As the blazing sun gradually ascended up in the clear blue sky, the city of Uttampur started to become lively. The cool wind blew against the blooming blossoms on trees. The colourful, nectar-filled flowers grew under the natural influence of spring. Along with his consort, Rati (goddess of carnal desires and passion), Kamadev, the god of spring, love and desires, had himself blessed the humanity with the gift of spring. With the boon of colourful spring, the youth were granted with gifts of desires and passion. So in order to thank the deities, the people of the city celebrated the Kama Mahotsava festival. They gathered for a huge, pompous celebration at the temple of Rati and Kamadev, near the garden of Ashoka trees.

Queen Aruna, as per traditions, organized the festival at the Rati-Kama Temple. Each and every person of the city used to participate in the public gathering. The Official Courtesan of the City, the Bride of the City, (Nagarvadhu) Lady Mrignayani was given the responsibility of entertaining the public with music and dance. She had been practicing all the time with her assistants, other dancers and royal musicians. For her devotional affection towards Rati-Kama and her commitment for doing her best, she had been ignoring her admirers and only focusing on practicing her dance performance. It was first time in her life as a Nagarvadhu she was given this responsibility of public entertainment. An year ago, among hundred beautiful and talented young women from all over the kingdom, she emerged as the most beautiful, skillful and intelligent woman, thus most eligible maiden for the place of Nagarvadhu of the capital city.

The day had come when she was about to perform her dance before people.

Ruchika and Suruchi, two maidservants of Lady Mrignayani approached the bedroom of their mistress. They were shocked after they realized that their mistress was still sleeping. The room's doors were locked from inside.

"Oh no!" Ruchika said, upon realising the same, "Our Lady ought to hurry up. The festival will be beginning soon."
"She might've practice more than enough last night," Suruchi nodded while assuming. Then, both started banging the doors and shouting, "My Lady! My Lady! Wake up!"

Their screams even alerted the guards standing at the end of the corridor. "What happened, oh women?" One of the guards asked in worry.

"Lady is not opening the door," Suruchi said while sweating in tension.

"It's unlikely for her to sleep this much," Ruchika added while panting, "Lady wakes up early."

"My Lady! Please open the door," Another guard tried to call Lady Mrignayani but she didn't answer.

"Seems to be a bad omen!" Suruchi said in a tensed state.

At last they had to break open the door. With loud cracking sound, the door was finally open. The maids and the guards entered the silent room. The Lady was still sleeping on her bed. The sunrays entered through balcony and lightened the room. The rays seemed to kiss the bare feet of Lady Mrignayani. But still their warmth didn't wake her up.
"My Lady!" Suruchi exclaimed as soon as she reached near the bed of The Lady. "Oh Lord!" Ruchika was too shocked.

The women were scared due to a frightening scene before their eyes. Lady Mrignayani had slept forever. Her body was covered with several deep cuts as if she was bitten by a fanged creature and had turned slightly greenish in colour. Her lifeless body was lying on her blood stained bed. Her eyes were still open and bore frighteningly cold stare. Her flawless skin was torn and bitten off. Her silky clothes had dried blood on them. Gathering some courage, Suruchi still checked her pulse with her shaking hands and confirmed, "She is dead!" She collapsed while mourning for loss of The Lady.

The guards rushed to inform the foster mother of The Late Lady. Ruchika noticed the greenish hue on Lady's body through her teary eyes. "Suruchi...," She said in half horrified and half sorrowful voice, "Her body is covered with several bite marks. Her body is turning green... Is that.... is that...?" She couldn't complete her sentence as a cold assumption grasped her mind.
"Yakshini..." Suruchi said in fear, "It's Wrath of Yakshini."

Indeed, Lady Mrignayani seemed to be brutalized by a bloodthirsty, revengeful Yakshini.

According to regional folklore, Yakshinis were ambiguous, mystically powerful female natural spirits. They were known as guardians of hidden treasures and also the ones who gave blessings. But on the other hand, they were believed to be reincarnations of innocent women murdered brutally. The dead souls of the female victims reincarnated as Yakshinis. They used to come to the mortal world with the sole purpose of avenging their deaths. In the day light, they used to look as beautiful as Apsaras with unmatched elegance and undoutedly attractive charm. These pretty and attractive women used to turn into ferocious beings with deadly fangs and red eyes at will. The pale golden skin complexion used to turn into greenish dark complexion at night. These ferocious vampire like beings hunted for the murderers and then used to suck blood from their bodies. It was believed that they used to bite each mortal victim 1000 times. After death, the dead bodies used to turn into greenish in colour.

"Why any Yakshini would kill our Lady?" Suruchi said with perplexed and sad voice, "Our Lady had no blemishes of murders on her. She was so kind..."
It was clear if a Yakshini did this for revenge then, there was a mysterious, dark side of Lady Mrignayani that nobody had ever known.

**************************************

The Festival was then nomore thrilling and joyful. As the news spread like forest fire, the whole city came to know that Mrignayani was dead. The Bride of the City, the nagarvadhu was brutally murdered in her own heavily protected mansion. Mrignayani, the most beautiful and most talented lady of the city, the one with no blemishes, the one who seemed to be child of a beautiful Apsara (celestial nymph), had been selected to be Nagarvadhu just an year ago, after the former Nagarvadhu, Lady Shyamasundari retired.

Everybody was shocked to know about her death. Who wanted the beautiful and kind Lady Mrignayani be so brutally murdered? Was any yakshini responsible for her death? If yes, then why she might've killed the Nagarvadhu? There were so many questions; no answer was discovered.

As the shocking news reached His Majesty, the Royal Minister of Justice and Public Protection and his subordinates were immediately summoned for urgently discussing the case. As Lady Mrignayani was part of the pompous festival organized by Honourable Queen, Maharani Aruna herself, she came forward for advocating the case of Lady's brutal murder.

Minister Jayaram instantly appointed his trustful and intelligent investigating officer, Dharmavijay. The minister personally thought that there was some serial killer who made the murder look like a paranormal killing. Jayaram accepted the challenge of catching the culprit. Dharmavijay was appointed for investigating this case and catching the culprit even if it was a deadly bloodsucking beast.