Chapter 18

Avni: Vaani, Priyu, aunt, Gourav bro... where's everybody...

It was around 8 in the evening when AVNI and SHANAYA reached Mumbai at their uncle's house. Their aunt who was in the kitchen, came out upon hearing their voices.

Aunt: Oh my god, my girls have arrived. I thought it would be 11 by the time you reached.

SHANAYA: Let's do one thing, we'll come back after 3 hours...

Aunt: Quiet, troublemaker.

And they both come inside house and sat on couch, after some time vaani and her sister priyanka came from outside and they met each other.

VAANI: I'm so excited, babes. Now we'll all be together. I still can't believe this is true...

SHANAYA: Excited, huh? When you knew we were coming, both of you were missing.

PRIYANKA: Oh, sis, Mom said you'd arrive by 11, so we went out for a stroll. Anyway, forget all that. By the way, both of you seem quite hot now. Looks like the hearts of Mumbai guys are going to fail...

AVNI, holding PRIYANKA's ear: Priyu, you talk big for a little girl. Who's teaching you all this?

PRIYANKA: Ah, sis. Let go of my ear and I'll tell you. Well, it's like this, talented people don't need to be taught anything. And we're naturally talented...

Everyone laughed at Priyu's words.

AVNI: So, Miss Talented, how were your exams?

PRIYANKA: Superb, sis.

SHANAYA: Very good. By the way, VAANI, you're in KPS, right?

VAANI: I wasn't there before, but now we'll also join you guys in having fun.

AVANTIKA: Yes, it's going to be a lot of fun this year.

PRIYANKA: Until now, you guys were older than me, but now I'm older than you guys...

VAANI: How's that?

PRIYANKA: Oh, sis, it's a simple thing. Since you all are coming to my school, I become your senior, right?

AVNI: Okay, madam, just please don't rag us like a senior.

PRIYANKA: We'll see...

Everyone chuckled at this.

SHANAYA: Seriously, now it's going to be fun. The four of us will rule St. Joseph's.

VAANI: Not four, but six. Two of my friends will also join me to study at St. Joseph's. And babes, wherever we go, we rule.

PRIYANKA: Oh, ladies, take a break... and let go of the misconception that any of you will get priority there...

SHANAYA: Why wouldn't we? Is there anyone better than us anywhere? AVNI and I are toppers in studies. On top of that, I'm number one in singing, and AVNI is number one in dancing. We'll definitely get priority...

VAANI: And why not? And don't forget that we are the children of TEXTILE king SATISH ARORA. We're the 5th richest family in Mumbai. Wherever we go, everything happens according to us...

PRIYANKA: AVNI , SHANAYA, you are the best in studies, singing, and dancing until you come to our school. Once you're here, you'll have to settle for second and third positions.

SHANAYA: Second means!!! Then who will come first...

PRIYANKA: VIJAY RAJ SINGH. The best student of our school. There's no one like him. He's the best in studies, a sports champion, his voice is amazing, he's number one in singing, and in dance, it feels like he doesn't have any bones in his body. He's that flexible. He's been the inter-school level dance and singing champion for the past 3 years. Not only that, he's a damn good poet. He writes poetry at such a young age... and...

VAANI: Okay, okay, enough, my dear. How much will you talk about him, what was his name again... oh yes... VIJAY. Well, I've heard a lot about him too. Our teachers often give his examples. Let's see who this VIJAY is...

AVNI: VIJAY RAJ SINGH... hmm, nice name...

BACK TO HERO:

ME: Hmm, so this is BALBEER SINGH BAGGA... His personality is like an animal.

I was lying on my bed, checking the details of BALBEER SINGH on my laptop...

Now, I had a lot of strength in me. Master had told me many secrets of this universe, but on the last day of my training, he had said something to me that I now remembered.

LAST WORDS OF SAINT VISHAKH TO VIJAY DURING THE LAST DAY OF TRAINING:

"Son, always remember one thing: no matter how powerful we become, never make the mistake of underestimating anyone. There are many beings on this earth who are deceptive. Never engage in a fight without fully understanding your enemy. In the future, you will have to fight great battles for this universe, but before the universe, your priority is to fight for your family and society. But whatever you do, do it not out of anger or impulse, but with a cool mind."

At that time, I didn't fully understand master's words, but now I was beginning to. I had seen in my dad's eyes that BALBEER had met my dad about 28 days ago.

Flashback..

BALBEER: Good morning, RAJ ...

DAD: Good morning. Tell me, how did you manage to come to our office today?

BALBEER: You tell me, RAJ . What did you think About joining my party?

DAD: I've already given you my answer. I have no interest in joining your party.

BALBEER: Think again, RAJ . Shaking hands with me will only benefit you, and not shaking hands could be harmful...

RAJ: Not every decision should be weighed on the scale of benefit and loss, BALBEER. Anyway, you wouldn't understand that. And besides, I make decisions by thinking, not just by deciding...

BALBEER getting up: That's also right. But let me give you a piece of advice. Falling from the height you stand at can be very painful for you. Anyway, I'll leave...

And from that day onwards, Dad started facing losses. We have a total of 30 factories in India and 6 abroad. Suddenly, five of our factories here caught fire, and two abroad. We incurred losses worth billions. Not only that, our company's shares in the stock market plummeted, and we lost four dealerships...

Dad and Mom narrowly escaped accidents twice...

PRATAKSHYATAM (VISUAL INSPECTION) This spell was taught to me by the book. It allowed me to detect any anomalies.

When I chanted this spell, beams emanated from within me and reached everywhere problems had occurred, shocking me.

All the fires that broke out in our factories ignited spontaneously with no apparent source. Even the driver of the truck about to cause my mom and dad's accident had been hypnotized.

Seeing all this, I understood that this couldn't be the work of an ordinary person. I was checking Wikipedia to find out what BALBEER really was. Everything else seemed normal, but his past was completely missing. There was no information about his parents, where he was born, nothing. Suddenly, he became successful overnight.

ME: Damn, there's definitely something fishy... this BALBEER can't be a normal guy. No matter how big he gets, I'll mess him up real good.

That mastee, he only taught me defensive spells. I can only use attack spells when under attack. What should I do!!!!

Yeah, if I can't attack on my own, I can make others do it. Now watch out, BALBEER, just like you left no evidence, I won't leave any either...

I closed my eyes again and focused. I started seeing BALBEER's face and those of his key men. I chose one man and his entire birth chart became clear in my mind's eye. My eyes opened wide.

Whatever needed to be done had to be done tomorrow. I kept pondering for a while and then fell asleep.

Due to waking up consistently at 4 am for so many days, my eyes naturally opened at 4 am again today. I freshened up and sat down to meditate. I meditated for nearly 3 hours. The biggest benefit of meditation that I experienced was that I no longer needed to chant any spells. Just by thinking, every spell started working.

After finishing meditation, I took care of the remaining tasks and came downstairs. Both mom and dad were sitting at the dining table.

ME: Good morning, mom and dad.

BOTH: Good morning, dear.

DAD: Where are you getting ready to go so early in the morning?

ME: To a friend's house, dad.

DAD: Alright. Have breakfast before you go.

Nothing special afterwards. I had breakfast and then left. I didn't want to go by car, didn't want anyone to know where I was going, so I set out on foot... Just a short distance away, I caught an taxi and headed towards my destination...

IN THE GLUTO ARENA:

DIGVIJAY: How many coins will it take to participate in the competition?

AAA: None. You've already paid what was due when you changed your form to gold. Here, take this slip. Put a dot under the category you want to compete in.

DIGVIJAY: Category? What do you mean?

AAA: Oh, if you're a warrior, put it under warrior; if you're a wizard, put it under wizard. If you're both, put it under both.

DIGVIJAY put a tick under both and headed inside. By now, DIGVIJAY had reached the place where challenges were issued for fights.

After the adventures of the previous day, DIGVIJAY went straight to a small hotel-like place. He rented a room there, found out about this place from the locals, and arrived today to challenge everyone.

It was a huge arena surrounded by people. DIGVIJAY noticed a long line of fighters waiting to battle. He joined the line.

At this moment, two warriors were fighting in the arena. There were no specific rules for fighting here. Either make your opponent accept defeat or defeat them outright. DIGVIJAY found all this boring, but what else could he do but wait for his turn. After a long time, DIGVIJAY's turn finally came up.

DIGVIJAY walked to the center of the arena. In front of him stood a tall, broad man who looked like a warrior. All the spectators were cheering for him.

DIGVIJAY: Come on, man, how much longer?

WARRIOR: First, you need to choose a weapon too...

DIGVIJAY: Stop wasting time and let's fight...

The opponent warrior charged towards DIGVIJAY.

DIGVIJAY bent down and whispered some spell, touching the ground...

The ground beneath the warrior's feet cracked slightly, and his feet sank down. The ground returned to normal, but he couldn't move. Everyone fell silent witnessing this.

DIGVIJAY approached calmly and extended his hand. The sword slipped from the man's hand into DIGVIJAY's... Seeing this, the man started trembling. Meanwhile, DIGVIJAY was approaching with a smile...

MAN: I accept my defeat.

DIGVIJAY: Well done. That's the way to do it. Good thing you didn't show any tricks; otherwise, you would have been killed for nothing. Let's get out of here.

As DIGVIJAY said this, the ground softened, and the man's feet came out. Without a moment's pause, he ran away...

After he left, a magician stepped forward.

DIGVIJAY: Come on, let's see what you've got, buddy. Let's test your skills...

MAGICIAN: I'm a magician too. You can't trap me in your illusions...

DIGVIJAY: Let's see. You start. You won't get another chance.

MAGICIAN: Ignite! A large water ball appeared in the magician's hands.

DIGVIJAY: Yeah, man, that's great. I haven't washed my face in a long time. Is there a null system here too? That's a bit much.

The magician got very angry at DIGVIJAY's words and threw the water ball towards him.

DIGVIJAY extended his hand, stopping the ball in its tracks.

DIGVIJAY: VAJRAGHAAT... A powerful lightning struck and hit the water ball directly. DIGVIJAY extended his hand again, and the ball returned at double the speed, colliding with the magician. He writhed in pain, stumbled back, and fell, lifeless.

DIGVIJAY: Poor guy, he was struck down in his prime. And anyone else...

Now everyone was afraid of DIGVIJAY. No one was willing to step forward, but those who did were ready to fight, including a magician who, trembling, stood before DIGVIJAY.

DIGVIJAY: Use your brains, buddy. Speak up, why are you here? Hey, fool, is this challenge greater than life itself? Well, it's up to you, but I don't have time to waste. All of you in line, come at once.

Everyone was shocked to hear this. It had never happened before.

In a short time, nearly 100 people were standing before DIGVIJAY.

DIGVIJAY: NOW IT'S GONNA BE FUN.

ALL: They all attacked DIGVIJAY at once with their weapons and spells—swords, spears, axes, arrows, along with water spears, balls, fireballs—all coming towards DIGVIJAY.

DIGVIJAY: SURAKSHA KAWACH PRAKATAM...

All their weapons collided with the protective shield and became ineffective. Everyone who surrounded the ground stood frozen. Even the warriors and magicians who were standing before DIGVIJAY bowed their heads in submission.

DIGVIJAY: Wise decision, everyone.

Just then, a bolt of lightning struck, and a face emerged in the air above the ground. Half of the face was covered. It wasn't anyone else but NISHKALIKA...

BACK TO HERO:-

ME: Amit Mehta, right...

AMIT: Do I know you?

ME: You don't need to...

At that moment, I was standing in the parking lot of a building, which happened to be Balbeer Singh Bagga's office parking, and in front of me was Amit Mehta. I had come here to meet him. He was a key man for Balbeer Singh. He had the black book containing all the details of Balbeer Singh's business dealings. But my purpose was different...

I approached him as he was leaving.

AMIT: Oh kid, didn't I ask you once? Who are you?

But by then, I had reached him. I swiftly placed my hand on his head. He immediately passed out, and the faces of all of Balbeer's key men started appearing to me.

My job was done. Light emanated from my hands and entered him. I left the scene. After I left, he regained consciousness, but he had no memory of what had just happened; it all faded away.

It was around 11 o'clock. I went straight to a garden nearby. This garden was in the same area and was usually empty at this time.

I sat behind a tree and meditated. Beams emanated from my hands, enveloping all the key men of Balbeer Singh whose faces I had seen through Amit.

My work was done. I left with a smile on my face.

ME: Mom, I'm home.

MOM: Welcome back, my child. Are you hungry?

ME: No, mom. I'm going to my room. Call me for lunch.

MOM: Okay, dear...

A whole month had passed since I talked to Ronit and Anjali. After reaching my room, I tried calling them one by one, but neither of them picked up. I didn't pay much attention and started watching a movie on my laptop.

I went downstairs for lunch at lunchtime and then returned to my room and fell asleep. I woke up at 6 in the evening.

ME: Man, I slept for quite a while today... Let's freshen up and go to Ronit's place.

When I came downstairs, Mom and Dad were sitting in front of the TV watching the news.

ME: Good evening, Dad. You're home early today.

DAD: Yes, son, there wasn't much work today.

I glanced at the TV where a news reporter was reporting something new...

NEWS REPORTER: As you can see, there's a fire at Balbeer Singh Bagga's oil plant. Not only that, but fires have also broken out in four other plants owned by him. Not just that, a fire has also been reported at his five-star hotel in Rajasthan. Such a disaster couldn't have occurred by accident. It will be interesting to see who is behind this attempt to destroy Balbeer Singh. Stay tuned for more updates with cameraman Ashutosh K and me, Shreya *********. Thank you...

Seeing all this, a smile formed on my face.

ME: Mom, Dad, I'll be back in a moment...

DAD: Okay, son, enjoy...

To be Continued..