Author’s Note– Hello people!! Can you believe it’s March 2021 already?? I am still processing the last March. But anyway, this chapter was supposed to be up a week ago but I was taken sick in the last week (No, not corona people…), I am much better now and so here is the next part and that too long one. Enjoy!
Disclaimer- Nagin 5 is not my sandbox. Just using it for creative purposes. Anything recognizable belongs to the owners. (Refer Chapter 1 for full disclaimer.)
Beta reading by Shesha485.
Previously- Discussion by Bani, Meera, Veer and Tapish for further action. Some emotional and some fun moments.
(Link for Chapter 4- https://www.tellyupdates.com/beyond-great-darkness-chapter-4/ )
Beyond Great Darkness
Chapter 5 –Truce ‘n’ Traps!
Same Day, Singhania Mansion
Ponky and Daksh are looking for Bani. They find her in one of the many balconies of the mansion contemplating something and they approach her.
Ponky- “Bani bhabhi, Bani bhabhi…you have to help us with this prank…. It will be so much fun.”
Bani immediately stepped away from them as if their mere touch was repugnant, “Stay away…don’t touch me…and how dare you call me Bhabhi.”
Daksh- “What do you mean that we don’t call you ‘bhabhi’? What else should we call you?”
Ponky- “And if we call you by any other name, Veer bhai will have our heads.”
Bani- “Don’t do this drama of innocence in front of me. I know your truth and you are safe till now only because of Veeranshu but not for long. You will get your dues soon.” Her eyes turn red of her snake form, as if daring them to contradict her.
Pankaj-aka-ponky being the youngest in the family and thus the most sheltered, immediately backs away in fright looking at the snake eyes and remembering exactly who her sister-in-law was, but Daksh held his ground. “What have we done that you are this furious at us?”
Bani- “Accha so you want to hear your crimes by my mouth only, fine than. Remember my friend Noor?”
Both the brothers look at each other as if asking the other if they recollected this ‘Noor’ person.
Bani- “So you don’t even recollect the person you killed? And that too on her wedding day? How insensitive can you be?”
Wedding? The last wedding that they both attended— other than their Veer bhai’s wedding—was………
Oh………
Noor…..
That Noor…….. It looked as if somebody had just switched on a light in a dark room.
Daksh and Ponky- “We didn’t kill her, bhabhi.”
Even Bani’s skin was now projecting her anger as it started showing her scales, “DON’T LIE TO ME!!! Pankaj, you and Monil confessed it when you thought no one was listening to you. I heard it with my own ears.”
Ponky- “How will we confess to something that we have never done? When did you hear us?”
Bani- “It was the day after Navratri celebrations at the house…..”
Flashback
Monil-“I am afraid of this Bani yaar. Don’t know when she will come to bite us.”
Ponky- “You are in more danger. Especially after what you did with her best friend.”
Monil- “We were in this together. It was your idea to begin with and if she was alive that even you would have had fun with her.”
Ponky- “I had just suggested to harass her a little bit, rest everything was your own decision. But she was hot….I think she must be roaming around as ghost now.” They both laugh.
Nobody noticed a fourth person hiding nearby and listening to this conversation
Flashback ends.
Ponky- “No bhabhi. I don’t remember saying anything like this. Nothing like that had happened on that day.”
Bani- “Then what had happened?”
Ponky- “We had taken Noor away from the wedding mandap and into the forest. And I confess that we harassed her also a little bit. It is wrong and we are guilty of it. But then Veer bhai had come and told us to stop it. He even scolded us for such behaviour and said it was okay to flirt with women only if they were also willing and this was wrong and also ordered us to drop her safely at her house.”
Daksh- “But we were in a hurry to go for clubbing and so we told Niten, Harnish—Shukla’s sons—to drop her at her home and left from there. After that we have not even thought about that incident.”
Bani- “But you confessed. I heard it myself.”
Ponky- “That day you are talking about, I and Monil were talking about the revelation of you being Aadi-Nagin and we have to be careful around you as you are…. You are…*coughs* not to be trusted…and…and…then…and then…”
Bani- “Then what?”
Ponky- “I….I don’t remember after that…”
Bani- “What rubbish….don’t play games with me.”
Ponky-“I swear I don’t remember what happened after that….”
Daksh- “And just because you thought you heard something you killed our brother Monil. Bade papa was right at that time in saying not to trust you. You just wanted to kill us all and were waiting for an opportunity to find one of us alone.”
Bani- “What…I have already told that I didn’t kill him.
I captured him?
Yes.
I wanted to kill him?
Yes.
Did I actually kill him?
Hell NO.
I heard someone crying in the basement and left to check that. We all know who it was and what happened after that.”
Daksh- “And why should we believe you? Do you believe us in the matter of Noor? No, right? He died by a snake bite. And if we are to believe that you did not kill him, then the only other snake in this house at that time was that Jai Mathur. So then he…. ”
Red eyes and scaly skin cut him off in between, “Jai will never do such a thing. Especially not after my clear instructions of not harming anyone of you till we figure things out. He will never disobey my direct orders.”
Daksh- “Then by your own admission, since it was not Jai, then you are guilty of killing Monil.”
Bani- “I did not…..”
“Then prove it to us. Trust goes both the ways Bani bhabhi” Daksh said. Speaking ‘bhabhi’ in such a manner that he made such a simple word also sound as an insult without actually insulting her.
Bani- “Fine. We will talk about this matter only after one of us proof regarding other guilt.”
Daksh- “Fair enough. So truce till then?”
Bani- “Truce.” She leaves from there.
Daksh- “Ponky now tell me the truth. What had actually happened? For now I have trapped her in her own words about Monil and until she finds proof, and I still believe she did kill our brother, we have time.”
Ponky- “I told her the truth brother. You were there when Veer bhai stopped us and then that day me and Monil were discussing about Bani only, nothing about Noor and I don’t remember what happened after that. Even now I have a headache when I am thinking about that conversation.”
Daksh- “Stop being so drunk all the time. Headache in the morning itself.”
Ponky- “I AM NOT DRUNK”
Daksh- “Stop whining. And for the record, I believe you. About Noor I mean.”
Veer- “Bani…..Bani…..Bani….Sweetheart…Ahh here you are. I am looking for you since so long.”
Bani- “What happened Veeranshu?”
Veer- “Listen….I have an idea about the water element.”
“What is it?”
“I was just remembering the story you told me about the Anant Jharna. You told me that it is there since the Satyug and that it is ‘Anant’ which means it is everlasting and will exist no matter what Yug or Kaal. Then I think that it will be the purest form of water.”
“You have a point. But what do we have to do? We have to dip the dagger in its water or what?”
Veer gives her look of ‘I have no clue’
Bani- “But I think we should check there anyways. There are also some carvings on the walls of the cave which we did not examine the last time. Maybe we can get some clue there.”
“Ya let’s go. We also have to check on….check on…her…”
Who that ‘her’ was, was understood by both of them.
Tilismi Cave
Veer and Bani reach the Tilismi Cave. It was eerily silent. Not a sound was to be heard except the steady hum of the Anant Jharna in the background. They were expecting to hear Markaat screaming or shouting at them as she must have heard them approaching but were shocked that the cave was completely engulfed in silence.
With a glance at each other, as if in a silent agreement, they quicken their steps towards the inner cave where Markaat is bound. Approaching the steps of the cave, they see that whole cave is empty. Not a trace of either Markaat or Lord Shiva’s Trident is found.
Bani- “What?? Where is she??? How did she escape?”
Veer- “What the hell? How is this possible??”
They rushed down the stairs, completely unaware that they were actually rushing into a trap, which was about to trigger as soon as they reached the last step.
Flashback
“How do you like your stay here, mother?” A voice is heard from the entrance.
Markaat- “If you are here to just gloat about it than you can leave, son” (saying ‘son’ in sarcastic manner)
Jai- “Actually I was here not to taunt you but to free you. But looks like you are enjoying staying like this so I should leave you here for some more days.”
Markaat, in a pleading tone, “No, no please. You are my loving son na, I know you will not leave your mother to rot here like this.”
Jai- “You know what? You should have tried in acting career. How immediately you change your faces. One minute arrogant and next minute pleading. You would have done well there.”
Markaat- “One does not survive so long without changing faces and adapting to situations.”
Jai- “And you are the one teaching me that? I have already mastered that art. Bani still thinks that I have changed and am faithful to her.”
Markaat- “Whatever. Now if your small talk is over then release me from this hell.”
Jai- “Getting a bit impatient, are we?”
Markaat, in a threatening tone, “Jai………”
Jai- “Okay fine.”
He puts his hand on the Trident, closes his eyes and puts his power behind removing it. The trident slowly loosens and Jai finally pulls it out completely and from the force of the pull, it flies off and lands on the ground. The Trident vanishes the moment it touch the ground and returns to its Lord, its purpose in the mortal world being fulfilled.
As soon as Markaat is free she becomes half-snake and captures Jai with her tail. “Bohot zubaan chalne lagi hai aaj kal teri. (You are speaking a lot these days.)” But Markaat who was in captivity since so many days, her powers were no match for the newly returned powers of the Aadi-Naag and in only fraction of seconds tables were turned as Jai broke free from her tails and instead captured her in his own.
Markaat, slighty frightened with his sudden increase in powers, “You….you….something has changed about you.”
Jai- “Yes, it has.” Deciding that it was not a good idea to tell her exactly what had changed. “And it will be good for you to remember not to cross me ever again. Understood? ” She nods her head.
Jai- “Verbal Confirmation. Did you understand?”
Markaat- “Yes, yes. I understand.”
Jai- “Good.” He releases her from his grip. “Now let’s leave from here.”
Markaat- “Yes. But before that why don’t we leave a surprise for our dear Aadi-Naagin and that idiot son of mine?” They both look at each other and grin.
Flashback ends.
Author’s Note- Ending on a cliffhanger…Haha…Evil me….😉😉
This story is now also being put on Wattpad. Readers wishing to read it there will find it titled the same name i.e. ‘Beyond Great Darkness’ under the name of Griffrinclaw. Here’s the link https://www.wattpad.com/story/260113386
To all those who suggested shifting to Wattpad, it has gotten me a lot more readers, but I am spending all my time reading stuff there instead of concentrating on writing this or doing my other work. So I don’t know who really wins in this….😅🙈
PS- Just before posting this chapter, I saw on Instagram that Sharad and Surbhi are collaborating for another project. I am so happy to see them together on screen again…. Mein toh phuli nahi sama rahi…. ❤️🥰 Are you guys as excited as I am?