Elizabeth a 16 year old girl, finds herself, will find love and learn shes stronger than she thought she was... Elizabeth has never had a easy life. She ran away from home came home to her whole family members dead....

17 JAN, 2017; 3.45 P.M.
Dhruv caught Shiv off guard with his question. Shiv was confused on how he might have just known that. He made sure that he keeps the information about the eyewitness away from him. Shiv couldn't process his thoughts between the millions of questions that were running through his head. But still, he managed to form some word to ask Dhruv about it, just one exactly.
Rathod: How?
Dhruv: Come on! We have been through this too many times now; you shouldn't be surprised. I know about your eyewitness. Just tell me who it is?
Rathod: But how? How do you know?
Dhruv: You are careless with words, officer! You spilled it out yourself! And I also suspected something like that when your friends showed up at my home this morning.
Rathod: I don't get it! I hadn't said anything about an eyewitness, neither did they. I made that sure. I possibly couldn't have mentioned it. I mean, how could I say it?
Dhruv: Fine, I'll say! Three things get me to this conclusion.
Rathod: What three things?
Dhruv: Patience Officer, 'patience'! I am still talking.... First, you said that we use that back-gate to bunk our classes and get out; you'll get that information only from a student as students started using that gate for bunking recently. Maybe five months ago, after a girl's toilet was made there. Before that, no one even knew there was a gate. And for your additional information, none of the teachers knew about students using it to skip their classes and get out of school. Because if they did, then the gate would have been locked a long time ago.
Rathod: Seems like you are one of those people who believe "Devil's in the details."
Dhruv: Believe me, that's not the only place he is in!
Rathod: Quite literally! What's second?
Dhruv: You lack patience, don't you?.... A secondly, you poked me by saying that I was wearing a "Black Thief Costume" and I have to say, a terrible choice of words, something just immatures would say! But you aren't immature, are you? A person like you would use few sophisticated words like,... 'STEALTH' or 'DARK CLOTHING'! But all you could think of was, "Black Theif Costume" why you ask me? Because you heard it from someone, am I right?
Rathod: Ahhhh,...
Dhruv: Ok, let's just some creative liberty here. Let's assume you made a wild guess. But how exactly do you know about it so perfectly? It's quite an astonishing coincidence. Well, until someone else tells you about it, so there is someone who saw me. But I made no one saw me while I entered the building, so I guess someone saw me while I was leaving, and there's your eye witness! And I  am sure that this person saw me at school. As you mentioned about bunking, this person saw me, and then you got that detail.
Rathod: You have baffled me with your observation! Even I wouldn't have thought so far.
Dhruv: Only if you had, you wouldn't have been sitting here.
Rathod: Those words make me want to punch you right in the face. And most probably, nothing would please me more.
Dhruv: Maybe the third reason will! Your overconfidence! I mean, you said something to me earlier, remember? Don't bother! I'll tell you! "It's fine if you don't tell your motive, it doesn't matter anymore. I have everything I want to put you behind the bars!" and as I know one thing for sure, you don't have physical evidence against me; all you have is theories, and we both know that it won't help you put me 'behind bars'! (Chuckles) So I guess I am still beating you at this.
Rathod: It's impressive how you got there, but you lost this Dhruv. With this eyewitness, I have something that will connect you with these killings directly! I have a strong case against you. Now, you will go down!
Dhruv: Nope! Nothing's happening to me! All your 'eyewitness' saw was me getting out of the school premises from the back gate, and you think that's enough for you to build a strong case. Don't be childish, officer!
Rathod: The witness also saw you leave Yash's house on the 2nd of January, between the times of Yash's death!
Dhruv: Oh! Now that's interesting! It seems like you do have a chance at this. But what if your witness is proved unreliable in the court? What will you do then? I mean, you know how lawyers are, right? I mean, your whole case is dependent on this single person.
Rathod: Then I'll make sure that nothing as such happens!
Dhruv: Good luck with that! By the way, who is this girl?
Rathod: WAIT?! How do you know it's a girl?!
Dhruv: I don't! I just bluffed. And it seems like I was right, it is a girl!
Rathod: It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy; all that matters is...
Dhruv: Who said it doesn't matter! It does! This girl that you are talking about is more than she says. I mean, if she knew I killed those two boys, why wait so long to come to the police? She is hiding something! What did she say?
Rathod: I guess that's none of your concern!
Dhruv: Fine, let's do it this way, you tell me what she said, and I'll help you find your son's killer!
Rathod: How can you possibly help me?
Dhruv: I know things that you don't know; I know things big enough to know, what could have caused Vikram his life? Just trust me on this, and I give you my word I'll tell you everything you will need to find your son's killer.
Rathod: What do you mean?
Dhruv: So is it a deal?

(UNDERGOING EDITING)
Dhruv is a 17 yr old teenager, who is a boy full of mysteries. Six months ago Dhruv's father died in a car accident and from then Dhruv hasn't had a good day ahead. From his mom's negligence towards him to school bullies, everything seems to add more and more to his misery. But things are different now, it's 17 Jan 2017 and things aren't as they were. Fate had taken it's dark turns and now police is standing on his doors, asking questions regarding the serial killings of three of his classmates. What does Dhruv has to do with it? Does Dhruv know something?
It's not a teenage drama! it's FUCKIN murder mystery! Here, don't expect anything, things are bit twisted as.... TRUTH ISN'T WHITE ANYMORE‼️ And Pain, Let It Exist!

P.S. Dialogues in this novel might just make it seem like some movie script, but dialogues are the reason why the story feels fast paced. And yeah I will be changing the format but as the novel is still ongoing it's hard to edit it so please don't think it's me being dishonest with my work :)

Weak point



The bad events continued. A message from Chiybashira-sensei awaited us during homeroom the next morning.


"Today, I have a message for you. The other day, there was a bit of trouble. The person over there, Sudou, and some class C students were involved in some trouble the other day. If I say it directly, it was a fight."


The classroom became noisy. Depending on the details of the disagreement between the two groups, Sudou may be suspended and the class points may be deducted. Sensei told the whole situation to the class.


Chiyabashira-sensei was so disinterested and had absolutely no expression in her face that it had a certain beauty to it.


Without any bias, she explained the school's neutral position on the whole matter.


"Uh… why hasn't the matter been resolved already?"


Hirata asked a very reasonable question.


"The complaint was raised by class C. They said it was a one-sided fight. However, when we asked Sudou, he said that their claim was not true. He said that the class C students called him out, looking for a fight."


I wasn't in the wrong; it was self-defence."


Declaring without any shame, Sudou attracted the cold gazes of his classmates.


"But you have no evidence. Am I wrong?"


"Evidence? I don't have anything like that."


"In other words, we don't know the truth yet. Therefore, the situation has been put on hold. The outcome will be decided on who the actual perpetrator is."


"I don't know anything except that I'm innocent. I want money for my troubles."


"He says so himself, but as of now, there's not much credibility. If, as Sudou says, there is an eyewitness, the situation may change. Well, any eyewitnesses to the fight, please raise your hands."


Chiyabashira-sensei kept talking with an indifferent voice. No student raised their hands.


"Too bad Sudou, but it seems like no one was an eyewitness."


"…Looks that way."


When Chiyabashira-sensei looked at Sudou with doubtful eyes, he looked down at his desk.


"In order to look for the eyewitness, every teacher is informing their class about the situation."


"Hah!? You told everyone!?"


Well, the school probably can't do anything else. Since Sudou raised the possibility of an eyewitness, each class in the school had to be asked in order to find such a person.


For Sudou, who had wanted to told the hide the incident, this was not a very good situation.


"Damn…!"


Sudou's plan of keeping it within our group had already failed.

Anyway, that's all. Whether there are any eyewitnesses or any evidence, the matter will be resolved next Tuesday. Well then, homeroom's over."


Chiyabashira-sensei left the room. Sudou quickly left right after. He probably knew that he would get mad at someone if he stayed in the room.


"Hey, isn't Sudou the worst?"


The first to talk was Ike.


"If we lost points because of Sudou, doesn't that mean we're going to have 0 points again?"


The classroom became noisy and the situation was getting out of hand.


If we don't get any points, all the dissatisfaction and unhappiness will all be directed towards Sudou alone. Naturally, it was Kushida who tried to help the situation.


"Hey, everyone. Can you listen to me for a second?"


Kushida took the chance to stop the uproar and change the situation.


"As Sensei said, Sudou-kun was involved in a fight. But Sudou-kun was dragged into it."


"Kushida-chan, by saying 'dragged into it', does that mean you believe in Sudou's words?"


Kushida told yesterday's story to the whole class. About how he was being considered as a regular, and how a few people who were envious tried to get Sudou kicked out of the club and the resulting fight. She explained that Sudou beat them up in self-defense. Most of the class listened to Kushida's sincere words in silence. Even if Sudou or I tried to explain the situation in the same way, it wouldn't have the same effect.


Even then, the others couldn't believe in the story so easily. Considering his usual behavior, even if the students didn't believe it, it was a reasonable story.


"I want to ask again. If anyone knows someone in this class, among your friends, or among your senpais that saw what happened, please tell me. You can contact me at any time. I appreciate it."


Even though she said the same thing as Chiyabashira-sensei did, the class had a completely different reaction.

She's naturally gifted at being able to connect with people. It's fascinating.


The class was wrapped in silence. The one who broke the silence was not an eyewitness, but rather, Yamauchi.


"Hey, Kushida-chan. I can't believe Sudou's story. I think he's making it up to justify his own actions. During middle school, he kept talking about beating people up. He lectured us about how it was fun to beat people up."


Starting with Yamauchi, the whole class spouted their dissatisfaction towards Sudou.


"Earlier, I saw him grab some kid from another class just because they bumped in the hallway."


"I saw him cut in line at the cafeteria and get mad at someone who tried to warn him."


Kushida's words about Sudou's innocence didn't reach the class. The class, feeling that they were going to lose their hard-earned points, all left Sudou to dry.


"I want to believe him."


The hero of the class, Hirata, stood up as if to support Kushida,


"I can understand if a student of another class doubts him. But I think it's wrong to doubt a friend, a fellow classmate. Isn't helping out someone in need what friends do?"


"I think so too~"

Karuizawa followed up while brushing her bangs to the side after the hero's words.


"If it's a false accusation, isn't it a problem? Anyway, it'd be sad if he was innocent."


If Kushida is a leader with a soft heart, Karuizawa is strong. As if the existence of a strong leader had influence, most of the girls voiced their agreement.


It's typical of Japanese people; following suit when one person does something. In their minds, they're probably sticking their tongues out, but at least they're pretending to help. For now, the criticism of Sudou stops.


Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa. These three are particularly popular.


"I'll ask my friends."


"Then I'll ask my senpais in the soccer club."


"I'll ask around as well."


With these three in the center, the efforts to prove Sudou's innocence started.


I guess I don't have to help. It'll be better to leave it to them anyway.


Well, time to fade out quietly.

Chess is perhaps the only game which doesn't involve much of a fortune. What's vital is just an open mind, that's why it's Sid's favorite pastime. Sid was playing chess with Akash, his associate cum secretary and his only friend figure in life. A few years back when Akash passed out from a law firm, he persuaded Sid to take him as his associate. 'I don't take associates. But I need someone to lift my files when I strode into the court. Do you want to join?' Sid said making a mockery of Akash. The wonder is Akash agreed to that. Akash just wanted to be around Siddhartha, at any cost despite his dismissive attitude. He knew he could learn oceans from Sid. Working with Sid was one of the hallowed honours that only bestowed on the most worthy. After moving the "Queen" three steps diagonally towards Sid's "King", Akash became optimistic about his triumph over Siddhartha. With a sense of delight mixed with fright, he said, "Check." Siddhartha already judged Akash's move even before it came into the mind of Akash. That's the beauty of the game.Sid lifted his "Rook" in hand, passed a cunning smile and said, 'you know Akash why I have left my "King" open for you to target it?' Akash opted to keep calm and listen to his boss vigilantly. Every word that came out of Sid's mouth had something deeply buried in it. 'Because when people get a chance to smack somebody they hardly care for their own defense. This is where they go wrong. I let people believe they are winning all throughout the game. It makes them weak.' Akash found out his mistake by then. His Queen was covering his King from Sid's Rook, but in order to target the opponent's King, he forgot to shield his own. "Check and Mate," said Sid and finished the game after he tickles the "King" of Akash. #### Sid reached the court to meet his new client. He asked his driver to park his car at the roadside near to the courtroom. It was the case of another business tycoon and a very influential MLA Animesh Mehta. Mr. Mehta was already waiting there for Sid. He spotted Sid's car and opened the left door of the car and entered inside. He was wearing a white Kurta pajama with cream-colored Nehru jacket. A red tilak, as always, was on his forehead to augment his personality and to maintain the image of a leader.'What exactly did your son do, Mr. Mehta? Tell me the truth,' asked Sid candidly. Sid didn't believe in wasting time. 'My son is innocent. It must be the opposition's ploy to trap him to wreck my image. Please rescue him Siddhartha, I can't see him going behind the bars,' said a vexed father. 'Mr. Mehta, I am not a judge or the media. I am your lawyer. I am here to help you. Don't lie. Tell me the truth,' Sid was fuming on the behavior of Mr. Mehta. The MLA kept on repeating that his son was innocent as if he was speaking in the debate of any news channel. 'Get out of my car,' Sid yelled out of annoyance. 'What?' Color drained from the visage of the MLA. 'If your son is so innocent, why do you need me? I don't fight for innocent people. I fight to prevail, not for the truth.' 'I don't like to establish something in the court which is already proven. Go and hire any regular lawyer for that purpose.' MLA kept quiet for a minute and then said, 'sorry Siddhartha, let me enlighten you with what happened that day.' The MLA folded his hands. He realized his gaffe and was sharp enough to cover it up. Before the MLA could have uttered a single word Sid said, 'it was Karan's birthday. He went to the pub to celebrate with his friends. He was totally sloshed, ordered more drinks late at night, but the bartender denied saying that it was the time to shut the counter, and they can't take any more orders.' Mr. Mehta was nodding as if listening to a tale. 'And then your beloved and irate son Karan burst the bartender's head with his empty beer bottle. Am I correct?' Mr. Mehta's silence was an attestation of Siddhartha's information.
'You already knew all this?' The flabbergasted MLA asked. He slapped the heel of his hand to his forehead in disbelief. He was being deliberately obtuse. 

'You think I will meet you without a background check?' 

This is what it takes to become the greatest lawyer in the country. You have to be acquainted with everything that happens around you, and sometimes vou should know even before it happens. 

Sid knew the whole thing with tiny detail still he wanted to hear  from the father of the offender. Maybe this was entertaining for him to break people whenever he gets the chance to do so. 

'The bartender is admitted in the hospital in a critical state. My son is in a severe mess. Please help him.' The MLA pleaded. 

"You wait for me in the courtroom. | will join you in a few minutes for the trial,' Siddhartha made a few phone calls and geared up for the case. 

At 29, he was having a career of a superstar which was not only being talked about in legal circles but also made headlines around the country. A bear of a man who stood 6 feet 4 inches, Siddhartha was one of those larger-than-life trial lawyers and the man of the kind which we rarely come across. He filled the room wherever he went. He spoke whatever in his mind. And very often, he would guess what's on vours. You either lave him or hate him instantly. But there's no ignoring him. 

'Turn off your mobile,' was written on a piece of paper stuck at the entrance of the courtroom. Unlike Parliament, they eapect silence in the court. 

Justice Jaishankar Menon entered the court, and the bailiff shouted at the top of his lungs, 'all rise. Superior Court of the State of Maharashtra, Country of India, the Honorable Justice Menon's proceeding is now in session.' 
There was a radiant glow on the face of Mr. Menon. He appeared calm and sober. 

People silting in the audicnce stood up in his honor and sat back again, The court's proceeding started. 

*My lord, this guy Karan is a threat to the societv. He has no fear of law and justice. In front of all the people, he hit a bottle on the head of 

the poor bartender." 

'And what was the fault of the poor guy? He followed the system of the bar and denied dishing up more beer to Karan and his friends. Is it a motive big cnough to almost murder a poor guy?' The prosecution lawyer said to introduce the case and to start the trial. He filled the roum with a restless, bristling energy. 

'What is happening to people nowadays? Don't they have any fear of the police and the law? My lord, | appeal for a very hard reprimand for the guiltv, so that your decision becomes a landmark for the society and people will lear that they won't be left if they conduct such a serious crime.' 

The prosecution lawyer looked at Sid before taking his seat. 

His foreword of the case was followed by the claps from the audience Present in the courtroom which consisted majorly of the press and a tow outsiders. 

'Wow, my friend. What « great speech you have delivered today," Siddhartha stood up and clapped. 

*But how can you say Karan hit the bartender with the boule? Do you have any evidence or an eyewitness to attest the bogus story which you just made up?" 

Before the prosecution lawver could say anything. Siddhartha said, 'my lord, Mr. Mehta is an esteemed politician. Ile is contesting the upconung election and to defame him. his opponents have knotted this rubbish story. Karan is innocent. agree that he was present there in 

the bar that night. but he was not the one who hit the bartender And if Tam wrong, why docsn'! the proscculion present any cycwitnesscs?* 

Complete silence occupied in the courtroom. 

Lveryone's eyes were at the prosecution lawyer that whether he will be able to bring an eyewitness or not. 

*Give me an hour to call an eyewitmess to this case,' prosecution was confident about it. 

Justice Menon seemed to get convinced by him and ordered the proscc.ulion lawycr to prescal the cy-wilocss aficr the Junch break. 

*The court is adjourned for an hour,' announced the judge and left the court. 

*What will happen if he presents an eyewitness?' The MLA asked. It was natural for him to be worried. 'Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. At Icast. not today." 

Sid was certain he can deal with it, After all, it was not the first lunch break ol his career. 

The MILA was getting restless during the lunch break. You can't eat when your son és about to yet urrested. 

'[ will buy the judge. I just can't handle the pressure," said the MLA with epidation in his cyes. 

When money and power talks, the mind goes on vacation. 

'What? No. There is no need. It could be too risky, What if be reluses the money?" 

"hen | will offer him even more money," he was desperate. 'Everybody has a price." 

'That way we could never win the case," Sid pleaded. 
the bar that night. hut he was not the one who hit the bartender And if Tam wrong, why docsn't the prosecution present any cycwilnesscs?' 

Complete silence occupied in the courtroom. 

Liveryone's eyes were at the prosecution lawyer that whether he will be able to bring an eyewitness or not. 

'Give me an hour to call an eyewitness to this case,' prosecution was confident about it. 

Justice Menon seemed to get convinced by him and ordered the prosecution lawyer to present the eyewitness aller the lunch break. 

"The court is adjourned for an hour,' announced the judge and left the court. 

*What will happen if he presents an eyewitness?' The MLA asked. It was natural for him to be worried. 'Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. At Icast, not today." 

Sid was certain he can deal with it. After all, it was not the first lunch break of his career, 

The MIA was getting restless during the Junch break. You caz't eat when your sua is about to yet arrested. 

*[ will buy the judge. I just can't handle the pressure," said the MLA with trepidation in his cyes. 

When money and power talks, the mind goes on vacation. 

'What? No. There is no need. It could be too risky. What if he refuses the money?" 

"Then | will offer him even more money," he was desperate. *Everybody has a price.' 

'That way we could never win the case,' Sid pleaded. 

the bar that night. hut he was not the one who hit the bartender And if Tam wrong, why docsn't the prosecution present any cycwilnesscs?' 

Complete silence occupied in the courtroom. 

Liveryone's eyes were at the prosecution lawyer that whether he will be able to bring an eyewitness or not. 

'Give me an hour to call an eyewitness to this case,' prosecution was confident about it. 

Justice Menon seemed to get convinced by him and ordered the prosecution lawyer to present the eyewitness aller the lunch break. 

"The court is adjourned for an hour,' announced the judge and left the court. 

*What will happen if he presents an eyewitness?' The MLA asked. It was natural for him to be worried. 'Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. At Icast, not today." 

Sid was certain he can deal with it. After all, it was not the first lunch break of his career, 

The MIA was getting restless during the Junch break. You caz't eat when your sua is about to yet arrested. 

*[ will buy the judge. I just can't handle the pressure," said the MLA with trepidation in his cyes. 

When money and power talks, the mind goes on vacation. 

'What? No. There is no need. It could be too risky. What if he refuses the money?" 

"Then | will offer him even more money," he was desperate. *Everybody has a price.' 

'That way we could never win the case,' Sid pleaded. 

The MLA got silent for a moment. but within seconds he shamelessly said, "anything went wrong, I will make sure that the judge gels a transfer from this court beture our next hearing and a new judge will take the charge of our case." 

"Okay, if you so frantically want to buy him. U will talk. Not you," Sid was sure that the MLA would worsen the situation. 

The MLA left without uttering a single word. 

Sid wap forced to talk to the judge olf the line. Menon was a new judge posied in that courtroom and Sid was fighting the first cane in front of him Had it been any other judge. Sid wouldn't have given it a second thought before offenng htm money. 

Justice Mcnon was taking the hinch prepared by his wife when Sid 

knocked on the door to his catun. He was cating it with bare hands without using a fork and knife. l'hat's how he was, polite and modest, 

yet so influential. 

Menon instructed Sid to sit on the chair placed in front of him and ollered him the (vod, "laste 1, my wile cooks delicious fovd." 

'It's okay, ] have had my lunch,' said Sid. 

'Tell me. what I can do for you, Mr. Siddhartha? I have heard a lot about you," asked Menon still taking his tunch. 

*You can do a lot, but only if you want to Do you like eating this plain chapate with a single vegetable daily? I think you should eat tandoori chicken or so...' Sid said in disguise hinhag what he actually wanted 10 say. 

'E don't eat non vegetarian on 'luesdays," said justice Menon. OF course. he got the hint but decided to act otherwise. 

'i am talking about all the other days as well. You know it is a highprolile case and if the case will go longer, it will ruin the image of my chent Why don't we settle this case in this lunch break itself?" Sid grunted at him. 

'Okay. { dom't want to stretch af either." The Judge said and conunued to take Ins meal without giving much importance to Sid. 

'The case is set now, it is easier than | thought it would he.' Sid thought and asked, 'so what's the deal?" 

'The deal is, ask your client to admit the charges and bear the chastisement of his sin, The case will be over in two munutes that way." Justice Menon rephed with a smirk on his face. 

'Lven if my client accepts his charges, what good will vou get out of it? You will be eating this plain chapatti for the rest of your life. But if you agree to bear a little, you could cat biryani. Give it a thought." 

"You know Mr. Siddhartha, over spicy and overpriced victuals aren't good for my digestion. See you in the courtruom,' Justice Menon's voice was higher than the usual. 

If vou are honest, an inducement offer is like an abuse to the honesty. 

Sid came out of the judge's room barchanded. MLA was waiting for him at the door. 

'How much money he is asking fur?' MTA asked as svon as he saw Sid. He was certain that the judge would accept the offer. kverybndy seems corrupt to a corrupt person. 

Sid was too fiirious to talk to him or to anybody clse. He didn': stop ta respond, just shook his head in denial and went away. 

Court proceedings resumed after lunch, Justice Menon took his chair and so did the typewriter, audiences. lawyers and other people in the court. 

The prosecution lawyer invited a juvenile software engineer to come to the fore and stand in the witness box.

"Young man, tell the court what is your name and what you saw in the pub that mght.' 

'Sir, J am Lohit Bangali. I saw him taking one bottle of beer in his hand and smashed 1t on the head of the bartender, the guy said pointing his finger towards Karan standing in the witness box opposite him. 

'That's all, my lord?" The prosecution lawyer said to rest his case. 

The MLA's face faded. He was convinced of his defeat. 

'LT object my lord.' said Sid. He still had to say somwthing, had to win it anyway. 

'Objection sustained.' The justice allowed Sid to cross-examine the wimess. 

*Whal were you doing at the bar when you saw that man hitting the bartender?* Sid went by the witness to ask him, 

'Sir, 1 got a promotion at work, so 1 was there with my colleagues to celebrate it." 

*That's good, best wishes for the same. How did you celebrate in a bar?" 

"By drinking, sir, of course," he passed a smile recollecting the night of celebration. 

*Was the light dim there in the bar when you were there?" 

'Yes, sir, the light is usually dim in the bar.' 

"My lord, what happened to the digmity of the court? How can we convict someone over the statement of a guy who was intoxicated in a bar and saw the convict in dim hght' Also, not to forget that he wears power glasses. 

According to the law, we can't take the statement of a drunken man into consideration, 

May I request bail for my chent till the time the bartender wakes up in the hospital and explains the whole scenario himself?" Sid yelled with jam packed vigor staring at the judge. 

Justice Menon knew the truth. Sid's encounter with him in the lunch break cleared all his duubt, but because of lack of evidence, he permitted bail to Karan legitimately. 

As soon as Justice Menan announced hail, the public prosecution stood up to object the verdict. 

'The judge was trying to listen to him when Sid felt a piercing headache. He felt like the room was spinning. He felt a spasm of vertigo, and he collapsed there. 

Sid's unconsciousness created havoc in the courtroom, Media personnel took his pictures for the front page of their publications and the MLA bit his nauls, literally. 

The judge ordered tu hospitalize Sid and adjourned the court procecdings lor neat month. 

Mr. Mehta called the ambulance himself as Sid was the only one who could save his son that time, and he could not take a risk on his son's life.

"Meet Siddhartha, a good lawyer but a bad human. 

Meet Rahul, a good human but a bad doctor. 

And meet Shuchi, a good human and an exceptionally well doctor. 

Shuchi tries to make a good human out of Siddhartha and a good doctor out of Rahul, but a bomb blast transforms their lives. 

Read this revolutionary tale to know how Siddhartha will get a unique PIL passed in the courtroom and Rahul will perform a life changing surgery, to save the girl they love.” 

Please write a review of this book and share the link of this book with your friends so that more readers can enjoy reading this book and help me in spreading the idea of organ donation. 

This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places and incidents are product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. The moral right of the author has been asserted. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

Of course, apart from the main eyewitnesses, the owner of Boya Pavilion also listened to the accounts of the other staff members who knew about what happened. Hence, everyone soon got a clear idea of what actually happened. Due to the fact that the waitress who served the snacks to Wen Xinya had made a mistake, Wen Xinya fortunately managed to escape the ordeal while Lin Yingxin became the victim of the jimsonweed.
Everyone had no idea if they should say that Lin Yingxin was unlucky or if she had deserved it. 
However, Xia Ruya was very cunning and since no one saw her spiking the snacks and tea, all of their accounts could not quite serve as concrete evidence.
A concrete set of evidence would require an eyewitness and physical evidence. However, there was no eyewitness. 
Xia Ruya would definitely be able to get herself out of trouble during normal circumstances.
However, after Wen Xinya splashed the wine on Xia Ruya's face, everyone could tell that Xia Ruya was the culprit. All of the statements of the staff and the rest of the evidence pointed towards Xia Ruya. Hence, everyone was sure that she was the culprit.
The owner of Boya Pavilion had no choice but to come up with a final explanation for the matter. Even though there was no eyewitness, the statements alone were enough to prove that Xia Ruya was the one who did it.
Besides, everyone had also understood that no one else except Xia Ruya had the chance to enter the kitchen and pantry. If the owner did not put the blame on Xia Ruya, she would have to bear the responsibility and shoulder the blame. She could not afford to taint the reputation of Boya Pavilion by taking on the crime of poisoning her customers.
No amount of explaining would help Xia Ruya get out of trouble. 
The owner stared at Xia Ruya in disbelief with a heavy heart. "Ruya, even if everyone here thought that you're the culprit, I still trusted you and I also thought of defending you because you're a pure and kindhearted girl. I even thought of nurturing you as my successor, but… you're just too disappointing."
Xia Ruya sprawled herself across the ground and began snorting with laughter. She sounded extremely cold and sarcastic. "I didn't poison the food, so don't think of putting the blame on me."
Given how intelligent Xia Ruya was, she obviously knew that the owner was just trying to push all the blame to her so as to get herself out of trouble and avoid staining Boya Pavilion's reputation. No matter how well one might treat you, they would not hesitate to go against you and even stab you when their personal interests were involved. That was human nature.
The owner closed her eyes slowly in agony. When she opened her eyes again, there was a sudden iciness in her gaze. "Now that things have come to this, you're still so muddled up and unrepentant."
She actually did not feel too guilty about pushing the blame to Xia Ruya. After all, Boya Pavilion really wasn't involved in her plan.
Xia Ruya raised her head to reveal her face, on which there were red scratches intertwined around each other, making her look extremely terrifying. "I wasn't wrong, so why do I have to be repentant? Since you guys have said that I'm the culprit, show me the evidence. Don't… just make false accusations and pin me as the culprit. I can't tolerate it."
No one could prove that she was the one who had spiked the snacks and drinks. Hence, she would never admit that she was the one who had done it. Regardless of whether she would get a chance to make a comeback in the future, it would forever be a stain in her life once she admitted to it. 
At this juncture, no one would believe that Xia Ruya was not the culprit even if she did not admit it.
That was the most impressive thing about Xia Ruya. She was good at explaining and defending herself with unreasonable excuses, and even if she was at her wits' end, she would somehow manage to find a way to get herself out of trouble.
Now that it was confirmed that Xia Ruya had spiked the snacks and tea, Xia Ruya could still play the victim and insist that she had been maligned. After all… they indeed only had physical evidence and no eyewitness. Hence, even if someone accused her again in the future, she would have the right to rebut their claim. She would never let anyone have solid evidence against her that would make it impossible for her to make a comeback.
The owner smiled and said, "Ruya, you still don't get it. Not everything in this world requires evidence. I didn't look further into this, not because I can't find any other evidence, but rather because I'm not willing to continue investigating. Finding evidence for everything is something the police would do. I'm not willing to put you in such a predicament, but did you really think that your plan was seamless?"
The owner's words made Xia Ruya's body turn weak. "I didn't spike the tea and food…"
The owner glared at her coldly and said, "I have some ties with your family and I also promised your grandfather that I would take care of you while you're studying in Capital city. Yet, you actually had the audacity to poison someone during my gala and disrupt the order of the event. You even broke the rules and insulted Boya Pavilion's reputation. I'll let this matter slide on the account of your grandfather. However, from now on, you'll be blacklisted. You'd better stop." 
The owner's way of handling the matter was justified and hence, no one had any objections. 
Being informed that she had been blacklisted in front of everyone was a huge blow to Xia Ruya, for she was the first and only person who had ever been punished for doing something wrong during the Heiress' Gala. 
Xia Ruya might never be able to hold her head high again from now on.
The owner then said, "Something so terrible happened today during the gala and I'm very sorry to have caused you guys to be frightened. Although all of these happened because of Xia Ruya's selfishness, it was also because of our negligence and failure to ensure stricter regulations. I've also trusted the wrong person. Thus, I hereby apologize on behalf of Boya Pavilion."
The owner sounded rather sincere and hence, the rest of the ladies did not have any objections. After all, Xia Ruya was the one who had spiked the drinks and tea and the owner had already gotten to the bottom of the truth, punished Xia Ruya and apologized to everyone. 
The owner heaved a sigh of relief and continued, "In order to express my apology, I'll be issuing a membership card to each and every one of you. The card will entitle you guys to a 70% discount on all your purchases from Boya Pavilion." 
Everyone got extremely agitated after hearing her words. Boya Pavilion was an antique business and there was a plethora of paintings, brushes, jade objects, zithers, chess boards, and gold jewelry, all of which were of superior quality. With the membership discount, they would be standing to gain a huge advantage.
Even Wen Xinya could not help but be amazed by her generosity.


Originally born from a wealthy family, she ends up leading a vagrant life for fifteen years. However, when she is eventually found by her family, she falls into another devious plot and eventually dies tragically. 

Fifteen years after her rebirth, ravenously raging for revenge, she tears down the hypocritical mask of the foster daughter who had taken her place, and reduces her greedy stepmother and stepsister back to their original sorry states. 

To the jerk's profession of his deep love for her, she only has one thing to say, "Get the hell out of my life. The love you speak of humiliates love!" 

Regardless of the appearances of you monsters, I’ll take in it my stride with my capability, building a business dynasty of my own, sitting in the depths of my riches, bathing in the glistening limelight of the world. 

A certain rich empire's CEO: "Don't mind me. I'm just leaving my mark here to declaring my possession rights; I’ll wait patiently for you to grow up!" The queen's mighty return with commercial warfare fully within her grasp, she navigates the power struggles with skill and verve. When it comes to scheming conspiracies, all she has to say is, "Who are you again? Don’t even bother!"

However, her boyfriend hesitated. "If we sign this petition, does it mean that we support Ye Xingling and no longer support Xia Yu?"
"Argh, don't care about these minute details!" The female audience was sanguine. "Do you want to stay here to listen to Xia Yu's song, which isn't good at all, or do you want to follow me to check out this big reveal?" 
"Of course I want to follow you to see the big reveal!" Her boyfriend was no longer torn. 
Thus, both of them walked out of the stadium together. 
Similarly, many in the audience were attracted by this piece of exciting news and were more interested to go out to see Ye Xingling be rid of her accusations than to remain here listening to Xia Yu's song. Very soon, the stadium was much emptier than before, and the originally packed stadium was visibly emptying out. 
The lightsticks became dimmer and dimmer, and the people fewer and fewer…
As Xia Yu was singing onstage, her heart and mind were no longer on the song. She did not know what had happened offstage. Why were so many people leaving? There was only less than half of the audience left, and even if all the remaining audience voted for her, she would still be really far off from that bitch Ye Xingling.
Was her singing that bad? No, that could not be. 
As she lost her focus, she accidentally sang off tune. 
"She sang off tune, she sang off tune!" There were jeers and boos offstage. 
She gave a start and tried to maintain her composure to bring the tune back to the right track. Yet, while she was able to right the tune of her song, after this mistake, more people started to leave. 
Darn it…
Darn it! Darn it! 
Xia Yu's heart was full of grievances. 
At this moment, it was much more crowded outside the stadium than inside. 
The black throngs of people stood looking at a high stage with a huge screen. On the screen, Xia Ling was exceedingly and beautifully singing "Meteor Wings" in a blue satin dress. Her fair skin, clean and defined features, and the slightly arrogant and distant expression on her face was as if she had an inborn charm that kept the audiences' eyes riveted on her. 
A row of letters was on the screen in an eye-catching font: Ye Xingling, I support you!
There was a rolling bullet screen being shown on the top of the screen, and on it were all kinds of signatures, slogans, and words from the audience.
Many that were looking up at the screen took out their phones and connected to the software for the bullet screen to leave their signatures as well. Not long later, the number of signatures broke the ten thousand mark. 
"Ten thousand! It reached ten thousand!" Someone staring intently at the count on the big screen shouted excitedly.
"The truth! We want to know the truth!" Many in the audience shouted out loudly. 
"Ye Xingling, we support you!"
"The time to prove your innocence is here!" 
Countless voices were like waves from the sea, echoing out under the night sky.
An insignificant Audi was parked along the road not too far away. 
In the car, Xia Ling was watching everything that was happening near the high stage, and there was audio tapping equipment that was broadcasting the sounds in the square clearly in the car. She finally understood what Li Lei meant by watching a good show. He was using this ingenious method to help her prove her innocence. She also understood why they were not sitting in the Lincoln limousine and were not sitting in the upgraded Jaguar that he would usually drive, but had chosen this black Audi — they were only able to watch quietly from the side in a discrete car such as this. 
"Guess who we found?" Li Lei smiled as he asked.
Xia Ling cocked her head slightly. "Hmm… an eyewitness?" 
She had just finished her sentence when a girl walked out onto the tall stage. The girl was dressed in a goose-yellow long dress, but because she was too far away, Xia Ling was unable to make out who she was and just felt that she looked familiar. 
Li Lei said, "You're right, an eyewitness." He reached out his slender fingers and pressed a button in the car. The small screen in the car lit up with a high definition image — the girl appeared and Xia Ling realized that she was Zhang Suxin. She was the only person that had heard their entire conversation that day when Xia Ling slapped Xia Yu.
"What is she doing here?" Xia Ling was very shocked.
"Zhang Suxin had long wanted to stop being Pei Ziheng's lover, but Pei Ziheng did not want to let her go." Li Lei said. "It was very simple. I sent someone to find her and tell her, if she is willing to step forward and be the eyewitness, I would send her and her family overseas, to a place where Pei Ziheng cannot reach her." 
"It's great to have money and power." Xia Ling remarked.
Li Lei was very happy. "Xiao Ling, do you like people with money and power? I have that! We can…"
"Dream on." 
And Li Lei was rejected again. 
In the front row, the driver that usually kept silent could barely keep in his laughter. Young Master, it's so rare that there's a girl you cannot succeed in charming, this is just too interesting. He continued listening to Miss Ye lecturing Young Master as he held in his laughter—
"There are tons of people around with money and power, is that all you have to impress a girl? How will you find real love like that?" 
"Yes, yes, yes, you're right." Li Lei nodded profusely and put on an expression that looked like he was listening to her lecture intently. "Then what do you suggest I do?" 
"You…" Xia Ling stopped herself mid-sentence. Why should she teach him how to chase girls? Why did she feel a little reluctant to teach him how to chase girls? 
Hence, Xia Xiao Ling simply arrogantly turned her head away and said, "Don't change the topic! We should first see what Zhang Suxin has to say." 
She forced herself to look away from that handsome face but did not know that the person beside her was carefully shifting nearer and nearer to her until they were so close that he could smell the natural sweet fragrance that she emitted. It was only here that he settled satisfied, and accompanied her as she watched Zhang Suxin's witness statement. 
On the tall stage, Zhang Suxin gathered up her courage and said, "I'm the third person in the photo from the news the other day."
The crowd erupted in chatter. 
Initially, when the news about "Ye Xingling" slapping Xia Yu emerged, there was indeed a photo that showed three people present. The identity of this third person had also been revealed early on by the prying and curious internet readers — Zhang Suxin, a small artiste that had recently joined Imperial Entertainment.
"It's her, I recognize her face. She's the real deal." Someone said. 
"Zhang Suxin, what do you have to say?" Many curious onlookers shouted out loud.
Zhang Suxin looked down at the crowd beneath her, took a deep breath, and said, "Ye Xingling did slap Xia Yu, but that was out of righteousness to help me, not because she was bullying the weak…"
Xia Ling gave a start upon hearing this statement. "Helping her out?" She clearly remembered that she had no intention to help Zhang Suxin at all, she had slapped Xia Yu simply because Xia Yu had insulted her. 
Li Lei laughed lazily. "Since Zhang Suxin is the only eyewitness, then she can say what she likes. Why shouldn't we get her to make you look even better? What's more, regardless of the motive, you slapped Xia Yu and that act is helping her get back at Xia Yu, isn't it?" 
Okay, Xia Ling had nothing to say. Big Boss was just too sly. 
On the tall stage, Zhang Suxin was giving a full account of her witness statement. Broadly, she said that she had offended Xia Yu and, resultantly, Xia Yu had instructed another actress to slap her many times during the filming as revenge. She could not take it anymore and begged Xia Yu to let her go when they were taking a break from filming, but Xia Yu only showered her with snide remarks and insults. Ye Xingling had walked by at this point and stepped forward in her defense. 
However, this only dragged Ye Xingling down with her and she had to hear many hateful comments from Xia Yu as well.
In addition, Xia Yu had also declared that she was going to make sure that Zhang Suxin was slapped until she had scars on her face that would not go away. In a fit of anger, Ye Xingling had slapped Xia Yu.
From the start to the end, Ye Xingling did not insult the former Diva Xia Ling at all. 


She died in her prime as the Queen of Song.

After being reincarnated, she becomes a simple trainee. 

Losing her former glory? It doesn't matter—no one can compete with her voice as a beautiful singer.

Mocked by her lowly birth? It doesn't matter—her true identity is enough to make the whole world tremble. 

She owes huge debts? It doesn't matter... 

A powerful boss once whispered to her, "Your debt will disappear if you become my woman." 

But the proud her would reply, "I'm sorry. I would sell my art, but not myself." 
———————————————— 
This is the story of the Queen of Song, return to the peak... and an overbearing chairman.

You might have read the comic, but here's the novel that it was adapted from!

A male diwata is coined as engkanto, but they are a totally different race. They are believed to be malevolent and physically attractive, having light-colored hair and fangs. They reside primarily near the sea or any body of water. It is customary for Filipino fishermen to offer meat and other delicacies to the engkanto by throwing them into the sea, after a day's bountiful catch.
Engkanto are environmental spirits. They are often associated with the spirits of ancestors in the Philippines. They are also characterized as spirit sorts like sirens, dark beings, diwata, and more. Belief in their existence has existed for centuries, and continues, with some, to this day.

Anito is used to refer to spirits, deceased ancestors, nature-spirits nymphs and diwatas. Ancient Filipinos kept statues to represent these spirits, ask guidance and magical protection.  Trees, rocks, ,bodies of water, and animals were believed to be animated by an anito.

During the last decade studying the Creatures of Philippine Mythology I have spent a profound amount of time pondering the spirit realm of the Engkanto.  The evolution of folkloric creatures almost always begins with the belief in these spirits.  Outside cultural influence,  historical events, and oral tradition then transform them into the physical descriptions that exist in Filipino folks tales.  Examples of this may be seen in my recent documentaries on the Tikbalang and Kapre.  I take issue with the notion that belief in these folk creatures is completely born of ignorance and superstition.  I think there is more to it, and I believe that science may be close to explaining why.

" Eyewitness testimony is the lowest form of evidence in science." – Neil Degrasse Tyson

When I discuss these topics, I am usually met with, "I've never seen one, so I don't believe they exist."  On the other hand, those who do believe in such beings are relying on an eye-witness testimony from a second, third, and even fourth party.  As Neil Degrasse Tyson  so eloquently said, " Eyewitness testimony is the lowest form of evidence in science."  Another hurdle is how us humans tend to immediately dismiss anything that falls within the communal gap in our knowledge.   Every day science is advancing in methods to see further in the universe and deeper into the microscopic world.  We are constantly discovering new ways to measure and calculate the unknown.  Is it possible that we simply don't yet have the scientific method to measure or detect Engkanto as an observational fact or predictable certainty?

Quantum mechanics is the science that explains the behaviour of matter and its interactions with energy on the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.  Dr. Stuart Hameroff and physicist Roger Penrose theorized that human consciousness comes from microtubules inside our brain cells responsible for quantum processing.  This could possibly be interpreted as our "soul" (what makes us who we are).  Hameroff and Penrose believe this is stored as "quantum information".  When people have near death experiences, or their 'soul leaves their body', it could be quantum information leaving their brain, causing a 'light at the end of the tunnel' experience.  They go on to theorize that this quantum information could live on after physical death.  Most animistic belief systems hold that the spirit survives physical death.  In today's day and age, with 100-240 volts of electricity running through our walls, cellular phones at our ear, Wi-Fi signals on every corner, and hundreds of years of religious dogma telling us what is "real",  is it beyond the realm of possibility that we have lost the ability to sense the unique energy (or quantum information) that represents the soul?

In physics, energy is a property of objects which can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms, but cannot be created or destroyed. Quantum energy teleportation is a hypothesis first put forward by Japanese physicist Masahiro Hotta of Tohoku University.  Protocols of the quantum teleportation transfer quantum information, but cannot teleport energy itself. There is a growing sense that the properties of the universe are best described not by the laws that govern matter but by the laws that govern information, which could lend itself to the theory that quantum information (the soul) lives on.

The folklores of Philippine Myths, Legends, and Superstitions. What are in their belief? What are the context of their belief? What are the truth and Lies? The punishments and blessings for forfeiting/accepting their superstitions by their saying are Major but what are really the scientific explanations? Can superstition outcome science in this myths and legends? Is their any witnesses of Their Myths and Legends? We are About to find out!

The anti mage hadn't made a fuss when Syryn informed him of the addition of a third passenger. As soon as they were on their way, the alchemist noticed how reticent Artemus was. 

"I'm sorry," Syryn said to the dark haired man who had barely spoken a word to him. He wasn't quite sure what the apology was for but it seemed like Artemus was unhappy and Syryn felt the need to say something. 

Bewildered onyx eyes turned to him. "What are you apologising for?" 

"I don't know. Have I done something wrong? You seem upset." 

Artemus sighed at himself, dark eyes flickering over briefly to the unnaturally silent Sebastian. "I've been preoccupied with something that came up this morning. You haven't done anything wrong, Syryn. Its my fault for making you think my bad mood was directed at you." 

"What came up this mornin'?" Sebastian piped in. The two men exchanged a look that was charged with animosity. 

"Mage hunter business," came Artemus' cold reply. 

"Are ya sure it's nothin' I can't find out by askin' your Sanguine friends?" Sebastian's tone was challenging but a lazy smirk diluted the challenge in his tone making sound more like the mage was teasing Artemus. 

"Go ahead and bug another Sanguine then," Artemus told Sebastian in the world's most monotone voice.

Syryn watched the smirk on Sebastian's face slowly become thoughtful. 

"Artemus, how about we exchange some information? I know you stuck up bastards are lookin' for a break in the case of Rum district's dead mages." 

The mention of Rum district turned Artemus' attention back onto Sebastian. The anti mage's focus was whip like. 

"What do you know about it?" 

"I'll tell you if you agree to spill the mage hunter secret that's got you so bothered." 

Artemus stared at Sebastian like he was wondering if talking to the mage was worth the knowledge he would recieve. "If it's information that we already know, I'm not telling you anything." 

Syryn closed his eyes and listened to the sound of wheels on dirt road. He was oddly tired and had a headache that felt like a cold hand placed over his brain. 

"Fine by me. So where do I begin?" 

Syryn answered him, "from the part where we were at the bar. Artemus has a right to know how drunk we were when we met the tentacled ghost."

The anti mage angled his head and frowned as if attempting to make sense of what Syryn had just said. 

"Okay, so last night, Syryn and I were out drinkin' and we decided to swing by the Rum district for a quick top up of food." 

That wasn't the truth but Syryn let the mage say whatever he wanted. 

"And waddya know? We were waylaid by a shadowy figure askin' for help. I could tell that it wasn't a human because the thing wasn't movin' at all. And I had the strangest notion that it's voice was speaking directly inside my head, which it was by the way." Sebastian tapped his temple and recalled the sensation of it. It was the first thing that had clued the mage in on the abnormality of their attacker. 

Syryn's eyes sprung open with realisation. That was exactly what had been bothering him about the creature's voice. It was unnaturally clear - like glass without a single imperfection. And he had been hearing it inside his head! The fact that Sebastian caught that under the influence of so much alcohol - the alchemist wondered again if Sebastian's drunkenness had just been an act. If he hadn't seen the mage throw back several mugs of hard liquor, Syryn would have been hard pressed to believe that Sebastian had indeed been intoxicated. 

Artemus now appeared invested in the mage's tale if his focused gaze was anything to go by. "Syryn, is Sebastian's recollection so far in line with your own experience?" For a brief moment, two pairs of eyes were on him. 

"Yes, I could tell back then that there was something bothering me about the voice." He looked at sandy haired mage with begrudging respect, "and until Sebastian clarified it for me, I was still unaware as to why the voice seemed odd." 

The anti mage nodded and turned back to Sebastian as if asking him to continue. After all the unfriendly looks that had been exchanged between them, it was refreshing to see that professionalism was prioritised by both parties when it really came down to business.

"I walked over to the dark figure and just for a moment, I saw somethin' behind it. Sometimes, your instincts just know when yer about to get hurt real bad. I reacted immediately with aggression because predators don't really expect their prey to go on offense when they should be runnin' right? I took down the shadowy figure and chased after the entity that had been waitin' ta jump at me." 

"You took it down how?" Artemus had by this point taken out a quill and a blank sheet of parchment. Syryn knew that the anti mage had excellent memory that clamped down on information like steel traps. He figured that the anti mage was making a witness statement that would be handed over to the organisation. 

"I used a minor explosion spell." 

Artemus scribbled on his parchment, "Describe the condition of the shadowy figure after it exploded." 

Sebastian continued to explain the events that took place after that, and when he reached the part where it went through the wall, Artemus' quill stopped scratching. The quiet that it left felt like a finger pointing accusingly at the mage. 

"It went through the wall?" Disbelief colored his question. 

"And it looked like a squid. I saw its form right before it did the wall trick." Sebastian seemed to be in a hurry to get over with that part of his story. 

The anti mage placed the writing items on his lap and studied Sebastian with an appraising gaze. The seconds turned to minutes and Syryn was convinced that Artemus would roll his parchment into a ball and fling it out of the carriage with the mage. 

"A squid," he spoke again after a moment of silence. "Sebastian, can I at least assume that you'd had a dose of Untox prior to seeing the squid? Because if you're telling me that you were still intoxicated when you saw the squid, I'll have you know that this cannot be handed in as reliable eyewitness testimony." 

It was just as they'd expected so the mage shrugged at the unimpressed Artemus. "Had the Untox in my pocket. Didn't take one though." 

"I believe Sebastian's story," Syryn offered. "After he started attacking the thing, Sebastian seemed very sober. I can tell the difference between a drunk and someone clear headed." 

"And did YOU take an Untox, Syryn? Or were you making these observations under the influence of alcohol? How many drinks did each of you consume last night?" Dark eyes were assessing them both with unnerving sharpness. 

"I can drink an entire barrel of Demon's Kiss and it'll all be gone from my system within half an hour." Syryn raised his brows at Artemus willing for the anti mage to understand what his demonic metabolism was capable of. 

The anti mage made no reply after staring at Syryn with what looked like a mother's judgemental glare. How do you know that? Did you actually drink an entire barrel of liquor? Were the thoughts that Syryn figured were running in Artemus' head.  

To Syryn's relief, the anti mage turned back to Sebastian. "I want to believe you. There are some unexplainable circumstances surrounding these deaths and the higher ups are pressuring for an answer." 

Artemus then looked back down at the written lines that had been paused mid sentence. "But eyewitness identification is vulnerable to distortion. Humans are naturally biased. We notice and exaggerate some experiences while we minimize or overlook others." 

"What do ya think I gain by lying and makin' shit up, Artemus?" 

"I didn't say you were lying or making shit up," the anti mage shot back calmly. "As absurd as it sounds, I am willing to accept that something strange happened with the two of you last night. However, you were intoxicated and that throws out any credibility you have as an eyewitness." 

"An eyewitness? As in one eyewitness? So you're willin' to believe S'ryn over here but not me?" Sebastian didn't look as agitated as he sounded. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Artemus was was conducting a civil conversation with him. 

"I didn't say that either." 

"Can I just finish my story so we can get this over with? You still have to hold up your end of the bargain, Artemus." 

"Of course." 

Sebastian narrated the rest of it to the anti mage who began writing again. He listened intently and asked questions despite what he had said about their unreliability as eyewitnesses. 

"And the black liquid was gone, you say? Like it was never there? like nothing had happened?" The narrowed eyes, his flat expression, and the unimpressed tone did it for Syryn. The younger mage snorted. 

"We'll sort this out ourself since the mage hunters won't accept the testimonies of drunk people. Why don't you tell us what happened this morning then, mu-mu?" Syryn had taken to calling him by Luci's coined nick name just because it annoyed Artemus. 

"I told you never to call me that."

"But you let Luci call you that!" 

"And he's 11 years old, Syryn. Have we stooped to comparing ourselves with children?" Syryn was not winning this one. 

"Can you just get to what happened this morning?" Sebastian cut in with impatience. The mage had a feeling it was a juicy piece of news because Artemus wasn't one to get rattled so easily. The anti mage had been a bundle of nerves and barely restrained fury when he had darkened Sebastian's door in the morning. 

Syryn crossed his feet and reclined against the soft material of their seat. They were already half way across the distance that separated Sebastian's home from Syryn's. He was certain that if they reached home before Artemus could begin his account, the anti mage would just dump them and leave without giving anything up. 

"There was an incident. We recieved reports of it early this morning but the inquester at the site believes that the incident took place approximately twenty to twenty three hours ago." 

He had said inquester. Both mages understood now that dead bodies were involved. 

"A few guards doing their morning rounds found a caravan that had stopped to set up camp next to the traveller's road. When the guards entered the campsite, they saw that it was completely deserted. They checked the tents but those too were empty. The guards were spooked and it wasn't just because they couldn't find anyone. They saw abandoned plates and bowls of food strewn around, left untouched like the travellers had escaped in a hurry from something. We're talking about well armed travellers whose items indicated their ability to defend themselves." 

"Where did this happen again?" Sebastian asked. 

"East of Lady May's peak. That's just about a day's travel from Elysium. A messenger bird was immediately dispatched with news about the missing travellers. The guards then began exploring the area looking for any signs of the travellers but when they found them, they got more than they had bargained for. 16 dead bodies in total were found." 

Sebastian grimaced but he knew there was more to it. Artemus was a mage hunter and had seen more dead bodies than a cemetery. "Don't skip the details, A-mu." 

The nickname caught both of them off guard and Artemus glared at the mage. "You do not have clearance to hear about the details." 

"Fer cryin' out loud, if those guards haven't already blabbered about it to the their friends and families then I'll change my surname to yours. Just tell us so Syryn and I don't have to travel to the drinking den closest to Lady May's peak." 

Artemus sighed and the mage knew he had won. 

"Ten naked bodies were found hanging from the trees and they all bore evidence of unspeakable torture and mutilation." Syryn wondered just what type of curse would emerge at the site if left to its devices. 

"The other six bodies were found scattered in different parts of the forest like they had been running away only to die during escape. No external wounds were found on the bodies but they were decomposed beyond their natural rate. It was as if they'd died a week ago." Artemus' face was set in grim lines. The incident was as horrifying as it was puzzling. 

"Maybe the guards had just stumbled upon different crime scenes and assumed they were all perpetrated by the same killers?" Syryn suggested. 

"Maybe. We'll know once they indentify the travellers. There's still one thing that ties both scenes to each other. Carrion birds should have already been on a feeding frenzy but it wasn't the case. Not a single bird nor bug was found feeding on the corpses. I'm no expert on scavenger behaviour but even I know that it's abnormal and unnatural." 

Syryn could think of a few reasons why carrion eaters would avoid a dead body but he wanted to wait for more details on the bodies before he could voice an opinion. He pitied the inquesters who would be burdened with cutting open the bloating corpses. It was never fun working with corpses that were more than a day old.

"Is there anyway that I can assist with the investigation?" Syryn asked. If he was being honest, it wasn't that Syryn was doing it out of goodwill or a desire to see justice. The alchemist wanted to satiate his curiosity and scratch the itch that had appeared when carrion birds were mentioned. 

"I'll see what can be done. Don't raise your hopes though. You're an uncertified alchemist at best and a quack at worst." The amused smile hanging onto the anti mage's lips lessened the blow that he had thrown at Syryn. "Don't forget, you also have to help him find an absconding glowing squid." 

The him that Artemus spoke about was entrenched in his own ruminations. Sebastian had travelled extensively, faced countless terrors, monsters, and situations that would have made a grown man cry in fear. What he hated most was the unseen monster that disappeared so neatly after killing. Sebastian needed a body to aim at, to direct his magic towards, to obliterate into blood and meat, but both the incidents were carried out by perpetrators that were slippery.



"Thanks for the ride," Syryn told the anti mage after dis-embarking at the manor gate. "Will you be visiting the crime scene?" 

"Yes. My colleagues are already on their way there to secure the area. I'll be leaving soon as well. Take care of yourself Syryn." 

"What about your potion? It'll be ready in two days." 

"I'll come for it myself. I still have the other palliative potions you gave me so I'll be fine for now." 

"Alright. See ya mu-mu." 

The door slammed shut in Syryn's face. A cloud of dust was kicked up as the hounds took off faster than they'd ever had. The alchemist's smile faded and he wondered just what had happened this time round? In his previous life, Syryn had lived the life of a sheltered demon, unaware of what was happening in the world. But surely, Traxdart would have told him if there was a glowing squid like creature found to be snatching mages off the streets? It would have made the news everywhere. Maybe it had hadn't been caught in his old timeline, maybe the squid had been kept a secret, maybe Sebastian had seen wrong.

"S'ryn, let's get inside." Sebastian was already heading towards the manor. 

Syryn had to go back to the Rum district. He had to find the creature and kill it. It seemed the only way to calm the restlessness that stemmed from his coming face to face with an anomaly that shouldn't have existed. 


When Demon Lord, Syryn Nigh'hart, found that he had gone back in time and turned into his child self, he had assumed to do better with his second life - commit smaller crimes, keep away from burning villages and inciting other demons, contribute to society, abide by most laws, you know? But then the hero, his old friend, had to fall in love with him and ruin his plans. 

"Goddess, I cannot take responsibility for your champion, Rowan Windwalker, getting bent. Please don't strike me down!"


#Trigger warning for mentions of child abuse #World building #Demon Lord (shou/uke) is a shameless FLIRT#The Hero(gong/seme) is an extremely patient man for putting up with the demon lord's nonsense #y'all this shit gay so don't go walking in expecting it to not have men sucking di- faces! I meant faces #Reformed and immature demon lord (but he's nice now okay. He isn't a psycho.) # MULTIPLE POTENTIAL LOVE INTERESTS #Slow Romance#Slow like you have to wait for around 40 chapters before it starts #Patience is needed#english is neither my first nor second language so bear with me#The cat is not the ML pls don't ask about the cat ಥ‿ಥ some of you are getting the wrong idea.#If You're commenting under the chapters, avoid using these words (harem, BL, porn, sex, lmao, sh*t, b*tch) that webnovel is blocking even though my book is rated 17+ 

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Disclaimer: Cover art belongs to the original artists. If you're the artist, please let me know so I can credit/take down the image.

And for the love of God, do not read my other novel. It's thrash and I'm putting it in quarantine.

In a certain warehouse. 

A group of guys sit around a table playing poker, the warehouse is filled to the brim with Narcotics of various kinds. "When are they supposed to arrive again?"  one of the guys playing questioned another, the guy took a glance at his watch " they should be here in a few minutes, now quit your whining and play already daddy needs a new bike." his words causing them to laugh. 


The lights suddenly go out causing them to go  silent " what was that? " "probably a fault or something.... Johnny go check it out." Johnny tried to protest " why me? " " cause I said so, now get. " Johnny finally got up and went out to check what was going on. The men continued talking when they heard a muffled sound, a bang, a groan then silence. 



All the men became alert, " Johnny! Johnny that you?" there was no answer. Every man grabbed their guns ready for anything they aimed their guns and all was silent. *whoosh * a sound was heard followed by a scream of one of their own "Aaaaarhhh" that was the last straw all their guns began spitting fire tongues but that did nothing to slow whatever was there . 


It picked them out one by one, all they could here was the screams of their comrades. Fear gripped each and everyone of them like a blanket, like a wise man once fear of the unknown is mankind's greatest fear. After a minute it was down to one man who had managed to leave the warehouse he ran until he saw a truck he recognised. 


The truck was the one they were waiting for but what made his heart skip a beat was the two inside where knocked out, before he could run he was pulled up by something and slammed on the top of the truck. The pain went from his back to his entire body causing him to groan, he tried to get up only to have a foot slammed on his throat. He looked up to see his assailant only to see a demon.... a bat demon to be precise, it had pointy ears like a bat with a bat symbol on its chest. The man could not find any other word to describe what was before him, he did not dare to believe the thing before him was human, then he heard it's voice and he knew he was right.


A demonic deep voice came from the assailant, the voice was cold without the slightest trace of emotion and it served to increase his fear all the more..... " who do you work for?" the demon asked but he didn't answer, the demon seeing this increased the pressure on his neck and spoke once more " I'm only going to ask this once more, who.do. you.work.for?" at this point the fear overwhelmed his feeble defences.



"Okay Okay it's Antoine, he pays us, all I do is protect the warehouse. I swear that's all I know man please don't kill me please I'm begging you." The demon remained silent then flipped him again on the truck then came up to him " if I see you around again. I'll break the other one " its words confused him until it slammed his foot unto his right arm shattering his bone causing him to scream....he looked around only to realise the demon was gone.


Underneath the king Manor in the batcave. 

Sebastian was sitting before the computer when he spoke up "how was your night master Jeffery?"  behind him a man appeared from the shadows dressed in a bat costume. the man took down his cowl to reveal he was none other than Jeffery King " eventful."



At the Warehouse. 

Police squads have sealed the place and ate taking evidence at this time a detective walks in "Oi Stacy over here!" the detected walks over to his partner " what have we got?" he asks as he looks around " gang bangers all knocked out apparently they were storing a ton of narcotics... and by the looks of the truck outside I'll say today was moving day ", the detective takes at look at the truck " what happened? ".


"Now that's were it gets interesting George, none of the other guys saw what did it but the only eyewitness claims it was a demon, a bat demon.", George raises a brow at that " a bat demon?seriously Matt. " he then turns to look at the eyewitness who definitely looked as though he saw the devil. 


"There is no such thing."

a young avid Dc fan gets paid a visit from truck kun then wakes up as a kid in a rich family all is normal until he discovers his family is friends with the Starks and Captain America is real.

follow his adventure as he tries his best to survive in a world of heroes and villains and have fun along the way. 

this is my second fan fic I learnt a lot from my first one and I'm going to hope this goes better than the last.


to support me go to https://ko-fi.com/flowinglightning

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