Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya

Part III: The Unraveling Truth

Chapter 24: The Breaking Point

The corridors of the palace were quiet, but it was a silence filled with dread. The haunting presence of Rani Aranya hung thick in the air, unseen but undeniably felt by all. Servants whispered behind closed doors, avoiding the dimly lit hallways, where cold drafts slipped through the cracks in the stone walls, carrying with them the unmistakable chill of death. Raja Vikram’s steps echoed through the eerie quiet, his mind a storm of thoughts.

He hurried toward Maya’s chambers, heart pounding with fear. Ever since the failed ritual, the attacks had grown more vicious, more personal. Rani’s spirit was no longer content with whispers and flickering lights. Now she wanted blood.

He pushed open the door to Maya’s room, and his breath caught in his throat. There she was, pale and fragile, lying unconscious on the bed, her face a ghostly white. Her chest barely rose with each breath, and the once-vibrant woman he had married now looked as if the life was draining from her with every passing moment.

Rajguru knelt beside her, his face grim. He held a string of prayer beads in his hand, muttering incantations under his breath, though the look in his eyes betrayed his fear. Even he, the wisest man in the kingdom, was powerless against the dark forces that had taken hold of the palace.

"Rajguru," Vikram's voice was hoarse, choked with panic. "Is she...?"

Rajguru shook his head. "She lives, for now. But her soul... it is slipping away. Rani’s spirit grows stronger with each attack, feeding off Maya's energy. I fear... if we do not stop it soon, she will not survive."

Vikram felt his legs give way beneath him as he sank into the chair beside the bed. His hands trembled as he reached for Maya's cold fingers, clasping them tightly as though holding on to her could keep her anchored to this world.

"Maya..." Vikram whispered, his voice breaking. "I should have listened to you. I should have believed you."

Rajguru rose to his feet, his gaze hard and filled with urgency. "Raja Vikram, there is no time for regret. Rani’s spirit has grown too powerful. If we do not act now, Maya will perish, and her death will only strengthen the malevolent force haunting this palace."

Vikram buried his face in his hands. The weight of his guilt pressed down on him like a crushing stone. How had it come to this? His beloved Rani, the woman he had once adored, had become a vengeful spirit, hell-bent on destroying everything he held dear.

“I loved her, Rajguru,” Vikram murmured, his voice trembling with emotion. “I never wanted this. But now... I see what she has become.”

Rajguru stepped forward, placing a hand on Vikram’s shoulder. “Love can blind even the strongest of men, Raja. But now, you must face the truth. Rani’s spirit is no longer the woman you once knew. Her soul has been corrupted by darkness, and she will not stop until you are hers... or until you are destroyed.”

Vikram clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as anger and despair warred within him. “I have failed both of them,” he whispered, staring down at Maya’s frail form. “Rani, and now Maya... I cannot lose her too.”

“Then you must act,” Rajguru said firmly. “We must confront Rani’s spirit once more. But this time, you must be willing to do what is necessary.”

Vikram looked up at him, his eyes bloodshot with sleeplessness and fear. “What do you mean? What must I do?”

Rajguru’s face was grave, his voice low as he spoke. “We cannot simply banish her spirit. Rani’s love for you was twisted into an obsession, and that obsession has bound her to this world. The only way to free Maya and stop this haunting... is to sever that bond.”

Vikram’s heart clenched painfully. “Sever the bond? How?”

Rajguru hesitated for a moment before answering, his voice heavy with the weight of what he was about to say. “You must renounce Rani. Not just in words, but in your heart. You must let her go completely. Only then will her spirit lose its hold on this world.”

Vikram stared at him, his mind reeling. “Renounce her? But... I loved her.”

“And that love is what is keeping her spirit alive,” Rajguru said sharply. “Rani’s spirit feeds on the remnants of that love. You must make a choice, Raja. Do you wish to save Maya? Or will you allow your past to consume everything you have left?”

For a long moment, Vikram was silent. His gaze fell to Maya’s face, pale and drawn, her lips cracked and dry. The woman he had married, the woman he now loved, was slipping away, and it was because he had clung too tightly to a memory, to a ghost. Rani was gone, truly gone, and all that remained was her hatred.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Vikram rose to his feet. His legs felt like lead, but his mind was clearer than it had been in days. He could not let his guilt and his past destroy his future. He had to act.

“I will do it,” Vikram said, his voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging inside him. “I will renounce her.”

Rajguru nodded solemnly. “Then we must go to the shrine. There, we will perform the final rite.”

Vikram glanced down at Maya one last time, his heart aching. “Stay strong, Maya. I will save you. I swear it.”

As Rajguru led the way out of the room, Vikram followed, his mind filled with the enormity of the task ahead. They descended into the palace’s depths, where the shrine to the royal ancestors stood, a place of reverence and prayer. The air was thick with the scent of incense, and the flickering flames of candles cast long shadows across the stone walls.

Rajguru began preparing the ritual, lighting candles and drawing symbols on the floor with chalk. Vikram stood before the shrine, his hands trembling as he placed Rani’s locket—the last piece of her he had held onto—on the altar.

“Are you ready, Raja?” Rajguru asked, his voice quiet but firm.

Vikram swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. “I am.”

Rajguru began the chant, his voice low and rhythmic. The air around them seemed to hum with energy, a force that Vikram could feel deep in his bones. As the words filled the room, Vikram closed his eyes, thinking of Rani—of the woman she had been, and the monster she had become.

“I loved you, Rani,” Vikram whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. “But I cannot hold onto you any longer. I release you. I let you go.”

The moment the words left his lips, a cold wind swept through the chamber, extinguishing the candles. The ground beneath them shook, and a blood-curdling scream echoed through the walls. Vikram’s heart raced, but he stood firm, his resolve unshaken.

The bond had been severed.

As the shaking ceased and the air stilled, Rajguru looked up, his face pale but determined. “It is done.”

But Vikram knew, deep down, that the true test had only just begun.