🕊️ Chapter 3: Refusal & Destiny

📍 Rishikesh Ashram – Morning Mist and Final Decisions

The sacred conch echoed through the valley, its sound traveling beyond stone walls and settling into the breath of every living soul inside the healing ashram.

Ishita sat by the riverbank, dressed in a simple cotton saree, her fingers dipped in the holy waters of the Ganga. The river had always given her answers. Today, it stayed silent.

Behind her, Guru Ishwaranand approached, his footsteps as silent as thought.
“Still undecided?” he asked gently.

Ishita closed her eyes.
“I’m a healer, not a wife. Certainly not the wife of a man whose name makes even world leaders shiver.”

Guruji smiled with ancient patience.
“And yet, the river brought you his mother. That is no coincidence.”

📍 Udaipur – The Devil Watches the Dove

Aarav Rathore stood in his high-security war room, monitors tracking everything from global oil markets to upcoming elections in Eastern Europe. But his eyes were fixed on just one live feed—Rishikesh.

He watched Ishita offer water to the sun.
“Still playing the saint,” he muttered.

His chief advisor, Veer, entered quietly.
“Sir, she rejected the proposal. Publicly.”

Aarav’s jaw tightened, but he remained still.
“Everyone breaks, Veer. Some with pressure. Others… with prophecy.”

📍 Nightfall – The Prophecy Unfolds

That evening, thunder cracked over the ashram as the wind grew wild, ripping prayer flags from their ropes.

Dr. Meera rushed out of the birthing hut, panic on her face.
“Ishita! The girl… she’s crashing. Seizures. Heart failure. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Without hesitation, Ishita grabbed her emergency kit and ran barefoot through mud and chaos.

Inside the hut, a 14-year-old girl convulsed violently. Her blood pressure plummeting. Her pulse erratic.

Ishita pulled off her shawl, tied her hair back, and in seconds, became what she was known for—the Medical Goddess.

“Draw 2cc of atropine. Begin CPR. Now!”

📍 A Divine Warning

Mid-procedure, lightning struck a nearby tree, splitting it down the center. The fire that erupted spelled a strange pattern—visible to the entire ashram.

Guruji entered just as the child stabilized.

“Did you see it?” he whispered to Meera.

Meera nodded slowly.
“Yes. A shatkona… the star of divine union.”

Ishita looked between them, breathless and drenched.
“What are you two talking about?”

Guruji placed his hand on her shoulder.
“A prophecy written in fire. A healer of divine birth must marry the king of shadows. Only together will they stop the coming curse.”

Ishita stared, eyes defiant but shaken.
“No.”

But even as she said it, the wind outside shifted.

📍 Dream Realm – The Voice Beyond Time

That night, Ishita dreamed.

She stood in a dark forest. A child cried in the distance, calling her name. She followed. At the center of the woods, she saw two cradles—one glowing with golden light. The other flickering with shadows.

A voice, older than time itself, echoed:

“Only with the Devil shall the miracle bloom… or perish.”

She woke up screaming, her body covered in sweat.

📍 The First Cracks of Surrender

By morning, she sat in front of the temple once again.
Dr. Meera placed a hand on her head.

“Maybe the world doesn’t need a perfect man… maybe it needs someone who balances your storm.”

Ishita’s lips trembled.
“What if I lose myself in his darkness?”

Guruji entered, placing a single tulsi leaf in her palm.

“Then take your light with you.”

She looked up. The sun was rising… and for the first time, she didn't turn away.