Chapter 5-
My POV:
I completed my studies & then headed for the library. I have informed Shruti that I will be there to make notes for the assignment. Ayan will be returning tomorrow, so he will be joining us in the library from then on. As I was entering the library, I heard a voice saying, " I was wondering why are you so late today?" I looked up to see Adrija mam smiling at me. I went near her & submitted my library card, " Looks like this is going to be my room for this week." She smiled & indicated to me to take a seat. I like her a lot. She always allowed me to stay in the library at any time whenever I wanted. Soon, Shruti came with a bunch of books & placed them on the table. We started our small chit chats & as well as writing. After about 3 hours, she got up. " Malini, I forgot to tell you that today Chinmay is going to take me out on a date. So I have to go. Can you do the rest by yourself? I promise I will help you tomorrow with this. Please, " she pleaded like a baby. I smiled & nodded my head. She kissed me on the cheek & squealed like a baby, "Thanks."
" Enjoy your day, go." I bid bye to her & she ran. Going through the bookshelves & making notes, I forgot to look at the time. Finally, when I am done with today's work, I stretched my arms & looked up. I was scared to see Arindam looking at me like a ghost.
" Yahh, stop looking at me like a creep. My heart is literally racing right now. "I screamed a bit.
" Do you know that you happen to skip your lunch & your dinner? Look at the clock & tell me the time" he scolded me a bit. I immediately checked the time, 9:35 pm. I bite my lower lip in embarrassment. He continued -" Now go back to your room & kindly do have your dinner. I kept it on your table in a tiffin box. I will meet you in the gym tomorrow morning. Good night. " I came back to my room & had my dinner, then fell asleep.
"...uhhh leave me... lea-leave me..me... ahh, no... you ... you can't... I ....am not yours...." I sprang up on my bed with sweats & heavy breaths. I switched on the lights & covered my face -"Shit, another nightmare, this is the 5th time I am seeing the same dream. Why me?? Ahhhh, I have to find out. " I drank water & called Haru. It emerged right away with a bow, " Haru at your service Master."
" Haru, can you accompany me to the terrace for a walk? Just inform me if you sense any Shadowmorph, then we will come back, ok?" -" Yes, my master. " I took my phone & went out for a walk, Haru followed me. As I climbed the 2nd floor, I heard some muffled noises, which led me to room no. 16. I peeked through the window & honestly wasn't shocked to see & hear it because I was expecting that from Diti. I took out my phone & recorded to the point that I needed & smirked in satisfaction. I tiptoed & reached the terrace , unlocked the gate silently & went out. Seeing Haru on guard, I was relieved. I looked up in the sky. It looked like thousands of stars were shining together because of our campus high-powered lights. Just then, it seemed like I saw a Shadowmorph smiling at me in a mocking way from the darkness. It had a female body or so as I guessed from this far.
"What are you doing here at this time, my child?" I was startled by his voice & Haru came in front of me to guard me. Vikash da-" You shouldn't be here at this time, Malini. Anything bothering you"?
" Nothing Vikash da ... I'm just missing my family & feeling like suffocation. Vikash da look at you left & tell me if you can see anything in the far away darkness?" I changed the topic & spoke. He looked there scanning thoroughly but nodded his head as no. " You should go back to sleep, Malini. I don't want to get you in trouble. Go now." He patted my head as I headed downstairs. I came back to my room & asked Haru to go back. It bowed & disappeared. I drank some water & went back to sleep.
The next day, I spent almost my whole time in the library after the classes. Ayan came back & sat with me in the library, making notes. We talked only about our notes & that's all. As usual, I had a cold face all the time. At dinner time, Diti came to call him. I hate this girl. She acts like she owns his life. He excused himself & went behind her like a lost puppy. I took a break & got a flashback of my relationship with Ayan. He was the best brother I could get with all good qualities. But then Diti came in between us & poisoned his mind. We had a big quarrel in our department & from then on we never said 'hello' to each other. Being in a relationship with him still Diti seduces other boys & whenever I would try to warn him about that, he would quarrel with me. So I stopped myself. I drank some water & looked towards Adrija mam, she fell asleep while waiting for me. I smiled, looking at her & made my way to the last rack. Basically, this rack contains the oldest books about invertebrates. Some of them are torn, so nobody comes here in search of information. The oldest edition of the book "Spiders by Cecil Warburton" was on this rack. I searched thoroughly & finally found it on the top shelf. When I took out the book, something got hit by my hand. There was a small creak like a sound & then the whole rack got divided into two parts, showing me an entrance.
I was confused & shocked too at the same time. I looked here & there but it was pitch black. I came back to my table & locked the library door, then turned to mam to see she was in a deep sleep. I took out my torch & slowly went inside the entrance. It was a tunnel. I kept my guard on. After a few steps I reached a hall room. I tried to search for any switches & lit the room. I was shocked to see it & fell on the ground. I saw the hall room was filled with all technology equipment & huge cylindrical glasses filled with fluid containing dead bodies that were murdered by shadowmorphs in the past. They were preserved here. The computers were a bit old, like the companies they were made from don't even exist now. There were two other doors that led to other rooms. The left room was filled with charts & maps that pointed out the murders in the past. The right room was filled with all sorts of books about spirits, telepathy, paranormal & many more. There was not a single trace of life down here, but also, there was no dust or spiderwebs to make it look old, but it was old enough, like 50 years or more. I came out hurriedly & the entrance was automatically closed behind me. I looked towards Mam & she was sleeping. I wiped my sweats & headed towards my room. As I was walking through the corridor, I clearly heard it say, " I will make him force you so that you surrender to me," with a shrill laugh that I had to cover my ears. I took a deep breath & said in my mind ," Even if you make him molest me in front of everyone, I am not going to surrender to you. I will be against you always & defeat you till you become a vapor in my hand."
His POV:
I went to her room and knocked. She opened up a few seconds later. She was dressed up wearing a purple top with a denim jacket & black jeans & her hair tied in a messy but, looking so beautiful, I went into her room & gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. She blushed & giggled.
"Let's go to my favorite place, I hope you will like it. It's a surprise for you."
"That... Actually, I can guess that."
"Is that so? Then let's go. I can't wait any longer."
"Ok, I'm coming with you."
"It's a date then..."
"Yayy!!!! we are officially on our first date. I will remember each & every moment." So yeah, here we were, me and Neha, on the bank of Ganga. This place is called the '12 mandir ghat' in Sodepur. It's one of my favorite places nearby. Both of us were wearing warm clothes because they had been a little chilly since the morning. We brought umbrellas as well in case it rains. This was my first date with Neha. Sure, we've been close friends for a year, but she had a boyfriend before, so we never thought about it, obviously. But now, the situation is different. I wanted her to enjoy this and make her feel better. We were sitting on a bench under a tree, and before us at a distance was ganga. We could see the clashing waves, the boats, and launches at a far distance. The chilling wind was blowing frequently, so we were sitting close to each other, almost sticking together. I kept my hand over her shoulders. She leaned her head on my shoulder. Both of us didn't say anything for some time. Then she broke the silence.
"Thank you for bringing me here..."
"And thank you for coming. I wanted to spend some time with you. Not inside my room, we've done that quite a few times, but out here in nature."
"This place is beautiful..."
"You know what else is beautiful?"
"What?"
"You..." She looked at me. I looked into her eyes. She was beautiful. I placed a hand on her cheek gently, and she softly closed her eyes. Our faces were getting closer and closer... And soon the distance became zero as our lips touched... Soon, we were hugging each other tightly while lost in a passionate kiss.After a few minutes, we separated. We were still looking into each other's eyes, and I was content because there was a smile on her face. "So, how was that?"I intertwined my fingers with hers, "our first date and our first kiss... on a date. Because, you know... We've kissed a lot before this." "I loved it."Neha smiled, "I have something to tell you..."Sure, go ahead."I waited. "Nir... I, I think... I'm in love with you."Neha stuttered, "I'm sorry if I've used you in the beginning as a getaway mechanism from my breakup, but... I think I have feelings for you now..."
"I love you too."I hugged her tightly.
"Oh my god! You guys are so cute together..." We were startled and looked back as I heard that very familiar voice. Yeah, of course, it was Shruti and Chinmoy. They were standing behind us at a close distance.
"So, when did all of these start, huh? When did you two become a couple?"Shruti asked cheerfully. "We... umm..."Neha stuttered nervously, Shruti giggled. "Just a few mins ago, we accepted each other."I answered, "we're still working things out." "Do whatever you want, man..."Chinmoy said, "The only thing that matters is that you two are happy with it. You both look sweet, too." "Yeah."I smiled and nodded. "So, why are you two here?"Shruti asked, "I've seen you two together going out for the first time."
"That is because it's literally our first date."Neha replied, "and I quite like it. Haven't had this free feeling for some time." We chatted for some time, then they parted their way with us. Of course, they'd need some privacy, too. Now again, it was me and Neha.
We were spending some quality time until something unexpected happened! At a close distance, a portion of the surface water of Ganga started to bubble up rapidly. It was a pretty wide area and it was easily visible from a distance. Even more odd, the bubbling noise was quite loud, so we were startled and took notice. "Neha, stay over here, I'm gonna take a look.". I stood up and took out my bottle from the bag. I'd need a sample if that's what I think it is. "No way! I'm not going to let you near that. You'll put yourself in danger."Neha disagreed. "Please listen. This is important."I tried to make her understand, "I'd just take a quick look and be back, I'm not gonna try anything funny." "Then I'm coming with you to make sure you don't attempt anything stupid."Neha stood up as well. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop her. So I let her come with me... As we approached the water, I could see it more clearly. Black Liquid oozes out from underwater on the surface and makes a lot of bubbles. This isn't normal, definitely not normal, I thought, no industrial waste or garbage does this. "Neha, now... I'd need to do something, ok?"I opened the bottle cap, " I'm just gonna take a little sample, and we'd get the hell out of here."
"Go ahead, I know you won't listen to me even if I asked you."Neha frowned. "Sorry babe, but this is really important, I'll explain later."I dipped the bottle carefully into water, making sure my hand doesn't touch those bubbles or that liquid, and took it out as soon as I had some of it inside the bottle. Then I quickly sealed the bottle with the cap, and both of us stood up and left the riverbank as soon as possible.
"I'm one hundred percent sure this is something related to the shadowmorphs."Neha said, "A murder took place in Sodepur just a few days ago & recently another one near Barasat station."
"Yeah, I think it is related to them."I agreed, still trying to process what it is. "So, what are you going to do with it?"Neha asked. "I'll have to give it to someone."I answered, "This thing needs to be tested. Maybe it'd solve the mystery, and finally, the shadowmorph will be located."
"So, who's the person you're giving this thing to?"Neha asked again. "I'd explain everything once we get back to college. For now, we should focus just on that. To get into a safe place, "I replied. But Vikash da wasn't there in college when we got there. I called him and turned out that he's at the agency, handling some urgent matters, and he won't be back before the afternoon. I told him that it's urgent, but he replied that he really couldn't come. He's stuck here with all these paperworks and he'd be here as soon as these are completed. I called Arindam and informed him about it. He suggested that we should wait for him to return. Doing anything alone is probably not a good idea. I knew he was right. But still, it bothered me that there's something very fishy going on in the Ganga nearby. And of course, I had to explain it to Neha. She was quite shocked to know that Vikash da is actually a field agent of a government regulated organization dedicated to protecting lives from shadowmorphs and unlocking their mysteries. "I knew you'd get yourself involved into something dangerous."Neha said, "I'm surprised that you didn't tell me sooner."
"I really didn't want to drag you into this stuff. It's better for you to stay away from all these."I replied, "I hope you understand."
"So it's ok for you to get involved in dangerous stuff, but it's not ok for me to get involved as well?"Neha gave me a frown, "that's not really nice."
"I love you, you know."I pulled her closer to me, "I can't watch you get hurt...or worse."We were in her room, lying on her bed together, cuddling under the blanket. It started to rain outside half an hour ago. The temperature was getting pretty low. We were caressing each other under the blanket as we discussed the situation.
"Nir, I can't watch you get hurt as well. Let me be there with you. We'd watch each other's backs."
"What you say is true, but still, my mind won't support this idea."
"I can help you guys in other ways without directly getting involved."
"How's that gonna work?"
"You know that I'm an expert in information technology, right?"
"Yeah, you're pretty good at that."
"So I'll handle that part. Surveillance duty, extracting footage from nearby CCTVs, tracking the position of something and stuff like that."
"Wow, I... Didn't really think of that. That would be very useful, actually."
"See? Told you I could help..."
"But it's up to Vikash da, actually. If he deems you qualified for the tasks, you'd get in."
"Come on. You know damn well that I'm qualified."
"Sure you are, babe."
"Now let's put those discussions aside, and let's have some fun!" Neha placed her lips on mine as she started to unbutton my shirt under the blanket. I hugged her tightly as my hands went inside her shorts to squeeze her bubble butts. Things were about to get heated....
Chapter 6-
The day passed quicker than I expected. I and Neha had lunch together in the dining hall together with Arindam. For some reason, it seemed like Malini avoided me. So I thought I'd ask her about it later, but for now, it's probably better to give her some space. I called Vikash da once again after lunch, and he said that he's almost finished with work. He'll be arriving soon.He arrived, but not soon. At almost 5:30 pm, when it was almost dusk, I saw Vikash da hurriedly entering the campus through the main gate as the grid lights lit up around the campus, shielding the whole area from shadowmorph infiltration. I was waiting near the main gate for him, so he saw me as soon as he entered the campus. "I'm here! Ok... Show me the sample."Vikash da was breathing heavily. It seemed like he was really in a hurry to get here. Well, that's natural since you're required to return to a safe place guarded by light grids to stay protected from shadowmorphs. "It's in my room, I've transferred it to a glass tube from my bottle. I'll be right back."I was going to get that tube containing the sample. "Oh wait."Vikash da interrupted, "don't bring it here. Bring it to the lab, and call Arindam as well. I have the keys, and I'll open up the lab. It needs to be tested."
"Ok, the lab it is."I strutted towards my room quickly. Soon, the three of us were in the lab. We shut the door from within and kept the light turned off to not draw any unwanted attention. The only light we kept on was the white LED desk light on the lab table. That light was bright enough for us to conduct tests. "Hmm, you were right."Vikash da looked away from the microscope, "the secretion contains high levels of alkaline materials, which is indeed secreted from a shadowmorph."
"So, why did a shadowmorph would try to go underwater?" Arindam asked, "there have been reports of aquatic shadowmorphs before, but none of them secreted any kind of fluid. Could this be a new species?"
"No, it's not aquatic.", Vikash da was serious, "in fact, from the identical chemical structure I got earlier from the field where we met, I can safely conclude that it's the same shadowmorph who's responsible for the murder of that drunkard & also the murder near station. "There was silence in the room. Me and Arindam looked at each other and gulped. We knew that shadowmorph was easily capable of murder. We don't know how to even deal with it. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but I could use some help with this case."Vikash da said, "All other agency members are busy, and what I'm fearing, if that is true, there is no time to waste."
"But how can we help?"I asked, "and what should we do?"Yeah, do we even have something to deal with shadowmorphs?"Arindam was doubtful as well. "Actually, yes, we have."Vikash da said confidently, "Come with me." We followed him to the janitor closet, where we entered without making much noise. Vikash da pressed a few keys on the switchboard in a certain pattern, and a small section of the wall slid off, revealing a secret lever. Upon turning it on, a section of floor opened wide with the plates above it sliding off, revealing a staircase underneath it, which leads to an underground room. As we followed Vikash da through the staircase and finally reached the room, it lit up with bright white lights, and we were in awe! There were shelves and hangers on the wall of the room containing different kinds of gadgets. Some of them looked like weapons! "Take that one, that, and that.'' Vikash da was pointing at some of them, 'and don't forget to take the destabilizers as well. Those round disc shaped things over there on the shelf. I'll explain how they work while we drive there."
"You have a vehicle as well?"I asked, wondering what else might be here. "Yeah, follow me to the room beside this one.", Vikash da proceeded to open a door on the right wall which led us to a small garage, where a shiny black SUV was parked.On our way to 12 mandir ghat, Vikash da was explaining to us how to use these devices. The medium-sized guns we had were called photon rifles. They emit small blasts of photon lasers, which can deal with good damage to shadowmorphs. The destabilizers are a disc shaped gadget which emit a spectrum of light that disorients shadowmorphs and compromises their molecular biology. There were other kinds of gadgets as well, but these should be enough for this mission, according to Vikash da. Also, the SUV was fortified in many places with miniature destabilizers, which would automatically activate if it gets attacked by a shadowmorph.
As soon as we got near that ghat, we saw a lot of people fleeing that place. And an eerie blue aura which was coming from the river could be seen from a long distance. "Something's not right. Come on!"Vikash da stepped out of the car, "keep your weapons ready and be on guard. Don't let your focus down. In this radar of mine, I'll be able to tell if any shadowmorph gets within the range of 15 meters. "Careful as we could be, we headed towards the riverbank. As soon as we got close, what we saw baffled us, and the radar in the Vikash da started to beep loudly! Yes, it was a shadowmorph indeed. At least 4 meters tall, long, and slender with pitch black color and tendrils behind its long and narrow head, it was a nightmare to look at! Glowing white mono eyes like a cyclops, a mouth full of jagged teeth, slender arms and legs equipped with sharp claws, and a tail that ended in a twin fork, it was quite menacing. It battled with something that seemed like a spirit, a glowing blue spirit a little smaller than the shadowmorph, and it looked very familiar in shape. It looked like some sort of amphibian with a long flattened tail. Trying desperately to fend off against the shadowmorph."Quick, that thing needs our help!" Vikash da targeted his photon rifle towards the shadowmorph. "What is that other thing?!"Arindam didn't know what to do. "I'll explain everything later. For now, just shoot the shadowmorph! "Vikash da fired the first shot at shadowmorph.It flinched in agony and let out a blood chilling roar. Then it focused its gaze upon us and was going to come in our direction... But the blue spirit wrapped up its prehensile tail on its body and slammed it on the river bank! We kept firing at the shadowmorph, careful enough not to hit the blue spirit by mistake. Just at the moment, when it kinda seemed like that the blue spirit was gaining the upper hand with our cooperation, the shadowmorph stabbed it in the stomach with its sharp claws. The blue spirit let out a roar of agony and plummeted on the shallow water. But as soon as the shadowmorph was going to finish it off, a blast from Arindam's rifle struck it in the eye and Vikash da ran closer to the shadowmorph and threw a destabilizer on its body!The shadowmorph screamed under the photon spectrum as it's body began to flicker from the atoms getting destabilized. But somehow, to our surprise, it managed to shrug off the destabilizer and ran off quickly into the darkness, making a successful escape.Vikash da didn't pay attention to that. He was sitting near the blue spirit floating on the shallow water. Its body was heaving up and down, and glowing blue fluid came out of the wound. "Never knew something could happen to her..."Vikash da seemed extremely upset, "now this river will dry out."
"Vikash da, what exactly are you talking about?"I couldn't help but ask. Vikash da placed his hand on the blue spirit's dying body, "Of course, you guys should know. This is Keyuri, the spirit of Ganga. Every river has one, and the river spirits help to maintain the river." Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The spirit extended one of its arms and placed it on Vikash Da's head. There was a faint blue glow under its palm, as if it's communicating, which, in fact, it was. When he removed the hand, Vikash da looked at me. Then he looked back at the spirit. "Are you sure it's him?"Vikash da asked, to which the spirit nodded its head. "Ok, I understand."Vikash da turned around and looked at me, "listen, this might sound weird, but I need you to consider this. As Keyuri tells me, if you consent, she can bond with you and heal inside your body while your vitals will keep her alive. You can save this river spirit as well as ganga." I was baffled, and I had no words. Me? I could save a river? Really? It sounds preposterous, but I'm literally seeing a river spirit in front of me. Nothing is preposterous anymore. "I think I can agree to this, yes, I consent."I answered. "But listen carefully, spirits of nature are never meant to bond with humans. If you two bond, this bond will be permanent. Also, bonding gives you some powers, but it also gives you some weakness as well. Are you still willing to bond with her?"
"Honestly, I don't know."I replied, "All of these happening so suddenly that I have no idea what to say. But I can't let her die in front of me, and I can't allow ganga to dry out, as you said. So yes, I consent to this. Tell her to bond with me. I guess I'll have to deal with the consequences."
"Very well then, come here," Vikash da asked. As I went near Keyuri, she slowly lifted her arm and placed it on my hand. A quick jolt of cold shivered through my whole body. Then I saw her body getting brighter and brighter... And my palm, my hand, my whole body is absorbing the light. I felt dizzy. A slow feeling of sleep crept over me. My eyes were getting heavy, and the last thing I felt was that I was leaning sideways and my body landed in the shallow water. Then darkness came and took over my consciousness. I opened my eyes, still a dizzy feeling in my body and mind, and I looked around. I was in my room, at the dorm. I looked around. Everything was normal. What happened, I thought. What day is it today? I looked for my mobile, it was beside the pillow. It was 11pm, as I saw on the screen. I heard a noise and I looked at the door and saw Arindamcoming in. "Ah, you're finally awake!"He came to me and sat beside me on the bed, "you almost gave us a heart attack there when you didn't wake up. Wait, I'd call Vikash da and let him know that you're ok. You rest here, don't move. I'll go to my room and get something to eat for you. Maybe some snacks." He went out of the room before I could say anything. I was unconscious? What was he talking about?
"My humble apologies. Dementia is a temporary side effect when a spirit bonds with a human." I was startled! I looked around. No one was there in my room. Then I realised the voice was inside my head! Am I going crazy? Am I sick? Should I be in a hospital now...? "Do not worry, you're in fine health... And I deeply thank you for making the sacrifice... I am Keyuri, guardian spirit of Ganga. We chose to bond with each other." Like a flash of bright light in a dark room, I remembered everything. Our fight with the shadowmorph, Keyuri being fatally wounded, me choosing to bond with her and going unconscious in the process, everything. "I remember now, thanks, Keyuri. But I require some answers now."