Meanwhile, Aman and Madhav are talking inside the hospital room.
Madhav stood still, his fists clenched, his heart pounding against his ribs. Aman sat on the hospital bed, grinning like a madman, his eyes glinting with something unnatural. His entire demeanor was off—this wasn't the Aman Madhav knew.
At that moment, the door swung open, and Raj stepped inside. His gaze flickered between Madhav and Aman, sensing the heavy silence that hung in the air.
"I couldn't find Meera," Raj said, breaking the tension. "I think she left the hospital."
Madhav took a deep breath, pushing aside his own turmoil. "Raj, listen to me," he said urgently. "Go call Mohit. Tell him to come here immediately—it's important."
Raj frowned. "But my phone got damaged back in Shimla."
"Use mine," Madhav instructed. "It's in my room."
Raj didn't waste time. "Okay, I'll get him," he said and rushed out of the room.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Aman started clapping, slow and mocking. His twisted smile sent a chill down Madhav's spine. "You really are something, Madhav," Aman said, his voice laced with amusement. "Always thinking of others. Always running around, trying to fix things."
Madhav swallowed his anger. "If you're not the real Aman, then why are you here? Why are you in his body?"
Aman leaned forward, his grin widening. "Because I serve the cursed coin." His voice dropped to a whisper, yet it echoed in Madhav's mind like a scream. "And my master wants me to stay here."
Madhav's breath hitched. "The cursed coin…?"
Aman tilted his head, his expression mocking. "Yes, the coin you received. The one that brought all this chaos. The one that binds you to your fate."
Madhav's heart pounded. "Then tell me," he demanded. "Why me? Why did I get the coin? Why am I the one suffering because of it?" Aman chuckled darkly. "Because, Madhav… you trust too easily."
Madhav narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
Aman's grin grew sinister. He leaned in closer, his voice dripping with cruelty.
"Your dear big brother, Purav—he offered your life to my master. He was the one who gave you the golden coin, knowing full well that it carried a curse."
Madhav felt as if the ground beneath him had disappeared. His body went cold, and his chest tightened painfully. His own brother… the person he had looked up to, despite everything… had done this to him?
His vision blurred as a single tear escaped his eye, trailing down his cheek. He didn't wipe it away.
Aman watched him, his amusement never fading. "Surprised?" he taunted. "Sad? Betrayed?"
Madhav didn't answer.
Madhav walked out of Aman's room in silence, his mind numb. His brother—his own blood—had offered him as a sacrifice to the demon. It felt unreal. His legs felt weak, his chest heavy with emotions he couldn't even name.
He spotted a bench in the hospital corridor and sat down, staring at the floor. His thoughts swirled like a storm—denial, anger, disbelief. He wanted to scream, to demand answers from Purav. But he just sat there, frozen in the weight of betrayal.
Raj reached Madhav's hospital room. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and looked around.
"Anika still isn't back?" he muttered. She had told him she'd be back soon, but there was no sign of her.
Shaking his head, he walked over to Madhav's bedside table and picked up the phone to call Mohit. The phone rang twice before Mohit answered.
"Hello, Madhav, I'm already on my way to the hospital," Mohit's voice came through.
"It's me, Raj," he corrected. "Good to hear you're coming."
"Yeah," Mohit replied. "Madhav already asked me to return the coin to him."
Raj exhaled in relief. "Good. That thing is too dangerous."
Anyway, I'll be there soon."
"Alright, see you."
As Raj placed the phone back on the table, a sudden voice startled him.
"Excuse me, sir," a man said.
Raj turned to see a hospital ward boy standing near the door, wearing a standard white uniform.
"I just came to check if everything is okay in the room. Do you need anything?" the ward boy asked with a polite smile.
"Uh, no. Everything's fine," Raj replied, still slightly distracted. "You can do your routine check."
The ward boy nodded and entered, but something about his movement felt… off. His steps were too deliberate, too controlled.
Before Raj could react, the ward boy suddenly lunged at him.
"What the—?" Raj barely had time to register the attack before strong hands grabbed his arms, holding him in place.
Raj struggled, trying to break free, but the ward boy was incredibly strong. A muscular grip locked around Raj's mouth, muffling his shouts.
His eyes widened in horror as he saw the man pull out a syringe, already filled with some unknown drug.
Raj's heartbeat spiked. This isn't just a hospital staff member—he's here for something else!
Desperately, Raj thrashed, trying to free himself, kicking his legs and twisting his body. But the man was too strong.
Then, in a swift motion, the ward boy drove the needle into Raj's arm.
Pain flared through him as the liquid entered his bloodstream.
"No…!" Raj tried to yell, but the man's grip tightened over his mouth.
Within seconds, his vision blurred, his limbs went numb, and darkness swallowed him. His body slumped, unconscious.
The ward boy let go, making sure Raj was completely out. He smirked.
But just as he turned—
The door swung open.
Madhav stood there, staring at the scene. His eyes flickered between the unconscious Raj and the ward boy, who still held the syringe in his hand.
For a moment, there was complete silence.
The ward boy and Madhav locked eyes.
Madhav's gaze darkened.
The room smelled of antiseptic, but beneath it, the air was thick with tension.
In the hospital garden area, Meera is sitting while Harsha talks to her.
Harsha continued, "Just as the young rabbit trusted his friend and shared his dilemma, you too should trust your friends and share your burdens. By doing so, solutions often present themselves."
At that moment, Harsha gestured towards a nearby spot where a rat lay lifeless, having consumed a poisoned laddu. "Sometimes," he said, "we're like that rat, unknowingly consuming what's harmful because we don't share our troubles."
Meera observed the scene, reflecting on his words.
Harsha then shared a personal note. "I once imagined that if I had married, I might have had a daughter like you."
Meera smiled softly. "Thank you."
Meera leaned forward, her eyes searching Harsha's face. "Can I ask you one thing?"
Harsha nodded gently. "Yes, go ahead."
Meera hesitated for a moment, then spoke quietly, "What happened to your sisters? Why did… why did things turn out that way?"
Harsha's face fell, and his voice grew soft with sorrow. "I have two sisters," he began slowly. "My elder sister was very kind and beautiful, and my younger sister was incredibly intelligent. But… one of them died, and the other left home."
Meera's eyes filled with sympathy. "Oh… I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have asked."
Harsha offered her a small, sad smile. "It's alright. Don't feel bad about it." He paused, then added, "Talking with you… it helped me face my friend, even if it was hard to say."
Meera frowned. "What do you mean? Have you and your friend become enemies?"
"No, no," Harsha quickly reassured her. "We're best friends—at least, we were. But he… he's going to die soon in future."
Meera's voice trembled. "Your friend is in this hospital, isn't he?"
Harsha shook his head slowly. "No, he isn't here now. He's… in his castle."
Harsha gave a wry smile, his tone lightening ever so slightly. "Now, don't overthink it. You really must worry about your own friends," he said.
"Why should I worry?" Meera pressed, her voice laced with concern.
"Because they're in danger," Harsha replied gravely.
Before Meera could ask any further questions, a huge, thunderous blast echoed from the hospital building. Startled, she bolted to her feet and rushed outside. Dust and smoke billowed from the shattered windows, and as she noticed something even more unsettling—beside the familiar bench where she'd sat moments before, there was no one at all.
The person she was talking to suddenly disappeared.
As in hospital room fell into tense silence as Madhav and the ward boy locked eyes.
Madhav's voice was sharp. "What are you doing?"
The ward boy didn't answer. His body shifted subtly, muscles tensing as he took a firm fighting stance.
Sensing danger, Madhav lunged forward, shoving the ward boy away from Raj's unconscious form. But the man was quick—too quick. His movements were sharp, controlled, almost too perfect. Madhav barely had time to react before a series of swift attacks landed on him. The strikes were unlike anything he had ever encountered, precise and unrelenting. One powerful hit sent him crashing to the floor.
Dazed, Madhav said,"A normal fight like this won't work on you." And by the way "Who… who are you?"
The ward boy remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Madhav's gaze darted around the room, searching for anything he could use. His eyes landed on a glass bowl filled with fruit on the bedside table. Without a second thought, he grabbed it and hurled it at the ward boy.
With a swift motion, the man raised his arm, deflecting the bowl. It shattered on impact, glass shards scattering across the floor.
Breathing heavily, Madhav spotted a jagged piece of glass amid the debris. He lunged for it, gripping the sharp fragment tightly, and charged at the ward boy.
But the man was faster.
In one fluid motion, he caught Madhav's wrist, stopping the attack midair. His grip was like steel, unyielding. A cruel smile flickered across his lips as he wrenched the glass from Madhav's grasp.
Before Madhav could react, a sharp, searing pain shot through his arm.
The ward boy had used the glass to slice directly across the old wound on Madhav's hand—the same spot where the girl ghost had injured him on the bus.
Madhav let out a sharp cry, staggering back, blood trickling down his fingers. His vision blurred with pain.
Madhav gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay on his feet despite the sharp pain searing through his arm. The ward boy stood before him, unreadable, his face devoid of emotion.
Without hesitation, Madhav swung a punch.
The ward boy swiftly ducked, moving backward to avoid the blow. But Madhav had anticipated this. Instead of pulling back, he lunged forward, ramming his head into the man's nose with a brutal force.
A sickening crack echoed through the room.
The ward boy stumbled back, his face contorted in pain. Blood trickled from his nostrils, and in his agony, he lost his grip on the broken glass shard. It clattered to the floor.
Madhav scooped it up in an instant, tightening his fingers around the jagged edge. He smirked through the pain. "How does it feel now? Do you feel pain?"
The ward boy's eyes darkened with rage.
Without a word, he turned toward the nearest hospital bed, gripping it tightly. In one swift motion, he lifted it as if it weighed nothing and hurled it straight at Madhav.
Madhav's eyes widened. He was near the door—there was no time to move.
With sheer instinct, he dropped to the ground just as the bed crashed against the wall. The impact was deafening. The door shattered into splinters, the wall behind it cracked.
Panting, Madhav looked at the destruction. "That was close…" he muttered.
Outside, people started gathering, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Patients, nurses, and doctors stared in shock as the hospital room's door had practically exploded outward, debris littering the hallway.
Madhav knew he had to end this.
Seizing the moment, he dashed toward the ward boy, slashing the glass shard across the man's leg. The ward boy let out a grunt of pain but didn't go down. Instead, he snarled, grabbing Madhav's shirt with one hand and wrapping his other hand around his throat.
Lifting Madhav off the ground with terrifying strength, he squeezed.
Madhav gasped, struggling against the crushing grip. His vision blurred, black spots dancing in his eyes.
The ward boy smirked. "Now, you die."
Through his fading vision, Madhav noticed something beneath the man's shirt—a small, metallic object strapped to his chest.
A bomb.
Adrenaline surged through Madhav's veins. Ignoring the pain, he reached out and yanked at the pin.
The ward boy's eyes widened in horror.
Madhav coughed, forcing a grin. "Oh? You can talk too?" He held up the now-active explosive.
The ward boy's grip loosened as pure panic flashed across his face. He lunged for the device, trying to contain the explosion.
Madhav used the moment to push himself away.
A second later—
BOOM!
The blast rocked the hospital, sending a shockwave through the walls. Madhav was thrown back, landing hard against the floor. Heat licked at his skin, and thick smoke filled the air, choking his lungs.
Dazed, he blinked through the dust and debris, trying to make sense of what had just happened.