### **Chapter 13: The Reckoning Begins**
The weight of what they had just seen in the grove clung to Raghav, Aarav, and Priya as they made their way back to the school. The midday sun hung high in the sky, but its warmth did little to dispel the cold that had settled deep in their bones.
None of them spoke for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. Raghav's mind kept replaying the image of Nikhil standing alone in the grove, surrounded by shadows. The fear and despair in his eyes were burned into Raghav's memory, a haunting reminder of what had happened to him. It was impossible to shake the feeling that the weight of Nikhil's fate now rested on their shoulders.
As they approached the school gates, Priya finally broke the silence. "How do we even start?" she asked, her voice small. "Do we just… go up to the people who bullied Nikhil and demand that they admit what they did?"
"It's not that simple," Aarav said, shaking his head. "Some of them might not even think they did anything wrong. And even if they do, they'll probably deny it."
Raghav frowned, his mind racing. Aarav was right—confronting the bullies wouldn't be easy. People rarely liked to admit their mistakes, especially when those mistakes had led to something as serious as Nikhil's death.
"We need to be smart about this," Raghav said. "If we just go charging in, they'll probably shut us down or make excuses. We need to figure out who's most likely to talk, who might feel guilty about what happened."
Priya nodded, though she still looked uncertain. "And what if none of them feel guilty? What if they just… don't care?"
Raghav didn't have an answer to that. The thought of confronting someone who felt no remorse for what they'd done made his stomach churn. But they had no choice. If they wanted to free Nikhil and the others, they had to bring the truth to light.
"We'll figure it out," he said, more to reassure himself than anything. "We'll start by finding out who the main bullies were. Maybe some of them have changed since then. If we can get one person to admit to what happened, the rest might follow."
As they walked through the school courtyard, Raghav's eyes scanned the crowd of students. Somewhere in this sea of faces were the people who had tormented Nikhil, people who had driven him to the grove and into the arms of the shadows. It was a sobering thought.
They made their way to a quiet corner of the courtyard, sitting down on a bench to plan their next move. Aarav pulled out his phone, scrolling through social media profiles to find any clues about Nikhil's old classmates.
"Most of the older students who were around when Nikhil was here have already graduated," Aarav said, his eyes glued to the screen. "But a few of them are still in town. There's one guy who was part of the same group Nikhil hung out with… his name is Manish."
Raghav's heart skipped a beat. Manish—he remembered hearing the name in the vision, seeing him standing on the sidelines as Nikhil was bullied. If anyone knew the truth about what had happened, it would be him.
"Where is he now?" Priya asked, leaning over to look at the screen.
Aarav tapped a few more times on his phone. "He's working at a small café near the school. We could go talk to him after class."
Raghav nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "Let's do it."
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The café was a quiet, unassuming place tucked away on a side street. Raghav, Aarav, and Priya sat at a small table near the back, their eyes scanning the room for any sign of Manish. The tension between them was palpable, each of them trying to figure out what they were going to say when they finally faced him.
After a few minutes, Aarav nudged Raghav and nodded toward the counter. "There he is."
Raghav followed his gaze and spotted Manish, standing behind the counter, taking orders. He was older now, but Raghav could still see traces of the boy from the vision—the one who had watched as Nikhil was pushed to the edge.
Raghav's heart pounded in his chest as they stood up and approached the counter. Manish looked up, a polite smile on his face that faltered slightly when he saw the serious expressions on theirs.
"Can I help you?" Manish asked, his tone neutral.
Raghav swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. "We need to talk to you… about Nikhil."
For a moment, Manish's face went completely still. His eyes flickered with recognition, but then his expression hardened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do," Priya said quietly but firmly. "You were there when it happened. We know what you and your friends did to him."
Manish's jaw clenched, and he looked around nervously, as if worried someone might overhear. "I don't have time for this," he said, his voice tight. "I'm working."
"You have to make time," Raghav said, stepping closer. "Nikhil deserves the truth. You know what happened to him wasn't right. He's… still trapped because of what you did."
Manish's eyes flickered again, this time with something closer to guilt. But he shook his head, turning away from them. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nikhil was… he was weak. He couldn't handle the pressure. That's not my fault."
Raghav felt a surge of anger. "He wasn't weak. He was bullied. You and your friends pushed him too far, and now he's stuck—trapped in the shadows because of what you did."
Manish flinched at the word "trapped," and for a moment, Raghav saw a crack in his defenses. But then he straightened, his expression closing off again. "Look, I don't know what you think you know, but I'm done talking about this."
He turned to walk away, but Raghav grabbed his arm, stopping him. "You can't run from this. Nikhil needs closure, and the only way he can get it is if you admit the truth. You have to face what you did."
Manish yanked his arm away, glaring at Raghav. "I didn't do anything. It wasn't my fault, okay? It just… happened."
"You watched it happen," Priya said softly, her voice filled with emotion. "You could have stopped it, but you didn't. And now Nikhil's spirit can't rest because of that."
For a long moment, Manish said nothing. His face was pale, and his hands were trembling slightly. Raghav could see the conflict in his eyes, the way guilt was eating away at him, but he was still holding on to his denial.
"You need to come to the grove," Raghav said, his voice steady. "You need to see what your actions caused. Maybe then you'll understand."
Manish stared at him, his face a mix of fear and anger. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
Raghav opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything else, a voice called from the back of the café.
"Manish, I need you back here!"
Manish took the opportunity to retreat, disappearing into the kitchen without another word. Raghav, Aarav, and Priya were left standing by the counter, frustration bubbling inside them.
"That didn't go well," Aarav muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"He's scared," Priya said. "He knows what he did, but he's not ready to face it."
Raghav clenched his fists, feeling a deep sense of frustration. "We'll come back. He can't avoid the truth forever."
They left the café, their minds spinning with the challenge ahead. They had gotten a glimpse of Manish's guilt, but breaking through his defenses was going to be harder than they had thought.
As they walked back toward the school, Raghav felt a heaviness settle over him. This was just the beginning. They still had a long way to go before Nikhil's spirit could be freed, and the path ahead was only going to get more difficult.
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