot allowing her to pull out some tissues from her handbag which she used to wipe off the haldi paste from her hands and tossed the same into the bin next to the table.
Mahima picked up the haldi pot and headed towards the hall where the ceremony was about to begin. Lakshya and Srishti had taken their respective places separated by a thick veil. Mahima placed the haldi pot right before them and then stepped away as Lakshya watched her do so.
The haldi ceremony commenced and all the friends and relatives applied the turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Once the ceremony concluded Mahima asked her subordinates to wrap up and clear the place later as she prepared to leave.
"Leaving so soon?" Lakshya asked as he stood right behind her
Mahima turned around to face him, "Yes I am, I'm getting married too you see so I need to leave so I can attend my own haldi ceremony as well" She told him
"Right, sure go ahead" he told her
Just as Mahima was about to leave a bunch of snake charmers showed up outside and started playing the been music out loud much to everyone's surprise.
"What's going on?" Mahima asked
"Right, I invited some snake charmers over" Lakshya answered
"And why is that?" Mahima looked at him slightly annoyed by the same
"It's a precaution" Lakshya told her
"Care to explain?" Mahima asked him who then told her that he believed inviting snake charmers would help ward off any serpent related problems any other negative energies as directed by his advisor.
"Really? Okay, but I'm leaving" Mahima told him as she was close to stepping out.
"No you can't!" Lakshya stalled her as he walked right ahead and blocked her way
"Why not?" Mahima wondered why she was being held back
"Because everyone needs to be present here while this goes on including the staff" Lakshya lied and requested her to wait till the snake charmers were done.
"Okay fine, but they better hurry because I need to leave" Mahima reluctantly agreed following which the snake charmers enter in while playing the been music. For a minute Mahima seemed uncomfortable but so were the other guests who were present there, Srishti who stood close to her family began to experience a severe migraine.
"Mom it hurts a lot" Srishti held on to Smitha's arm
"What's wrong?" Smitha whispered to her daughter
"My head hurts, please make that music stop" Srishti begged
"Okay wait here for a while, I'll do something" Smitha told her daughter who then walked over to Lakshya and Mahima and requested him to dismiss the snake charmers.
"Son, can you please ask these saperas to stop their unpleasant music, it's giving us all a headache" Smitha requested Lakshya
Shipra walked over to them and also requested for the same, "Mrs. Rai is right, please ask them to leave right away, honestly I don't even know why you called them"
Mahima then gave Lakshya a stern look and turned to Shipra, "Really? And I thought they were here because of your advisor asked for it to ward off some negative energies"
"Who told you that?" Shipra asked Mahima who then shot a glower at Lakshya which was more than enough to make Shipra realise that it was her elder son.
"Never mind, I need to leave" with that Mahima excused herself and walked out.
Shipra asked the snake charmers to leave and dragged Lakshya away to a corner, "What was that? Why did you call these snake charmers without consulting any of us?" Shipra asked him
"I was trying catch the serpent" Lakshya explained
"Catch the serpent?" Shipra raised her brow
Lakshya remained silent for a moment and then told his mother, "I think that girl Mahima is a naagin"
Shipra couldn't believe what she heard, "are you listening to yourself? I know you're worried about all of us, but please leave this to the elders, your close to getting married so focus on that"
"How can I?" Lakshya asked his mother
"Even if that's difficult, the least you can do is stop doubting every other person around. I could understand your dislike for Officer Shergill but Mahima? She is the reason why you're right here before me today" Shipra reminded him
"I know mom, I'm just trying to make sure that she isn't one of them" Lakshya told his mother
"And did she turn out to be one of them?" Shipra waited for Lakshya to answer
"Fortunately no.... what I mean is she didn't react to any of the methods I've used to identify a serpent" Lakshya answered
"Don't you think you're giving her quite a lot of attention while neglecting the woman you should be paying attention to?" Shipra pointed as Lakshya was caught off guard for a moment
"What do you mean?" He asked his mother
"I mean, your fiance isn't feeling well there, however instead of helping her out you've directed your attention to another woman, this isn't right" Shipra rebuked him.
Lakshya then turned his attention to Srishti who was being cared for by her family. "You're right mom, I guess I got a bit too carried away and ended up neglecting Srishti"
"Now that you've realised it, go take care of her" Shipra told her son then walked towards Srishti and helped confort her.
........................................................................................................................................................
Vikram stepped out of the Singh Mansion and then assumed his true identity. He then sent a telepathic message to Ashlesha informing her that the work was done.
"Good!" Ashlesha responded to him through telepathy following which he assumed his serpent form and slithered away.
........................................................................................................................................................
Mahima was back home and immediately took her place so that the haldi ceremony would begin where the women from the neighbourhood and their relatives started applying her the turmeric paste one by one. After the ceremony concluded the guests left and Mahima left to shower to wash away the turmeric paste applied on her body. Once she was done stepped out of the bathroom and entered her room and laid down on her bed.
Once the night fell Mahima got up and joined her father in the living room who for a change had already set the dining table.
"You're up, good! Come and have your dinner" Arvind took his place at the dining table following which Mahima begins to serve him before doing the same for herself. As she was nearly done with her dinner Mahima began to feel uneasy. She then got up and made an effort to walk towards the kitchen with her plate, however she faints the very next moment causing Arvind to rush to her side.
"What's wrong?" Arvind asked Mahima
"I don't know, but I feel really dizzy" Mahima answered him as she began to gasp for air. Arvind then carried her to her room and put her on the bed.
"Lay down for a while, I'll go get help" Arvind rushed out in a hurry.
........................................................................................................................................................
Lakshya stood outside in the balcony along with Abhay as they both stared at the night sky.
"Sorry I couldn't attend the haldi ceremony today" Abhay apologised as he turned his attention to Lakshya.
"Why couldn't you make it though and where were you?" Lakshya asked Abhay
"Just got held up with something" Abhay answered
"What exactly?" Lakshya looked at his brother
"You needn't worry about it, how did the ceremony go" Abhay brushed it off
"How else could it go? Just like any other haldi ceremony" Lakshya sighed
"You don't sound pleased" Abhay noticed his brother's lack of enthusiasm, "I know you were pressured into agreeing to the marriage, but you know if you're having cold feet then we can always talk"
"Something doesn't feel right" Lakshya muttered
"Like what?" Abhay wondered about what bothered Lakshya
"Never mind, I guess I'm just overthinking" Lakshya admitted
"Well... I may not get along with your fiance much but I from what I can tell is that Srishti is a good person. Yes she may be a bit headstrong but don't worry, it's tolerable" Abhay assured him
"So you needn't worry much"
Lakshya was amazed by the change in the impression Abhay had of Srishti.
Lakshya smiled at Abhay, "If you say so, then I'll take your word for it"
"Sure you can, now let's get back in. It's almost time for dinner" Abhay told his brother as they then began to head inside. As they were on their way to the dining room Lakshya began to feel uneasy and fainted a moment later right before Abhay who immediately called out to everyone present at home for help. Shipra rushed to her sons, "What happened?" she asked Abhay
"I don't know mom, he was fine just a while ago" Abhay answered his mother
Ashlesha too arrived at the scene and smirked at the sight before her, "This should be the end of this menace" She thought to herself.
........................................................................................................................................................
To be continued
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Bloodmoon @Bloodmoon
+ 2
2 years ago
So good... waiting for next chapter👍