Chapter 99: shadow of death

When Abhimanyu emerged from his ring and stepped out of his room, he found that his friends had already arrived.

Surya said, "Look, Abhimanyu is in his room, and you all were saying he hadn't returned."

Riya said, "But I checked his room. He wasn't there."

Abhimanyu asked, "What's going on?"

Ammy said, "We thought you didn't come home last night."

Abhimanyu said, "Alright, I need to tell you all that I found the second key." He showed them the key he was holding.

Black Dragon said, "I told you he must have found something."

Riya said, "I knew he would quickly get everything done."

Abhimanyu said, "Now we just need to find the next clue." At that moment, a man knocked on their gate and said, "Yashvardhan Ji has called you all to the peepal tree by the river."

Kashmira asked, "The peepal tree? But why there?"

Abhimanyu said, "We'll only find out by going there. Let's go."

They all set out for the river, but they didn't need to ask for directions because everyone was heading towards the river in a hurry.

When they reached the peepal tree, they saw that it had splintered, and there was a man's body by the river with only a single cut on his neck and no other marks on his body.

One man said, "He is not from our village."

Another man said, "Yes, he is from the village on the other side of the river. His name is Hariya."

Abhimanyu saw that Hariya's wife was wailing, and the rest of his family was mourning at the same spot.

One man said, "What will happen now? She has started killing as soon as she got free."

Another man said, "Have you forgotten? Last night was Amavasya."

A third man said, "So it means men will be hunted again."

People were talking amongst themselves and panicking.

Jin Gyong said, "It's good I don't understand their language; otherwise, I would go mad."

Ammy said, "Don't talk like that."

Jin Gyong said, "These people must be saying that the demoness is free, but they are spreading more fear with their talk."

At that moment, the priest calmed everyone down and said, "Please, do not be afraid. The sages had warned me before their deaths that the demoness would be freed and wouldn't stay in the tree for long. That's why I had already started looking for a solution. I met with a very powerful sage who promised to help us. We have called him, and he will soon come to save us from this problem."

Yashvardhan assured everyone, "Don't worry, the problem will be solved soon."

Yashvardhan and the priest then had a conversation.

Yashvardhan asked, "Priest Ji, when will the great sage arrive?"

The priest replied, "Yashvardhan Ji, he said he would be here within a week."

Yashvardhan said, "Good, then this trouble should be resolved before the next Amavasya."

Meanwhile, Abhimanyu was looking at the peepal tree and began walking towards it, drawing everyone's attention since no one dared to go near it.

As Abhimanyu neared the tree, his pupils turned black, and he felt a terrifying demonic energy. Smiling, he said, "It seems this is indeed a demoness, not just a common witch. But where is she now? There's no demonic energy left in the corpse."

Just then, the police arrived and began keeping everyone away from the tree and the body.

Ammy asked Abhimanyu, "Where do you think the demoness might be now?"

Abhimanyu replied, "She isn't a normal demoness; she's very powerful."

Ammy asked, "More powerful than you?"

Abhimanyu said, "No, but she's stronger than the demons we've faced so far. We need to find her first."

Jin Gyong asked, "What are you whispering about?"

Abhimanyu said, "Nothing important."

The constables started taking everyone's statements, and after a while, an inspector came to them and said, "I've heard you all arrived here just yesterday, and now there's been a murder."

Riya asked, "What are you trying to say?"

The inspector asked, "Where were you all last night?"

Riya replied, "We were having dinner at Yashvardhan Ji's place, but because of the heavy rain, we stayed there until morning."

The inspector looked at Yashvardhan, who confirmed, "Yes, Inspector Sir, they were all at my place last night."

The inspector asked, "All of them?"

Yashvardhan said, "One of them wasn't, but he has nothing to do with this case."

The inspector said, "Who decides that? Who is this person?"

Yashvardhan said, "That boy didn't come for dinner because he wasn't feeling well."

The inspector looked at Abhimanyu and said, "He seems perfectly fine to me."

Abhimanyu said, "Inspector, guessing like this won't get you anywhere. I was at home last night, sleeping in my room."

The inspector said, "We'll find out if you were sleeping or out. Anyway, since you're all outsiders, suspicion falls on you."

Abhimanyu said, "If we're suspects, tell us the motive. Why would we kill a normal villager?"

The inspector said, "We'll find out. For now, we'll investigate."

The police took the body for forensic examination and started their investigation, looking into whether Hariya had any enemies or why he left his house that night. Most villagers believed the demoness killed Hariya, but the police suspected it was a human trying to cover their crime using the demoness's legend.

The police also gathered details about Abhimanyu and his friends. They found out that Abhimanyu and Black Dragon were in the army, Kashmira was a teacher, and Surya ran a small business in Bangalore. They were surprised to learn that Abhimanyu and Surya weren't brothers.

After some time, everyone returned home.

Abhimanyu said, "We can't go to the ruins now because they're flooded, and we haven't found any clues yet. I've heard there's an old library near the village, which might have something."

Surya asked, "What are you looking for here?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Any direction or clue."

Surya asked, "What kind of clue?"

Abhimanyu said, "We found a connection to this village in Shivpura. There are five such places. We need to find clues for the remaining three."

Surya said, "I understand."

Abhimanyu said, "Let's go to the library."

Jin Gyong said, "But the police are patrolling the village."

Abhimanyu said, "They'll do their job, and we'll do ours. Let's go."

Jin Gyong said, "That's why I don't like you at all."

Abhimanyu said, "Just shut up and come on."

They all headed towards an abandoned jungle where hardly anyone went. They stopped outside the jungle.

Abhimanyu said, "What's the matter? Let's go."

Jin Gyong asked, "Why would a library be in the jungle?"

Abhimanyu said, "It's an old library that's no longer in use."

Riya asked, "No one in the village knows about this library. How did you find out?"

Abhimanyu said, "I found a clue about it while exploring the ruins."

They entered the jungle, where there was no clear path. Trees with thick trunks and roots were everywhere, and due to last night's rain, the ground was slippery.

Jin Gyong almost slipped and said, "This is why I didn't want to come here. Abhimanyu always acts like a leader."

Abhimanyu said, "I can hear you."

Jin Gyong said, "I said it so you could hear."

After some time, they reached a large gate. The gate was made of stone, as if a cave had been carved out and used as a library.

Surya pushed the gate, but it didn't budge. Then, Abhimanyu and Black Dragon helped, and together they opened the gate, which was stuck due to the accumulated mud.

Jin Gyong, holding her nose, said, "I'm not going inside."

Abhimanyu said, "Your sister can't clean up everything."

Ammy said, "Why not?" He moved forward, and a flash occurred, making the library look new.

Surya, surprised, said, "What was that?"

Abhimanyu said, "Remember, I mentioned a device?"

Surya said, "But we didn't see any device."

Abhimanyu said, "Yes, it can't be seen with the naked eye. Now, let's do what we came for."

Riya, looking at the books, asked, "Do we have to read all of these?"

Abhimanyu said, "Yes, let's get ready. If you find a book mentioning Pushpgarh, let me know."

He then started reading, and the others did the same. After 5-6 hours, Jin Gyong said, "If I had studied this much for my boards, I would have been a topper."

Abhimanyu said, "You should have studied then."

Jin Gyong said, "Don't take it the wrong way, but I want to drink your blood now, Abhimanyu."

Abhimanyu said, "Ammy, I didn't know your sister was a vampire."

Jin Gyong said, "I'm more dangerous than a vampire," and lunged at Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu held her back and said, "This isn't the time for this. Save it for the bedroom."

Jin Gyong, even angrier, couldn't do anything.

Kashmira said, "Calm down, both of you. This isn't the time to fight."

Jin Gyong then pushed Abhimanyu into a shelf, and a book fell on his head.

Abhimanyu massaged his head and then looked at the book. It was written in Kannada with a lotus flower on it.

Surya said, "It's in Kannada. Let me read it."

Abhimanyu said, "I know Kannada." He started reading the book.

Surya, surprised, said, "He knows Kannada too?"

Jin Gyong said, "But we don't. Translate it, Abhimanyu."

Abhimanyu said, "Let me read it first, then I'll translate."

After reading, Abhimanyu said, "The powers of the five protectors were summoned here first. They fought the demons, destroying this place. After defeating the demons, a temple was built to purify the area. Then the protectors went to Shivpura to combat dark forces rising there. The protectors saved the world from all the evil forces but realized it would take time to defeat them all, so they decided to close all portals connecting our world to the other."

Jin Gyong asked, "What happened next?"

Abhimanyu said, "The book ends here."

Jin Gyong asked, "Is there any clue about the next key?"

Abhimanyu said, "I don't know. We might not find a straightforward clue like in Shivpura."

Jin Gyong said, "So, coming here was a waste of time?"

Abhimanyu said, "Maybe. We haven't read all the books here."

Jin Gyong said, "You mean we have to read all the books here? I barely understand Hindi, and these are in different languages."

Abhimanyu said, "Fine, we'll come back tomorrow. Let's go." He started exploring the library.

Jin Gyong said, "First, you said let's go, and now you're exploring."

Abhimanyu said, "You guys go ahead. I'll close the gate."

Everyone started heading out.

Abhimanyu explored another room, likely a kitchen, indicating someone used to live there. He noticed a stove and was about to leave when he saw something like a painting.

Abhimanyu picked it up and saw a picture of a temple but no inscription indicating its location.

Saily said, "I can't find this place on the internet either."

Abhimanyu said, "We'll look into it later," and kept the painting in his ring.

He returned to the library to collect the books.

Saily said, "What are you doing, gathering books from everywhere? Let other people explore this place too. Besides, we already read the main book and found a new clue."

Abhimanyu replied, "There might be more clues here. After all, this is the place where the powers of the five protectors were summoned."

Saily responded, "Fine, but come back and check later. It's getting late."

Abhimanyu exited the library and sealed the gate with a protective barrier.

Saily asked, "Is this much security necessary?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, now let's go."

Saily said, "By the way, the book contained detailed information about this area, but we haven't explored those parts yet."

Abhimanyu said, "We'll look into that later. For now, let's head home."

Everyone then returned home.

Saily said to Abhimanyu, "After everyone goes to sleep, you're going to explore the ruins, aren't you?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, but first we need to get them to sleep."

Saily asked, "Why don't you take their help?"

Abhimanyu said, "Because I don't want to reveal this information. Besides, the villagers overreact to small things."

After dinner, everyone went to their rooms and slept.

Around one in the morning, Abhimanyu got out of bed.

Saily remarked, "I don't know which ill-fated person I'm stuck with. It scares me to think I might have to endure this in almost every lifetime."

Abhimanyu said, "Alright, enough drama. We still have work to do."

Saily said, "There's no real work. You just need to explore this place thoroughly and find the treasure, right?"

Abhimanyu said nothing this time and stepped out of the house, heading toward the same path he had taken earlier.

Just then, he heard the jingling of anklets and then a melodious song.

Saily asked, "Do all ghosts and witches sing to lure people in?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Maybe it's the easiest way to charm people. Who wouldn't be curious to know who's singing such a beautiful song?"

Saily asked, "So, are you going to check it out?"

Abhimanyu said, "Of course."

He slowly started following the sound, which was gradually moving further away, meaning whoever was singing was also moving.

Saily commented, "This doesn't seem like the way to the river."

Abhimanyu replied, "It doesn't necessarily mean she's out hunting. Remember, she hunts only on the new moon night."

Saily asked, "Why do these spirits have such a fascination with the new moon?"

Abhimanyu said, "Because their power increases significantly on the new moon night, making it easier to contact the demonic world. After that, they try to attract or worship the demon lord. However, the current demon lord seems to have a penchant for blood and making slaves. He enslaves the soul whose sacrifice he accepts, and the one offering the sacrifice becomes his slave as well."

Saily asked, "Why don't you stop him and become the demon lord yourself?"

Abhimanyu said, "He has a whole army and is probably much stronger than me right now. If I use all my power, I might lose my humanity and become a complete demon again. That's why I'm sparing him for now."

Saily said, "You used to be out of control."

Abhimanyu replied, "To prevent myself from becoming out of control, I need to strengthen this body using angel techniques. Until my divine and demonic energies are balanced, I can't fully use my powers."

Saily commented, "But Ammy doesn't have this issue."

Abhimanyu said, "That's because divine energy doesn't mess with the mind like demonic energy does. It strengthens it, meaning they don't easily succumb to the intoxication of power."

Saily asked, "What do you mean by 'easily'?"

Abhimanyu explained, "Even they can sometimes become arrogant and commit various crimes. Divine energy doesn't put pressure on the mind, but that doesn't mean their thoughts automatically become good or pure. When angels become arrogant, even divine energy can't help. Otherwise, they wouldn't make sacrifices to Maya."

Just then, Abhimanyu heard the sound of a river.

Abhimanyu said, "We didn't head toward the river, did we?"

Saily said, "Maybe it's another part of the river."

Abhimanyu then heard the sound of a flute, similar to the melody he heard earlier.

He moved aside some bushes and saw a beautiful girl sitting on a tree branch, playing the flute.

Abhimanyu was mesmerized by her beauty.

Saily said, "Stop gawking. She's not that beautiful."

Abhimanyu said, "Alright, alright," and started walking towards her.

As soon as the girl saw Abhimanyu, she got scared, fell off the branch, and screamed.

Abhimanyu ran to her and asked, "Are you okay?"

The girl replied, "Do I look okay? Ouch! You scared me for no reason. Will you help me up?"

Abhimanyu offered his hand, and the girl grabbed it and stood up. She then touched her back and said, "Oh, my back! Who roams around at night like this?"

Abhimanyu said, "You were playing the flute here at night too."

The girl replied, "It's my hobby. I've been coming here for quite some time. By the way, who are you? You don't seem like you're from the village."

Abhimanyu said, "Why do you think I would tell a stranger about myself?"

The girl said, "Looks like you're quite an introvert."

Abhimanyu asked, "You know there's a demoness near the river, right?"

The girl replied, "And you know she only hunts men, right?"

Abhimanyu said, "But that doesn't mean a girl would be safe here at this hour."

The girl said, "I've become quite familiar with this place. But aren't you afraid of roaming around alone at night? What if I were the demoness?"

Abhimanyu said, "It's not within her power to hunt me."

The girl laughed and said, "You're boasting to impress me, but you'd be scared stiff in front of that demoness."

Abhimanyu replied, "That demoness can't harm me because it's not a new moon night."

The girl said, "But she can hunt anytime, right? She only makes sacrifices on the new moon."

Abhimanyu said, "Then I need to see this demoness once."

The girl asked, "Are you in a hurry to die?"

Abhimanyu said, "No, I'm in a hurry to see the demoness. I've heard she's very beautiful."

The girl replied, "I've heard that too. Rumor has it she sacrifices men to enhance her beauty."

Abhimanyu said, "You seem to know a lot about her."

The girl replied, "Of course, since I've been hearing her stories since I arrived here. So, I gathered a lot of information about her, but I've never seen her. She seems like just a story to me."

Abhimanyu said, "But she could be real too."

The girl said, "You seem educated and young. Do you believe in such things?"

Abhimanyu replied, "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not. The point is, it could be true or not."

The girl said, "You're confusing me. Just tell me if you believe in it or not."

Abhimanyu said, "No, I don't believe in it."

The girl said, "Good, I don't either."

Abhimanyu asked, "Are you not from this place?"

The girl replied, "Yes, I'm from a foreign country, here for a visit."

Abhimanyu said, "I came here from Bangalore."

The girl asked, "What's your name?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Abhimanyu."

The girl said, "Nice name. What are your hobbies?"

Abhimanyu said, "Sleeping."

The girl replied, "Then you should be in your bed at home. What are you doing here?"

Abhimanyu said, "If I were there, I wouldn't have heard this beautiful song. Do you learn music?"

The girl said, "I used to. Now I perform classical shows abroad."

Abhimanyu said, "Wonderful."

The girl said, "Yes, it is."

Abhimanyu asked, "By the way, have you written the notes for the flute piece you played?"

The girl replied, "No, my music teacher, who's very talented, did."

Abhimanyu said, "I also have a bit of an interest in playing the flute."

The girl said, "Really? Show me."

Abhimanyu took the flute from her and sat on the branch just like she had earlier.

When Abhimanyu started playing the flute, all the fireflies, butterflies, fish, and other creatures began to dance to his tune just like they had for the girl.

When Abhimanyu stopped playing, the girl came to her senses and asked, "Who are you?"