"Everyone stands alone against their demons."

Anya was on her knees, no tears escaping her eyes even when she could clearly hear the wails and howls of people around her like a cacophony. But all she felt was numb, numb and distant watching the burning building in front of her. The building people know as OM, the building people labelled as her home but a place that was never home to her. The place that holds only bad remembrances for her yet she couldn't tear apart her gaze from the blazing establishment.
Despair was clawing at her heart as she stared at the flames with a transfixed look.

She could feel Viaan's words like a buzz around her. She could feel him trying to make her stand. She could feel his worry in waves yet her body refused to listen to her. She was feeling numb and so far away. She couldn't reach him, she couldn't ground herself with his words. Today was too much, too much and her nerves finally crumbled under the pressure. She wasn't ready to deal with this, any of this. No, she wasn't even ready to think about, how Jhanvi,Tej and Shakti Oberoi were behind everything. She didn't want to think about the skeletons buried in the walls of OM neither did she want to think about how it was Svetlana, the same Svetlana she thought was dead who lit up this whole house like a torch.

...8 hours prior...

The morning seemed full of excitement and dread. The Kapoor mansion was abuzz with activities. Panchi's parents hollering at everyone, ordering something or other.

Ishana Ma was quite, unnaturally quite an air of sadness surrounding her. Anya tried to make her happy in Ansh's absence. She didn't know where her brother has disappeared with the whole gang. She hadn't seen Viaan, Ro, Savvy and Ansh from the last night.

Niks had been lingering in Kapoor Mansion, helping around and passing her silly grins. Which resulted in making her suspicious of the whole situation. Something was wrong, they're planning something mischievous and she is totally clueless about there plan. She doesn't know whether she really wants to know the plan or not.

Niks was always moving around her like giving her coordinates to someone and she can say without any doubt it's Viaan or Ansh, he is passing the info to but she didn't call him out on his bluff. No, she didn't, she let him have his way for tonight atleast.

She helped around Kapoor Mansion, shadowed Ishana Ma as Niks shadowed her. She screamed orders on her phone and watched amused as Niks tried to lift up Ishana Ma's mood.

She walker in Panchi's room followed by Niks. Panchi was sitting on the bed a thoughtful look on her face or is it a brooding look.

"Miss beautiful, we still have the chance to run away. We are going to the parlour waha se bhaag jayenge." Niks spoke cheerly, ready to tum away any moment.

Panchi smiled at them, it wasn't sad no it wasn't a sad smile. The smile was full of apprehension. She was afraid of the coming ceremonies. She was uncertain of the future. She was uncertain of the guy who loved her and left her. The guy who still claims to love her yet she is unsure of her own heart.

"Guess, we will be sisters by marriage now." She told her a understanding smile on her face.

"Sisters for life" Panchi promised her and she smiled back at the nervous girl.

"Lets go to the parlour then, you need to shine on your day." The words didn't feel right to any of them but they continued with the flow, continued as if everything was alright when in reality nothing was alright anymore.

Everything was crumbling apart, a dynasty built on lies falling down brick by brick.

Anya, Panchi and Niks went to the parlour. She stayed with Panchi throughout the beauty session. She stayed there starring at her phone, reading the clues her agent was sending her and ignoring the unknown number calling her.

After the parlour session, she asked Niks to take Panchi back home while she took a cab towards the destination messaged to her. The wankhede stadium stood tall and majestic before her. Its glory never ceasing to amaze her. She has some very beautiful memories woven around this stadium. The entry inside the stadium was no problem for her but searching the person who called her here was.

She found him in the stands, starring at the ground. She walked leisurely towards him and stood beside him, starring at the ground. A sorrowful look  in her eyes as distant memories played in her mind.

"Will he live??" She asked not turning to look towards him. She couldn't make herself to look at him as he confirmed her deepest fear.

"Yes and so will the officer " he answered her second question even before she could make herself ask it.

The fright clear in her mind, the shot fired towards her and Viaan as they were in the hotel, ready to leave for the stadium. The first shot missing her by an inch and the second shot missing Viaan by an inch hitting the officer who pushed Vihaan out of the way. There were gunshots all around them and she too frightened to move, too numb to react and too frozen to melt then.

The distinct sirens of ambulance and secret service doing it's work pulled them back to reality. The show must go on and nobody should know about this incidence.

"You were right, the motto of the attack was to scare you and sir to not play that day. They didn't really wanted to critically injure someone." He continued looking ahead an impressed quirk on his lips, not expecting her guess to be correct.

"Only that day, didn't stop them from killing before." a bitter smile graced her lips, reminiscing all those that crumbled in this battle of clearing their beloved game, many acquaintance, friends and agents killed but displayed as an accident. The veteran coach who fell from the terrace drunk, the rising star who died of drug abuse, some accidents of common people, resulting in permanent silence of some people.

"They wanted you both to back out, didn't killed someone so famous before would have made the world go up in frenzy." And there it was the dark humor in his eyes.

"Well, that won't be fun now will it. This league would have been banned and their whole source of income crumbled. Now, leaving this sad story I already know give me the answer I want, tell me the identity of the king." She spoke the fire of vengenance back in her eyes. She fought this battle for so long, she fought first as a mere advisor, then commander and finally the warrior Queen of the opposition. She was the one ragging the battles, she was the one setting her pawns and eliminating his pawns but it didn't mean the deaths hurt her any less. Each death was tragic, a failure and finally this war is about to end.

Either the world will clean or blood will flow everywhere again. Someone will always fight this battle, no matter for how many ages this battle drags. It would be always fought.

"You may want to brace yourself for this revelation." Yeah, he was being the perfect child of the dark and she couldn't help be one too.

"Why is it your Grand father dearest ACP or should I call you brother??" The darkness of the bottom of sea was reflecting in her eyes. The utter darkness of the regions where Sunrays never falls, where darkness rules forever. Sometimes he really does forgets that for her all sacrificial acts, for her never valuing her life, for her distinct kindness and demure nature around Viaan. She isn't the Mahaan girl the world thinks her to be. She is the child of darkness herself. The child of night and Cosmo.

He didn't answer her, knew the way winds carried whispers to places it shouldn't. He passed her the file and watched intrigued what kind of expression will grace her face reading the name, what will her face betray after finally unveiling the king but sadly her face gave away no reaction. She took in the name calmly as if she knew about this end result from the beginning.

"Arrest him today." She ordered him handling him back the file, her face a perfect blank mask.

"Won't be your cousin's engagement get ruined because of it." He asked her the question amused, wanting to know will she really let him drag the name of Oberoi's through mud in front of the whole world, infront of the esteemed guests and endanger her own pending wedding.

"Yes, he liked his image best snatch it away from him in the worst way possible." The smile she gifted him with was scary, all sharp pointed teeths and hidden threats. This wasn't going to end well for anyone.

"As you wish, some times I feel, I work for you rather than the govt." He grumbled it out to her and watched as she laughed out at his expanse.

"Obviously, you work for me dear.you work for the public and I'm the public." With those words she left him again. Left him in the stadium thoughtful about how darkness and light walks hand in hand inside her. He knows she can be difficult but she didn't make herself that way and now she is perfect in whatever part she wants to play. The destroyer, the creator, the bad or good. She plays it all with her whole heart. He is still confused about whether she is an angel or devil.

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Their was something off about Oberoi Mansion, sone kind of electric tension was flowing through its air. Anya knew about it the moment she stepped inside the mansion dressed in a beautiful rose gold heavily embroidered lehenga, beside her Panchi was sparkling in a colorful mirror embedded lehenga. She looked divine and it was really difficult to look away from her.

She watched as the commotion and fan fare begin in Oberoi Mansion as always. She watched as Panchi sat beside Omav indulging in some kind of awkward conversation with him. Her eyes searched for Ansh, Viaan, Ro and Niks but it seemed like the four of them had disappeared somewhere. They couldn't be found or seen anyway and seeking permission from Panchi through her eyes. Anya went on the search of her wayward family.

She searched every nook and corner of the house but couldn't find them anywhere in sight. Frustrated, she was about to go back to the main section of the party but there was a harsh tug on her arm and she found herself hitting the cold, hard wall with enough force to rattle her bones. She was still not over the shock of the force and the stinging pain that her muscles were feeling when the strong smell of alcohol invaded her personal space,a dark shadow loomed over her body and strong arms restricted her hands movement. She couldn't even kick him away because he was almost on her, restricting her movements.

And a terrifying fright clasped her heart. The fight or flight hormone not showing any effect as her heart hammered against her chest. Her body aches and fear gripped even her mind, ceasing any logical thoughts or commands it may want to give her body parts. Her fighting instincts failing as she stood there visible terrified of a past she didn't want to be terrified of.

"Princess, you look so beautiful, so pretty, so fucking sexy but why your beautiful eyes keep on searching for someone. Why can't they stick on me like mine was on you." His words were slurred and she can't even imagine how much he had drunk even before the beginning of the party.

"Let me go, Nikhil" she didn't from where the courage came or how she uttered those words with as much as venom she did but her words didn't have any effect on the drunk man, towering her. Digging his nails painfully on her shoulders through the soft silky fabric of her lehenga. She could already feel the blood seeping through her skin.

"Why should I?? I won't let you go now Princess. No, even your lover boy isn't here too busy with your sister maybe. No, she was busy with the other one. The one you're so cosy with, maybe he is already fucking your sister and that's all she is a slut. Let them have her Princess, you'll be mine. After today not even your Viaan could seperate is. You'll be mine Shivanaya, you were meant to be mine." He slurred again but with a glint in his eyes, and evil heartless terrifying glint that ripped her heart apart. She feared about what he meant, which sister he was talking about?? And where are the boys really??

The distinct sound of tearing fabric made her freeze on her spot. Icy cold terror gripping every molecule of her being.

....to be continued....