Chapter 58
Veer touched the marking trying to remember where he had seen it last.
“Veer baba, aapke liye koi aaya hai.” Ramesha kaka called him while he was sitting around his brothers. All of them trying to pass their exams. Even as a fifteen-year-old, Veer had the same walk.
“Kon hai, kaka? Ek toh mujhse yeh history yaad nahi kiya jaa raha. Saala Aurangzeb ne kahan se kahan tak raj kiya iska main kya karun?” Veer exclaimed irritatedly. “Khud toh mar gaya saala hume marne ke baad bhi torture kar raha hai.”
Sam laughed at that. Throwing the history textbook on the dining table irritatedly, Veer walked ahead to the gate. Veer saw an old man. Well, he was a cheel. He looked old indicating that he was actually really old. Must have lived for around 200 years. He looked damn fragile. Veer sighed.
“Kaka, kuch pani aur khaane ko le aao. Dekhke lag raha hai yahin marr jaayenge.” Veer told Ramesh kaka. Ramesh kaka nodded and left. “Kon ho, bhai? Dekho koi problem hai toh baad mein aana abhi zara Aurangzeb apna mukadma chala raha hai mere dimaag mein.”
“Aapko kuch batana tha.” He requested, almost shaking.
“Abe… Calm down. Thoda saans le le.” Veer held him and made him sit on a chair. “Arrey dada, kisi aur ko bhej diya hota. Kyu khud chale aaye? Waise hi halat tight ho rakhi hai. Saans ki hi tangi lag rahi aapke body mein. Saans le lo pehle.”
“Yeh aapke liye hai. Kisi aur ko mat dena. Sirf aap hi ise padh sakte hai.” The old man gave him a scroll.
“Scroll dene itne dur chale aaye? Kamaal hai aap bhi.” Veer opened the scroll and saw a marking. He was confused. It seemed like an old scroll. It seemed to show a temple with some traps in the temple.
“Prince of Persia kind of video games ke liye abhi time nahi hai, dada. Exams aa rahe hai. Pass nahi hua toh Tapish bhai mujhe kaccha kha jaayenge. Bahar jaana band ho jaayega mera.” He complained.
“Yeh zaroori hai, Rajkumar.” The man insisted. Ramesh kaka gave him some food and water. The man seemed starving enough to eat in a hurry. Veer laughed at how the man ate the food.
“Aaram se, dada. Murga kat ke biriyani ban chuka hai. Kahi bhaag nahi jaayega. Dheere dheere khao. Pata chala nivala gale mein aur jaan hawa mein.” Veer laughed and looked at the scroll.
“Yeh sirf cheel Rajkumar ke liye hai. Kisi aur ko na dikhe iss baat ka khyal rakhiye. 300 saal se maine isko bacha ke rakha hai. Aapke liye.”
“Mere liye?”
“Mere pariwaar ko ek aghori ne bataya tha ki ek Rajkumar aayega jise mujhe yeh dena hai. Who Rajkumar baccha hoke bhi taaj pehnega. Sirf use hi yeh dena hai.”
“Dada, main baccha thodi na hun. 15 saal ka hun.”
“Veer baba, unki umar ke hisaab se toh aap bacche hi hai.” Ramesh kaka pointed out. Veer gave him a look.
“Kara do bezzati meri.” Veer taunted. Ramesh kaka looked away but the smile didn’t go away. “Has lo. Mera bhi din aayega.”
“Veer baba, din kya raat bhi aap hi ki. Aap Veer baba hai humare. Sabh kuch aapka hi hai.” Ramesh kaka teased.
“Haan. Theek hai bas aap jaao.” Veer shook his head. If this man hadn’t been his butler since childhood, Veer would have already kicked him out for trying to taunt him. None of the other house staff would dare to do that. Regardless, Veer loved the man.
“Shiv mandir hair. Iss mandir ke teen zaroori hisse hai. Pehla hai verandah. Isse paar karne ke liye tezi, soch aur santulan ki zaroorat hai. Kayi tarah ke chaaku aur patthar hawa mein jhulenge jinki dhaar bohot teez hai. Dekhke paar nahi kiya toh sar kat jaayenge. Dusra hai seedhiya. Koile ki tarah jalti hui seedhiyan. Inhe paar karne ke liye himmat aur sehenshakti ki zaroorat hoti hai. Teesra hai Sarp jaal. Chausar ka bichauna hai. Use khelke aur jeet ke hi aage badh sakte hai. Uske baad hi anth tak pohoch sakte hai.”
“Dada, thank you ki aap itne dur se aaye iss Prince of Persia paper version dene ke liye. Thoda araam kariye. Iski fikar mat kijiye. Jaise aapne kaha hai waise ise sirf main hi rakhunga. Abh main apne Aurangzeb ke paas lautu? Kal fail hua toh Tapish sach mein mujhe maar denge. Pichle do history ke exam mein bas passing marks aaye hai. Woh bhi aage waale se chaap ke. Iss baar better nahi hua toh meri maiyyad nikal jaayegi. Daksh toh hai chugli karne wala. 2 saal tak yaad dilayega Tapish bhai ko ki main fail ho gaya.”
“Ruko.” Veer told them. They all looked at Veer.
“Kya hua?” Bani asked.
“Tum sabh yahin ruko. Main jaata hun. I think I know how to cross this.” Veer told him. Veer tried to think of way how to cross the invisible trap. He knew there were blades swinging but how would he see them?
“Akele jaaoge? Toh hum sabh yahan baithke kya kare?” Bani asked him.
“Bani, I know the traps that are set in there.” Veer told her. Everyone was shocked.
“Tumhe kaise pata ho sakta hai? Pure naagvansh mein kisi ko nahi pata.” Rudra asked.
“Well, kisi aghori ko inn traps ke baare mein pata tha. He had mapped it out on a scroll. Uss scroll ko ek cheel ke haath diya tha use safekeeping ke liye aur kaha ki mujhe de. Usi cheel ne bataya mujhe.” Veer answered.
“Jo bhi hai. Main tumhe akele nahi jaane de raha.” Bani made it clear.
“Rishi, Kartik, smoke bomb hai abhi?” Veer asked.
“Haan.” They gave him a smoke bomb. He set it off in the long passageway. They could see invisible blade cutting through the smoke. Veer could see exactly where the blade were and at what interval they hacked through stuff. It was fast. Clearly no snake could slither that fast. It needed someone who was good had acrobatics. No one other than cheels could go that fast with acrobatics. Aerial acrobatics were their thing. Especially Veer’s. He was the one to do that kind of stunts.
“Samajh mein aaya. Tum naag ise paar nahi kar paaoge. You don’t have that speed. Only cheels do. This is almost like flying through the air. Kisi bhi naag ke bas ki baat nahi hai. Only cheels know how to fly through the stuff with dodging the blades. We can’t even see the blades.” Veer tried tell Bani.
“Veeranshu, pagal ho kya? Tumhe akele jaane dun?” Bani asked.
Some blades spinned and some went back and forth. Veer had enough of flying expertise to manage getting through it.
“Bani, don’t be foolish. You can’t possibly know how to fly.”
“Woh mujhe nahi pata. But main tumhe akele nahi jaane de rahi.”
Veer sighed. If he was adamant then so was she.
“Fine. Ek kaam karo, naag bano and coil up around me.”
Bani did so.
“Veer bhai, I just saw Jay sending more of naag behind us. Aap aur Bhabhi aage jaao. Hum sabh unhe yahan rokte hai.” Sam suggested.
“Theek hai.” Veer nodded.
Veer floated up in the at the moment he stepped ahead. He was disbalanced and barely missed the blade. He felt as if he had forgotten how to fly. When he lost his wings, he almost lost himself. The pain and the heartbreak weighed him so much that he forgot how to balance himself. He was floating in the air like a broken paper kite. No control on the flight. Veer felt irritated. The blade cut his arm.
“Aaahh…” He exclaimed. Bani’s snake head peaked up in worry but Veer pushed it back inside his jacket. “Stay put, Bani.” Veer told her. He balanced himself in a safe place. Blades going back and forth next to him.
Veer took a deep breath and calmed himself. He closed his eyes. To fly, one has to let go off the burden that weighs them down and makes one heavier. The disappointment of losing against Markaat was weighing him down. The taste of defeat.
His ego weighed him down from being able to be free. The pain of the loss of his cheel powers. The sudden question at himself as to who he was if he wasn’t a cheel. All of them were weighing him down. He no longer felt like the free bird that never carried weight. All the time before, he was a free bird. He never let his past weigh him down and make an impact on his present but this had weighed him.
Veer closed his eyes. With each exhale, he decided to let go off the pain. If he didn’t have wings. Then so be it. Its alright. He didn’t have wings. He would still love the sky. A bird caged in a golden cage doesn’t carry bitterness against the sky for being unable to spread its wings. It still carries that undying love for the sky. Veer thought of the sky. The feeling of flying through the air as he remembered. His first love. Flying. The taste of freedom. Being so free. The love of the sky. He tried to remember that feeling of air brushing through him. The wind coursing through his wings. Free from any attachment that keeps you tied. The gliding. The rush of speed. The fast cut turns.
“Yeh chota sa eagle bhi tumhari tarah hai. Bas abhi abhi toh it has realized how the running air feels like. Udna seekha hi nahi hai. There is a pull of the wind which picks on the inside avian soul of his but the fears and inhibition grabs him. Pankh hai par udna nahi aata. Tumhara bhi same hai. You know that you can fly and set yourself free but you’re too scared to do that.” Veer remembered that he had once told Bani that. Trying to teach her how to fly. To let go off things that scared her. Now he himself had forgotten how to fly.
“All it takes to fly is a leap of faith.”
Veer opened his eyes and let himself imagine having his wings backs. Going left and right, dodging the blades, making swift turns, Veer managed to cross the corridor. The moment he crossed it, he fell down.
“Uff… bas thodi der ude aur phir gir gaye.” Veer teased. Bani returned to her human.
“Oh my god!!” Bani exclaimed. Bani hugged him tightly in excitement. “Mujhe almost laga ek point pe ki bas khatam. Tumse nahi hoga.”
“Excuse me. Itna bhi underestimate mat karo.”
“Tum almost bhul gaye the ki kaise udte hai.”
Veer gave her a smile. “I never thought that what I advised you would have to come back to me. Remember pahadi pe I took you to the eagle’s first flight? Same thing. Bas I let go off the worry that maybe I’ll never find my wings anymore. Abh nahi aaye toh nahi par udna seekh liya hai. All it takes is a leap of faith to fly.”
“Veeranshu Singhania aur philosophical baatein kuch match nahi karta.” Bani teased. He laughed. The two went ahead. There were steps leading ahead.
“Bani, these steps are burning hot. We can’t cross it without shoes. Aur shoes pehenke andar nahi jaa sakte kyuki mandir hai.” Veer told her.
“Mandir?” Bani asked.
“Haan. Yeh koi purana mandir hai. Shiv mandir koi.”
Veer put an aluminium foil, in which he had earlier put the sandwich in, on the step and it burnt black instantly. Veer took a deep breath. If it too burning feet to win, he’d do that. He put his foot but it burnt so harshly that Veer had to step back. He kept trying but he couldn’t move ahead. The burn was too bad to try. But every time he put a foot. The mark would appear and it wouldn’t burn on that step. In exactly a minute, the mark would disappear and would get back to burning the sole away.
Bani stopped him. “Veeranshu.” Bani pulled him back.
“Bani, pagal ho kya? Pair jal jaayenge tumhare. I don’t want you to burn your feet. Its fine if I burn my feet. Its alright. Ek kaam karo. Tum mujhe dekhte rehna. Main tumhe dekhte rahunga. Jalan pata hi nahi chalegi.” Veer suggested. He tried to walk up ahead while looking into Bani’s eyes but yet it burned harshly. Tears almost formed in his eyes. Bani pulled him back. She made him sit and healed his feet. “Aaaahhh…” He winced.
“Kyu? Bade Romeo ban rahe the.” Bani taunted him.
Bani turned around. She joined her. If her faith on her devotion was true, she’d get through this. Veer wasn’t someone who backed out with a bit of pain. Veer had a high pain tolerance generally with his own violent nature. His determination to win was stronger than pain but if it burned him, this was no ordinary heat.
“Bholenath, aap par yakeen karte hue aage badh rahe hai. Jo bhi ho, mujhe sweekar hai.” Bani prayed. Bani put her foot on the step. It was hot and burnt slightly but not bad. She thought of her greatest strength. Her devotion to her God. He was her savior and her god. He’d be the one to help her cross the path ahead.
Veer was shocked. Veer put his foot exactly on the mark that was left from Bani’s foot. Naturally, her foot was smaller and the edged still burned but he could bear that. Bani just walked up. Not even a word of complaint.
“Aakesh, kabhi kabhi aise raste aate hai jeevan mein jahan hume apna rasta banane ke jagah pe kisi aur ke dikhaye raste pe chalna hota hai. Bas uske peeche chalte raho. Awashyak nahi hai ki humesha tum hi aage chalo aur humesha tum hi rasta banao. Kisi aur ko rasta dikhane do. Roshni ka matlab hi yeh hai ki tum akele nahi ho. Saath hai koi. Jab tumhara rasta tumhe jala raha ho to kisi aur ke dikhaye raste pe chalo. Wahi tumhe bacha sakta hai.” Veer suddenly remembered the man by the temple telling him.
When he saw Bani walking ahead, he remembered that. Had the man already known this? But how could he have known what was supposed to happen now? Maybe he had just said it as a piece of advice.
Once they crossed the stairs, Veer checked her feet if they were burnt badly. To his surprised it wasn’t that bad. A bit of burns, yes, not as bad as his had been earlier.
“Shayad tumhare Bholenath ko tum zyaada pasand ho. Tabhi mere pair jal gaye but tumhare nahi jale.” Veer teased her.
“Baat vishwas ki hai. Tumne hi kaha tha ki yeh Bholenath ka mandir hai. Toh unke mandir mein unhe yaad karke aage jaayenge toh kaise pair jalenge. Also, shayad jitna tum vishwas karte ho usse bohot zyaada vishwas mujhe hai. Utna vishwas unhe mujhepar hai ki main sahi hun. Bas.”
The two reached the final stage. The chess board was placed there.
“Aaah… itne waqt baad koi aaya hai yaha.” There was a hissing voice. “Aaj lagta hai khana mil hi jaayega.”
“Kon ho tum? Saamne aao.” Bani demanded. A giant half snake and half man showed up.
“Naag? Bani, zara isse bhi bata do tum Adi-Naagin ho. Musibat hi khatam. Aage chale jaa sakte hai.” Veer told Bani.
“Adi-Naagin ho ya Adi-Shesh. Kisi ko aage jaane ki ijazat nahi hai jab tak mujhe chausar mein na hara de.”
“Yeh bohot zyaada ho gaya, babe. Adi-Sheshnaag ko tum rokogi? Aise badi badi baatein main bhi nahi karta.”
“Tum apna muh band rakho.”
“Tch tch tch…” He made that clicking noise to her. “Tumhe problem kya mere bolne se? Bhagwaan ne muh diya aur azaadi di hai bolne ki toh uss gift ka istemaal karna banta hai. Jalo mat. Mujhe pata main kaafi logical baatein karta hun.”
She hissed at him. Veer rolled his eyes.
“Dude, chill. Itna offend kyu ho rahe ho?”
“Veeranshu, chup karoge?” Bani commented. “Pehle yeh socho ki iss game ko jeetna kaise hai. Apna dimaag baton mein nahi game mein lagao.”
“Yeh samajhdar lagti hai.” The naag commented.
“Of course. Biwi meri hai.” Veer added with a grin. Bani glared at him and Veer shut up.
Bani noticed that as his ludo pieces were real naags. Not those fake snake pieces but real once. They looked starving. At that hunger, they weren’t going to care she’s Adi-Naagin. They’ll eat her up. Chausar was a strategy game. They had to think as individual pieces and as group pieces. Bani was good at making individual strategies. She was good as an individual player. Veer could never go wrong in making strategies as a group. He knew which piece is supposed to be used where.
“Veeranshu, hum dono ko ek conclusion pe aake aage khelna hoga. I’ll focus on taking individual pieces to the end. You check with the individual pieces around the board. Tum dekho ki konsa piece kabh move karna hai. Unhe end tak main pohocha dungi.” Bani told him.
“Done.”
The two did a fist bump. The board was large and Veer and Bani were live pieces on the board. If the snakes get to them, they’re dead meat.
Veer and Bani started playing with the naag. The naag was clever. A strategist at the best. Veer and Bani together were no less. They made a formidable team. 20 minutes of playing the game, the two were finally able to reach the end. Once they stepped there, the board and the naag disappeared. A large Shivling came to view.
Veer’s watch beeped.
“Bani, kechuli raat.” Veer told her.
“Shit. Naaglok ke saare protective wards toot chuke honge.” Bani exclaimed. Shining brightly with a purple light was an arrow.
“Naagpash.” The duo said together.
“Bholenath, shukriya.” Bani thanked her God and then took the arrow with her. The cave started shaking at that.
“Run…” Veer grabbed her hand and began dragging her with him. She ran as fast as she could. The cave started to collapse behind them.
The moment everyone reached out of the cave, the entire cave collapsed into nothing.
“What the hell, guys? Kya kiya tum dono ne?” Rishi shouted in surprise and fear.
Bani showed them the arrow with a smile.
“Damn, dude. Naagpash.” Kartik exclaimed.
“Bani…” Rudra looked up at sky. It had started to get black. Even the moon had begun to disappear. It had started to turn black and golden. The same as Chandrakala’s magic.
“Chandrakala naaglok pohoch chuki hai.” Bani said.
Rudra managed to them past the place and to Sheshnaag valley quickly. He saw all the naag-naagins of Sheshnaag vansh gathered. At the other side of the river, there was Chandrakala. Her aids had managed to even get into the river cutting between the entrance to Sheshnaag valley.
“Tumhe main kabhi jeetne nahi dungi, Chandrakala.” Bani roared.
“Tum haar chuki ho, bahu rani. Naagmani toh mere paas aa chuka hai.” Chandrakala laughed. Bela clenched her fists.
“What the hell? Yeh iske paas kaise aaya?” Bela demanded.
“Dadi ne galti ki Jay par vishwas karne ki jo maine pehle ki thi.” Bani explained.
“Bani, yeh galti nahi rahi. This is a huge problem. Naagmani ki rakhwali meri zimmedari hai. To know ke mere apne naagvansh ke logo ne kisi ko naagmani ka pata bata diya and didn’t even bother to inform me ki humare alawa koi hai jise naagmani ka pata hai.” Bela got angry.
“Bela, abhi gussa karke koi matlab hai kya? Hume abhi ke liye iss mushkil ne nipatna hai.” Bani tried to tell her.
“Mujhe sach mein laga ki Adi-Naag humare saath hai.” Shreya tried to explain herself.
“Aapko aisa laga? Main aapki bohot respect karti hun, dadi, but this is not an acceptable excuse. Main kya jawaab dun pure naagvansh ko ki naagmani Jay ke haath kaise lagi? I can’t say that you made a mistake and that’s why this happened. At the end of the day yeh meri responsibility thi. Main Naagrani hun Sheshnaag vansh ki. Mujh par responsibility thi ki main uski rakhwali karun aur use kisi galat haathon mein na jaane dun.”
“Abhi waqt hai, bahu rahi. Humari taraf aa jaao. Shayad tumhe baksh dun. Aaj kechuli raat hai. Tum kamzor ho. Bacha nahi paaogi khud ko.” Chandrakala taunted.
“Main unn saare naag-naagino ko aakhri mauka de rahi hun. Chandrakala ka saath chod de. Iske baad bhi agar kisi ko yeh lagta hai ki unhe uska saath dena hai toh main, Adi-Naagin, unhe naagvansh ke gaddar karar kar rahi hun.” Bani announced.
“Aur Naagvansh sabh kuch bardaas kar sakta hai par gaddari nahi. Gaddaro ke saath waisa hi suluk kiya jaayega jaise kiya jaana chahiye.” Bela added.
“Cheel….” Sam commented. “Veer bhai, iske saath cheel bhi aaye hai yahan tak. Markaat ne bridge tod di hai. The bridge of magic jo cheelon ko andar aane ki ijazat nahi deta. Ek baar pehle tod chuka hai. Phir se tod diya hai.”
“Saare cheel peeche hat jaaye toh accha hoga.” Veer made it clear.
“Veer Singhania, abh tum order dene ke layak nahi rahe cheelon ko. Tumhare paas toh cheel ki shaktiya hi nahi hai. Toh Cheel Rajkumar kaise?” Nikhil came ahead laughing.
“Iss saale ko toh main…” Sam clenched his fists.
“Great. Aakhri warning main de chuki hun. Abh iske aage sabh tum logo ki galti jiske saza toh tumhe milegi.” Bani made it clear. Vanshika threw Bani a bow. She put the naagpash on the bow and stretched it.
The moment Bani launched it. A large smoke emerged out of it. Black smoke almost covering the other side. As the smoke reduced, each tendril of the smoke started getting converted into a snake. Millions of snakes started to coil around all of the enemies. Some of the cheels ran away scared. The naag-naagins tried to wrestle the snake but was just in vain. The snakes started biting them. Viciously hissing and biting them. Injecting their own venom which matches Bani’s venom since she had launched the naagpash. The venom that snakes contained was the same as Bani’s own venom and just as potent.
Veer was standing at the edge. Jay wasn’t accepting defeat like this. If his side was losing, he’d make Bani lose something more valuable to her. Jay grabbed Veer and pulled him into the water.
“Veeranshu…” Bani shouted. Bani couldn’t enter the water now because the snakes released from Naagpash were all filled in the river.
“Adi-Naagin.” Several naagins pulled her away before she jumped into the river.
“What the hell are you doing? Kya kar rahe ho? Veer wahan paani mein gir gaya hai.” Bani tried to free herself but she couldn’t.
“Veer bhai…” Sam jumped right into the water.
“Samrat…” Aishwarya and Vanshika shouted but it was a little late. Sam had already jumped up to defend his brother. The snakes started pulling Sam but he didn’t give up. He continued fighting them and trying to get to his brother.
Jay grabbed Veer’s throat and tried to pull him into the water. Veer tried to help himself, kicking and fighting but he couldn’t match the strength of Jay in water. He could feel the decreasing oxygen in his lungs. Cheels have hollow bones allowing them to take in more oxygen than humans. The air is filled into those hollow structures giving them oxygen to breath at high altitudes.
“Aaj tu bachke dikha, Veer Singhania.” Jay challenged.
“Jay, chodo use. Main bol rahi hun agar Veer ko kuch bhi hua toh tumhari jaan le lungi main…” Bani raged. Her rage was making the snakes way more vicious. They coile dup around Sam. Sam pushed away Jay even with the snakes biting him. It was burning him from the inside but he was determined.
Jay was thrown away and Veer tried to free himself but the snakes grabbed him. The fact that Jay had Naagmani with him was what kept him alive even the snakes biting him. The naagmani would keep filtering the poison.
“Chodo mujhe…” Bani struggled but there was no way they were letting Bani get there.
Jay coiled his tail around Veer’s throat, choking him. Sam stabbed on the coils to free Veer. Veer continued to stab on the coils. The snakes were biting both Sam and Veer. Bani’s temper had blown all the snakes out of control and they were close to burning out everyone.
Chandrakala tried to escape but the snakes went on to bite them. Almost shouting in pain, she felt her tissues burn.
Bani was weak as she was changing her snake skin. There was no way she’d be able to get through the whole river filled with snake alive without her Adi-Naagin strength. Since she was changing her snake skin, the snakes wouldn’t recognize her as Adi-Naagin until the process was finished. All of her skin was itchy as the old snake skin started wilting. Her body felt weak and she had to see Veer almost struggling.
“Nahi, please mujhe jaane do. Mujhe Veer ko bachana hai.” Bani shouted angrily. Bela ordered them to leave her.
“Uske pati ki baat hai.” Bela tried to tell them.
“Naagrani, yeh Adi-Naagin hai. Kechuli raat hai woh pehle hi kamzor hai. Mar sakti hai.” Someone said.
“Veer ko kuch bhi hua toh waise bhi main marr hi jaaungi. Woh mera pyaar hai, meri zindagi hai, meri saansein hai. ABhi toh woh cheel bhi nahi ban sakta. Please mujhe jaane do.” Bani tried to tell them.
Vanshika was about to jump in bu Mayank stopped her.
“Pagal ho kya, Vanshika?” He asked.
“Haan, dad, pagal hun main. Yeh jo paani mein woh mere dost hai. Bachpan se leke aaj tak har jagah pe mera saath diya hai. Aaj jab zaroorat hai toh main peeche hat jaau?” Vanshika shouted back at him.
“Hum mein se abhi koi bhi iss kaabil nahi hai ki iss rudra tandav ko roke. Bani ne Naagpash chala diya hai. Sabhko maarne ke baad hi tandav rukega.” Mayank tried to explain it to her.
“Dad, agar waha Sam aur Veer ki jagah mom hoti toh kya tabhi aap yahi kehte?” Vanshika asked.
“Aishwarya mera joda hai who baat alag hai.”
“Alag kaise hai, dad? Wahan Sam hai. Jab kisi se help ki umeed nahi thi ki koi mujhe sahi prove kar paayega jab maine uss naag ko maar diya tha toh Sam ko dhundhte hue Himachal chali gayi thi kyuki even if it is the darkest time, Sam humesha mere help ke liye tayyar rahega, iska full confidence tha mujhe. Bohot ladai karte hai hum dono. Bohot zyaada. School mein har din ladayi ki hai par jab mujhe sachmein zaroorat hoti thi Sam humesha mere saath raha hai.”
“Mera pati hai, Veer. Main use kaise apni aankhon ke saamne marta dekhu?” Bani asked trying to free herself.
Bela tried to go and enter the water but naagins stopped her.
“Naagrani, aap aisa nahi kar sakti hai. Aap Naagrani hai. Aapko agar kuch ho gaya toh pure Sheshnaag vansh ki Raksha par mushkil aa jaayegi.” They tried to tell her.
“Kam se kam mujhe toh jaane do. Please…. Mera pati hai who. Mera pyaar hai. Mera janam janam ka saathi hai. Jisne sirf mere liye janam liya. Why don’t you understand?” Bani tried to free herself.
The naag-naagins were right in their place. They saw the greater good of Naagvansh. It would be foolish to let Adi-Naagin die like that. The last time she died, it was utter chaos. All the cheels had started to attack naag-naagins and no one to protect them or guide them. Aakesh’s father had rained death after the death of his son. Everywhere naag-naagins were lying dead.
“Veer!!!” Bani shouted.
Mayank just stood there. He just saw his daughter struggling to free herself to go help them. Amar and Aishwarya decided better and jumped inside the water.
“Amar… Aishwarya…” Shreya shouted. The two tried to get to Sam and Veer, swimming through the pool of snakes. Amar punched right on Jay’s face and the coils came free off Veer’s neck. Veer coughed, trying to breath. Amar tried to fight Jay and keep him away even while the snakes had started to bite him. Aishwarya had tried to get Veer and Sam to the banks but the snakes kept pulling three of them into the water. Soon enough. All of them were coiled by snakes, unable to move at all. The slow poison working through the blood. It had started to paralyze the victims. Jay was being saved because of the naagmani.
Sam, Veer, Aishwarya and Amar were pulled up on the opposite bank where Chandrakala was dying in intense pain. Her skin burning away and blood flowing away freely.
Mayank tried to go and help them but he got coiled himself. Anyone who tried to help was being taken into the coils.
Next thing that Bani saw had completely shaken her soul. Vanshika was about to jump ahead and help them but the blast was so large that it threw off everyone on the bank a few feet away. All of it was engulfed in flames.
“Veer…” Bani shouted, almost falling down. She just watched the flames completely take in all of the other side of the bank.
