{ CHAPTER - 13 } THE FIGHT TO PROTECT

He declared his arrival as he walked in and opened the front door. He was expecting a reprimand or a beating, but contrary to his expectations, nobody was at home.

He activated the switch in the hallway, moved in the direction of the living room, and reached for the doorknob, but paused in mid-motion.

He saw scratches on the wall when his eyeball rolled to the corner of his eye. He suddenly remembered the demon's claws from when he had just slain it and the wound on his back.

Karma hurriedly opened the door and immediately lost the will to inquire.

"What..happened here?"

He was overcome by the conflicted feelings of dread, rage, and stress when he saw how chaotic the living room was. There were visible indications of fighting everywhere on the floor, including in the smashed windows and ripped couches.

Karma lost all sense of reason as a result of the unexpected blood that started streaming and spreading under his feet. When Agastha spoke, he was about to lose it all.

(Calm down, Karma; this is not human blood. This is a demon's blood.)

At that point, he gained back his sense and inquired. "Demon's blood?"

After hearing Agastha's comments, Karma experienced something and hurried to another room.

When he unlocked the door to his parent's room, he discovered the same chaotic scene.

His parent's room closet was shattered, and there was clothing all over the place. Karma set out to find something.

(What are you trying to find?)

"I'm looking for our passports"

Agastha questioned after witnessing Karma's frantic hunt for it. (Why are you looking for them?)

When Agastha heard what Karma stated, he got even more perplexed. "This may be a trap, Agastha"

Agastha was just getting more perplexed when Karma abruptly stopped him from asking any further questions.

Karma stopped looking and sat still, muttering to himself "Our three passports are all missing, they're not here, and we have no idea who took them. Wait"

Karma questioned Agatha as he returned to the living room. "Agastha, how fresh is the blood?"

(Perhaps an hour)," Agastha remarked.

"Is it possible for low-level demons to have intellect on par with a human, Agatha?"

Agastha just responded since he wasn't sure where he was headed with it. (A low-level demon can't possibly be so intelligent.)

Karma simply spoke one syllable. "Someone is responsible for this incident."

(Since a low-level demon can't move on his own, it makes sense that he must have had orders from someone. But one thing that baffles me is why they didn't capture you with your parents.)

"We are certain that the individual or group responsible for this incident has ties to demons; otherwise, they would have personally come after me if they had known that I am your conjurer. They simply decided to get rid of me and sent a low-level demon after me because they believed I would be of no use to them. Therefore, they were after my parents from the start."

(What made them target your parents?)

"Not my father, but the NIIA chief was the target of their attack. They intend to kidnap the chief and negotiate with the government."

Agastha enquired, "(Negotiate for what)?"

Karma covered his mouth with his hand, gave it some thought, and then spoke. "Agastha, what if we are not the only ones who are aware of the item's location on Mount Himalaya? What if someone else is also attempting to obtain it?"

(If that's the case, it makes perfect sense why they would target your father; if they have him, they can easily gain access to any area of the north or the entire country of India.)

"They can, but there is still a risk involved," Karma said.

Agastha questioned, (Risk? What kind of risk?)

"They run the risk of being exposed to the public if they try to negotiate with the Indian government, which they don't want to do because it would spread fear among the populace and could jeopardize their plans if people found out about the existence of demons."

Agastha enquired (And. What do you anticipate they'll do?)

Karma spoke as if he were breaking news as he turned to the TV, which was unharmed in any way.

"Aryan Dabral, the head of the NIIA, was apprehended while attempting to flee with his family after attempting to sell the terrorist his country's secrets. The government will try to find my father after they send him somewhere far from Mount Himalaya, and those people will arrive at their destination."

(I get it. But how would we know where they took your parents, and what should we do now?)

Karma thought about it once more and immediately thought of a location. "The hangar eastward. There is a vacant hangar 20 miles to the east of here. Because of the checkpoints, they can't transport them by road, so that location is ideal for the time being."

====================

He finally arrived at the hangar he was referring to after running for more than an hour. When he arrived, he discovered that the gate was closed. Agastha spoke as he was still searching for a tool to open the lock.

(Use your hands)

Karma said with widening eyes and two quick blinks. "WHAT are you talking about? How can I use my hands to break this?"

(You are a conjurer now. One advantage of being a conjurer is that even a little training can greatly increase your strength. Currently, you are strong enough to use your hand to open locks like this)

Karma did not take him seriously, but he had no other choice so he tried it. He firmly grasped the latch and pulled it with all of his might. Even Karma was taken aback when the lock broke.

"It...worked!!"

Karma arrived and discovered several tracks on the soggy ground. But rather than going inside right away, he headed to the hill next to the hanger. He went and concealed himself in between some bushes.

(Where are you going?)

"We will first count the number of individuals here since entering enemy territory without any scouting is foolish, and this location is ideal for doing so."

Karma kept a cautious eye out but couldn't spot any motion. After three minutes, a little drizzle began to fall. Karma noticed a person being brought to the helicopter by various individuals while it was lightly raining.

Although the person being led is neither a demon nor a conjurer, Agastha declared, "I detect a demonic presence from him," pointing to the individual.

The other folks dispersed as the guy boarded the chopper and departed. Karma observed that the location had two structures, the hangar, one control tower, and a little runway for helicopters or private planes in between.

"Now that the reconnaissance is through, let's prove to these jerks that this time they messed with a true monster."

CHAPTER - 13 - TO BE CONTINUE