"We'll see about that," I say as I walk toward her, cracking my fingers.

I grab the fallen IV pole in one hand. My arm feels like it will fall off any second now, but I tighten my grip on the pole and rush toward the door.

Nani stands there, staring at me, but I focus on her head—the one that's about to take the hit.

Golden light envelops me and the IV pole... I think the gods are on my side.

I step outside the door of my hospital room and raise the IV pole, ready to strike, to make her feel even a fraction of the pain she’s caused us.

She smiles mockingly at me, not even moving from her spot.

"You better stop and think about this, Nilu. After all, I am your Nani," she says.

"SHUT UP!!" I shout at the top of my lungs and lunge at her.

I swing the IV pole with all my strength. It cuts through the air with a sharp whistle. But before it can land, Nani disappears from my sight.

And suddenly—an impact explodes against my ribs.

Before I can even register her kick to my stomach, I am airborne. The world tilts violently, and then—

CRASH!

I slam into the corridor wall, pain flaring up my spine. My body crumples to the floor. Gasping for air, my vision blur at the edges.

Nani laughs hysterically as she walks toward me. I try to get my breathing under control.

"Did you really think you could beat me? Me? I was the greatest shaman the world had ever known. And I became the greatest calamity before getting sealed in that damn cave." She grabs a fistful of my hair, yanking my head up. "And you—" she sneers, "you thought you could defeat someone like me with nothing but raw power and no experience?"

My scalp feels like it's being ripped apart. I glare at her angrily and grab her wrist, trying to loosen her grip. But suddenly—

BAAM!

My head bashes against the wall.

"Your first mistake was thinking you could even harm me," she says, pulling me back toward her. My head feels like it will split open any second.

Then—BAAM!

"Your second mistake was stepping out of that room."

She slams my head against the wall again. I feel blood dripping into my eyes, turning my vision red.

"Your third mistake," she says as she lifts me by my hair,

"Was not thinking this through. You let your rage blind you."

Her eyes widen, her smile stretching unnaturally.

"Look at that," she says, pointing toward my hospital room. "Because of your reckless actions, the barrier has weakened. Now, there's no place left for you to hide." Her hoarse laughter echoes through the corridor.

She yanks my hair and hurls me back into my room. I crash onto the hospital bed, knocking over the table and scattering everything. My body feels too exhausted to even lift a finger. The taste and smell of metal clouds my brain, drowning my senses. My whole body burns and freezes at the same time. Every part of me wants to give up—until I feel a familiar touch on my hand.

"Di... di... sto... p," Nitu murmurs, barely conscious.

Hearing her, I stand up in front of Nitu and Roshan before I even realize what I’m doing. My vision is blurry, my body numb. My face is swelling, but I refuse to give up. I won’t let them get hurt.

Even with my blurred vision, I can sense Nani glaring at me with contempt. I smile faintly and signal for her to come at me.

She scoffs. "Your resilience... just like your mother. She, too, never broke, no matter how much I hurt her" she says, almost sounding proud.

I raise an eyebrow, concentrating on her words—"no matter how much I hurt her."

"Ah... there was one time!" she exclaims. "She was an absolute mess back then! Begging and pleading for my forgiveness..." Her voice lowers as she tilts her head. "Because I was holding you by your ankles over the hospital terrace, threatening to let go."

My body burns again. Golden light flickers around me. I curl my palm into a fist and force my feet to move toward her.

One more step, and I will beat her. I think to myself

One more step, and I will beat her.

One more step, and—

Are...

I... I can’t move forward.

Suddenly a Silver light mingles with my golden aura and I find myself bound by it. I try to break free, but... this energy... it feels warm. And Familiar. So I relax, realizing it's not harmful.

And at that exact moment, I hear a faint sound in the distance.

I look up. A familiar silhouette is walking toward us. Nani turns toward the sound, curling her fist angrily, cracking her fingers.

I hear the lines:

"Tere bharst buddhi ke dhoke, kab tak sahe chup hoke..."

As the silhouette becomes clearer.

It’s Mama. In a black dhoti and a white t-shirt—definitely of some band.

He passes Nani casually as she stares at him, eyes wide with anger. "Machi Bhasad" plays faintly as he crosses her and walks toward me.

When he finally stands before me, his face is filled with worry and sadness.

I muster some strength. "Mama... Ni... tu... she—"

Before I can finish, he shushes me. He touches his forehead to mine and says, "You did well. Now relax."

"I have to kill her," I say, refusing to back down.

"You’re a hundred years too early for that," he replies, making me sit near my sister and Roshan. He places an unconscious Roshan by my side and Nitu on my lap. Tears stream down my face as I feel their breath stabilizing.

Warm silver light envelops us. I can feel my body relaxing, my wounds healing. I grab both of Nitu’s and Roshan’s hands, holding them close.

"Oh! Look who it is! The hero of the day, Adinath is here!" Nani says sarcastically.

Mama simply smirks and turns toward her.

"With a mother like you, the son had to become the hero," he says.

I see veins pop on her forehead at his words.

"You ungrateful waste of space!" she snarls, clenching her fists.

"Don’t forget, you are what you are because I gave birth to you!"

Adinath Mama scoffs. He raises his hands, and an orb of silver light forms on his palm.

"But I got my powers thanks to Baba," he says as the orb grows in size.

She presses her palms together, forming a black orb between them. Moving her hands in strange patterns, she shapes it into a whip.

"Seems like you need to be disciplined," she sneers, pulling the end of the whip taut. "Just like when you were a child."

I glance at Mama. He’s shivering. Goosebumps line his skin. Sweat drips down his forehead.

"Mama..." I whisper, realizing what must have happened during his childhood.

He looks at me once.

"Don’t worry, Kuku," he says, turning back to face her. "I will protect you," he continues as he gets into a stance, ready to attack.

In that moment, Nani disappears and reappears in front of him within a fraction of a second.

Before the whip can land on him, Mama dodges, as if he was anticipating this move, and suddenly, I see him near the door in mere milliseconds.

"Wow..." I think to myself, amazed at the display of their fight. At the same time, I feel the grip on my hand tighten. I look at Nitu, who seems to be recovering and sleeping soundly.

"Where did that silver wolf come from?" I hear Roshan speak. I look at him, his eyes now open.

"Can you move?" I ask him.

He looks at me funny and says, "Heck yeah! All the bones in my body feel broken, but I can definitely move!"

I sense the sarcasm in his coarse voice, but I just scoff at him.

Meanwhile, Mama and Nani move swiftly around the room, with Nani trying to hit him with the whip while Mama dodges effortlessly. They are so fast that I can barely register their movements.

Nani suddenly stops midway and looks at us. She smirks and rushes toward us...

Roshan's grip tightens on my hand, and he flinches.

But then, Adinath Mama appears in front of us. The orb in his hand is now as big as a basketball. He launches it at Nani, striking her torso.

She stops in her tracks, feeling the wound where the orb hit. A shocked expression crosses her face before she glares angrily at Mama.

Mama grins at her, ear to ear.

"I learned to mix martial arts with Baba's evil-purifying powers. Aren't you proud of this waste of space now, huh, Amma?" he says sarcastically.

Nani flashes a bloody smile. "Proud of you? Don't get too cocky. Wounds like this heal easily," she says while examining the hole in her torso.

Suddenly, her face darkens.

"What the hell? Why isn't it healing!?" she grunts.

Mama smirks. "As I said, it's Baba's evil-purifying powers."

She glares at him, her eyes sharp.

"I see," she mutters, slowly backing away.

"I'm leaving now, but I will be back," she says, touching her wound and spitting blood.

"And I'll be waiting for you," Adinath Mama responds, waving his hand.

I stare at Nani blankly as she looks at me. She smirks.

Suddenly, black energy envelops her, and she disappears completely.

Adinath Mama lets out a long sigh and lights up a cigarette.

Blowing out a puff of air, he mutters, "Hasta la vista, Amma."

"Hey! You can't smoke in a hospital!" Roshan shouts.

Mama raises an eyebrow at him and says, "It's a toy cigarette. Don't worry."

We stare at him, dumbfounded, and I wonder if he has a few screws loose.