CHAPTER 19 — The Long Hunt Begins
The corridors of Vijayanagara Castle echoed with the heavy footsteps of determination. As Nikhil walked alone toward his room, the weight of a far greater goal pressed against his heart.
His thoughts stirred — deep and dangerous:
(I hope this will work… Sorry, everyone, for using this technique. But the unification of Bharat is important. Enemies are coming — from outside, and worse, from inside. Bharat has always suffered from internal conflict, and that is what weakened it. Otherwise, Bharat is the land where gods and legends were born.)
He opened the door to his room and prepared silently for the mission ahead.
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Readiness
Across the castle, doors opened.
Armors tightened.
Weapons strapped.
Hearts racing.
One by one, they stepped into the courtyard, climbing onto the royal chariot.
Janvi.
Damini.
Pallavi.
Harsh.
Hemant.
Janit.
Aditya.
And Nikhil.
The wheels rolled forward, carrying them from the safety of the castle walls into the unknown darkness of the dense forest.
Tall trees loomed overhead, their ancient branches twisting like skeletal fingers, whispering warnings.
The forest air hummed with tension.
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Silent Thoughts on the Chariot
Hemant stared at the trees passing by, his brows furrowed:
(What is this Dark Green Heart Pill? Where did it come from? I didn't complete any mission… so how did I get it?)
Damini touched the pill in her pouch:
(Its ability is cool… but where did it come from?)
Janvi's eyes sparkled with curiosity:
(This ability is exciting! But why did the system show 'Team Sharing'? Who shared it? How?)
Pallavi's shoulders stiffened:
(I pray we don't run into rabbit creatures again…)
Janit rubbed his forehead:
(My stats barely increased after training. Why? We need to work harder — harder than ever.)
Harsh looked at Nikhil and thought:
(I hope… Nikhil has some plan.)
Meanwhile, Nikhil sat calm, silent, unreadable:
(I found the cheat code. And it worked every time. Now… for zombie hunts, this will help again.)
The horses moved deeper into the forest.
The sunlight dimmed.
Their surroundings thickened into shadows.
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The Cave
Ahead of them loomed a cave — massive, black-mouthed, breathing cold air like a living thing.
Hemant stepped down and crossed his arms.
Hemant (sarcasm):"Let's go."
Nikhil shook his head.
Nikhil:"We don't need to."
Hemant scoffed hard, frustration flaring.
Hemant (sarcasm sharper): "Oh really? Then who's going to kill zombies for us? Your fifteen dead zombies?"
Nikhil didn't respond.
He simply walked inside the cave…
Then walked out.
Silent. Expressionless.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
The sun moved slowly across the sky.
He repeated the action — entering the cave, exiting again — without a word, without explanation.
The others exchanged confused looks, whispering, waiting.
Time dragged on… and still not a single zombie appeared.
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Scene Shifts Toward Vijayanagara Castle
King Krishn Dev Rai was seated upon his throne.
Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu stood before him, respectful and serious.
Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu: "King… that camp of Bahmani ...our Candidates has been conquered. We have already sent our troops there, and that camp is now ours."
King Krishn Dev Rai nodded.
Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu continued:
Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu: "King… I want to inform you that the Candidates have already gone out for their mission… but Candidate Nikhil took hundreds — maybe thousands — of booms from our weapon room."
For the first time, surprise appeared in the king's eyes.
Pandit Rama Krishn's eyebrows tensed, his expression turning confused.
Pandit Rama Krishn (in doubt):"Why?"
Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu:"He didn't say."
King Krishn Dev Rai and Pandit Rama Krishn exchanged a look. Their eyes widened with realization.
Both thought at the same time:
(Am I thinking correctly?… Is he planning to do that?… But how is this even going to work?)
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Scene Shifts Back to the Candidates
Evening settled over the mountain.
Their chariot rolled upward until the path opened into a cliff edge. A wide mountain plateau stretched beneath the burning amber sunset.
The moment the wheels stopped, Hemant jumped off the chariot, jaw clenched, anger radiating from him like heat.
He marched toward Nikhil, his voice exploding with rage and sarcasm tangled together.
Hemant:
"Is this some kind of joke? We've been out since morning — and it's evening now! We haven't killed a single zombie! Nikhil, are you out of your mind? You just kept going into that stupid cave and coming out! Nothing else happened! You wasted an entire day!"
His voice cracked with frustration.
Aditya stared at the sky, calmness in his eyes. He knew what Nikhil was doing.
Janvi hugged herself against the cold wind.
Damini looked worried.
Pallavi frowned.
Harsh held his breath.
Janit looked away.
No one defended Nikhil.
No one spoke at all.
Nikhil stepped out of the chariot last.
He didn't answer Hemant's anger.
He didn't explain himself.
Instead, he walked past everyone, calm as stone, and climbed onto a tall rock.
The sunset glowed orange and red behind him. The calm sky held its breath, as if it itself were waiting for something to happen.
He stood there — motionless — staring at the dying light of the horizon.
As if waiting.
As if listening.
As if something was coming.
And the forest below held its breath.
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Chapter End.