"I must go now," Ajashakti said, his voice carrying a note of urgency. "There are preparations to oversee."

With a polite nod, he left the room, leaving the three ladies behind. Diti and Danu stand up in unison, their wide eyes fixed on Anugamini, who maintained a serene smile on her lips.

Anugamini, seemingly unfazed by the attention, gracefully walks towards the diwan and leisurely settles down. The two women remained transfixed on her every move as she casually sat down, propped up her feet, and reclined back, exuding an air of regality.

"I suppose I need no introduction." Anugamini smiled, her piercing gaze fixed on the wives of Kashyap.

Diti and Danu exchanged a nervous glance, their hearts pounding with a mixture of fear and cold dread.

"Amarsri...." Diti whispered, her voice barely audible. The revelation, a heavy burden, hung heavy in the air.

Anugamini nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Your father, Daksh, worshipped me as a sister," she said, her voice carrying a note of authority. "By that relation, I granted you both time to reconsider your actions. The yagna, the early monsoons - everything was orchestrated by me to give you a chance to set things right. But you didn't."

Diti and Danu exchanged a stunned glance, their minds racing to process the revelation. The realization that everything had been part of Amarsri's plan sent a shockwave through Diti and Danu. They had been pawns in her game, manipulated and controlled from the beginning.

"Even now, I urge you to free my husband," Anugamini continued, her voice firm. "Let him return to his divine duties, so the cosmic balance can be restored peacefully."

Diti and Danu, their hearts heavy with a mixture of fear and resignation. But leaving Ajashakti, abandoning their plans for conquest, was a bitter pill to swallow. Their pride, their ambition, fought against reason, urging them to persevere.

"Free Srinav," Anugamini said, her eyes fixed on Diti and Danu. "And I will forgive you both."

Danu hesitatingly asks, "What if we deny ?"

Anugamini's voice, filled with a mixture of warning and determination, echoed through the room. "If you deny my request, your children will pay the price." She said, her eyes flashing with a cold intensity.

Danu's heart pounded with a fear. The threat, a chilling reminder of Amarsri's power, sent a shiver down her spine. She knew that the celestial being was capable of great harm, her wrath a force to be reckoned with.

Diti, however, was not as easily intimidated. Her anger, fueled by a sense of pride and defiance, flared up.

"We will not be cowed by your threats, we will not abandon our plans !" She declared, her voice carrying a note of defiance, "And you have no right to meddle with our matters !"

Anugamini's eyes, filled with a knowing glint, met Diti's gaze. "You meddle with divine order, and you consider it acceptable," she said, her voice carrying a note of accusation. "But when I meddle with your plans, it's wrong ? How does that logic work ?"

"Your husband was the one who gave me the boon !" Diti exclaimed, her anger evident. "And here you come, ruining everything, disregarding his words ! I cannot discuss logic with you either way because, you are not reasonable !"

Anugamini scoffed. "Reasonable ? You took my husband away from me. You made him forget me. You twisted and turned him into a malevolent beast. The god who was once the most peaceful is now mad and cruel, all because of your ambitions. Still, you expect me to be reasonable ?"

Diti chuckled, her voice filled with a mixture of amusement and contempt. "You think I turned him cruel ? But aren't you cruel as well ? Just like your father ? He comes and kills thousands of Asuras, as if it were nothing. But at least he attacks from the front. You attack from behind, through deceit."

Anugamini's voice, cold and calculating, echoed through the room. "If I had wanted to attack from behind, I could have already wiped out your precious sons," she said, her eyes filled with a chilling intensity. "But I want you to know exactly what I'm going to do, and see it with your own eyes, so you understand the consequences of your actions."

Danu's eyes, filled with a mixture of fear and despair, welled up with tears. "What do you mean ?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Her heart pounded with a sense of dread, the weight of Anugamini's threat crushing her spirit.

"Vakrang, Ketunemi and Pralayant." Anugamini said, her words a death sentence.

"No, please !" Danu cried, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and desperation. Diti's face also became pale and drawn.

Danu's voice, filled with a mixture of desperation and pleading, echoed through the room. "Please, spare Pralayant," she begged, her eyes filled with tears.

"Your son has sided with the unrighteous cause of Diti," Anugamini said, her eyes fixed on Danu.

"We had no choice," Danu replied, her voice trembling. "If I had denied Diti, my fate would have been like that of Vinta. She was saved because she was pious, but no one would've saved me." Her words were a desperate plea, a justification for her actions.

Anugamini said, "Your dharma would've saved you, Danu."

Danu's knees buckled, her body collapsing to the floor. Tears, a torrent of sorrow, streamed down her face. Her sobs echoed through the room, a mournful lament that filled the air with a sense of despair. Anugamini's heart, momentarily softened by the sight of Danu's anguish, ached with empathy.

She placed a gentle hand on Danu's head, her touch a source of comfort. "I know this isn't ideal, my child," she said, her voice filled with a mixture of compassion and resolve. "But you too know, Pralayant deserves this for all the atrocities he has committed during his reign."

Danu's sobs echoed through the room, her heart heavy with grief. She knew Anugamini was right, that Pralayant's actions had consequences. But the thought of losing him, of witnessing his demise, was a pain too unbearable to bear.

Diti's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and defiance, "You won't be able to succeed if I tell Ajashakti the truth about you."

"Please do that, Diti." Anugamini smiled, her eyes filled with a knowing glint. "The moment he hears her name, he will remember everything. And then, he will be filled with anger, his rage directed towards you. He will spare no Daitya, like consuming fire he will engulf your entire race."

Diti's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and defiance. The thought of Shreeshaktiswar's wrath, the consequences of her actions, was a terrifying prospect.

"You are cruel indeed," Diti muttered, her voice filled with despair, her words barely audible.

Anugamini, in a firm voice, said, "For all the sins you've forced my husband to commit, I could've obliterated your entire race. Tempt me enough, and you'll see me doing that as well. Yet Diti, I only ask for three lives. You may think of me as cruel, but this is me being reasonable."

The weight of Anugamini's words, the gravity of her threat, was a burden they struggled to bear. The future was now filled with a sense of impending doom. The choices they had made, the path they had chosen, had led them to this precipice. The consequences of their actions were about to unfold, a terrifying reality they were powerless to change.

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A/N

Khel khatam ab sabka 🌝🔥