Abhay was stunned to find Srishti enacting the role of Juliet as she stood right above him on a platform ladder holding onto the false railings during the balcony scene with the spotlight illuminating her in the otherwise dimly lit stage leaving everyone awestruck by Srishti's enchanting appearance.
Unsure of how to react Abhay just continued to stare up supposedly being mesmerised by her.
(Imagine this song playing briefly during the above scene)
"What's the matter? Did you forget your lines?" The director called out to him from the side of the stage in a hushed tone.
Abhay snapped out from his trance and uttered the lines, "I'd rather get caught and die by the hate than live in endless misery yearning for your love"
"You love me?" Srishti asked
"I swear by the moon, yes....." the scene progressed and came to an end as the curtains came together to cover the stage which was being prepared for the next act.
While on the other hand Abhay seemed pretty upset making it apparent by the way he questioned the director, "What's going on and why was Srishti on stage playing the role of Juliet instead of Nyra?"
"I know you're upset but please calm down. Regarding Nyra, she deserted us" the director told him
"What do you mean? Why would she do that?" Abhay questioned in disbelief given how he was aware of Nyra's excitement to essay the role of Juliet.
"It's because she found an even better opportunity elsewhere and chose to pursue it at the cost of this play" Srishti revealed
"Really" Abhay raised his eyebrow
"Srishti's right, in fact she tried really hard to request and convince Nyra into staying till the play ends however she didn't listen and walked away" a female cast member confirmed
Abhay then turned to Srishti, "and you decided to replace her? Why?" He asked in a seemingly accusatory tone
"Excuse me?" Srishti was taken back by his unexpected reaction
"Why you of all? Anyone could have replaced her now couldn't they?" Abhay argued
"I had requested Srishti to take over as Juliet, and no you are wrong. Not just anyone could replace Nyra for this role. In fact to be honest, Srishti was my first choice for this role however due to the pressure and influence exercised by Nyra's parents I was forced into overlooking Srishti's talent, besides this Srishti voluntarily practiced as an understudy on my request" the director explained
"Understudy? But we hardly saw her practice" Abhay was confused
"That's because she'd practice after hours once the main confirmed cast was done rehearsing" the director revealed
"Why are you so upset though?" Srishti asked Abhay
"Just forget it" with that Abhay stormed out of the green room
The play resumed and progressed till the final scene where both Romeo and Juliet meet their tragic end amidst which Nyra returns back to the auditorium who begins to seethe in anger upon seeing Srishti performing on stage as the play concluded.
As the curtains cover the stage right before the entire cast comes up to thank the audience they receive a round of applause following which everyone heads back to the green room.
The compere then thanks all the guests for showing up before signing off to mark the end of the event.
Everyone including the director applauded Srishti for her remarkable performance as Juliet who was equally overwhelmed by the praises being showered upon her. She was then about to head to changing room as she picked up her bag which was on the table only to find herself getting blocked and slapped on the face put of the blue by Nyra who now stood right in her way.
"What the hell?" Srishti was shocked by Nyra's uncivil behavior
"HOW DARE YOU?! YOU HAD THIS PLANNED ALL ALONG NOW DIDN'T YOU?" Nyra yelled as she accused Srishti
"Planned what?" Srishti was confused
"Drop the act! I always knew you've been trying pretty hard to replace me but never thought you would resort to such underhanded means for the same," Nyra hissed.
"What the hell are you even going on about? I'd resort to using underhanded means to replace you? I guess you consider everyone to be the same as you," Srishti shot back.
"Trying to act all innocent huh? I know it was you who was behind that call requesting an audition for a movie," Nyra continued, with her accusation revealing how the role she was offered was pretty insignificant.
"If I were really behind that call I wouldn't have bothered to hold you back and keep you from leaving right before the show. You've got no one to blame but yourself for this" Srishti countered
"Exactly! You were the one who ditched us and left even though you were requested to stay back" Kirti spoke up in support of Srishti
"Not really, It's not just about the play now is it? You're after Abhay now aren't you?" Nyra concluded
"Excuse me? Like where is this even coming from? What are you smoking?" Srishti scoffed
"It's pointless denying it. You always look for opportunities to get close to him, I guess since you couldn't marry his brother you've shifted your attention towards him, even today it was no different, especially in the dressing room," Nyra continued.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Abhay who heard the entire conversation from a distance as he entered the green room cried out, he then approached the duo "How could you say something like that so lightly? And what about the dressing room? Nothing happened the way you're making it out to be" Abhay clarified
"Then explain why did she take over as Juliet?" Nyra questioned
"It's because you left the play right before it even began, don't go around blaming others to cover up your own folly" Abhay answered her in a cold yet stern manner clearly expressing his disappointment over the same.
"I don't believe this, you're siding with her over me?" Nyra was flabbergasted
"I'm not siding with anyone, you've made sure about that yourself" Abhay clarified as he walked away leaving an embarrassed Nyra behind.
"You probably you've won now don't you? I swear to God, you'll pay for this" Nyra warned Srishti as she walked out of the room.
Kirti placed her hand on Srishti's shoulder, "Just ignore, she's clearly deluded and crazy"
"I would but she's gone a bit too far this time" Srishti pointed
"Even then, she's just not worth your attention" Kirti advised
"I know" Srishti sighed
........................................................................................................................................................
Mahima grew restless once she got back home along with Arvind who seemed pretty disheartened due to the fact that no one accepted their invitation to observe the MahaShivratri vigil.
The neighbours who usually gathered at this house every year to celebrate the great night of Lord Shiva made it a point to avoid it this time owing to the scandal which broke out at the temple recently on Mahima's intended wedding day following which both Mahima and Arvind were shunned by everyone including the family which lived next door to avoid getting judged or associated with them any further.
Arvind walked towards the altar to light the lamp who then noticed that it was lacking oil realising there wasn't any left to refill the same. He turned around and was about to head out to buy the same from the nearby Kirana store.
"Where are you going Papa?" Mahima interrupted him
"We've run out of oil so I am going to buy some," he told her.
"In that case let me go instead, you're obviously exhausted running around all day to make these arrangements after we left the temple" Mahima insisted
"Are you sure about that?" He asked her
"Yes" with that Mahima headed out to the Kirana store which as expected was busier than the usual days. When she approached the store owner the other customers who were already there began to whisper amongst themselves.
"She really is quite shameless, I wonder how she's able to face herself in the mirror" a lady whispered to her friend
"Indeed, I guess it's a general trait of characterless personalities," her friend further continued with the vilification.
Mahima ignored them and requested the storekeeper to hand her a packet of oil. As the storekeeper was about to do so the other female customers objected, "if you cater to her request then we will ensure that this store gets boycotted for good" the same lady threatened
The storekeeper hesitated for a while before withdrawing the packet of oil much to Mahima's shock.
"Excuse me, but you can't threaten the shopkeeper the way you just did," Mahima protested.
"Yes we can, if an unchaste woman like you is given a free rein then it may influence our young girls as well. So we'd do whatever it takes to bar you from frequenting common public spaces to protect them" the woman declared.
"You better watch your words or I'll make sure to have all of you sued in the court of law on the charges of defamation and criminal intimidation. No one has given you the right to come and harass me or anyone for that sake and if you still dare to do so then you better prepare yourself for the legal consequences," Mahima warned the group of ladies some of whom then turned silent on the possibility of getting entangled in a police case.
Mahima then once again requested the storekeeper to hand her a packet of oil who agreed to her upon receiving the payment. As she was about to receive it from him the lady who was threatened her earlier smacked it away causing it to fall on the ground, "We'll take that chance provided it helps to clean the filth that surrounds us" Mahima was then dragged away from the store by the agitated group of women who held her by the arms from both the sides making it difficult for her to break away from their grasp.
"LET GO OF ME!" she cried but they paid no heed, her eyes then grew wide when she saw a woman pour some black ink like substance onto her palms, which she rubbed against each other following which she began to walk towards Mahima with the intention of smearing the same on her face in an attempt to shame her publicly.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU BETTER STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Mahima panicked
"You're getting what you deserve," one of the ladies holding on to her answered with a smirk on her face.
Mahima watched in horror as the woman approached to smear her while she tried her best to break free. Just as the lady was about to blacken Mahima's face a police officer intervened and stopped her from doing so, "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" he demanded and then ordered his subordinates to arrest the women involved in the act.
"Are you okay?" The police officer asked Mahima
"Yes but how did you come to know about this?" She asked, the police officer then explained that he noticed the ruckus from a distance as he was passing by as a matter of coincidence and then took her leave following which he pulled out his smartphone to make a call.
"The matter is under control and the young woman is safe, it's a good thing that you informed us right away as a result of which we managed to get here on time" The officer reported as the call was received from the other end by Lakshya
"Thank you very much and truly appreciate your help" Lakshya expressed his gratitude before ending the call. It was him who had taken notice of the agitated mob busy with their moral policing as he was passing by while on his way back home and figured that things could get out of hand if there was no timely intervention.
The only reason he refrained from intervening himself was due to Mahima's animosity towards him and the fact that it could have possibly made the situation even worse.
Mahima then picked up the packet of oil which lay on the ground and turned around only to find Arvind looking at her with saddened eyes.
"Why are you willing to live with this stigma and unwarranted abuses directed towards you when you can simply end it by honoring your marriage? Don't you wish to live with dignity?" Arvind asked her.
"Do I wish to live with dignity? Yes I do, but would honoring this unwanted marriage allow me to do so? Never! I'd never be able to face myself in the mirror if I actually did that" Mahima answered as she headed back home unaware that Lakshya who had been watching them from a distance overheard their brief conversation. Stung by her words he began to wonder why they affected him at all but nevertheless, it was more than enough to make him reconsider his decision regarding coming out about their marriage.
Once back inside her room, Mahima tried to contact Ashlesha through telepathy however once again there was no response making her feel quite uneasy and restless.
"I need to go and warn her" Mahima then assumed her serpent form following which she slithered outside through the open window.
...............................................................................................................................................................
At the Singh Mansion
Adish who was done with the preparations for the ritual requested everyone to get seated so he could begin with the procedure.
The homa pit was lit following which Adish began with the oblations dropped into the pit one by one as offerings to the fire deity and continued to do so for a while.
"You said that the accomplice would have been forced to show up before us, it's been a while but there's no one here yet" Lakshya seemed to complain
"Be patient" Adish requested who then began with an incantation causing the flame to intensify and emit a divine energy.
Ashlesha who had returned back to the mansion after a brief excursion began to squirm in her room. She tried her best to hold her ground but to her dismay her body began to act against her will. The ritual had compelled her to assume her serpent form making her helplessly slither out of the room and head down where the ritual was being performed.
"SNAKE, SNAKE!!!" Rani screamed in fear and stood up the minute she saw the red hued serpent approach them.
Adish continued with the incantation as he picked up a plate full of ashes and stood up to drop a fistful of the same into the fire pit thereby intensifying the effect of the energy causing Ashlesha to squirm in pain.
"What are you waiting for? Just grab that snake and finish it off" Chandrika ordered
"BUT—" Adish was cut off as he tried to refuse
"Just do it" Shipra supported Chandrika's insistance, complying with the same Adish then walked towards the serpent and picked it up following which he then turned around returned to his place near the homa pit. Adish held the serpent right above the fire with the intention of dropping the creature into it. However before he could do so, a strong gust breaks through the main entrance door such that it managed to extinguish the flames.
"What just happened?" Abhay wondered
"I don't know" an equally confused Adish answered
Everyone gathered at the hall tried to maintain their composure amidst the storm that broke in prompting them to have all the entry points including the windows closed.
Once that was done Adish proceeded to light the homa pit once again using a matchstick. Before he could do so it was once again blown out by the same storm which now began to wreak havoc.
Adish tried to make sense of what was going on at that moment until he noticed an orange serpent make it's way inside followed by several others that slithered inside behind it much to everyone's horror.
The orange serpent then began to grew in size comparable to that of a giant serpent as it hissed at the humans as if to demand the release their partner.
"SO YOU'VE FINALLY SHOWED UP, I GUESS YOU'RE THAT NAAGMAYA VIKRAM MENTIONED" Adish assumed to which the orange serpent responded with a hiss as it prepared to strike him.
Adish immediately recited the Shiva raksha stotram to ward off the attack and petrify the serpents in their tracks.
Ashlesha who was held by Adish hurled her tail upwards towards his head wrapping it around his mouth as a gag preventing him from reciting the hymn further and causing him to loosen his grasp which allowed her to slide up close to his forearm and inject her venom into him as she bit him before slipping away from his grip.
All the serpents then began to retreat as they slithered outside much to Adish's frustration who then collapsed and fell to the floor as he helplessly watched the enemy escape right before his eyes.
"Get my bag from the room right" Adish requested, Lakshya then instructed one of the house staff members to immediately fetch the same.
The house staff member upon doing so then handed over the requested bag to Adish who then pulled out a vile and consumed it's contents which seemingly helped him recover from the effects of the venom inside his system following which he stood up and headed back to reignite the flames of the homa pit. He then took a knife and slit his palm causing the same to bleed as an offering to the fire as he began to chant the Garuda gayatri mantra.
Soon a flaming large Eagle like bird emerged from the fire.
"Why have you invoked me?" The bird asked
"We need your help, this family has been plagued and afflicted by serpents for unexplained reasons, please eliminate them so that innocent lives can be saved" Adish pleaded
"Very well then" the giant flaming bird flew outside as it grew further in size heading towards the fleeing serpents.
Adish then attempted to follow the giant bird however his feet gave in leaving him temporarily immobilised. Lakshya and Abhay rushed to his side, "you need to rest"
"I can't, I need to retrieve my gem from those serpents before they're eliminated" Adish told him
"In that case I'll go instead, besides I'd too would like to know about the serpent whose identity that Vikram died trying to keep a secret from us" Lakshya volunteered.
"Don't go, it's dangerous" Adish warned him
"He's right, don't be insane" Shipra vehemently opposed as she agreed with Adish however Lakshya paid no heed and darted out through main entrance towards where his car was parked before getting inside and driving away.
"He never listens, what am I going to do about him" Shipra complained
"Don't worry Mrs. Singh,
I'm anyways going after those serpents. I'll make sure he's safe" Adish assured her
"But you need to rest yourself" Shipra pointed
"I'll be fine besides the antidote's managed to neutralise the venom, I'll go now" Adish told her following which he gestured one of the house staff to hell him to his car.
"I'll go as well" Abhay told them as he too prepared to step out
"Absolutely not, you're not going anywhere" Chandrika rebuked her grandson in a dismissive manner.
"But-" Abhay tried to reason but was cut off by Chandrika who refused him right away.
"Your mother and dadi are right, you can't just go after them and risk yourself getting into another mishap because of this like the last time" Anvay reminded then instructing him to head upstairs to his room instead.
........................................................................................................................................................
The large flaming Eagle continued to chase after the fleeing serpents who were desperately on a look out for shelter to escape their impending death at the claws of the terrifying large bird which soon began to strike them out one by one as it devoured them in a blink of an eye.
Soon they found themselves at the threshold of the local Shiva temple where several devotees were observing the great night of the Lord amongst whom were the Rai's.
The large flaming bird began to attack Ashlesha in a bid to take her out and devour her however it was met with resistance as Mahima joined in to defend her frustrating their predator as it let out a loud screech which could be heard by the people inside the temple.
"What's an Eagle doing out at this hour?" Srishti wondered as her curiosity began to take over thereby compelling her to step out.
"Mom I need to use the restroom" she excused herself to get up and head outside to follow the screech which led her in the middle of the forest.
She was stunned by the extraordinary sight of the blazing bright bird before her, indeed it wasn't something one would come across very often making it a rare event, however the minute she noticed the two serpents battling against it in a bid to survive a strange feeling of sadness swept over her evoking a sense of empathy deep within her heart.
"Why do I feel this way? They're serpents yet watching them get hurt like this breaks my heart" She admitted to herself and before she knew it her body began to move on its own heading towards the site. Srishti impulsively picked up a rock and hurled the same at the large flaming bird attempting to either distract or scare it away.
Infuriated the bird then shifted its attention towards Srishti making her it's prime target flying towards her following which it began to peck and claw at her.
Srishti tried to defend herself against it's attacks which soon began to inflict minor burns and wounds on her body.
"Let's get out of here" Ashlesha decided
"We can't just leave especially with that girl getting targetted right infront of us" Mahima refused
"What can we do anyways, we're no match for him. If you go anywhere near it then that would give him an opportunity to rip you apart, besides you're in a pretty bad shape already" Ashlesha reasoned
"Srishti could have done the same now couldn't she? She had nothing to do with any of this, in fact she has no real reason to help either of us yet she has come forward out of sheer compassion then how can we turn our backs on her?" Mahima pointed
"This is a bad idea, going after that bird isn't gonna do any of us any good, besides she's a human, he may attack her but he couldn't possibly kill her. In my opinion she'd be fine" Ashlesha tried to persuade Mahima
"It doesn't seem that way though" Mahima grew anxious as she saw the giant bird continuously attack the young girl baffling her at it's unexpected choice of a target.
Mahima immediately slithered towards them defying Ashlesha's warning. Growing in size and getting in between the two she managed to shield the young girl from any further blows directed at her. Mahima used her tail to hurl the bird away further only to end up fueling it fury as it got back up and came at her with the double the force. Withstanding the same Mahima began to breathe out fire to prevent it from delivering it's next strike.
Srishti too found a large wooden branch lying on the ground which she picked up and used as a weapon to strike the bird hoping to discourage any further attacks and chase it away, this went on for a while until they were both exhausted giving the flaming avian an opportunity to knock out Srishti unconscious and fling Mahima away causing her to land on a pile of leaves following which she reverted back to her human self.
Mahima tried to pull herself back up, however it turned out to be futile attempt as her body gave out as she helplessly watched the bird attack Srishti. Deeply anguished by the sight before her she cursed herself for being unable to defend themselves and wondered if this was going to be her end.
"O lord, I need your help, you're the only one who can deliver us from this adversity. The boon you gave me as a result of the rigorous penance I performed can't go on vain, please honor it" Mahima prayed.
The bird then began to head towards her with the intent of finishing her off however as it approached the battered serpent woman a strong gust of wind pushed back against it akin to an invisible yet opposing force preventing it ftom advancing any further. Unwavered and with it's prey lying in plain sight, the bird attempted to once again fly towards it right against the wind's direction only to get pushed back even harder.
(Imagine the above theme play during the ongoing scene)
The pile of leaves on which Mahima laid scattered away to reveal a shiva linga from which a divine bright light emerged as it illuminated the entire place, moments later a giant multiheaded cobra arrived spreading it's hood as a supposed warning to the giant flaming bird as both Mahima and Ashlesha who were in awe watched it do so.
"Return back to your world, this is our matter and any interference from your end will not be tolerated, consider this an order from the Lord himself" the giant cobra hissed
"The one you are protecting is conspiring against a human family who have invoked me to protect them" the bird explained itself
"And the one's you are protecting are responsible for the destruction of her entire world, the Lord has blessed her to seek justice by avenging her clan, you attacking her would be no different from going against the lord, and you very well know how that ended the last time" The giant multi headed cobra warned the bird making it reconsider the same.
"Very well then" the giant bird conceded following which it dissipated into thin air.
"Naagraj Vasuki, it is indeed an honor to see you here. No words are enough to express how grateful I am to the Lord for sending you to our rescue" Mahima thanked the giant multiheaded Cobra king with folded hands as she managed to get up on her knees.
"I had to come, it was your devotion and faith in the Lord that sent me here. The boon that you received will be upheld however you will need to be very careful as the road ahead is going to be thorny and full of gruelling challenges but at the same time on the bright side be assured the same would present you with unexpected opportunities" Naagraj Vasuki revealed
"Opportunities? What kind of opportunities" a puzzled Mahima asked,
"You will come to know when the time is right" Vasuki assured her following which he took his leave.
Mahima then used all her strength to get back up and walked towards an injured and unconscious Srishti to check on her as she stumbled all the way while somehow managing to reach her before falling to the ground on her knees. She picked up Srishti's head and placed the same on her lap to help wake her up much to Ashlesha's annoyance.
"Come on, you need to get up. Why would you risk your life to intervene and take on someone quite powerful as that bird just to defend some mere serpents like us? What would you gain from this?" Mahima wondered
"We need to leave, her family is probably at the nearby temple and could come looking for her any moment" Ashlesha urged the naagrajkumari who reluctantly agreed as she picked up Srishti's head and gently placed the same back on the ground.
"Don't leave me like this....... it's very lonely here" were the words Srishti uttered in an incoherent manner while still unconscious making Mahima feel overwhelmed by an unexplained heartwrenching sadness.
"This isn't fair, she helped us when she barely had a reason to do so while we're abandoning her in this state. At least allow me to heal her" Mahima pleaded
"If you do that then your own condition would worsen" Ashlesha warned against it,
"I'll be fine so please allow me, this is the least I could do to repay her" without paying much heed Mahima placed her hand on Srishti's forehead as she transferred a part of her energy reserve to the young girl, pretty soon the minor burns on Srishti's skin and other injuries were healed in no time.
"It's done, let's go now" Ashlesha urged Mahima once again who then gave her a nod following which they both assumed their serpent forms and left the scene slithering away.
Moments later, Smitha and Harshad arrived along with Shreya and the other devotees who were on a look out for Srishti.
Smitha panicked the minute she saw her daughter unconscious on the ground and immediately rushed to her side.
"What happened to my child? Why is she lying unconscious like this" Smitha grew anxious as she turned to her husband who requested the fellow devotees for a bottle of water.
"Here" one of them obliged and handed it over to him, Harshad turned open the bottle cap and poured some of the water onto his hand which he then sprinkled on Srishti's face helping her regain consciousness.
"Where's the bird?" Srishti asked
"What bird?" Harshad asked
"A giant bird kept coming at me" Srishti answered
"There's nothing as such here, perhaps you were dreaming" Smitha dismissed and demanded that they get back home immediately considering her daughter's delicate condition and to avoid a commotion.
"Alright" Harshad agreed and instructed Shreya to stay next to her sister till the chauffeur arrived with car following which they got inside and left for home.
........................................................................................................................................................
Mahima and Ashlesha were on their way back to the temple, hoping to get themselves treated once they got there until Mahima abruptly reverted back to her human self much to Ashlesha's concern.
"What's the matter?" Ashlesha looked at her with a troubled expression on her face.
"I can't go any further.... my body hurts" Mahima answered as she took took deep heavy breaths
"Ofcourse it would, which was why I advised against using your powers to heal that girl, since it would deplete your own energy reserves" Ashlesha explained in rebuking manner as she looked around for a place nearby where they could rest for while allowing her to spot a car approaching their way with Lakshya in the driver's seat.
"we need to get going or you could risk getting your identity exposed" Ashlesha warned the serpent princess to which she desperately tried to gather her strength and walk away however to her dismay Mahima's feet betrayed her as they refused to move an inch prompting Lakshya to hit the brakes as soon as he noticed her ahead bringing his car to a complete halt in the middle of the road right before her body gave in and collapsed infront of his car.
........................................................................................................................................................
To be continued..
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