The cave of Satan had been completely destroyed.
All that remained—
Was rubble.
Broken rocks.
And dust scattered across the ground.
The morning sun had risen, casting light over the ruins, as if trying to erase the horrors of the previous night.
—
Standing amidst the destruction—
Vikram observed everything carefully.
His eyes were calm…
But deep inside—
Something was shaken.
Slowly, he bent down and placed his hand on the ground.
The moment his palm touched the earth—
His vision changed.
Fragments of the past…
The events of last night…
Flashed before his eyes.
Vanshika.
Satan.
The battle.
The end.
—
Vikram abruptly pulled his hand back.
His expression darkened.
"How is this possible…?"
"Vanshika… killed Satan?"
For him—
This wasn't just shocking.
It was… devastating.
Because his entire destiny—
His entire journey—
Was supposed to end with Satan.
But now—
That ending…
Had been stolen.
Changed.
Rewritten.
—
He stood there silently for a moment.
Staring at the ruins.
Then—
Without another word—
He turned around and walked away.
—
Back at the house…
Vikram was packing his belongings.
Seeing this, Nikhil, Aliya, and Chandni approached him.
"What happened?" Nikhil asked.
"Are we going back?"
Vikram nodded.
"Our work here is done."
"Both Vanshika and Satan… are gone."
Chandni frowned, confused.
"But how?"
Vikram didn't answer directly.
"The danger here is over."
"But I still have other tasks to complete."
"I'm returning to Devghar."
Then—
He looked at Chandni.
His gaze sharp.
"You have potential."
"Would you like to become my disciple?"
Chandni was stunned for a second.
Then she bowed slightly.
"It would be my honor… Dadaguru."
Vikram corrected her calmly.
"From now on… you will address me as Gurudev."
Chandni nodded respectfully.
"Yes… Gurudev."
—
Vikram then turned toward Nikhil and Aliya.
"You two should return to the city."
"If fate allows… our destinies will cross again."
With that—
He picked up his luggage and walked out.
Chandni followed him.
—
Nikhil scratched his head.
"So… what do we do now? Go back?"
Aliya crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
"No."
"I'm going after Vikram."
"That idiot… what does he think of himself?"
Nikhil blinked.
Then sighed.
"Guess I'm coming too."
—
At the bus stop—
Vikram and Chandni were sitting quietly.
Soon, a car pulled up.
Inside—
Nikhil and Aliya.
Aliya glanced at Vikram for a second—
Then turned her face away with a huff.
Ignoring him completely.
—
Nikhil leaned out and said with a grin,
"We're coming with you."
"Whether you're Vikram or Vasukinath… whatever it is—"
"We'll help you."
—
A faint smile appeared on Vikram's face.
Without saying much—
He placed his luggage in the car…
And got in.
—
Meanwhile…
For Aarav—
The days passed peacefully.
Most of his time was spent inside his room.
Playing games.
Scrolling through his phone.
And occasionally—
Talking to Vanshika telepathically.
—
These days—
Vanshika was in England.
Traveling with Anya.
Seeing that—
Aarav still couldn't believe…
That she was the same witch who once lived in a well and sacrificed people.
—
As for the new protagonist—
Challenges had already begun to appear in his life.
But Aarav chose to stay away.
In his mind—
This world was a mixture of multiple novels and fantasies.
He didn't need to interfere in every story.
Unless—
The threat reached his level.
Until then—
He had no intention of leaving his room.
—
Venkatesh, after returning to the city, focused on his work again.
Compared to dark entities and witches—
Terrorists and gangsters now felt… easier to deal with.
—
Meanwhile…
Arjun was troubled.
Something was changing inside him.
Something new.
Something unknown.
—
He lived in a simple one-story house in a colony.
An ordinary boy.
With a small family—
A younger sister.
And parents who had adopted him.
He wasn't their biological son—
But their bond was real.
Strong.
—
That afternoon—
Arjun sat at home, bored.
Suddenly—
A voice came from outside.
"Arjun! Come out!"
He immediately got up and rushed outside.
His friends were there—
Waiting on a scooty.
Without hesitation, he sat behind them.
Just as they were about to leave—
His mother called out from inside,
"Come back soon!"
Arjun replied loudly,
"Okay!"
And the scooty sped off.
—
After a while, Arjun asked,
"Where are we going?"
The friend driving the scooty chuckled.
"You won't believe it…"
"DC Club."
Arjun frowned.
"But that place is expensive…"
His friend laughed.
"Relax."
"There's a party today."
"And we're invited."
—
A faint unease rose in Arjun's heart.
After a while, the scooty stopped in front of a club—it was DC Club. Usually, teenagers were the ones who came here. The place was filled with different kinds of games like billiards, carrom, punching machines, and many video game setups.
Today, a rich kid had organized a party here for his girlfriend's birthday.
In Arjun's entire school, he only had two friends—Kunal and Chirag.
Kunal came from a relatively wealthy family, which is why he had many other friends too. Chirag, on the other hand, was quite like Arjun—he didn't have many friends. One reason was his weight, his introverted personality, and his simple middle-class background. Somehow, the three of them had become inseparable friends during their school days.
As Kunal, Arjun, and Chirag entered the club, they were amazed by its flashy atmosphere.
After entering, Kunal first walked up to the birthday boy and handed him a gift, saying,
"Hello bro, this is for bhabhi."
The boy placed a hand on Kunal's shoulder and laughed lightly,
"Give it to her, not me. Why are you giving it to me?"
Kunal smiled and handed the gift to the birthday girl,
"Happy birthday, bhabhi."
The girl smiled softly, said thank you, and passed the gift to a waitress standing nearby, who was collecting all the gifts at one place.
As Arjun stepped in and saw Rocky standing behind the birthday girl, he was startled and immediately turned his face away, trying to hide.
Seeing this, Chirag asked in confusion,
"What happened?"
Arjun said irritably,
"Idiot, look behind the birthday girl… there's a bulldozer standing there."
Chirag turned to look and saw a heavily built guy with broad shoulders standing behind them—Rocky.
He was the leader of the rich kids' group and had strong local influence. He had also bullied Arjun, Chirag, and Kunal many times before.
Chirag held his forehead and said,
"We're dead…"
But suddenly, an idea struck him. He took out two face masks from his pocket, handed one to Arjun, wore the other himself, and said,
"Now we're safe."
Arjun looked at him suspiciously,
"Why do you even have these masks?"
Chirag joined his hands in a dramatic gesture and said,
"Ancient secret."
After a while, both of them were standing in a corner, eating snacks, when suddenly a heavy hand landed on their shoulders.
A voice said,
"How are you, my little insects?"
Chirag hesitated and stammered,
"He-Hello… Ro-Rocky…"
Rocky smiled lightly and said,
"Why are you so scared? I'm the one who invited you to the party."
Hearing this, Arjun and Chirag exchanged glances.
Arjun then looked toward Kunal, who was being held back by two of Rocky's friends.
Kunal lowered his gaze.
Seeing this, Arjun removed Rocky's hand from his shoulder and said to Chirag,
"Let's leave."
But Rocky immediately stepped in front of them and said,
"Oh no… now that you're here, you'll leave only after enjoying the party."
Arjun and Chirag looked at each other.
Rocky spoke casually,
"What can I say… we're all about to graduate from school. Who knows if we'll ever meet again or not. So forget whatever happened in the past and just enjoy the party."
Saying that, he walked away.
Chirag, still nervous, whispered,
"What do you think… is he actually being genuine?"
Arjun glanced at Rocky, who was now standing on a table with a beer glass in hand, acting flashy while others cheered for him.
Arjun replied clearly,
"Difficult… but not impossible."
---
After a while, Chirag went off to talk to another guy, leaving Arjun alone.
Just then, the birthday girl walked up to him.
"Hello, Arjun."
Arjun looked at her and immediately got nervous.
"H-Hello… and congratulations—I mean, happy birthday," he fumbled.
Then, looking around awkwardly, he added, "Nice party…"
The girl smiled lightly, noticing his nervousness.
"Thanks."
She then extended her hand in a friendly manner and said,
"I'm Natasha."
Arjun looked at her hand, hesitated for a moment, then gathered courage and said,
"Arjun."
But the moment he shook her hand…
He noticed something off.
There was a sinister smile on Natasha's face.
Before he could understand anything—
Natasha suddenly grabbed his hand and pressed it against her chest.
Arjun froze, completely panicked—
And the very next second—
Natasha screamed loudly,
"Ahh! What are you doing, you pervert?!"
Her voice echoed across the club, and instantly everyone turned to look at them.
She forcefully pushed his hand away—
SLAP!
Her hand struck Arjun's face hard.
Now, all eyes were on them.
---
In the distance, Rocky watched the scene with a crooked smile.
In a low voice, he muttered,
"Now the real fun begins…"
---
Suddenly—
CRASH!
A beer bottle smashed against Arjun's head.
The impact sent him falling to the ground.
Blood began to trickle down his face.
Arjun touched it, looked at his hand—
Blood.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze—
And saw Natasha's boyfriend standing there.
The one who had just hit him.
Arjun was about to say something—
But before he could speak, Natasha's boyfriend grabbed his collar, pulled him up, and punched him straight in the face.
"How dare you touch my girl? I'll break your hands!" he shouted angrily.
---
Just then, Natasha stepped forward and said dramatically,
"No, baby… the police will punish him. When a case is filed and he goes to jail, then he'll understand what happens when you harass a girl."
---
Hearing this, a few other students also started shouting—
"Yeah! People like him should rot in jail!"
"Who even invites such disgusting people to a party?"
Another guy added mockingly,
"Rocky bhai invited him out of pity because he's poor, and look at him—showing his cheap mentality. People like him should be beaten up badly!"
---
Rocky raised his hand, calming everyone down.
"Relax, everyone…"
Then he walked toward Natasha's boyfriend and said,
"No need to call the police. It'll ruin the party atmosphere."
---
Natasha's boyfriend clenched his fists.
"But he touched my girl—"
Rocky interrupted smoothly,
"Then let's ask Natasha what she wants. What punishment should he get?"
---
Natasha folded her arms and said coldly,
"I want him to apologize to me in front of everyone… and never show his face to me again."
---
Rocky nodded, then looked at Arjun.
"Alright. Arjun… apologize."
---
Hearing this, Arjun's anger boiled over.
"Why should I apologize? What did I even do?"
---
The crowd immediately reacted—
"Look at him! He makes a mistake and still refuses to apologize!"
"What a shameless guy… disgusting!"
---
Natasha's boyfriend raised his hand again to hit Arjun, but Rocky stopped him.
"Calm down…"
But the guy snapped,
"I've been calm till now! If I don't crush this bastard today, my name isn't Rahul Chauhan!"
---
With that, Rahul kicked Arjun.
But this time—
Arjun was alert.
He moved aside and dodged it.
---
Rahul was slightly shocked.
He threw a punch—
Arjun dodged.
Another punch—
Dodged again.
A third—
Arjun caught his hand mid-air.
---
"Listen to me," Arjun said firmly,
"I didn't do anything she's accusing me of. Check the cameras if you want."
---
Rahul paused.
He turned toward the CCTV camera in the corner.
---
Seeing this, Natasha panicked slightly and glanced at Rocky.
Rocky gave a subtle nod.
She immediately relaxed—but then flared up again.
"What do you mean check the cameras? Are you saying I'm lying?!"
---
Arjun replied calmly,
"You're the one saying that, not me."
---
Rahul got furious again.
"Shut up! I don't need cameras. I trust my girlfriend!"
He threw another punch—
But this time, Arjun deflected it and countered with a punch.
BOOM!
Rahul flew backward and crashed onto a carrom table, breaking it apart.
---
Seeing this, Rocky's goons and Rahul's friends rushed toward Arjun.
One guy attacked with a beer bottle—
Arjun dodged and kicked his knee, dropping him.
He jumped forward, stepped on a billiards table, and punched another guy mid-air.
Another one attacked with a billiards stick—
Arjun grabbed it—
But just then—
BAM!
Rocky appeared and punched Arjun hard in the face.
Arjun was thrown across the room, crashing onto another table—which shattered.
---
Rocky smirked,
"Well… looks like the little rat has grown some courage today."
---
But Arjun stood up instantly, eyes burning with anger.
At that moment, Rahul also rushed in and punched him again.
Arjun staggered slightly.
Rahul wiped his mouth and growled,
"You're dead today."
---
Arjun exhaled slowly,
"Looks like you're not going to listen…"
He raised his fists, ready to fight.
---
Now both Rocky and Rahul attacked together.
Punch after punch—
Arjun kept dodging as much as he could.
---
Suddenly—
Kunal jumped in!
He punched Rahul hard.
Then Chirag came from behind and smashed a chair onto Rocky's back, sending him stumbling forward.
---
Kunal said breathlessly,
"Sorry, bro… I should've realized this was a trap. I didn't know…"
---
Arjun gave a slight smile,
"It's okay… at least we had the courage to stand against these bullies."
---
Rocky laughed mockingly,
"Wow… all the chicks are flapping their wings today."
---
Chirag, gathering courage, said with slight stammer,
"We're not scared of you anymore."
---
Arjun looked at Rahul and said again,
"I'm still saying—check the cameras. Let the truth come out."
---
Rahul hesitated, then said,
"Fine… let's check. But if you're guilty, I'll break your limbs myself."
He turned to Rocky,
"I want to see the CCTV footage."
---
Rocky replied casually,
"The CCTV system has been faulty since last evening. It's not working right now."
---
Hearing this, Rahul looked at him suspiciously.
But before he could say anything, Natasha shouted—
"I already told you he was harassing me! Don't you trust me?"
---
Arjun sighed and got ready to fight again.
Seeing this, Chirag and Kunal looked around nervously—but then clenched their fists.
---
Chirag said nervously,
"Do we really have to fight…?"
---
Arjun replied,
"Do we have any other choice?"
---
Rahul smirked,
"Yeah… the main gate is right behind you."
---
Arjun shook his head,
"Not a bad idea… but I want to end this here."
---
Kunal and Chirag looked at his determination, sighed—then smiled faintly and got ready.
Chirag muttered,
"If I die… tell my family I fought like a man."
---
Kunal replied,
"If we survive… I definitely will."
---
Meanwhile—
Right below the DC Club, there was an underground dance class where Kirti was practicing with a group of girls.
Music was playing loudly in the background.
Suddenly—
THUD!
A loud crashing sound echoed from above.
Kirti stopped mid-step, frustrated.
"What the hell is going on upstairs…?"