The Next Day
As part of his daily routine, Aryan wakes up before dawn, performs his morning rituals, and starts his initial training after receiving blessings from the Sun. Later, he heads to college, attends his classes, and after finishing his academic commitments, he leaves the campus and makes his way to Kiara's house.
At College
Smita: Mandeep, do you know where Aryan is?
Mandeep: Oh, he left for his home.
Abhi: Oh no! We missed him.
Mandeep: What happened?
Biraj: He wasn't with us yesterday, and now he's missing again. But he was on the conference call yesterday.
Mandeep: Could someone explain what's going on?
Abhi: Actually, Smita, our martial artist friend seems to be developing feelings for you.
Mandeep: Oh, so that martial artist friend is Aryan, right?
Mandeep: Really?
Abhi: Yes.
Mandeep: So, Smita, when are you planning to throw a party?
Smita: When Aryan feels the same way about me.
Mandeep: Looks like I'll never get a party then.
Biraj: 🤣🤣 You're really disappointing Smita.
Mandeep: I don't want to disappoint her, but it's the truth.
Abhi: What are you saying?
Mandeep: I'm telling the truth. You all know that most of the students in our section are from the central board. And you know how high their standards are, and how beautiful they are. Yet, Aryan doesn't even acknowledge them. The girls practically throw themselves at him.
Biraj: So what? But Smita's case is different.
Smita: Why is that?
Abhi: Because when you misunderstood Aryan, he had already fallen for you.
Smita: He loved me? Does he still love me?
Mandeep: I can't say anything about that.
Smita: Why?
Mandeep: Smita, stop with the nonsense. You know yourself how much Aryan has changed.
Abhi: Yes, Mandeep is right. No one can say what Aryan is thinking or what he's going to do. We once casually asked him if he would try to win you back, but he said that all of that was pointless to him.
Smita: What?
Abhi: Don't worry. We will still try, and we'll follow our plan.
Mandeep: But what's the plan?
Biraj: Actually, we had a conference call yesterday and decided that we'll convince Aryan to join Deepan Sir's tuitions.
Mandeep: So, Aryan joining Deepan Sir's classes means Smita will get a chance to talk to him.
Smita: Yes, exactly.
Biraj: And not just talk... she'll get an opportunity to make things work.
Smita: Shut up, you shameless person.
After some light-hearted teasing, they all returned home, pondering how they would convince Aryan to work with them on their plan.
---
Meanwhile, after leaving the college campus, Aryan went directly to Kiara's house, where she had been waiting anxiously for him. Kiara was unable to speak to Aryan at college and had no information about the seven magical books. As soon as Aryan entered Kiara's villa, she rushed to the door to meet him.
Kiara: Aryan, tell me about the seven magical books right now. I... I... haven't been able to sleep. I even asked my father, but he didn't tell me anything.
Aryan: Alright, fine. Let's go sit under the tree's shade, and I'll tell you everything.
They both walked to a tree's shade, sat down, and Aryan began explaining:
Aryan: This story dates back to a long time ago, when the Chakravarti Emperor Vikramaditya ruled over most of the world. His empire stretched from present-day India to Africa and Rome. He was the first king to conquer the entire Arab world. Throughout his life, Emperor Vikramaditya fought many battles—some he lost, some he won—and during his journey, he gained many things, one of which was a powerful magical text. He tried to use its power for the welfare of his empire but was never able to fully control it. To harness the book's power, he called upon many learned pandits for advice. Acting on their counsel, Vikramaditya organized a grand worship of Lord Shiva. During this event, he fed many impoverished people. As a result, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, splitting the magical book into seven parts.
Afterward, the emperor tried to open the seven books again, but they wouldn't open. So, he stored them in a secret room under heavy security. However, in the middle of the night, a group of thieves attacked the palace. They managed to steal many beautiful maidservants and the magical books. But before they could plunder the emperor's treasure, they had to flee because of the royal army's power. On their way out, the thieves mistreated and killed several of the maidservants. As a result, a curse befell the thieves, and they died of terrible diseases on their journey.
The emperor, grieving the loss of the magical books, sent his army to retrieve them. After much searching, the soldiers found the bodies of the maidservants, but the books were nowhere to be found. In time, the soldiers came across the corpses of the thieves, but the books were still missing.
Kiara: Aryan, what happened next?
Kiara: What happened to the books?
Kiara: How will Emperor Vikramaditya react when he learns the books are gone?
Kiara: What exactly are these seven magical books?
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The mystery deepens as Aryan unravels the tale of the lost magical books, offering Kiara a glimpse into a history laden with power, loss, and a curse that still lingers. The true purpose of the books, however, remains unknown. What secrets do they hold?