Chapter 53: Lalita

Abhimanyu asked, "By the way, baba, you said you used to live near the Nepal, India, and China border, so how far is Mansarovar from there?"

Nandiram responded, "Why are you asking about Mansarovar?"

Abhimanyu replied, "I've heard it's a very divine and beautiful place."

Nandiram explained, "It's quite close from there, just a day's journey. But my advice is not to go in that direction. Mansarovar is indeed a divine place, but there are many mysteries surrounding it. Some say they've seen magical creatures like Yetis, and there's a giant serpent king ruling over them. He's said to be as tall as a 6-story building. No one who's ventured there has returned."

Nitesh chimed in, "Oh, baba, these are just myths. Every place has its own stories. There's a legend here too that a magical bull resides here, protecting the devotees from dangers. But I've never seen it."

Abhimanyu countered, "Just because we haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist. Some creatures on Earth live ten times longer than humans, and some have been alive for millions of years."

Nitesh dismissed, "These are just myths believed by some people. If they exist, let them come forward."

They had climbed quite high, and there were few people around.

Abhimanyu, Nitesh, and Nandiram continued their conversation, debating on various topics.

Abhimanyu seemed to belong to this place, and he seemed to have known these two for a long time.

Sahil and Sunder were enjoying the beauty of the place, and as they were looking in one direction, Sunder spotted a shadow approaching. As it came closer, they realized it was a bird, but as it came nearer, their bodies began to tremble. Sunder shouted, "The eagle is back! Everyone, be careful!"

Abhimanyu chuckled and said, "Look, your magical creature has arrived again. And perhaps you won't believe it, but it can speak." All the soldiers, who were quite a few, suddenly surrounded Abhimanyu. They asked the family accompanying Nandiram to stay back, and the other children also moved back. All the soldiers stood in front, with two of them holding rocket launchers.

Priya started filming the eagle, but there was no network to go live.

All the children started filming the eagle, and all the soldiers were armed with bazookas. As the eagle approached Abhimanyu closely, two soldiers fired at it with bazookas, and two rockets were launched toward the bird. Just as the rockets were about to hit it, the eagle opened its mouth and fired an energy ball, which collided with one of the rockets, causing it to explode mid-air. The explosion caused the second rocket to explode as well, and the strong wind from the impact knocked down Abhimanyu and others nearby, except for a few.

A black smoke filled the sky, and a large eagle emerged from the smoke, circling above them. It let out a loud scream and landed in front of them.

The eagle said, "Come out, boy! You lied to me. I can still smell you. You must have something to do with that snake."

Abhimanyu, standing at the forefront, replied confidently, "I only saw its dead body. Why don't you believe me?"

Nandiram pushed the old man aside and stepped forward, confronting Abhimanyu. He said, "You're showing off your strength to a 17-year-old boy. Aren't you ashamed?"

The eagle chuckled and said, "You humans will never learn. You think the Earth belongs to you and that you're its masters. You make these weak creatures do your dirty work. If you have the courage, come and make me work for you now."

Nandiram retorted, "I don't make animals work for me, so you can't blame every person."

The eagle chuckled, "What difference does it make? I didn't come here to argue. I needed some information, but this boy kept me wandering for two days and fooled me. He will pay for it."

Abhimanyu replied with a laugh, "Those who are already fools don't need to be made fools."

Sahil added, "He won't learn unless he faces consequences. Now we have to deal with this bird too, and he'll get us into trouble."

The eagle said, "Human boys, you're either very brave or very foolish. Anyway, now get ready to be my meal."

Nandiram then took a gun from a soldier and started shooting at the bird, but the bullets only grazed it and caused slight pain. The bullets seemed to reflect off it, and the eagle started to fly away. In the process, Nandiram was hit by one of its wings and fell down the mountainside, disappearing.

The eagle then said, "One down. What will happen to you now, boy?"

Abhimanyu replied confidently, "It's not so easy to kill me." Saying this, he charged at the bird. The bird opened its beak, stuffed him inside, and swallowed him whole, shocking everyone present.

As the eagle flew away, a roar was heard in the distance, and suddenly, a bull appeared, flying through the air without wings. It seemed as though it was walking on the air with its feet. It quickly approached and collided with the eagle, causing a crack in the mountain.

Nitesh stuttered, "That's the same bull that has been protecting this place for years. It's not just a story."

The eagle picked itself up and let out a roar, then conjured a fireball from its mouth and aimed it at the bull. The bull retaliated by creating a fireball between its horns and launched it at the eagle. The eagle was hit, and a fierce battle ensued between them.

The eagle said, "Foolish bull, I didn't want to kill you, but now you've angered me."

The bull roared again, and a fireball formed between its horns. It aimed the fireball at the eagle, which struck it directly. The eagle was pushed back by the impact and crashed into a nearby hill, causing an earthquake. However, it quickly got up, its eyes now blazing with anger.

The eagle rose and began chanting a mantra, creating a pattern in the sky. Suddenly, numerous light arrows started raining down on the bull. The bull created a shield to protect itself, but some of the arrows pierced through, one hitting its heart. It began to falter, and slowly transformed into a human, revealing it to be Nandiram. He appeared much older now, but no one dared to approach him.

Vikrant rushed to him and asked, "Are you okay, baba?"

Nandiram replied, "My life force is fading. Now, I entrust my powers to you." With that, he vanished into thin air, seemingly merging with Vikrant. No one noticed that he had actually entered Vikrant's body.

The eagle burst into laughter and said, "The foolish bull was died for no reason."

Bacche ne poocha, "Where did the bull's body go?"

Sunder replied, "So, Abhimanyu was telling the truth that the snake's body disappeared."

The eagle said, "What did you say? You're saying the boy was the last one to see it."

Suddenly, the eagle started to feel something inside itself. It sat down on the road, writhing in pain and started bleeding from its mouth. It died right there. Nobody present understood what had just happened. Then, the eagle's beak opened, and Abhimanyu emerged from it, covered in blood. He looked at the eagle and smiled, then disappeared into the map, just like the others who vanished.

In reality, when the eagle ate Abhimanyu, Arjun had suggested to him that the eagle's body was very strong from the outside, so it could only be killed from the inside. Abhimanyu had planned to attack the eagle from the inside. As he went inside its throat, he stabbed it at a certain point, causing blood to flow into the pipe. He followed the flow of blood until he reached a point where he smiled and said, "Biology lessons from school are coming in handy here." He found the eagle's heart and separated it from its body. Blood started flowing out heavily. Abhimanyu went back to the map and placed the heart inside it. However, by the time the eagle fell, its body was soaked in blood.

Abhimanyu said, "Now, I need to clean up."

Dean approached Abhimanyu and asked, "How did you kill the eagle?"

Abhimanyu replied, "I tore open its stomach, made my way to its heart, and ripped it apart. When the heart was gone, how could it stay alive?"

Abhimanyu began to feign unconsciousness to avoid further inquiries, and one of Lalita's guards promptly scooped him up, insisting they take him to the hospital.

Nitesh mentioned a nearby clinic, so they whisked Abhimanyu there. Given the disappearance of both the eagle and the bull, none could believe what they had witnessed.

At the clinic, Abhimanyu deliberately slowed his pulse to allay any suspicion from the doctor. After a while, he opened his eyes, pretending to suffer from amnesia, innocently asking if they were headed to Haridwar.

Curiosity flooded in with everyone bombarding Abhimanyu with questions, yet his acted memory loss convinced them all that his recollections of the trip had indeed vanished.

The doctor prescribed some medication and discharged Abhimanyu. Subsequently, he changed into local saint attire, unable to retrieve his clothes from the map without giving away his secret. His regular luggage remained on the bus.

Rihana complimented Abhimanyu's appearance in the new attire.

Abhimanyu, maintaining the act, responded, "You're also on this trip with us, and others are here too, but some seem less visible. Are they in another group?"

Nitya confirmed they were not part of their group.

Karishma suggested they leave Abhimanyu be and proceed to the temple for darshan.

Abhimanyu reached the temple, and Maya suddenly exclaimed, "I feel a powerful spiritual energy here."

Abhimanyu replied, "I feel it too. Let's proceed for the darshan." As he entered the temple, the spiritual energy intensified, becoming even more profound.

Maya suggested, "If we meditate here, it could be very beneficial." Abhimanyu noticed some sadhus meditating nearby and approached them.

He joined them in meditation, dressed in the attire of a local sadhu, which led others to assume he was one of them.

Sahil remarked, "Is he making fun of the sadhus here?"

Sunder added, "We came here for darshan, and he's behaving this way. Does he consider himself equal to them?" Dean also disapproved of Abhimanyu's actions.

By now, everyone had become quite spiritual, despite their initial skepticism. Seeing Nandiram as a bull and witnessing the eagle disappear into thin air had convinced them of the inexplicable.

Abhimanyu was immersed in the serene energy, which had quieted the inner turmoil he had been experiencing. Suddenly, he felt a shift within himself, and a pattern began to form.

Arjun exclaimed, "What's happening?"

Maya sensed the change and worriedly said, "Something different is occurring here. Is Abhimanyu absorbing us? My existence could be in danger."

Abhimanyu was experiencing a profound transformation, feeling as though he had entered a different realm where everwhere is dark and there is no sign of light and suddenly a light apper where a snake had turned into a human, and that human was none other than Abhimanyu himself. However, he appeared quite different, Suddenly another light appered and where a snake came in and transform into a girl around 25 of age but Abhimanyu doesn't know her, Suddenly another light appered where a bull came in and transform into Vikrant and stand beside Abhimanyu.

Suddenly, the scene changed, and Abhimanyu found himself sitting with Karishma, who resembled a princess from ancient times.

Karishma asked, "Will you ever leave me?"

Abhimanyu reassured her, "Never."

Then, the scene shifted again, and Abhimanyu was shown fatally stabbing Karishma with a sword.

Darkness enveloped Abhimanyu, but he heard a voice urging him to protect Sormani at all costs.

As Abhimanyu opened his eyes, he found himself in complete darkness. Then, he sensed two energies converging, forming a sphere—one white and one black. They merged to create the yin and yang symbol.

Abhimanyu could see himself meditating and overheard Sahil's remark about his prolonged unconsciousness.

Abhimanyu then approached a cave near the bhimshila, where Nitesh, some students, and Dean were discussing its significance. Nitesh recounted how the bhimshila had protected the village during the 2013 calamity. Nearby, they noticed a small cave with steps leading down and a wall blocking the way. Abhimanyu effortlessly passed through the wall and discovered a small pond with a lotus flower in the center. One side of the lotus was white, and the other side was red, with ice forming in the white section and fire in the red.

Abhimanyu drew closer to the lotus, and suddenly, his soul seemed to merge with it. Ice and fire energies began to flow into him, and slowly, his soul transformed into a radiant lotus with white and red petals. Then, the lotus disappeared, and Abhimanyu returned to his body.

As he opened his eyes, a guard, Sahil, and Sunder were standing nearby.

Sahil remarked, "You pretended to be unconscious for too long."

Abhimanyu replied, "Who told you I was pretending?"

Abhimanyu then got up and started to leave, heading towards the bhimshila where everyone else was gathered.

Maya approached Abhimanyu and said, "I don't know what happened, but it seems like our energy is now under control. You won't faint anymore."

Abhimanyu asked, "What was that lotus?"

Maya inquired, "What lotus?"

Abhimanyu explained, "I saw a lotus that was white on one side and red on the other. It calmed my inner energy and led me to the amarvriksh."

Maya nodded in understanding.

Maya speculated, "Could that be the Divine Soul Lotus?"

Arjun questioned, "What are you saying? Finding that lotus even in heaven is challenging, so why would it grow in a place like this on Earth?"

Maya explained, "But according to Abhimanyu's description, it seems like the Divine Soul Lotus. If he has found the Amarvriksh, our tree might grow faster. Perhaps, within a week, the lotus can revive a broken or deceased soul. It has its own consciousness."

Nitesh added, "The bull we saw is believed to be the guardian of this temple for years. However, I never imagined it was Uncle Nandiram. Now, with no one to protect the temple, if we tell anyone about this, they might not believe us."

Priya mentioned, "I've recorded a video of that fight."

Another girl, who was taking a selfie with Abhimanyu, chimed in, "Yes, I've also captured a video, but they'll think it's just VFX. I've also made a video where Abhimanyu emerges from the bird's beak. It looks really cool."

Dean intervened, "Alright, let's leave from here. There's another famous temple nearby that we must visit."

Dean was about to say more when suddenly terrorists armed with guns emerged, surrounding everyone and blocking the way.

They trapped everyone in the circle of terror, blocking all routes.

The guards accompanying Abhimanyu aimed their guns, shooting a man and threatening to shoot a little girl if anyone dared to act smart.

Abhimanyu gestured for all the guards to stay calm.

They sat everyone down and kept them surrounded with guns pointed at them.

There were about 30 terrorists present. Their leader addressed everyone, "My dear students, I hope you're all well. We're only here for one girl, Miss Lalita. Please come forward, Lalita."

Lalita stood up and started to move forward.

However, one of Lalita's guards interjected, "No, Miss Lalita."

The terrorist leader warned, "If you don't come, everyone here will be killed. I hope you don't want that. Actually, we don't intend to harm anyone. We just want to take you away as a hostage."

Abhimanyu could have attacked, but it would have put many lives at risk.

Arjun whispered, "For now, let them take Lalita. We'll eliminate them on the way. Abhimanyu, send her location on the map as soon as you get a chance."

Abhimanyu replied, "I have a better plan."

As Abhimanyu got up, everyone aimed their guns at him. Kashmira pulled him down, saying, "What are you doing? Do you enjoy being the center of attention everywhere?"

Abhimanyu addressed the terrorist, "Do you only want Bihar's CM's daughter, or do you know that the CM's son is also here?"

The terrorist leader replied, "I don't believe you, but having another hostage won't be a problem for us."

Abhimanyu insisted, "He's standing right in front of you. I am Bihar's CM Veer Pratap Singh's son, Abhimanyu Pratap Singh."

The terrorist questioned, "Although I'm not sure, having another hostage won't be a problem for us."

Then Lalita's guard warned, "But Abhimanyu, sir, they'll kill us if they find out we couldn't stop them from taking both of you."

Abhimanyu assured, "Don't worry; it was my decision. Nothing will happen to you."

Vikrant asked through gestures, "What's the plan?"

Abhimanyu signaled back, "I'll take Lalita's place."

Then the terrorists made him sit with Lalita at gunpoint and took them away in thier vehicles.

Kashmira asked Karishma, "Is it true that he's the CM's son?"

Karishma nervously denied, "No, it's not true."

Kashmira mused, "He always wants to be the center of attention. If they find out, they'll kill Abhimanyu."

Sahil commented, "At first, I thought he was really the CM's son, but now it seems he just wants to be the center of attention."

Nitya worriedly asked, "What will happen now?"

Neha suggested, "Perhaps he's trying to impress the CM's daughter.

Karishma said, "What rubbish Abhimanyu isn't the CM's son; he's his nephew and Lalita's brother."