Ch30Mrityu Yog The Rise of Rudravanya #2
"They think he has no mercy, no emotions... but that is not who he truly is. To understand Rudraksh, you will have to go much deeper into his life his past, his present, everything. Only then will you understand him."
A faint but firm smile appeared on Vyom's face as he said, "But one thing I can tell you for sure my friend can never do anything wrong. Never. Rudraksh worships Mahakal with all his heart. He would never walk on a path that his Mahadev would not approve of."
Rivanya could not fully understand the meaning hidden behind Vyom's words. There was clearly a truth much bigger than what appeared on the surface. But before she could ask anything further, the rest of the family arrived there.
Vyom stood up immediately and extended his hand toward Rivanya, helping her to her feet before making her sit carefully on the nearby couch.
He himself stood near the door where Rudraksh was being treated inside.
Rivanya's tears simply refused to stop. Again and again, the same horrifying image replayed before her eyes Rudraksh standing there drenched in blood, still smiling at her as if keeping his promise mattered more to him than his own life.
A moment later, Vasudha came and sat beside Rivanya, pulling her into a warm motherly embrace. The moment Rivanya felt that comforting hug, she completely broke down. Crying uncontrollably, she clutched her mother tightly and sobbed, "Maa... nothing will happen to my Rudra, right?"
Vasudha's own eyes filled with tears as she caressed Rivanya's hair lovingly. "No, beta... nothing will happen to Rudraksh. Have faith. Pray to God with all your heart... Rudraksh will recover soon."
No one standing there could bear to see Rivanya in such a shattered state especially Rudraksh's family. In such a short time, she had accepted Rudraksh completely as her own, and fate had already begun testing that innocent girl in the cruelest ways possible.
Even Pratap could not bear to see her suffering.
Though Rivanya was his daughter-in-law, in his heart he had started loving her even more than a daughter.
Today, seeing her cry like this filled him with unbearable pain.
On one side stood the fear of losing his only son, and on the other stood the agony of watching a young girl's entire world collapse before his eyes.
Viswraaj and Dev also came near Rivanya, trying their best to comfort her, when suddenly the doctors stepped out of the room with serious expressions on their faces.
The moment Rivanya saw them, she immediately ran toward them in panic. Her trembling lips struggled to form words as she asked, "Doctor... Rudra... my Rudra is fine, right?"
The doctor's expression darkened slightly. "Right now... we cannot say anything for certain."
Those words alone made Rivanya's heart sink with fear. Her breathing turned uneven as she whispered, "W-What do you mean?"
The doctor sighed heavily before explaining, "His wounds are extremely deep. He has been attacked repeatedly at the same spots, and because of excessive blood loss his condition is very critical. We have removed the bullet successfully... but he still hasn't regained consciousness."
The doctor looked at the family seriously and continued, "All of you pray that he regains consciousness before morning... because if he doesn't..."
Pratap's voice shook with fear as he asked, "If he doesn't... then what, Doctor?"
The doctor lowered his eyes slightly before saying the words everyone feared the most.
"Then saving him will become nearly impossible... and perhaps... he may not survive."
The moment those words echoed through the hall, it felt as if time itself had stopped.
Rivanya stood frozen in shock while the ground beneath her feet felt like it had disappeared completely.
Dadima's condition worsened instantly, and every single person present there felt their hearts stop for a moment in terror.
Rivanya could not bear it anymore. The fear, the shock, the pain of hearing that Rudraksh's life was slipping away combined with the weakness from fasting since morning completely drained the remaining strength from her body.
Before anyone could react, her vision blurred and her body collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
"Rivanya!" several voices cried out together in panic.
The entire family rushed toward her immediately. Vasudha quickly sat down on the floor and pulled Rivanya's unconscious form into her lap, her own hands trembling badly. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stroked Rivanya's face anxiously.
"Rivanya... what happened to you? Wake up, beta... Rivu, open your eyes," Vasudha cried helplessly.
Sandeep was already shattered seeing his daughter suffer like this since the beginning, but the moment he saw her lying unconscious, it felt as though his entire world had collapsed. His hands shook as he bent beside her, gently patting her cheeks.
"Rivu beta... wake up. What happened to you? Please open your eyes," he said in a broken voice.
At that moment, Nani Maa quickly brought a glass of water and handed it to Vasudha.
With trembling fingers, Vasudha sprinkled water droplets onto Rivanya's pale face.
The cold touch finally made Rivanya stir slightly.
A few moments later, her eyelashes fluttered weakly before her tear-filled eyes slowly opened.
The moment everyone saw her regain consciousness, they finally breathed again.
Sandeep immediately helped Rivanya sit properly on the nearby couch and pulled her gently against his chest like he used to when she was little. One hand rested protectively on her head while the other softly caressed her hair, trying to calm his trembling daughter.
In a soft yet emotional voice, he said, "Rivu beta... if you become this weak, then who will take care of Rudraksh, hmm?"
His own voice cracked with emotion, but he still tried to sound strong for her sake.
"Control yourself, my child. If not for yourself... then for Rudraksh. He will need you too."
Sandeep lifted her face slightly and continued lovingly, "Nothing will happen to him. He will come back to you... you'll see. Your Rudraksh will return to you."
Rivanya looked at her Mamaji with tear-filled eyes like a frightened little child and asked in a trembling voice, "Promise me, Papa... nothing will happen to my Rudra, right?"
Sandeep's heart broke seeing his daughter in such a shattered state.
No matter how much she grew up, for him she would always remain his little princess the same little girl whose tears he could never tolerate.
Gently cupping her face in his hands, he said softly, "Nothing will happen to your Rudraksh, my princess."
A faint emotional smile appeared on his face as he continued, "Didn't you see him? Even while suffering so much pain, he still came back to you just to fulfill the promise he had made to you. Without caring about his own life, he fought death itself to reach you... so how can he leave you now, hmm?
Nothing will happen to him."
Sandeep pulled Rivanya into his embrace and lovingly stroked her hair.
"Everything will be alright, beta. You just have to stay strong. Think about it... when Rudraksh regains consciousness, how will he feel if he sees you in this condition?"
His voice softened further as he continued, "You need to handle yourself. And you are not alone we are all with you. Most importantly, Rudraksh is with you, and you are with him."
Then with complete faith, he said, "Go... pray to your Gauri Maa for your husband's life. She will return your suhag to you."
Sandeep's words slowly calmed the storm raging inside Rivanya's heart. Her trembling breaths steadied little by little, and some strength finally returned to her eyes. Seeing her slightly composed again brought relief to everyone standing there.
No matter how old daughters become, for their parents they always remain the same tiny princess they once raised with endless love and care.
And that night, one more realization silently settled into everyone's hearts especially the Vardhan family's.
Somewhere along the way, Rivanya had stopped being just the daughter-in-law of the house.
Without anyone even realizing when it happened, she had become the very soul of the family...
their daughter. The love they carried for Rudraksh now unknowingly belonged equally to her too.
Rivanya slowly stood up, wiping her tears with trembling fingers. But now, along with pain, there was determination burning inside her eyes.
"You're right, Papa," she whispered softly. "My Gauri Maa will return my husband to me."
And before anyone could stop her, Rivanya hurried downstairs almost running.
Dadima immediately moved to follow her worriedly, but before she could, Sandeep gently stopped her and said reassuringly, "Please don't worry, Maaji. My daughter is very brave... she will handle herself. I'm sure she has gone to the temple room."
Just then, Dadaji stepped forward emotionally and looked at Sandeep with pride-filled eyes.
"Truly, Sandeep ji," he said slowly, his voice heavy with emotion, "your daughter is incredibly brave..." He paused before correcting himself affectionately. "No... our daughter. Yes, Rivanya is our daughter too."
His eyes became moist as the memories of the temple flashed before him.
"Today everyone witnessed how fearlessly she protected Rudraksh. How she killed that man to save her husband's life..." Dadaji folded his hands emotionally and looked upward. "The Vardhan family is truly blessed to have received a daughter like her."
On the other side, Rivanya ran towards the temple inside the mansion in a completely shattered state.
Right in front of her stood the magnificent idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
The moment her eyes fell upon Maa Parvati, Rivanya could no longer hold back her tears.
She collapsed on her knees at the Goddess's feet, folded her trembling hands, and cried out in pain.