'I cannot promise you a lifetime without trouble

But I promise you a life where you have no troubles

That are not mine too'

--me

Happy reading !

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Veer smiled at his beautiful wife as he set her up on own two feet. She looked beautiful but what filled his heart with glee was the fact that she was now his. His wife. He placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. She blushed and looked down. 

He held a finger lightly under Bani's chin. He gazed at her beautiful orbs, love shining in them, love that her eyes reciprocated. He leaned in and pecked her lips lightly before pulling her again for a long smooch. The feeling of love swallowed them whole and they got lost in the taste of each other's lips. That is exactly what Bani recalled as she succumbed to darkness. Veer felt her go limp in his arms. He frowned but before he could inspect further, he too fell limp on the bed, shielding her small frame.

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Bani woke up feeling heavy. Her head was throbbing. The numerous pins that were in her hair yesterday where still there. The difference was that now her hair wasn't in that impeccable bun and she was actually hurting from all those pins. As few loose curls framed her confused face, she blew them away to take in her surroundings. It looked like she was in a jungle but the specially dark aura around her told her that this was a 'nakaratmak' place. Her eyes moved around when they fell upon Veeranshu Singhania- her husband. He looked fainted and was in a cage of some sort. It was a rather large cage and her entire family was in it.

B: Veeranshu!!

She tried to move towards him but couldn't move. That is when she realized that she was tied down to a tree with a rope. She tried to take her naagin roop but the moment she became a naagin, the rope magically lessened it diameter, choking around her naagin form.

B: Ye kya hai? Ye koi aam rassi nahi hai..

'Sach kaha Bahurani!'

Bani turned as see heard a new voice. She saw someone standing in the shadows.

B: Kon hai wahan? Maine poocha kon hai wahan?

'Tch tch tch..I am hurt, I am deeply hurt...apni saas ko nahi pehchanti kya?'

Meanwhile, Veer woke up see himself in a large cage. His body was aching and his family was also groaning as they felt confused and got up. His mom and wife were missing. Panic began to invade his senses as he stood up and tried to get out of the cage and look for his wife and mother. The cage shocked him the moment his hands touched its iron rods.

Ponky, Daksh, Tapish, Balwant and Pawan rose up and all Singhania men along with Veeranshu tried to throw away the cage from above their heads, only to get zapped in return. Meera cried looking at her family in this situation. Her sister and mother-in-law weren't there which only added to her worries. This commotion got the attention of Bani and she screamed.

B: Veeranshu!!

Veer lifted his head up when he heard his wife's voice and saw only a dark misty aura.

V: What is happening? Why can't I see clearly!! Bani! Where are you?

B: Veer! Mai yahan hoon...can you see me? (to the stranger in the shadows) kon ho tum? And kya kiya hai tumne, why can't they see me?

'Nothing my pyaari bahurani, bs thodi sa dhundla kr diya hai uska frame'

The voice laughed. It sounded like a females' voice but it was also deep and dark at the same time. Why was it calling Bani bahu though?

V: Bani, I can make out a slight figure but is that you?

Veer said trying to squint his eyes to look though the dark smoke.

P: Let me try bhai

Ponky opened his cheel eyes and tried to scan the area through his heightened vision. His eyes widened when he took in Bani's form, tied using a rope. He looked that she seemed to be shouting at someone. Ponky moved his eyes to see who Bani was talking to. The person was definitely a female and must be mocking Bani. He could tell this by the way its shoulders shook in laughter and Bani cried out in anger.

Ponky told this to the family. They all tried to look better. Suddenly, an idea clicked Tapish. He suggested they all take their cheel roop and blew winds that would clear away the smoke. If they can't get out of the large cage like structure, they can at least try get away with the smoke to see better what was going on. They all change their roop.

Large winds shook the area and soon the smoke was gone.

'Smart, very smart' the shadow complimented but the its tone was anything but appreciative. You could hear the nasty smirk in the voice itself.

V: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!? RELEASE US NOW! AND GET THE F- AWAY FROM MY WIFE!

'OR WHAT?'

The shadow shouted back. A woman walked out from the shadows. Her black saree flew behind her. Her hair was long and curly, as dark as the night sky. Her eyes were dark as well but it was her face that was scary. It had three deep scars running from her left eyes to her chin. The scars looked old but maligned her face that might have been pretty without it.

'Karishma!!!!'

A whisper left Pawan's mouth but was loud enough to be heard by all. Ponky and Daksh were dumbfounded to know it was their mom who was standing only a few feet away from them. It was the woman who gave birth to them and died during it. They lived their life pining for her and she was here, standing with a dark aura surrounding her as she looked down at of them.

K: Hi Patidev! (she winked)

P: Maa?

Karishma just waved at him in dismissal. Daksh looked ashen. His face had lost color and tears threatened to come. How many years had he spent, aching for his mother. Being angry at Garud Dev for snatching his mother and envying his cousins for having a doting mother. His heart bled out in pain knowing that the mother he spent his life crying for was never really dead. She was alive and chose to stay away from them. Her absence in their life was a conscious choice that she made.

It hurts not having a mother, it is even worse when you have a one that doesn't care.

Her absolute disregard of Ponky's tears reflected that she didn't really care at all. She left to stand by Bani and traced her face.

V: Door raho meri biwi se...

K: Awe Veer beta, how cute! But you are in no position to negotiate..

She laughed out loud. Pawan looked horrified to hear such a demonic laughter erupting out of the mouth he had kissed, a face he had loved. He never remarried and raised his kids alone. Sure, he had help from his brother's family but he never had a partner. Karishma had 'died' post giving birth to Daksh and Ponky. Pawan was only twenty-eight that time. He was rich and many women still pursued him. He made the choice to live the rest of his life with her memories as he loved her but she clearly didn't care!

Pa: You are alive! No, it cannot be. I-..I cremated you myself. I..It cannot be my Karishma...

K: Boo-hoo Pawan (makes a crying face) ...tumhe bura laga...but kya karu, I realized tumhare ghar me time pass krne ka koi mtlb nahi tha..

Pa: What?

K: Yes...

Meanwhile, the rest of the family was also very sad. Meera kept a comforting hand on Ponky's shoulder. Ponky was sobbing while Daksh was stoic. Tapish and Balwant eyed Pawan with worry while Veer's eyes were fixated at his wife who was tied away from him.

B: Tum kitni beshrm ho!!!...Kehte hai ki 'putra ku-putra ho skta hai..pr mata kabhi ku-mata nahi hoti' You proved this saying wrong. How could you do this to your own kids? What is the meaning of this? What do you even want?

Karishma tapped her forehead and smiled.

K: Shant bahurani...Shant...Phew! take a deep breathe...aise sanse waste mt kro apni..waise bhi zyada nahi hai tumhare pass..(smirks)

V: YOU GET AWAY FROM MY WIFE THIS INSTANT!

K: OR WHAT? (laughs) I ask again, or what my Cheel Prince...You are trapped, she is trapped..everything is just so convenient.

V: You are wrong if you think we'll be trapped forever!

K: Oh! What will you do? Break free using your powers but all objects that I used are made using very powerful magical substances. Moreover, did you not notice you mother is missing...

B: CHANDA! Kahan hai vo..

K: Oh! So you noticed! Tumhe kya laga, mai usse bhool ayi? Arey meri pyaari jethani ko kaise bhool jati...vo alag jagah trapped hai..for security you know! (she winks) I get harmed, she gets harmed!

V: You are messing with the wrong people. You might be my cousins birth mother but you are also toxic. I will rip you apart if you harm my family.

K: You can do nothing from inside the trap...plus, if you rip me apart, you chanda maa gets ripped apart too..

B: Why are you doing this?

K: Why am I doing this? Hmm..(pretends to think) I think I have an answer...You know what guys!!! (shouts like an excited kid) It is story time!

Karishma's story. Karishma's POV

Ever since I read about Gandhak, I was intrigued. I wanted it for myself. It soon became my obsession. I would read about it and when I grew older, I even left my husband for it. I searched high and low for the stone that disappeared eons ago. Then I heard that the stone had reappeared in the Cheel royal family as Akesh was reborn. Obviously, owing to my keen interest in the stone, I knew all about Akesh and his story. I entered the lives of Singhanias and tried to gather information about the stone. I realized that since Veer was very young, Balwant had hid the stone very well so I fooled Pawan and married him so that I can be a part of the family.

I have to give you guys credit for the fact that you guys hid the stone really well. It took me a whole year to find the safe and crack its code. By the time, Pawan had gotten suspicious of why I never let him touch me so I also spent a night with him. I was pregnant when I tried to steal Gandhak but the stone was way more powerful that my imagination. It zapped me. I got weak. The stone would have killed me but since I was pregnant, it only hurt me enough to start a process of my slow death so that my children were unharmed. I contacted a friend and started to take dark herbs for my survival. I knew they would be abnormal or lose some powers since I was cursed by the stone and also took herbs that were harmful but I didn't care.

I also realized I cannot handle the stone since it only answered to the prince. So I faked my death at child birth. You cremated a fake while I tried to find a way of surviving the curse and stall my death. Meanwhile, I also tried to learn more about the stone. Turns out, it is not only the Prince's. It has one more owner. The Adi Naagin.

Karishma's story ends. Karishma's POV ends

Pawan and his children broke down when they realized how she played them. She never cared! Meera and Tapish rubbed their shoulders.

Ba: What does it have to do with us now?

K: Oh Jeth ji, don't tell me you don't suspect what I suspect...

V: What is she talking about?

K: Mai batati hoon na beta...Akesh was destined to fall for the Adi Naagin and since you are so smitten by your wife, your dad suspected that Bani is the Adi Naagin.

Veer and Bani looked at each other worried.

K: But you know what? I know for a fact that you are the Adi Naagin! Killing you will allow me to absorb your powers. Your powers are gift enough but that would also let me control Gandhak...my dream since long!...So for that, you have to die! Tumhari chachi-saas ke liye itna to krna ki padega beta.

B: (thinks) Bholenath! Raksha kro meri....mere parivar ki

She closed her eyes, praying to her lord while Veer shook the cage violently, regardless of how much it zapped him.

K: (smirks and takes out a dagger with some symbols on it) Bye Bye Bahurani

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Daksh and Ponky's mother was never dead! Karishma was mentioned in the Singhania family tree. This is how she looks (Parul Chauhan)

Please vote and comment on your favourite parts.

Do you like the element of thrill in the story with a new villain or would you prefer more focus on JaVani trio?

Stay safe, loads of love

:)