Two men were walking towards the place.
One said, "We've already found the hidden treasure under the temple, so why are we still here? We should leave before the villagers find out. If they do, they'll bury us alive, and we haven't even shifted the treasure yet."
The second man replied, "The boss said that Big Boss is only interested in a book that's kept in a room here. We just need to find that room."
The first man asked, "How can a book be more valuable than the treasure?"
The second man responded, "I don't know about that. We just have to find what we've been told to find."
The first man then asked, "Do you think we can really take the treasure from here?"
The second man replied, "Why are you so scared? Everything will be fine. Just keep quiet and walk."
Hearing their conversation, Abhimanyu realized what was going on. He now needed to find out who the mastermind behind this was. After a while, Black Dragon left.
Abhimanyu was confused about whether to follow Black Dragon or these two men. After some thought, he decided to follow the men.
On the other hand, Black Dragon emerged from the cave with a book, which he put in a bag before leaving, as securing the book was his first priority.
Abhimanyu followed the two men as they searched for a way to the warehouse. After some time, they moved stones and other things around but found nothing and decided to return.
They walked through a secret passage and reached a mansion.
Abhimanyu thought, "Where do these secret passages lead? This place looks like the village head's house. Could he be behind these murders?"
The two men reached the door of the village head's son, Kishor, and knocked three times in a rhythm without saying anything. The door opened, and they went inside. Abhimanyu followed them.
Kishor asked, "Did you find the way?"
The two men shook their heads.
Kishor took out a map from a cupboard and marked a cross on the path, indicating it was a dead end.
Kishor said, "According to this map, there's only one path left to search. Maybe we'll find the book there. Alright, you two go and search that path thoroughly."
One of the men asked, "Boss, what about the treasure? Should we take it from there?"
Kishor replied, "Not now. We'll take it out some other night. For now, focus on finding that path and the book. Nothing else is more important."
The two men left.
Abhimanyu was about to leave when he saw Kishor making a phone call. Kishor said, "Boss, there's only one path left. You'll have the book by tonight."
After the call, Kishor left his room.
Abhimanyu turned back into his human form, opened the cupboard, found the map, and took it out. The map looked like a labyrinth with most paths marked with crosses, but one path had a symbol indicating the treasure. Abhimanyu copied the map and put it back. He was about to close the cupboard when he noticed a locker.
Abhimanyu hacked the locker and found some money, documents, and a large phone inside.
Abhimanyu thought, "Bingo."
He placed the phone in his ring and transformed into a small snake to leave the place.
He reached the temple, turned back into a human, and headed towards his friends, who had been searching for him for a long time.
The police suspected that Abhimanyu might have run away.
However, Shruti didn't think so.
When Abhimanyu arrived, smiling, his friends said, "Where did you go? You know this place is mysterious. Everyone thought you were next."
Abhimanyu replied, "I just went exploring a bit." He glanced at Kishor, who had recently arrived after hearing someone had disappeared.
Abhimanyu said, "Shall we explore the village or go home?"
Rihana replied, "Let's go home for now. We've already explored the whole village searching for you."
Abhimanyu smiled.
Abhimanyu and his friends left, while Shruti went to the police station to continue her investigation, including background checks on Abhimanyu and others. By evening, she had gathered a lot of surprising information, especially about Abhimanyu's background, as she only knew about his Army background, not his family history.
Meanwhile, Abhimanyu hadn't turned on the phone or looked at the map yet. He was more interested in the book he had copied and was reading about the history of Shivpura.
The book had many illustrations, including one of a palace with five thrones and beasts behind each throne. Abhimanyu recognized the beasts, as there were two snakes, a lion, a phoenix, and a bull. The book detailed the history of Shivpura, connected to the temple. It mentioned a king named Shivdatt, who ruled a prosperous kingdom but became restless. The kingdom suffered from a long drought, causing a shortage of food.
One night, while praying, the king dreamt of a dense forest with a ruined temple and a statue of Lord Shiva. He saw the direction to this place from his palace. The king woke up and, without telling anyone, set off in that direction with a few essentials.
After days of travel, he reached the dense forest and saw the temple from his dream. Overgrown with plants, the king cleared the vines and found a large door, which wouldn't open. He climbed over the wall using the vines and entered the temple, discovering a room with closed doors but no vines. The king opened the door, triggering an earthquake that cleared the area of plants and revealed more of the temple.
The king saw lamps lighting up and bells ringing, and he fell to his knees in prayer. After everything calmed down, the king explored the temple and found a pond. He felt compelled to dive into it and found a glowing trident at the bottom. He retrieved the trident and placed it in the statue of Lord Shiva, causing it to glow again before returning to normal.
The king continued exploring and found several underground chambers, all empty. He spent weeks exploring the temple and found a mural depicting a palace with five thrones and beasts. An inscription on the wall, which he couldn't understand, hinted at a hidden path 2112 kilometers away. The king entrusted the task of finding it to his children, but they fought over the throne, leading to their demise and the secret being lost. The king's general then became the new ruler, and the book ended.
Abhimanyu realized the beasts connected him, Black Dragon, and the others. He wondered who else was searching for the book, having committed four murders for it. He thought about following Kishor or checking the phone for clues.
Inspector Shruti arrived.
Abhimanyu asked, "Any new leads?"
Shruti replied, "No, but I've learned about your backgrounds. But why did you stay here when you all have so much money?"
Abhimanyu said, "Forget that. Look what I found." He showed her the phone.
Shruti asked, "Whose phone is this?"
Abhimanyu replied, "The reporter's. I haven't opened it yet. Let's see what's inside."
Shruti, shocked, asked, "Where did you find this?"
Abhimanyu said, "I'll explain later. Let's see what's in it first."
They sat together and turned on the phone. The gallery contained many photos of the reporter and his family, but no children. The gallery also had various videos. Abhimanyu found a folder labeled "Shivpura" with videos exploring the temple and interviews, including one with an old woman mentioning secret passages under the temple.
Shruti asked, "Are there secret tunnels under the temple?"
Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, I was just there. The place is huge."
Shruti asked, "Then why didn't you mention it earlier?"
Abhimanyu said, "It wasn't the right time."
They watched the videos, which showed the reporter searching for the secret passages. He found one in a box but went in a different direction. He explored for a long time, finding hidden doors. In the last video, the reporter emerged from a cave and found computers and equipment monitoring the temple and surroundings via CCTV.
Abhimanyu realized he hadn't explored the areas with cameras yet.
The reporter couldn't understand who was behind this but noticed gold coins and jewels in one of the videos.
The reporter questioned if the treasure was the reason for everything. In the last video, he recorded people entering the cave, including Kishor and the two men. Abhimanyu saw the mastermind's face.
Shruti said, "Isn't that the village head, Kishor?"
Abhimanyu replied, "I found this phone in his locker."
Shruti, shocked, asked, "What were you doing there?"
Abhimanyu said, "I'll explain later. Let's watch this first."
The reporter filmed the boss angrily scolding the men for failing to find the book despite committing three murders and involving the police. Suddenly, a stone slipped under the reporter's foot, alerting the boss. The reporter ran with the camera on, and the men chased him. The boss had black eagle wings and dark smoke around him but didn't follow the reporter into the village. The reporter noticed this and ran towards the temple, followed by the three men. After hiding in the temple for a while, the reporter ran into the jungle on the other side to avoid the demon. He was struck by a trident, screamed, and dropped the phone. The video showed Kishor picking up the phone with gloves before hearing a lion's roar and running away, switching off the phone.
**Shruti** stammered after watching the video, "Who was that flying man?"
**Abhimanyu** said, "We'll think about that later. First, we need to catch this Kishor because by now he must have realized that the phone is missing, and he must be panicking. He is probably planning to flee with the treasure tonight, whether he finds the book or not."
**Shruti** asked, "But where is the treasure? Because the temple basement is like a maze."
**Abhimanyu** smiled, took out his phone, and showed her a photo of the map with marks on it. "We know where the treasure is. I also think that reporter might have hidden the CCTV videos in the temple somewhere."
**Shruti** suggested, "So, should we go look for the pen drive now?"
**Abhimanyu** replied, "I think you should go and arrest Kishor and his two associates first. We can look for the pen drive afterward."
**Shruti** was worried, "But how will we arrest that flying man?"
**Abhimanyu** said, "Forget about arresting him; he's not human."
**Shruti** speculated, "I feel like he might be the result of some scientific experiment."
**Abhimanyu** chuckled, "Wow, what a scientific theory."
**Shruti** continued, "I'm just worried about how we are going to catch a flying man."
**Abhimanyu** said, "It's simple. Don't let him leave the cave and arrest him inside. He comes there only at night, and tonight he will definitely come to get that book."
**Shruti** said, "I'll call for an arrest warrant and extra force immediately." She moved aside to make the call.
Meanwhile, Abhimanyu's friends who had gone out to explore the market returned. **Deeljeet** had some snacks for Abhimanyu.
**Deeljeet** suggested, "We've seen enough. Shall we go somewhere else? There's a waterfall about 15 km from here."
**Abhimanyu** agreed, "Let's go tomorrow morning."
**Deeljeet** was surprised, "You agreed so quickly. Is the case solved?"
**Abhimanyu** smiled, "Is it possible for me to be involved in a case and not solve it?"
**Deeljeet** commented, "But so quickly, and in such a rural area?"
**Abhimanyu** replied, "Consider this time someone handed me a solved case on a platter."
**Saagar** asked, "What do you mean?"
**Abhimanyu** explained, "I found the phone of the reporter who was found dead yesterday. It had all the evidence."
Everyone was shocked to hear this, but before they could say anything, Shruti returned and said, "I need to go."
**Abhimanyu** asked, "Where?"
**Shruti** replied, "To plan the arrest. Kishor could be anywhere, including hiding in the temple basement."
**Abhimanyu** said, "Yes, but we know exactly where and when they will meet. We just need to wait for them there."
**Shruti** confirmed, "The cave?"
**Abhimanyu** nodded, "Yes."
**Shruti** asked, "And the treasure?"
**Abhimanyu** said, "It will take the whole night to shift that treasure because they won't do it during the day. They need to inspect it first and get the book."
**Shruti** thought for a moment and agreed with Abhimanyu's plan.
Abhimanyu smiled and offered her a plate of snacks. While eating, Abhimanyu showed his friends the videos. They were all shocked, especially by the flying man.
**Rihana** wondered, "Why couldn't that man enter the village?"
**Abhimanyu** explained, "The village is protected by a divine force, so he couldn't set foot there."
**Rihana** asked nervously, "Is he a demon or a ghost?"
**Abhimanyu** said, "No, but think of him as something similar."
**Saagar** questioned, "What is so special about that book they are looking for?"
Abhimanyu didn't answer and just shrugged.
**Saily** thought to herself, "You are such a shameless person."
**Abhimanyu** thought back, "One has to show a bit of shamelessness sometimes."
Meanwhile, around 9 PM in the same cave, four people gathered. Three of them had their heads bowed before one man. The cave was now completely empty, all the computers and other items removed.
**Kishor** said, "Boss, we found the basement, but the book you mentioned wasn't there. We only found these books."
The man grabbed Kishor by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "If the book wasn't in that basement, then where is it?"
Kishor stammered, "Boss, it looked like someone had already cleaned out that place. They might have taken the book before us."
The man said, "This must be the work of that lion. I left that lion with the tantriks, and now both the tantrik and the lion are missing."
One of the men standing behind Kishor stammered, "That lion is very dangerous."
Kishor hushed him, "Quiet."
The boss scolded them, "This happened because of your laziness. If you had found that place earlier, the book would be in my hands now. This is all your fault." He was about to do something when Shruti arrived with some officers, surrounding the cave. Abhimanyu was also there, but he didn't look like a police officer and was empty-handed. His friends stayed at home.
Shruti commanded, "Stop right there. You are all under arrest for the murder of four people. Surrender peacefully."
Kishor and the other two raised their hands, but their boss said, "Arresting me is beyond your capability. You've seen my wings, but have you seen this form?" His wings emerged, black and terrifying, his eyes turned black, and he grew goat-like horns.
In a demonic voice, he said, "Have you seen this form?"
Everyone was scared, but Abhimanyu smiled and said, "A commander-level demon, you're quite arrogant."
The demon was both surprised and angry. "Who are you?"
Abhimanyu replied, "You don't need to know who I am because you'll be dead soon."
The demon tried to use his powers on Abhimanyu, but he didn't move an inch.
The demon said, "Impossible. Even that lion was drawn towards me."
Abhimanyu laughed, "Seems like your brain isn't working right."
The demon realized Abhimanyu was much stronger and changed his target to Shruti, but suddenly, everything went dark for the demon. Before him, a demon on a throne appeared—it was Abhimanyu, with red wings, a tail ending in a pointed tip, red and black hair, sharp fangs, and glowing red eyes. He looked like a combination of a human and a demon, and far more handsome, yet terrifying.
Recognizing him, the demon kneeled, "Demon Lord."
Abhimanyu asked, "If I am the Demon Lord, then who is sitting on my throne?"
The demon said, "He is a false Demon Lord who has taken your place."
Abhimanyu asked, "What were you doing here?"
The demon, named **Russel**, replied, "I am a small commander in the demon army. We were sent here to find the Sormani. First, we wanted to establish an organization on Earth, but after our two generals were killed, we realized there are still powerful beings here. So, we decided to work secretly with existing organizations, including humans, tantriks, witches, and others who get powers following the rules of the demon realm."
Abhimanyu asked, "But what were you doing in Shivpura?"
Russel explained, "We found clues in an old palace that led us to believe the Sormani was hidden somewhere. We discovered we needed a book that might have clues about it. While searching, we encountered a lion who turned out to be one of the five guardians. I injured him, but he escaped with the book."
Abhimanyu asked, "What should I do with you now?"
Russel pleaded, "I pledge my loyalty to you, please spare me. I was only following orders."
Abhimanyu agreed, "Sign a contract with me."
After a blood ritual contract, Abhimanyu instructed, "Go to jail peacefully. Tell them you had nothing to do with the murders; you were only looking for a book, and the sarpanch and his men committed the crimes."
Russel agreed. Abhimanyu altered everyone's memories, so they didn't recall the demon aspects but believed Russel was a scientist involved in an experiment. The murders were pinned on the sarpanch and his men.
The next day, when Abhimanyu woke up, everyone was ready with their camping gear.
**Abhimanyu** suggested, "Let's visit the temple once."
**Deeljeet** asked, "Are you planning to stay here?"
**Abhimanyu** replied, "No, just thought we should visit the temple before leaving."
**Rihana** agreed, "I also want to visit the temple before we leave."
**Neha** was surprised, "You too?"
**Rihana** said, "Yes, I may not be very religious, but I feel it's right to visit once."
**Deeljeet** agreed, "Alright, let's go."
Shruti also joined them, looking very different in casual clothes. She seemed like a beautiful, gentle girl, unlike her tough police officer persona. "Let's go," she said.
Neha asked, "You're coming too?"