Rohit raised his hand and said, "But you just said that the quiz would be for one hour."
With a smile, Kashmira replied, "Yes, the quiz will be for one hour, but the event will last the whole day. Also, the adventurous activities during the trip will be together. After the event, all the students from different schools will be mixed so that we can get to know each other. This means that each group will consist of students from all five schools, and there will be a head teacher to take care of them. It's a great opportunity to make friends with students from other schools."
Abhimanyu raised his hand and asked, "Which schools' students are coming?"
Kashmira replied, "Students from five different schools across India are coming. Firstly, there's Jaipur High School from Jaipur, with whom you had a study trip fight. Then there's Bangalore Army School, which is the best and most elite school in Bangalore. Next is Sarvanand High School from Chennai, followed by Shivaji Maharaja School of Talents from Mumbai. Lastly, there's Bihar Army School, which is again an elite military school where most children from Bihar study. And of course, our Agrasen School of Talents. Everyone should be excited! By the way, there will also be an online gaming competition among all the schools, so don't forget to participate. And Aliya, you should also showcase your singing talent."
Abhimanyu was quite surprised because he studied in three of those schools, and his name was not dropped from any of them. Moreover, he was still attending online classes in Bihar, and he got free marks for the physical exams because of being Black Demon.
Kashmira added, "I should also mention that there will be many VIP kids on this trip, so there will be tight security arrangements. But you also need to be careful not to get into fights with those kids like last time. One girl is particularly special; her name is Lalita Pratap Singh, and she is the daughter of Bihar's CM. But she's not just the CM's daughter; she's also the granddaughter of the former Army Chief, Mr. Narsingh Pratap Singh. If anything happens to that girl, it could cause trouble for us. So, pray that she's not in our group, and if she is, behave well with her."
Abhimanyu returned home after school, and by then, a package had arrived for him from the Bharatpur auction house containing the herbs he had purchased. Abhimanyu then prepared a pill for all his friends, namely Tina, Karishma, Riya, Aakash, Bhawna, Jasmine, Ammy, and Dhruv, and gave each of them a pill.
Karishma asked, "What is this?"
Abhimanyu replied, "This is a pill that expels impurities from our bodies and makes our bodies strong and smooth."
Karishma remarked, "But you took this pill to become strong."
Abhimanyu said, "Now it's your turn."
Everyone took the pill, and after about an hour, their bodies were covered in black dust, dirtying their clothes. They all went back to Abhimanyu.
Abhimanyu asked them to take a shower, and when they returned, their bodies were gleaming.
Karishma exclaimed, "Wow, my skin feels so smooth, and I'm feeling quite light too."
Abhimanyu said, "Your body is strong now. Try taking Kapoor Corporation's energy pills; you'll be able to cultivate a lot of energy within yourself."
Everyone took an energy pill and soon gained control over that energy too.
Abhimanyu said, "If you take Kapoor's pills along with mine, we can become even more powerful."
Jasmine said, "Coming here with you was the best decision I made."
Abhimanyu gave each of them a bottle and said, "Remember, I don't have many pills, so this method won't work for long. But I'll make more pills soon, so keep up with your training. And yes, Karishma and Ammy, I'm going on the school trip."
Tina said, "I'm going too."
Abhimanyu said, "Yes, Tina is also going. So keep practicing, and Komal, take care of them."
Abhimanyu had only given Komal the body refining pills because she didn't need to practice martial arts, but he had taught her some self-defense techniques, and she only practiced those.
The day of the trip arrived, and this time too, Abhimanyu's bus driver was Ramesh. Abhimanyu sat in the driver's cabin with Kashmira mam and Tina.
Abhimanyu asked, "What are we going to do on the first day?"
Kashmira said, "First, we'll reach Haridwar in the morning, and after bathing there, we'll divide into groups. Each group can roam around until 12 o'clock, then we'll go to Rishikesh for rafting and other activities. After that, in the evening, we'll head to Mussoorie, where we'll rest for the night. By the next day, all students will arrive there, and then there will be rehearsals and events. The next morning, we'll all go to Kedarnath in new groups, roam around, and then return to Delhi."
Abhimanyu asked, "By the way, Ramesh uncle, you won't hit anyone's car this time, will you?"
Ramesh replied, "Brother, don't remind me. After returning last time, the principal scolded me a lot, and he even tried to deduct money from my salary, but the Dean didn't let that happen. It's good that scoundrel is in jail now."
Abhimanyu had heard that he had escaped from jail, but for now, he didn't pay much attention to it because it wasn't his concern. There were four buses from Agrasen School, and everyone chatted for quite a while.
Abhimanyu's bus was placed at the back this time, and the Dean made sure that Abhimanyu didn't cause any trouble this time, and the trip ended smoothly. After about two hours of driving, they were passing through a deserted jungle area.
Abhimanyu, trembling, said, "You know, Ramesh uncle, there's a ghostly presence on this road. Sometimes at night, she stands in the middle of the road wearing white clothes with long hair covering her face. If you accidentally hit her, she'll haunt you and might even kill you. But if you stop the bus, she'll disappear and show you the way forward."
Ramesh replied, "Why are you talking nonsense? There's nothing like ghosts or spirits; it's all superstition."
Abhimanyu said, "Ghosts and demons do exist, they just rarely interact with us."
Ramesh pleaded, "Please don't scare me. I still have an hour of driving left."
Suddenly, Tina exclaimed, "Look ahead!" There was a girl standing in the middle of the road wearing white clothes with long hair covering her face. Ramesh slammed the brakes hard, causing everyone in the bus to jerk forward, and those who were sleeping fell off their seats and collided with others.
Abhimanyu immediately looked out of the window, but there was no one there.
Abhimanyu asked, "Where did that girl go?"
Ramesh stammered, "Was she a ghost?"
Abhimanyu said, "Even if she was, you might have crushed her by now."
Ramesh said nervously, "Why are you sitting upfront? You almost tore me apart."
Abhimanyu said, "We should check outside."
Ramesh, frightened, said, "Are you crazy? What if she's a ghost?"
Just then, Samarth arrived and opened the cabin door, asking, "What happened? Why did you suddenly stop the bus? Many kids got hurt."
Abhimanyu said, "Maybe Ramesh uncle hit someone."
Samarth said, "What nonsense are you talking? Who would be in the middle of the jungle on the road?"
Abhimanyu said, "Let's go and see."
Abhimanyu and Samarth got off the bus along with Saarthak. Ramesh also mustered the courage to get off from the other side. Everyone stood together and used flashlights to look around, but there was no one there.
Samarth said, "There's no one here."
Ramesh looked in one direction where the girl had been smiling from behind a tree.
Ramesh, terrified, fell down and stammered, "Ghost!"
Abhimanyu looked in that direction but found nothing.
Arjun said, "I'm feeling a very strong demonic force here, which is much more powerful than me, or maybe even stronger than me."
Maya said, "I'm also sensing that dark power."
Abhimanyu said, "Quickly, let's get back on the bus and leave from here."
Just then, a group of armed men appeared, holding AK-47s, and surrounded them. There were about 10 Naxalites. Abhimanyu could handle them all alone, but here, someone could get shot. So, he didn't take any action. Samarth was also capable of defending himself, but like Abhimanyu, he didn't take any foolish action.
The leader of the terrorists ordered everyone to raise their hands quietly and all the children to get off the bus.
The terrorists forced all the children off the bus when they noticed some kids were hesitant to do so.
Their leader then said, "Take them to Ahir Baba."
At gunpoint, they were led through the jungle to a cave where a tantric was performing some kind of ritual. One man was sitting with the tantric, his half-bald head turned away.
A scared child asked, "What's happening? What kind of sacrifice is this?"
Another child, also afraid, said, "I've heard that some tantrics gain dark powers by sacrificing people."
Another child remarked, "So you mean this is a real tantric?"
At that moment, the man sitting with the tantric stood up and said, "How are you, children? It's nice to meet you again, especially my dear student, Abhimanyu."
Abhimanyu, surprised, said, "Shubham Chaudhary?"
Rohit, equally surprised, said, "Our bald principal?"
Abhimanyu continued, "So you escaped from jail and came here. Whatever it is, you won't stop your evil deeds, will you?"
Shubham replied angrily, "How can I forget? I have to take revenge because of you. I can't live peacefully anymore because of you, but with the help of my guruji, I will become a powerful tantric by sacrificing you all and become young again."
The tantric interrupted, "Enough nonsense! It's almost 12 o'clock, and it's time to sacrifice them all."
The tantric then looked towards the terrorists and said, "You all stand guard outside. Make sure no one enters, and anyone making noise from inside, we'll handle ourselves. Until we call you from inside, you're not allowed to enter. Understand?"
All the terrorists went outside the cave, and the entrance was sealed with a stone.
The tantric said, "By sacrificing them, you'll gain control over their souls and achieve inner peace. This will make you young again, and you'll attain limitless power. But even after that, you'll need to learn a lot."
Abhimanyu exclaimed, "You've made a fool of someone to be your student. I'm telling you, he's not worthy of all this."
Shubham angrily retorted, "Stop your nonsense, or I won't think twice before killing you."
Kashmira held Abhimanyu's hand and signaled him to stay quiet. She said to Shubham, "Shubham sir, you know we're from your father's school. If anything happens to us, your father's school will be shut down."
Shubham replied, "Yes, so why should I worry about that old man? When he didn't care about me, why should I care about him? He could have easily testified in my favor, but he testified against me and left me to rot in jail. I met a tantric baba in jail who freed me and made me his disciple."
The tantric then recited a mantra, and suddenly, more than a hundred dark shadows emerged from his body and surrounded all the children.
He warned, "If anyone moves from their place, these demons will devour them."
Abhimanyu asked, "What happened to the girl who was ahead of our bus?"
The tantric replied, "Why do you ask? Were you planning to marry her?"
Abhimanyu replied, "Well, she was quite beautiful. It would have been nice if she stayed for observation."
The tantric chuckled and said, "You're quite different. That's why the soul of a girl emerged from the tantric's body, smiling at Abhimanyu."
Laughing, the tantric said, "This is my daughter. She was the first sacrifice for becoming a tantric. Do you know, sacrificing her alone is as powerful as sacrificing a hundred people? If we sacrifice our own child, their soul becomes as powerful as the king of demons."
Abhimanyu said, "Your hands aren't trembling before sacrificing such a beautiful girl."
The tantric replied, "They are trembling a lot, but this is called sacrifice."
Abhimanyu retorted, "Sacrifice is just a word for you. In reality, you're a greedy demon."
The tantric said, "Enough talk. Now stand quietly."
The tantric then resumed chanting mantras and offering sacrifices, and Shubham sat back down, with the ghost of the girl keeping an eye on Abhimanyu.
Abhimanyu smiled and asked her, "I am Abhimanyu, what's your name?"
The other kids looked at him in surprise, and one muttered to himself, "Bro, she's a ghost, at least leave her alone."
Another hesitantly said, "Aren't you afraid? Are we surrounded by demonic spirits here, and you're flirting with their queen?"
Karishma, getting annoyed, said, "You're not supposed to talk to human girls, you're flirting with ghosts here."
Abhimanyu, still smiling, replied to the demonic spirit, "Don't take offense to their words, even though you're a demonic spirit now, your beauty hasn't diminished. I can imagine when you're alive, you'd have captivated many hearts."
The ghost girl looked at him in surprise.
After completing a mantra and offering, the tantrik said, "Stupid boys, demonic spirits don't talk."
Abhimanyu remarked, "Looks like you're not as great a tantrik as I thought. Who said demonic spirits don't talk?" Then he turned to the girl and asked, "Why won't you tell me your name? I'm actually a pretty nice guy."
The ghost opened her mouth and said in her eerie voice, "You'll be scared when you hear my voice." Her voice was terrifying, sending shivers down everyone's spines, even the tantrik seemed a bit intimidated. He understood that while she obeyed his every command, she had her own thoughts. She was slightly intrigued by Abhimanyu, which was evident in her demeanor, a departure from her usual obedience.
Abhimanyu smiled and said, "Your voice is so lovely, like a cuckoo singing."
Everyone present wondered how her voice could sound sweet from any angle.
Aliya thought to herself, "Is this guy crazy or what?"
The girl in the demonic voice replied, "Don't lie. I know how terrifying my voice is."
All the children were still very scared, so much so that even the tantrik was a little frightened. He understood that although they were obediently following his commands, his own thoughts were slightly influenced, especially compared to Abhimanyu, who was casually conversing with the demon. However, he maintained his ritual.
Abhimanyu smiled and said, "If your voice were really scary, would I not be scared? You can't instill fear in me, so tell me, do I look scared to you?"
The girl replied in a sinister voice, "You're not scared indeed, but these children are."
Abhimanyu said, "Forget about them and concentrate on me."
The girl asked, "Are you trying to flirt with a demon?"
Abhimanyu replied, "We're all going to become demonic spirits anyway. I was just thinking that before becoming a demonic spirit, I should have a beautiful and powerful girlfriend. Otherwise, maybe you won't pay attention to me later. So, will you tell me your name now?"
The girl replied, "Before becoming a demon, my name was Ramika. After becoming a demon, I don't have any name."
Abhimanyu said, "Okay, I'll call you Ramika then."
"Ramika, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.
Ramika replied, "You speak very nicely, and you're handsome too. Maybe you'll become a powerful demon, but after becoming a demon, you'll be under the control of this tantric."
"He's your father, right?" Abhimanyu asked.
Ramika replied angrily, "Don't call him my father. He's not worthy of being called a father. He sold me to the demon for a few powers."
Abhimanyu asked, "Can't you fight against him?"
Ramika replied, "No, I have to obey his every command."
Karishma held Abhimanyu's hand and asked, "Can you tell us a way to escape from all this?"
Ramika asked Abhimanyu, "Is this your girlfriend?"
Abhimanyu replied, "Why, are you jealous?"
Ramika said, "Am I getting jealous? I'm just worried about your girlfriend, who has a boyfriend who openly flirts with other girls."
Abhimanyu smiled and asked, "So, can we flirt in private?"
Ramika ignored Abhimanyu and said, "There's no way to escape from here. This tantric is very powerful. He'll command me to attack all of you, and even though I don't want to, I'll have to attack you."
Her voice still sounded eerie, but the children were less scared now, seeing that she had become quite friendly.
Abhimanyu said, "Well, there is a way, if you change your master."
Ramika replied, "That'll only work if my new master is more powerful than my previous one."
Abhimanyu said, "It doesn't matter to him. Once you choose a new master, your contract with the old one will break. Then, he'll have to kill that person and gain control over his soul to get you back."
Ramika asked, "But how do you know all this?"
"Just understand that I've met a powerful tantric who was a hundred times more powerful than this one," Abhimanyu replied.
Ramika said, "Yes, but he must also be powerful, and besides, there's no other tantric here."
Abhimanyu said, "Yes, but you don't have to make a tantric your master necessarily."
Ramika asked, "Do you want to be my master?"
"I promise I won't make you do anything and won't touch you without permission," Abhimanyu said.
Ramika smiled upon hearing this.
Suddenly, the tantric finished chanting the mantra and angrily said, "Don't even think about it! Otherwise, I'll torture both of you after turning you into demonic spirits. Now, it's time for all of your sacrifices."
He chanted another mantra, and with the effect of the ritual, all the children fell unconscious except for Abhimanyu.
Seeing this, the tantric asked, "Why didn't this mantra affect you?"
Abhimanyu smiled and said, "You really think highly of yourself, don't you?"
The tantric commanded all the spirits to catch him, but they all trembled in their places.
"What's happening?" the tantric asked in confusion.
Just then, a black aura began to emerge from Abhimanyu's body, and his eyes turned black.
The tantric asked in a stutter, "Who are you? Just tell me that much."
Abhimanyu said, "I am the king of demons, the god of death."
With that, he separated the tantric's head from his body and captured his soul in his fist.
Abhimanyu then turned to Ramika, who had bowed down before him, unable to speak. The other demons also revealed themselves in front of Abhimanyu.
Abhimanyu asked the tantric, "Were you flying in the air, tantric? What happened?"
The tantric said, "Even though these people are scared of you, I'm not. I have many mantras and powers."
Abhimanyu said, "Okay, let's see your powers."
The tantric started chanting again, and a demon beast made of black smoke appeared.
Abhimanyu smiled as he watched. Just then, a dragon spirit emerged from him and burned the beast with fire before returning to Abhimanyu's body.
The tantric asked, "Who are you? Just tell me that much."
Abhimanyu said, "I am the king of demons, the god of death. That's enough."
He then separated the tantric's head from his body and absorbed his soul into himself. The tantric's powers began to diminish, and his soul started merging into Abhimanyu's body, blood dripping from the demon's mouth.
Abhimanyu asked, "Who are you? Just tell me that much."
The tantric stuttered, "Just tell me who you are."
Abhimanyu said, "You don't even have the power to recognize me. In that case..." He separated the tantric's head from his body and absorbed his soul into himself.
Turning to Shubham Chaudhary, who was trembling, Abhimanyu asked, "What should I do with you, a very lowly person?"
Abhimanyu then looked at Ramika and said, "Eat him."