Bridal Crises

Dark Magic

The chamber was a darkened sanctum, filled with the scent of burning incense and the faint, acrid tang of sulphur. Shadows danced ominously on the walls, cast by the flickering flames of the candles that surrounded the altar.

Drau gazed around perplexed, an ominous feeling tightening in the pit of her stomach, she gazed up at her older brother, his eyes arresting hers in an intense stare.

"Jyest, what kind of Pooja is this? This doesn't feel normal. . ."

Her words faded, afraid that she might offend her brother, but all he did was smile at her reassuringly.

"I know it looks a little scary, but this is for the protection of our father and family. You would want that, right princess?"

At her brother's soft words, she bit her bottom lip.

"Yes. . ."

Her words were laced with hesitancy. No matter how hard she tried to repress that ominous feeling warning her, she couldn't.

She took a deep breath, taking a cursory glance around once again.

At the centre of the room stood a hooded man, his presence a malevolent force that seemed to absorb the dim light around him.

Draupadi's eyes, wide with fear and defiance, darted around the room, but her body remained unnervingly still, as though paralyzed by some unseen power.

Her usually vibrant attire was now dishevelled, adding to the disconcerting sight of her vulnerability.

The man approached her with a slow, deliberate stride, his dark robes trailing behind him like a shroud of malevolence. He lifted the hood.

Familiarity stirred in the pit of her stomach. Like she knew him. And yet...there was no memory that she could hold onto.

She could feel his identity hidden in some corner of her mind, but the moment she reached out to touch it, it vanished like smoke in thin air.

Terror seeped in her bones.

"There is no need for this dramatics anymore. . ." His gruff voice was hard with hatred, as he spat the words.

"But you wanted her consent for this Pooja. . ." Druveda asked confused, gazing at the man, who was effectively betraying his own family.

"I wanted her to enter this room with her consent. Which she did." The smirk that curved on the man's face was cold as ice, hard as a rock.

Confusion filled every inch of her being. Panic unfurling in her chest, like a poisonous gas that was slowly killing her from within.

"Jyest..."

"Don't you dare fucking call me that you bitch!" The man who had been so soft spoken minutes ago, roared. He reached out raising his hand, and bringing it down hard.

Now that he had no need to pretend, he let his fury surface, like a volcano that was ready to erupt.

A loud sound resonated through the room, agony shot through the young princess' cheek, making her lose her balance, as the world zinged, darkness dotting her vision, her head hit the hard ground.

Shock zapped down her system, she gazed up at her brother. Betrayal flayed her system. "What..."

"You are not my sister!" He shouted, pacing like a beast in front of her.

"Everytime you say jyest, it feels like a bloody knife is being plunged in my ear." He roared, she trembled in confusion, what was happening...

Why was he talking like this?