Chapter 48: Map

Yuvraj said, "That's Lokesh, the wealthiest and most powerful man here. It's said that he has many martial artists and sends them out for security purposes."

Abhimanyu remarked, "A security company?"

Yuvraj confirmed, "Yes, but not just any security company, a powerful and expensive one. By the way, Abhimanyu Bhai, I didn't realize you knew so many powerful people. I didn't expect you to be such a hidden gem."

Abhimanyu replied, "This shouldn't be known to everyone."

Yuvraj assured him, "Nothing stays secret in this market. Don't worry."

Abhimanyu then completed the payment for all the items and took the wooden map, the talwar, and the other items with him.

Yuvraj asked, "Brother, will you come the day after tomorrow?"

Abhimanyu inquired, "What's happening the day after tomorrow?"

At that moment, Sharmili arrived and said, "The day after tomorrow, there's a huge party in Bharat Nagar. Many famous business persons and families associated with the martial world are coming."

Abhimanyu asked, "Why?"

Sharmili explained, "Our Bharat Nagar is famous for special things. A few days ago, there was a hunt for an eagle monster on an island, which was done by a powerful organization, the Rawat family. That day, the body parts of that monster were going to be auctioned. The remaining body parts of the eagle are valuable, but the most precious are its eyes. It's said that the eagle's eyes are magical. If a person eats even one eye, they gain the power to see very far, so much so that they can easily cure a blind person. It's also said that eating its heart can make a person 20 years younger and its skin extremely soft. But nobody can buy it with just money. The Rawat family has announced a competition where a person can participate by paying 10 crores, and the winner will receive the entire body of the eagle."

Upon hearing about the eagle, Abhimanyu immediately asked about the registration process because he needed the eagle's heart, and he could auction off the other parts since he didn't need them.

Sharmili said, "You want to register? I'm so forgetful. There will be many powerful fighters among the wealthy. Alright, the registration will be the day after tomorrow."

Abhimanyu agreed and left.

Jasmine took him straight to his new villa, which he had purchased the previous day.

Jasmine asked, "How do you like the house?"

Abhimanyu replied, "It's nice. From today onwards, I'll make this place my base. Ammy, you'll stay here from now on, and I'll call Aakash Bhai here too."

Karishma asked, "What about me?"

Abhimanyu looked at her and said, "You stay with Aunt Sulochana, right?"

Karishma replied, "I live on the upper floors of the company building, but I can stay here too."

Abhimanyu agreed, "Alright, you can stay here if you want, but Aunt won't say anything."

Karishma said, "I'll convince her easily."

It was very late by this time, so everyone slept in the villa. In the morning, after bathing and dressing in unwashed clothes, they all went to school, leaving Jasmine alone at home.

Around 3 o'clock, everyone gathered at Abhimanyu's house, but this time Riya, Komal, and Bhawna were also present. Abhimanyu looked towards Riya.

Riya said, "I don't have my own house where I can practice, and I can't train in front of my family."

Bhawna added, "Riya invited me here. She'll train us."

Abhimanyu then looked at Komal.

Komal said, "I don't know about training, but I can cook for all of you."

Abhimanyu agreed, "Alright, you all can stay here." The villa was indeed large with many rooms. It was the most luxurious house in the area, situated on a hill, known as Villa No. 1, which Abhimanyu had purchased. It was equipped with all amenities, except for servants.

Abhimanyu then explained the basics of the demon technique to them and cautioned, "It's very dangerous, so you can't use this technique when you're surrounded by enemies without your allies, or you might end up harming your friends."

Tina and Dhruv were also present.

Abhimanyu added, "Tina and I have experienced this, and we attacked each other."

After briefing them about the demon technique, he instructed them to continue their training. He then told Karishma, "I need to meet Dr. Rustam."

Karishma replied, "He has been away for some time, and I don't know his whereabouts. I'll inform you when he returns."

Abhimanyu nodded and headed to his room, asking not to be disturbed. Meanwhile, Karishma resumed her practice.

In his room, Abhimanyu began preparing a potion, which was actually being made by Maya. His father's face turned pale, and his eyes turned golden.

Maya, while making the potion, explained, "If we get the wings of that eagle, I can attach them to your body using a technique, granting you the power to fly."

Abhimanyu recalled, "Didn't Alex have a similar power?"

Maya clarified, "He absorbed my wings directly, so he could use my powers. I was gradually gaining control over his body, but I could only reach his hands before this wizard devoured me."

Arjun interjected, "Stop the nonsense; you were about to kill Abhimanyu."

Maya said, "No, that scoundrel was Alex. I was gradually purifying his body, but he was involved in such dark deeds that it had no effect. However, this boy's body is like that of a deity; I don't know how."

Abhimanyu asked, "Am I not a normal human then?"

Maya replied, "No, there's something in your body that can accommodate both a demon and an angel, along with a soul. Although your body isn't as powerful, it has the potential."

Abhimanyu queried, "A soul?"

Maya explained, "The soul of a girl named Saily is fused with yours."

Abhimanyu objected, "No, Saily is in this chasm."

Maya said, "I can't feel anything from that chasm."

Abhimanyu removed the spectacles and called out, "Saily."

Saily responded, "I can hear you, but if you want me to see, I'm still seeing the world through this chasm."

Maya commented, "I think this soul is connected to both your body and that chasm."

Abhimanyu added, "And I can see Saily only through this chasm, but why?"

Maya said, "Alright, let me concentrate because even a slight deviation in the mantra could cause an explosion." After chanting the mantra for half an hour, a liquid was prepared. Since Abhimanyu had arranged the bathtub for this purpose, Maya instructed him, "Now, undress and immerse yourself in it."

Abhimanyu hesitated, "Do I have to undress?"

Maya reassured, "We live in your body, so you shouldn't feel shy. Come on, undress."

Abhimanyu removed all his clothes. Arjun chuckled, "You'll have to remove your underwear too; otherwise, it might catch fire in the liquid, causing an explosion."

Annoyed, Abhimanyu removed his underwear too.

Saily whistled, "Wow, what a body!"

Maya remarked, "The size is also right."

Arjun teased, "Being an angel, you shouldn't indulge in such talks."

Maya ignored and instructed, "Now, immerse yourself in the liquid."

Abhimanyu submerged himself in it.

Maya directed, "Now, breathe only through this medicine."

Abhimanyu thought, "Are you crazy?"

Maya assured, "Trust me."

Abhimanyu tried to breathe, causing the medicine to enter his body through his nose and mouth. Although it felt like liquid, it was like breathing, and Abhimanyu remained immersed in it until 6 in the morning and then fell asleep. When he woke up, there wasn't a single drop of liquid left in the bathtub; it was just black mud. His body was covered in the same black mud.

Abhimanyu then cleaned himself with water, removing all the dirt from his body. The medicine had dissolved into his body, leaving his skin soft, smooth, and fair. He was glowing.

When Abhimanyu arrived downstairs, everyone was amazed to see him. Karishma exclaimed in surprise, "What did you do all night to look so handsome? Did you take some medicine?"

Abhimanyu replied, "Yes, I did take medicine, and soon I'll give it to all of you as well. For now, let's go to school."

When Abhimanyu was in the chemistry lab at school, he was carefully examining his map but couldn't understand anything. At that moment, the difference between past and present, between geography and now, had blurred.

Then, Kashmira Ma'am started explaining about a chemical, saying, "Children, this is called invisible ink. Now you might ask, what's invisible about it when we can see it?" Then, she took out a paper and wrote, "I love someone" on it. Suddenly, the writing disappeared after some time. She explained, "This is why it's called invisible ink. It disappears after a while."

A student said, "Ma'am, this seems like magic, but what's the use if it vanishes?"

Kashmira Ma'am then placed the paper in front of a light torch so it could be heated. Suddenly, the words started shining again, "I love someone," but after a while, it disappeared again. However, Kashmira explained while reheating it, "It's like a secret letter that's only visible with heat and disappears when it cools down."

Abhimanyu then went to a corner and used a torch to heat the map but saw nothing. Arjun mocked, "Foolish, if it were so easy, auctioneers wouldn't miss reading it. Yet, Abhimanyu could see some faint glowing words in very small letters.

Abhimanyu heated that area again, and it appeared like a river's design, visible only when observed closely.

Maya remarked, "These are mantras."

Abhimanyu decided to read it later to avoid any trouble.

A few hours later, Abhimanyu was in his club. He went to an empty room, closed the door from inside, and Maya began reciting the mantra, but nothing happened even after that.

Arjun said, "Let me try," but nothing happened to him either.

Saily said, "Let me try once."

For the first time, Saily spoke to Abhimanyu directly and recited the mantra, but nothing happened.

Abhimanyu said, "Let me try." He recited the mantra, but still, nothing happened.

Arjun suggested, "Maybe it requires blood. Often, to use certain demonic things, we need to infuse our blood or demonic power into them."

Abhimanyu infused his spiritual power into the map and then recited the mantra. Suddenly, Abhimanyu disappeared from there, and the map fell on the ground. Abhimanyu said, "What kind of world is this? There's so much spiritual energy here."

Maya said, "This environment is perfect for enhancing spiritual energy."

Abhimanyu asked, "Where are we?"

Maya said, "Carefully observe that valley and those mountains."

Abhimanyu said, "It looks like the map. Have we reached the place where the treasure was?"

Arjun said, "That wasn't a map; we're inside that map. This is another dimension that was in that map. Perhaps that's why we felt spiritual energy from it. The spiritual energy here comes directly from space, but it's very rare even in heaven."

Abhimanyu asked, "What happens here?"

Arjun replied, "He's really clueless."

Maya said, "He's not clueless; he's a human. He's not used to seeing all this. You can think of it as carrying this entire small world in your pocket and exploring it. You can train here to enhance your powers."

Abhimanyu agreed, "Then it's perfect."

Arjun added, "Not just perfect, you've stumbled upon a treasure trove."

Abhimanyu asked, "I know that, but why get so excited about it?"

Arjun said, "His ancestors have removed many emotions from him, so that's probably why he seems strange."

Maya said, "That's his nature."

Saily said, "He also enjoys fun and jokes; there are no emotions left inside him now."

Arjun said, "Yes, but there are many unnecessary emotions missing, like feeling too much joy, excitement, or longing for something. I don't think he's scared of anything."

Abhimanyu said, "Alright, enough of my talk. How do we get out of here?"

Maya said, "Usually, we can come and go as we please with our thoughts, but to enter here, we had to recite the mantra, so maybe we'll have to recite it to exit as well."

Abhimanyu first tried to leave directly, then recited the mantra, but nothing happened.

Arjun said, "We're doomed. It means I came out of that cave and got stuck in this map."

Maya said, "We have to find a way out from here." Then suddenly, a word appeared in the sky, "Prove that you are worthy."

After reading those words, Abhimanyu said, "How?"

Then, some words appeared in the air, "Conquer all 100 beasts' souls."

Arjun said, "Now, it'll be fun. I'm an expert in this."

Abhimanyu asked, "Don't you know they're not demons?"

Arjun said, "Don't worry, I'm good at controlling them, but I'll need to use your body."

Then, Abhimanyu's eyes turned black, his hair turned black, and a black aura surrounded him. Abhimanyu jumped into the air to avoid the fire and attacked the dragon with a demon palm attack, causing it to fall to the ground.

At that moment, the dragon got up again. Maya chuckled and said, "You can only do this much; now, watch me." Then, Maya created a cloud in the air. Abhimanyu's hair turned white, and his eyes turned golden. With a gesture from Abhimanyu, lightning struck the dragon from the sky. Maya continued to strike lightning at the dragon until it finally surrendered. Maya was exhausted after all her efforts, and Abhimanyu returned to normal.

The dragon gave Abhimanyu a piece of its soul, which merged with Abhimanyu. This was like a beast contract, allowing Abhimanyu to summon the dragon's soul whenever he needed.

Arjun said, "Now that the beast king is under control, the rest will follow." Abhimanyu understood and asked all the beasts to gather.

The beasts hesitated, but the dragon roared, and they all gathered. Abhimanyu asked them to give a piece of their souls to form a contract with him.

The beasts hesitated, seeming to resist.

Then, the dragon roared again, and all the souls surrendered a piece to Abhimanyu. There were now 103 souls inside Abhimanyu's body, including the dragon's. Abhimanyu felt extremely warm due to the presence of so many souls. He began meditating and trying to control them, which surprisingly went smoothly, perhaps because of the effects of the potion he had taken earlier. His body had become much stronger, allowing him to contain all these souls.

Then, a voice in the sky said, "Your body is as powerful as your ability to control them. Now that you are their master, it is your responsibility to keep them safe within you. If for any reason this space is destroyed, it is your responsibility to keep them alive within you."

All the souls entered Abhimanyu's body, and eventually, the dragon also merged into him. At this moment, Abhimanyu had 103 souls within him, including the souls of 100 beasts. Abhimanyu felt an immense heat within him but managed to control all the souls smoothly, thanks to his training and the enhanced power of his body.

Then, a voice in the sky said, "You are worthy, but you have two more tests to pass. Now that you have become their master, it is your responsibility to keep them within you. If for any reason this space is destroyed, it is your responsibility to keep them alive within you."

At that moment, all the souls of the beasts began to enter Abhimanyu's body, and finally, even the dragon entered his body. At this moment, Abhimanyu had 103 souls within him, with 100 of them being beasts. Abhimanyu was feeling extremely hot due to the presence of so many souls. He began meditating and attempting to control them, which was somewhat easier after the contract, and surprisingly, everything went smoothly. Perhaps the potion he had bathed in earlier had strengthened his body significantly, allowing him to contain all these souls at once.

Then, a voice was heard in the sky, stating, "Your body is as powerful as your ability to control them. Now that you are their master, you must be willing to sacrifice your own soul for them. Abhimanyu suddenly started flying into the air and arrived at the edge of a volcano. It was written in the sky that he had to prove that he was willing to sacrifice himself for these souls. All the souls of the 100 beasts exited Abhimanyu's body, and they waited for Abhimanyu's decision.

Arjun said, "This feels like a trap; you should step back."

Maya said, "Look in that lava; I can see many restless souls, including demons and even angels. If you jump in, you'll become one of them."

Saily also said, "I also feel like this is some kind of trap."

Abhimanyu said, "Maybe this is a trap, but now I am their master, and if I couldn't sacrifice for them, then I am not worthy of being their master."

Arjun said, "What are you thinking? I won't be trapped in that volcano."

Abhimanyu said, "Trust me." With that, he flew into the air and surrounded himself with spiritual energy.

Abhimanyu was sinking into the lava, feeling extremely hot, but suddenly, he began to feel cold. He saw everyone at the edge of the volcano who failed in this test and didn't jumped and moved backwards. But the moment they moved backwards, the beasts attacked them in anger and pushed them into the volcano.

Abhimanyu said, "When the map lifted me into the air, I realized that if it wanted, it could have trapped me just as easily. But this was indeed a test."

Suddenly, a light flashed, and Abhimanyu was back where he had first entered this space. All the beasts were there, but they were now in physical form. However, they were all souls. The other trapped souls of humans demons and deities had been freed, merging into spiritual energy within this space.

Abhimanyu asked the beasts, "Do you all truly consider me your master now?" They all bowed their heads before Abhimanyu and roared as if they were cheering for him. Abhimanyu could understand their language now, perhaps because he had connected with them.

Abhimanyu said, "The test is over. How do we leave?"

Arjun remarked, "After passing the test, I thought he was sensible, but he's back to talking nonsense."

Saily said to Arjun, "Seems like you want to be tortured again."

Arjun fell silent.

Maya added, "Now this place is under your control. You can leave whenever you want and even imprison anyone here. Such is the power of this place."

Abhimanyu then thought of leaving. He returned to the room and picked up the map, putting it back in his pocket. When Abhimanyu went to the club room to get his bag, he found everyone still there, preparing to start the livestream.

Vayu said, "Come on, Abhimanyu's here. Let's start the streaming."

Abhimanyu asked, "How long was I gone?"

Vayu replied, "I wasn't counting, but maybe just a minute. Why do you ask?"

Arjun commented, "This must be an extremely powerful space. Perhaps it was created by a very powerful deity because it can defy the laws of space. Maybe it was crafted by Lord Vishwakarma himself; no one else could accomplish this."

Maya agreed, "I also think so."

Abhimanyu didn't know anything about it, so he didn't ask any questions because these were out-of-this-world matters that had nothing to do with him.