Chapter Sixteen - Just a Dream!!!

It was dawn, silence all over, An Alarm bell rings...
"Essel, wake up or you will be late for your college today....", shouts Essel's mom.
Essel opens his eyes, shocked yet amazed, " Where am I? How the hell am I here? I was....", he paused, got up to fetch his clothes, still thinking hard about the incidents. He rushed towards the Calender, it was 10th of November, just a day after the day on which that Railway station incident took place!
"Was that all..... Just a Dream?"

He picks up his towel, his clothes no goes for the bath. His chest was still in pain, but how could that be? He probably didn't get any injuries in the past few days.
"Maybe I injured myself when I was asleep.", Essel explains himself, but was himself not convinced.
He went on to the dining table to have his breakfast. His mom was serving him his milk and fruits.
"Hey mom..."
"Yeah son..."
"...Ummm... Did I go to college yesterday?"
"Ohh yes you did Essel, No don't tell me that you have started forgetting things."
"Ohh Ummm... Yeah... I was just asking to confirm that you knew it or not..."
"Now don't play mind games on me, just have your breakfast, you're gettin late."
"Hmmm"
Essel avoided the thought had his breakfast and went on to his college. Still confused about the incidents that took place, do they originally belong to his dreams or is there something more to it?

The next few days went on normally, Essel was busy with the preparation for his Final Examinations. But this thought of that dream would frequently disturb his thoughts, "I felt the pain, I felt the work I did, I felt the training I went through... was all that actually my dream?... this couldn't be...", but he could do nothing more than confusing himself. "Ahh, Come on Essel, lets get on with these Exams first...." Essel talks to himself.
The Exams started, he had prepared well enough to score something better than the average, well thats what he could do with so much disturbances that he had created for himself with his imagination and thoughts.

It was his last Exam. He comes out from his examination room with his as usual silly and a blank face. As soon as he was out he say his group of friends standing nearby, he went on to have a talk. And the topic of discussion was, as usual, to none of his surprise, it was the exam that they had took right nw.

Ash - Hey i just answered that Question 1(b), it was an easier one than the (a) part, and the answer was somewhat close to 2.14357...

Shanky - Ohh yeah, that was an easy one but Buddy my answer came out to be 2.1535, I guess it's not something that woudl loose me some marks. Anyways how was your paper Muck?

Muck was standing as idle as ever, he had nothing to talk about on this topic, Studying was not his piece of cake. He then respoded bluntly, "Yeah it was good, I hope I would pass..."

Shanky - And you Essel?

Essel - It was good. Got it done.... I guess. Anyways, who's hungry? Lets have something to eat.

And they all went on towards the Cafetaria. And thats how the conversation ended.

Essel's back, the Winter Break had started, had nothing much to do, so was just busy chilling out. He then suddenly realised, "What if my dream was true? The Ninja said he would kill Amanda after me. And then Kuru!!! What the hell.... What should I do?", he was worried about his friends, "I should call Amanda.."

He picks up his phone, and calls Amanda, but no one picks it up. "Come On Amanda, pick up the phone." says Essel worriedly, but there's no answer. He keeps on trying till late at night. Suddenly he hears something on his window. Essel was now afraid, he had no clue as to what was waiting for him in th next moment. He gathered his wits and opened the window to see the source of that sound, but as soon as he opened the door, a dark figure jumped into his room. Essel turned around to see him.
"Hey Essel, Where were you?"
It was Kuru.
"Ahhh Kuru!! I am so relieved to see you here..."
"Me too Essel" continues Kuru, "Now tell me, where have you been on the 9th of November? We couldn't even trace you over the entire globe! where have you been?"
"Hmm, so that was not a Dream... Ohh Crap..." Shouts Essel
"What?" Kuru responds anxiously
"I have to call Amanda. I hope she's not..." And then Essel's Phone rings. Essels picks it up.
"Hello"
"Hey Essel, how are you? Sorry I was out and my phone was kept in my room."
"Ohh Shut up Amanda... You almost gave me a heart attack..."
"Why what happened?"

And Essel tells the whole story to Amanda, and Kuru listening along....

So it was not a dream....




This incident was not a Dream!!! It means it's Ninja roaming around to hunt down Essel and his friends. But why didn't he attack Essel's friends till now? Who is his master? What about Essel's training? What's the mystery behind Xenith? How was Essel back home?
Answers to unfold in the following chapters. This time it wont be too long...

Chapter Fifteen - The Training continues

“So here you go Essel, 5 days have passed, but finally we are done with your physical training”


“Oh yeah, finally” Replies Essel, “But we have no time to rest, let’s start with the Main training, the one related to my super-powers”

“Yeah yeah, fine. But let me rest for a while.”

“But we have no time, just start it Xenith. You very well know that.”

“Hmm.... Okay. Let’s do this. Now follow me.” said Xenith

Saying this, Xenith starts moving towards a place, that’s near the bank of the lake, completely plain, surrounded by heavy, big rocks from every direction.

“I could see this boy’s determination now. I hope the time that’s left with us is enough for his training to complete.” thinks Xenith.

“Now what?” asks Essel.

“Let’s have a conversation first” replies Xenith.

“What kinda conversation?”

“Just tell me, what do you know about teleportation?”

“Umm, well it’s when we move from one place to another in a very negligible time, yeah, that’s what teleportation is. Right?”

“Somewhat. Actually it’s the movement between different time frames along with your location. That is, when you travel to another place by teleporting, you first of all move to a different time frame in which you travel, and when you destination is reached, you move back to your original time frame. That’s what you do. The body of the teleporters is not bounded by the time frame. You could move from any time-frame to any time-frame.”

“Awesome man!!! That’s exactly how the super-heroes are like.”

“But yeah, unlike your so called ‘super-heroes’, it takes a huge toll of your spirit energy to use these teleportation techniques. It’s not that you could keep on teleporting your whole life continuously without any strain on your body.”

“Ohkay....”

“So what we were doing till now, was to increase your spirit energy, now we will try to channelize it, so that you are able to use it. So lets start with the normal teleportation technique.”

“Okay. Great. Show me how to do it.”

“So what you have to do is. Just think about a location in you mind that you wish to go. Visualize every bit of the detail of that location. Then just simply try to make your mind jump to that location. Here, let me show you...”

And then Xenith teleports himself to the other side of the lake. And then returns back.

“Now you try it”

“O, Ohkay....” Essel doubtfully replies.

He then closes his eyes, concentrating very hard about the other side of the lake, every minute detail about it, n when he’s done. He pushes himself forward, that was something like a forceful but a small jump. He then opens his eyes. He finds himself at the same place where he was standing. Nothing had happened. He looks towards Xenith, the Xenith staring at him, encouraging him to try it again. He again does the same, but nothing happens yet again.

“I can’t do it”

“Oh yes, you can. It’s a bit difficult, but, have faith on yourself.”

Essel tries again and again and again, but still this hard-work is of no use. He still keeps on trying for the whole day. But there is no improvement. It was now dark. Essel was still trying hard to get it.

“That’s it for today Essel. Come on here, Have something to eat.” Calls Xenith.

“Oh yeah, Just let me try it one more time.” Replies Essel.

Essel has completely exhausted himself, he is irritated, yet determined.

“I have no choice. I have to do it.” He shouts.

He again closes his eyes. Thinking about the other side of lake, along with it, are the thoughts about saving his family and friends, about the failures he had faced till now, about the trust that the Xenith had shown on him along with kuru and others, who have always faced disappointment as he had not been able to come over their expectations. Everything piling up in his head. He’s even more irritated on himself.

That’s exactly when something strange happens. Essel’s body is shining like gold. Xenith hears a sound of something like a blast. He rushes to see what had happened. There are thousands of Essel around him, each shining bright. And then they suddenly started vanishing. In just a second, everything was over, Essel was lying on ground, unconscious. Xenith rushes to see him.

“Essel? Essel? Essel wake up. Wake up.....”

And the darkness completely falls.

 

Chapter Fourteen Continued....

*Continued from the Previous Chapter



The part of Xenith that looked the same as Venn, The great Prince of Xenobia, was now in front of Essel. The Questions in Essel's mind about him still being alive and the place he had been brought to were answered. Still he had many questions running in his mind. But he didn't knew how and when to ask the same. "So this Xenith has thoughts and a mind of Venn" thinks Essel, "Also, he has been in this world from the day 'The Xenith' must have been created. That means he should have answers to all my questions.."

"Ohkay Essel, Lets start with some basic exercises to increase you stamina first of all." calls Xenith.

"But you should train me with my super-powers, not with this stamina and stuff." replies Essel, still thinking that this guy was really helping him with his powers or was just mocking around.

"I dont want to say that to you Essel, but you are not in a state to use any kind of spirit straining exercise. It will take some time to regain your spiritual energy, till then, we will take make your body increase your spiritual power at better rate...." Xenith Explains.

"Hmmm...." Essel is a bit influenced by the knowledge that the Xenith had. But is till thinking to have trust on him or not. He is feeling lonely, missing his family and his friends. But he had no choice. It was his last chance to get to know his powers. He had to protect everyone he loved and cared of. This thought had made a great pressure on him. He, being a person far away from fighting, a geeky person, now had no other option other than to fight for his loved ones.

Xenith could read this burden of responsibilty from Essel's face, "Moreover, It would make you get in shape, u are bulky person and you need some exercise for sure."

"What Do You Mean? I am not that FAT, am I????" Cheers Essel. And they both start laughing.

After some moments of laughter and cheer, they both get ready for the training to start. The first task being to have One round across the two hills in two opposite directions. Essel knew it was next to impossible from him to complete it in one go, but still he decides to try for it. After running about 200 metres, with full speed, he simply just goes down. He gets up yet again and runs for another 200 metres and then its his time for rest.
"What the hell, I am gettin nowhere close to the First hill, How am I supposed to complete the round of these two hills???"
"It's all about Determination boy. You just need to try and have faith on yourself." Shouts Xenith from behind.
"Yeah OKAY OKAY, I am trying." Essel again gets up and runs another few hundred metres and finally reaches the hill. And then came the difficult part, he had to climb up the hill.
"Now What, I dont have much energy to climb." Shouts towards Xenith.
"You have to do it. No other option. Just think about the target, not about the climb." Xenith replies in a firm tone.
"Well, lets do this. Think about the target, not about the climb." Essel starts climbing.
"Think about the target, not about the climb. Think about the target, not about the climb." He kept on reciting and continued to climb. And soon he reached the top without much problem. From the top he could see the complete place, full of greenery, and this greenery merging into the horizon with the blue sky. The colorful flowers covering some part of this greenery at some places. The lake, beautiful blue in colour reflecting the sunlight. All this made Essel Cheer for a while.
Someone patted on his back, he turned around, It was xenith.
"That's How life is, You just need to have a target and should work for it. You will always have to face some hurdles in your way. But the thing is to fight the hurdles for your target. And you never know what else could be in store for you, along with the target that you achieve."
These lines made an impact on Essel. He could now understand every bit of it. All of this had finally made Essel have faith on Xenith.
"Thanks." Said Essel.
"For What?"
"For saving me from the ninja and now helping me know my powers."
"Oh Come on, I had no other option other than to save you. You and me are the same. I am a part of your spirit now. You live, I live. Understand."
"Oh Okay. But still thanks."
"Hmmm..."
"Hey, but how are you part of my soul?" Asks Essel, excitedly.
"Ohh Yeah, I should tell you that." Responds Xenith "The time you touched me, I was absorbed into your body and took my desired place in it. Gradually I started linking with your spirit and thats when you were able to feel my powers. Now by the time you live, I would live on. When you will start ageing my bonding with you would start loosening and when you will die, I will have to saperate from you. And will be sealed till the time I get another rightful owner for me. Thats how it is."
"Hmmm, Okay. But I just have a part of Xenith. Another is with Amanda. So, are you the same for both of us?" Comes another Question from Essel.
"Not Exactly, The part you have, thats me, shared place with Prince Venn. So actually, I am his part and
you could call me Venn's Xenith or Your own Xenith to be appropriate."
"Okay. Understood."
"So I guess it's time to continue the training...."
"Yeah sure."

And the training starts yet again. Essel still working hard to recover his spirit energy.





But will the time of 10 days be enough. Answer to be unfolded in the next chapter.

Xenome Season 2

Heya Friends,


I hope you all remember this Blog/Story 'Xenome'. I know it has been a while since I last updated the story. And I guess you can understand my condition, as of me being an Engineering Student and That too a Careless One, has to deal with MANY other problems. And yeah ofcourse, it takes some time to make some new chapters without degrading the Story-line (I guess the story is not 'that bad' that its degradation is not possible :P).
Explainations Over Now. Now here I am, Willing to continue the Story in these Holidays. Hoping to get almost 6 chapters ready n published by the end of my vacations. All I need from YOU is a little bit of support and appreciation.
N yeah, I know you all must have forgotten the story. Am doing nothin for that, Read the whole plot Once again...... JUST KIDDIN. ;)
After The next chap thats the 2nd part of chap 14, Will be releasin a Chapter, Chapter-15 In which I would try to cover almost the whole story, N mind you, It would be a flashback sorta thing so DONT think that it wont have something new. :P

NOW WISH ME LUCK!!!!
HAPPY READING!!!

Chapter Fourteen - Where Am I?

The Spear had pierced through Essel's Chest. Essel was in mid-air falling backwards. The Pain was agonizing and something that Essel had never felt before. Darkness fell over him, his eyes were gradually closing.

"Haha, You thought you could kill me you pest. You are done kid." said the ninja, laughing, proud of his work that at last he had killed Essel. The work assigned to him was now complete.

Essel had flown away with the intensity of that attack, that his body fell below that two storey high Platform, straight to the ground. The Ninja left the place, leaving Essel's body on the road, thinking to mock this kill as an accident in which this boy had fell off the platform.

Essel Opens his eyes and finds himself in a very different place. It's a forest, tall trees surrounding him, the sunshine piercing through the clouds from behind the Mountains, a huge lake in front of him with water, blue in colour, that must be due to excess of minerals in it. But... He was alone. He could see no other Human.

" What is this place? Is this Heaven? Am I Dead?" Exclaimed Essel. He then looked around, paused for a few minutes and then answered himself, " Of course I am Dead, that spear pierced through me, this must be the after-life." Essel then stood up to have a check at this new place and As he stood, he realized that he was still weak to walk. " I thought there is nothing like weakness once we are Dead! I guess, not everything is correctly known to us about the after-life....... But what about my parents? What will they be told? & What about Amanda and Kuru? He'll kill them." After some thinking about this topic, He again lays down on the ground concluding that He couldn't do anything to help them now. Soon Darkness falls and He again goes to sleep.

Essel is asleep when he suddenly hears the crunching of the grass. Someone was outside and was approaching Essel. Essel was frightened out of his wits as there was no one who could him get rid of any kind of Danger.

"Who's there?" He shouted. But there was no reply. He then heard a sound as if someone was lighting up a match-stick. Essel stood still, waiting for the suspense to disclose. That human-like figure approaches Essel steadily, Essel was still trying to figure out the person. And then the manly voice responds, " Essel, is that you? It must be you. Am I right?" 

He was no stranger, instead he was someone who knew Essel. "Oh Yes, I am Essel. But who are you?"

"Don't you remember me? Oh this match-stick, this doesn't provide you much light that could make you recognize someone. Here, help me make a camp-fire." The person lights up the Camp-fire, and Essel could now see the face of the person. Essel is shocked to see that person. " Where am I?" Exclaims Essel. It was Venn in front of him, the great prince Venn of Xenobia, the planet from where the Xenith came from.

" Where am I Exactly Sir?"

" It is a place, where you haven't been before."

"Oh, so people of every planet have the same heaven. Yeah ofcourse, there is no need to have different places over here when we are Dead."

"No it's not Heaven. And you are not Dead. It's somewhere else."

" Do you mean Xenobia? Or is it somewhere here on Earth? And how am I alive? I was attacked by that Ninja. And my injuries, they are all gone!!! What exactly is going on over here?"

"When that spear had pierced through you, I somehow managed to make you teleport from there to this place."

"But what is this place?" questioned Essel.

"It's a bit complicated though, but Lets try to make you understand.

Our whole world consists of many dimensions, and the world in a different dimension than ours is called a parallel universe. What your powers do is, it makes you travel through the parallel universe and thus allowing you to travel from one place to another place of same universe in a negligible amount of time. I just made you travel to the place which could be called a junction between the two universe. This place is called the 'Precipice World'. "

"But why did you bring me here? N How could you? I mean Venn's Dead, So how did you come to help me?"

" I am NOT Venn. I am the Part of Xenith that's inside you. I have his thoughts and presence because I am the part of Xentih that was the source of his power. And i brought you here for two reasons.

Firstly, to protect you from the Ninja. If I had been a bit late, than it could have pierced through your heart, It had just pierced through your flesh by the time I rescued you.

Secondly, to train you, to use your powers. N yeah, I used you spirit energy to heal your wounds so you must be feeling a bit weak."

"Thank you for helping but I have my Exam Day after tomorrow. We can train later."

"No you have to train over here with me from now on. And don't worry about your exam. This Precipice World has a time density of approximately 10 times that of your world. It means that 1 Day in your world is equal to 10 days of this world. But we could train you for just 7 days because your spirit energy is less now and this time density could shatter your soul once you loose the requisite energy for this world."

"WHAT THE HELL !!!! It means I will Die. Oh no, that shouldn't be the case. What if i loose the requisite minimum before the time YOU predicted."

"Don't worry I'll keep a check on it."

"You are just freaking me out. Seriously."

"But thats the only time you could learn to control your powers."

Essel thinks Hard about it, and he knows he wont get that chance again, and then comes his Answer,

"Lets Do It"




* This chapter is still incomplete and will be completed soon. You will be updated about the same on 'Xenome' Page.

MANGA 004

HERE IS THE END OF THIS STORY WHICH SHOWS HOW, YET AGAIN,  LOVE PROVES ITS STRENGTH OVER EVIL. SO FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS FOR THE FINAL LEG OF THIS STORY ..........



CHAPTER 4 : A DREAM

Cloud and Sayuri were now using every moment that they could, to pretend that they were a couple now, in front of Essel and this was making him mad like hell. Though, Cloud was pretty happy with his plan so far as Essel was reacting as he was expected to. Cloud also noticed that whenever Essel envied the sight of Cloud and Sayuri spending time together, lovingly, as they were pretending, his tattoo would start fading but it then it would get reformed after he regained his balance. Finally one day, Essel just couldn't hold his patience and decided to approach the two personally .

Essel(sounding dizzy) :"Why did you do this to me, Sayuri ? I love you !"
Sayuri : "Essel, I think your love for power is much more than your love for me . "
Essel(losing balance) : "No, i still value you more than anything else (a sudden red glow in his eyes, face fuming with anger) ssshhhh ...get away from me you witch!! "
Cloud : "Kiss him now Sayuri, his evil side is making him dizzy and he is losing his memory!!"

Sayuri got hold of him by his wrist and planted her rosy lips against his, they kissed like never before. She noticed that the Xenome tattoo on his wrist was fading away but it was giving him so much agony that he was trembling. So she hugged him harder and kissed him, now more passionately. Finally, they both experienced a jerk which pushed them apart, but the tattoo was nowhere to be seen and Essel was returned to his original self again. Sayuri planted a peck on the nape of his neck and hugged him, this moment made Essel cry. He thanked both his friends for helping him come out of this state and apologized for all the blunders that he committed all this while.

(THAT DAY WHEN ESSEL SLEPT AT NIGHT HE GOT ANOTHER DREAM .)

SOMETHING UNUSUAL HAPPENED WHEN OMARIN AND NAPROS WERE FIGHTING ,WHEN THEY TOOK TARGET AT EACH OTHER DURING THEIR DUEL, THEIR CHARMS COLLIDED IN MID AIR AND A PHOENIX STAG WAS CREATED WHICH RECREATED XENOBIA AGAIN AND MADE NAPROS FREE FROM THE CHARM CREATED BY XENOME ON HIM .........

Essel's body catapulted from dream to reality and he got up with a jerk, he was still unsure of what had happened in his dreams. Coming back to his senses, he realized that there was no one named Cloud or Sayuri who he knew, in real. So? it was just a dream that he had being seeing all this while !! He was quite amused at having seen and been convinced by a dream which was so unbelievably close to reality.




I TRIED MY LEVEL BEST TO DO JUSTICE TO THE BRILLIANT PIECE OF STORY CALLED XENOME CREATED BY MY FRIEND, I HOPE IT TRANSPORTED YOU TO THE PLACE I WANTED YOU TO BE IN, DURING ESSEL'S JOURNEY.

Chapter Thirteen - A Warrior Within

A few days have passed since the Fresher's Night. Essel had at-last got the answers to many of his questions, still, many remained unanswered. He now knew the end of his Dreams. He now knew that the source of his power was a stone called 'Xenith'. Still, he had no clue about who that Ninja was, who had attacked him. And also, who was his 'Master'?

With the passage of time, Essel was returning back to his normal, not boring, college life. It was his real life. Just about a month was left for his End-Semester Exams to begin and he was still clueless about what to do next? He made up a Plan, kind of a schedule that he thought he'd follow, to do well in those Exams. But, things rarely turn out to be exactly the way they are planned.

It was the last teaching day of his first Semester and Essel was on his way to College. Tony was not there with him this time. He had somehow managed to complete his work a day before, so that he could get one more day to prepare for his exam.

Essel reached the station and was waiting to board the train. But suddenly, he felt a strong pulse of pain in his back. This pain was really hard to bear, Essel turned back to see what had hit him and shouted in a pained, yet angry voice, "Who the Hell did that?". And to his surprise, no-one was there, he was the only one standing on the platform. The pain then reduced and he somehow managed to board the train. But, just one station had passed when the pain again reached its peak and this time, he just couldn't bear it. He decided to deboard the train and go back to his home. He was changing the platform when he suddenly sensed something sharp pierce through his left arm. It was a "never felt before" and a highly painful feeling, this time. What frightened him even more was that it was no visible object that had pierced through his arm and caused that immense pain. That was enough.Essel couldn't help groaning in pain and shouting loudly in a painful voice, " HELP, HELP!", but no one came to his rescue. He turned around to see where had all the people gone. And What he saw, scared him out of his wits, each and everything was still, birds were stuck in sky, the train had stopped half-way before entering the platform, a child playing on the platform was stuck in mid-air and the clock hands had stopped moving. There was not a single voice that Essel could hear. He now understood what was going on.

"I know who you are. I have told you earlier that I have no powers. Then why are you hiding youself? Come forward and show yourself.", he yelled in a shaking yet bold voice.

"Oh, so you are not as dumb as I thought you to be." It was the same Ninja that had attacked Essel the last time. He said this in a very calm and sophisticated way, seemingly revengeful.

"If you think you can defeat me, insult me and then get away that easily, then you are WRONG."

The Ninja was walking towards Essel. Essel turned back and decided to run away. He was running as fast as he could and to his surprise, the Ninja didn't follow. After running a few meters, he realized  that the pain in his left arm was increasing. And before he could think of anything, his arm was left stuck in mid-air, as if it had been tied to something. He was unable to move his hand and the pain only increased with the slightest movement of his hand. Essel was struggling with his arm when the Ninja made just one hand movement and Essel fell down and started sliding on the floor towards the Ninja. Essel was still trying to get hold of the situation, but he was helpless. Essel was now lay on the floor, in front of the Ninja.

"Want to see, to what stuck your hand is stuck?", said the Ninja in an arrogant tone.

Essel, still confused about what was happening to him, was staring at the Ninja in anguish.

With a one hand-gesture, the Ninja made a spear shaped, sharp edged weapon to appear. He had not just hidden the weapon, but also the bleeding of the wound, when it pierced through Essel's arm. The sharp disc that had cut through Essel's back also appeared. Essel could now see what exactly had happened to him, and how. He was bleeding profusely and there was no one to help. Essel had started feeling extremely weak and drowsy, as if fainting. The Ninja was still talking to him, teasing him of his helplessness. But Essel had no intention, or maybe even the power, to listen to him; his eyes were closing.

"Is this the end? Is this how I have been destined to die? Is this the price that I have to pay, for getting some extra-ordinary powers, that too for a short period of time? What about my Parents, what about my friends, what will they be told about me? Where the Hell is Kuru? He should have helped me, that's what he told his job is.........though, still, he helped me a lot. He saved me once and I am grateful to him for that. He, along with Amanda, helped me with my powers, they have always been good to me. And Yeah, Amanda, she......"

"......And after Killing you, I'll be praised by the Master. After that, I will go and kill your friend, that flying Bird, I'll cut her wings. And I'll surely be praised by my Master for that. He might even give me a some more powers, as a reward. And after that, I'll go for that Xenobian, what do u call ........"

"DON'T YOU DARE do ANYTHING to my friends!!" Essel yelled in a very bold voice. He then tried to stand up and with all his power and will, was able to stand. Though, he still couldn't watch his steps and his whole body was trembling.

The Ninja was shocked to see him standing after all that he had done to him." Boy, You do have a lot of will-power, but, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! ". The Ninja kicked him hard and Essel again fell down to the floor. He was left with no energy to stand again this time. The Ninja was looking at Essel, as if challenging him to stand up. He was laughing at his intentions of saving his friends, when he himself was in the most miserable state.

Essel's eyes closed. Darkness fell upon for him. But then, suddenly a stream of consciousness took over Essel's thoughts. He, in thoughts, went back to the time when he was a kid.

------------------------------------------------------

A small kid, 10 years old, is sitting on a swing in a park. This boy is a cute, shy person sitting quietly on the swing, moving to and fro. He's there alone. A group of three boys of about 13 years old, tall and skinny, come towards that kid.

Boy1: Hey Kid, leave this swing now. It's our turn.

Kid: But I have just come, please let me have it.

Boy2: Hey kid, would you not listen to us, until we beat you up? Just go from here.

Kid: Please Let me have it for 5 mins and I'll leave then.

Boy1: This boy won't listen.

Saying this, the boy decided to push him from the swing, so that he would leave.

But as he tried to push him from the swing, a boy, of almost the same age as the kid, came in. This was Jim.

Jim: Don't you dare touch my friend.

Boy1: Oh yeah, then what would do? Cry for your Mommy?

And the group started to laugh. Seeing this, Jim got annoyed and bit that boy so hard in his stomach, that he started crying. The other boys got afraid and went away. The bitten boy also went away, grudging.

Essel(Kid) : Thank you.

Jim : Do not mention. But these guys are too much, just because they are older and have greater strength than us, it doesn't mean that they'll treat us as their slaves. That's why I want to be strong, so that I could save my friends.

Essel: What would you do if you become strong?

Jim: I'll never let anything harm my friends. I'll teach these 'big guys' a lesson.

And then, both the kids walk towards their home together.

------------------------------------------------

"Done with your will-power? I thought you would fight back again!", challenged the Ninja, while observing Essel. "You can never be a true holder of Xenith, you are just a pest who got lucky enough to have those miraculous powers. You just stay here. I will finish you after I find your friend."

"I told you, DON'T YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO MY FRIENDS!" Essel shouted in an adamant tone.

The Ninja turned back to see him and saw Essel again standing in front of him.

"Are you out of your mind? You can never defeat me! Nor can you protect your friends! Are you in a hurry to, DIE?", said the ninja.

Essel, who still had no power to stand but was managing to stay upright somehow, said, "Do you know why I needed the powers? It was because, one of my close friends once told me, that the powers give us a chance to protect our family, friends and each and everyone dear to us. What if I don't have my powers, I'll still not let you harm them till I am alive. You are going to kill me in any case, but, as long as I have my life, I won't let you harm anyone."

The Ninja was surprised by this attitude of Essel, "My My! So thats how you want it to be? Then let it be, YOUR way." saying that he took out his sword and swung it hard in air,to slash Essel there and then. But what happened was a surprise for both Essel and the Ninja. Essel had teleported to the other platform. A shine and a spark had come in his eyes.

"His Powers..!!!!." said the Ninja who was in a shock.

".....they are back" completed Essel, full of determination.

Essel now decided to finish this long fight. He took an iron rod lying near by, teleported himself above the Ninja and before the Ninja could react, the rod had hit his head and he had started bleeding.

"What the Hell .....!"

"Your time's over now, Ninja"

Essel again teleported to the other platform, and re-teleported to hit him again.

"You still can't defeat me", saying this, the Ninja casted that spear towards Essel. Essel didn't notice it. And it peirced through his chest. He was in mid-air, falling backwards. His eyes closed.

Is this THE END!!! Keep visiting to know what's next.

MANGA 003

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT THE DEVIL YOU ARE TRYING TO FIGHT IS ACTUALLY INSIDE YOU ONLY? READ THIS SPECIAL ONE TO KNOW...........



CHAPTER 3 : DEVIL INSIDE



Essel was growing ruder and grumpier by each passing day. The evil powers that came to him along with the tattoo on his hand, were the reason behind this changing behavior. He was apparently enjoying his powers thoroughly, particularly with all the attention that they got him, from the opposite sex. Cloud tried to confront Essel with his own reasons but Essel was just not ready to listen to his words. The two argued much over it with the end result being Essel slapping Cloud, for no reason as such. This hurt Cloud, it hurt him badly. But still, he was determined to get Essel out of this situation which had brought about a turmoil in all of their's lives. Surprisingly, Essel was changing to such an extent that even Sayuri's charm and innocence seemed to be fading away from his mind. It was as if, Essel had developed sort of a split personality that was taking control of him, slowly but steadily.

Sayuri (sounding very worried) : "Cloud, am very worried. I have absolutely no idea why Essel is reacting so strangely these days."
Cloud : "I know. I know. It's a devil that has taken over him, completely.You just do as I direct."
Sayuri (relieved): "Thank GOD! but what's your plan? "
Cloud : "You'll come to know about it at the right time. "

XENOBIA IS IN GRAVE DANGER DUE TO THE DUEL BETWEEN KING OMARIN AND NAPROS . OMARIN IS JUST PRETENDING TO FIGHT BUT ACTUALLY, HE IS ONLY DEFENDING HIMSELF FROM HIS BROTHER'S CHARM AND MERELY PASSING TIME, WAITING FOR A MIRACLE TO HAPPEN ......


......... Essel, are you fine ? (Sayuri's voice) .....Answer me please ......
(ESSEL AWAKES FROM HIS DREAM )

Essel : "What happened ?Why were you shouting ? "
Sayuri(crying) : "You were shouting in your dream , was it a nightmare? "
Essel(doubtful) : "I don't know what is happening to my mind , why I am having the same dreams again and again? "
Sayuri(still crying) : " Please get rid of this tattoo of yours, its a really bad omen for all of us. I and Cloud are very worried about you."
Essel(angrily) : "Don't you mention even the name of that betrayer in front of me."
Sayuri : "But he's your best friend!"
Essel(with an evil smile) : "Seems like you have taken a liking for him, huh?"
Sayuri : "You are not the Essel I loved, you are someone else. I will not talk with you again."

Sayuri narrated this whole incident to Cloud. He assured her that everything would get fine, as now was the time to execute his plan. He asked Sayuri to pretend to be his lover. He knew, only the power of love could help Essel get over the meteorite's charm and this divine power, that of love, was now going to be their weapon against the evil charm that was distancing their Essel from them. Sayuri was a little doubtful about the plan, initially. But with Cloud's reasoning in the backing, she was soon convinced.







NOW WAIT FOR THE LAST CHAPTER WHICH WILL UNVEIL THE END, SO KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED ..........

MANGA 002

THE STONE THAT ESSEL IS AFTER, IS NOT JUST A POWERFUL METEORITE WHICH COULD MAKE HIM IMMORTAL, IT  ALSO HOLDS MANY EVIL POWERS INSIDE IT. LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE FINALLY CONQUERS IT AND HOW HE IS ABLE TO DO SO.......




CHAPTER 2 : MIGHTY LOVE

Cloud is still worried about his friend's strange interest in that meteorite and about what he was planning to do to finally conquer it. He tried asking Essel about his plans but Essel rudely refused to reveal anything. This perturbed Cloud even more because the Essel that he knew, never talked to anyone in such a rude manner .
Three days after the meteorite collided in the park, Essel talked to Sayuri about his admiration for her. Sayuri gladly accepted him right there on the spot. Cloud could sense an evil pride in Essel's eyes which had been there for some time now. Nevertheless, he congratulated his best friend for getting his love and succeeding in a task that he had never been able to accomplish since so many years, the mighty task of expressing his feelings in front of Sayuri.
He was sure that Essel was still obsessed with the rock. So, he tried convincing him about how ill-omened the rock had proved for their friend Naruto and how much destruction it had caused in the park which used to be a heavenly place for them to play. But still, Essel was lost in his own thoughts and didn't pay much attention to Cloud's words.


Cloud(angrily) :"Are you following me or not? I've never seen you like this!!"
Essel(with a shine in his eyes and laughing) :"You don't need to worry about me, Cloud. Coz very soon, I'll be the proud owner of that precious stone.Wait and watch how this happens ."
Cloud(sounding worried) :"But you can't even touch it. Haven't you seen Naruto's condition? I think there's a charm on that meteorite which is unbreakable ."
Essel(still laughing) : "Oh! So you are smart enough to figure it out. But Cloud, I am aware of a power stronger than that. Just wait and watch."

Cloud was aware that his friend had something unusual and dangerous in his mind and that it was going to happen very soon. But he had no clue about the fact that it was going to have something to do with a girl. The other day, he went to the park where he noticed two figures standing in front of the meteorite. On observing closely, he realized that they were Essel and Sayuri. He keenly observed their activity and was shocked to see that in one hand Essel held Sayuri's hand while his other hand rested on the meteorite. But all of a sudden, something happened and Essel felt a jerk. Scared, Essel rushed towards his friend but soon realized that he was absolutely fine except a black Xenome mark that had formed on his hand that had touched that rock. Essel began laughing in a very strange manner and ran somewhere without saying anything to either of the two(Sayuri and Cloud). Cloud then asked Sayuri about what had happened with his friend. All that she told was that Essel had asked her to hold his hand and she had obliged. He then touched the stone and from that very moment, he had been acting pretty strange.







AFTER THIS ENCOUNTER, ESSEL HAS BECOME THE OWNER OF ALL THE POWER THAT XENOME WAS KNOWN FOR. BUT IS HE REALLY CAPABLE AND STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTROL IT ? IS THIS IMMENSE POWER IN THE RIGHT HANDS?
READ THE NEXT CHAPTER TO KNOW MORE .....

MANGA 001

INTRODUCTION : HERE'S THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED WHEN A MAGICAL METEORITE FROM A FAR OFF PLANET COLLIDED IN THE PARK WHERE ESSEL WAS PLAYING WITH HIS FRIENDS AND RESULTED IN A MAJOR EPISODE IN HIS LIFE ........

By: Harsh Bhardwaj

PART 1 : FIREBALL



Essel was, as usual, playing with his friends when suddenly the girl(Sayuri) he had a secret desire for, passed by. He resisted looking at her but ultimately failed in his attempt and started ogling at her, unaware that Cloud had sensed his feelings and was looking in his direction, he realized this when Cloud whistled in his direction but Essel only blushed in response to his whistle .Sayuri wasn't the most attractive girl he knew, but Essel was pretty obsessed by her simplicity and charm. He was always shy in front of her inspite of the secret glances they shared with each other, his friends advised him to ask her out, but out of nervousness he was never able to talk to her.

Cloud(walking towards Essel) :" Why can't you just propose her, huh?"
Essel :"Dunno buddy, i think i am not suitable enough for her. Just Look at her she's so graceful, i am way out of her league (gushing) ."
Cloud : "Idiot, look at the way she blushes and looks at you .... It's a hint pal. Now just go on and be a man . I know you are the most daring guy. "
Essel(nervously) :"I can't buddy, my guts doesn't work in front of her........... leave it ."
Cloud(marching towards Sayuri) :"If you are not willing to ask, then i'll do it for you. Just wait and watch, I'll tell you how it's done. "

Suddenly a huge ball of fire collided in front of Cloud and he was thrown off the ground by the explosion it caused, everybody was surprised by what had just happened and gathered around the fireball which created a crater in the ground that was producing smoke. Luckily, Cloud suffered minor injuries and was attended by Essel at the right time .Essel sensed something odd about that fireball and asked everyone to stay away from it, but his friend Naruto dared to touch it and within moments his hand was reduced to smoke, he was immediately rushed to hospital but his hand was lost forever .

Essel(looking towards the strange meteor) : "I can sense something magical about it, what do you think Cloud."
Cloud(hastily) :"You better keep away from that thing after what just happened to Naruto, he did a foolish thing by touching this strange Meteorite. Sometimes this show-off pays. "
Essel : " No, there's more to this buddy. I feel like this fireball, talking to me and it's simply asking me to conquer it . "
Cloud(angrily) :"Don't you ever think of that or you can't imagine what would i do if you dared. Do you wanna Die?"

KING OMARIN IS LOST IN HIS THOUGHT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HIS PLANET XENOBIAN AND ALL THE XENOBIANS LIVING THERE WHEN SUDDENLY SOMEONE ENTERED HIS ROOM . HE STOOD ON HIS FEET ON FINDING THAT ITS HIS GREEDY BROTHER NAPROS WHO WAS AFTER THE PRECIOUS ROCK XENOME THAT WAS THE POWER SOURCE AND LIFELINE FOR ALL THE XENOBIANS . NAPROS WARNED HIM TO HAND THE ROCK WHICH COULD MAKE HIM IMMORTAL BUT OMARIN TRIED TO CONVINCE HIM ABOUT THE EVIL POWER PRESENT IN XENOME , NAPROS WAS IMPATIENT AND ADAMANT TO HAVE IT AND GAVE HIM AN ULTIMATUM TO HAND HIM THAT ROCK WITHIN 7 HOURS OTHERWISE HE WOULDN'T BE SPARED TO RULE XENOBIA . OMARIN WAS IN GRAVE TROUBLE AS HE COULDN'T FIGHT WITH HIS OWN BROTHER, THAT'S WHY HE DISPATCHED THE STONE IN THE OUTER SPACE .

Essel is still looking towards the fireball which has cooled now and is lost in his thoughts just like he is interacting with it, then suddenly Cloud intervenes and his concentration breaks. He asks Cloud the reason for acting so grumpy towards this stone, Cloud observes something new and unusual in his(Essel's) eyes .

Cloud :" I am reminding you again there's something fishy about this thing so be aware of it ."
Essel (in an adamant tone) : "You just wait and watch i'll surely conquer this thing soon . "





WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER TO KNOW HOW ESSEL FINALLY CONQUERS THIS EVIL STONE BY EMPLOYING THE POWER THAT IS STRONGER THAN ANY BOND IN NATURE ........

Chapter Twelve - Kuru's Letter - An Unfinished Story

It was late in the night, Essel was tired after the eventful festive night in college but there he was, sitting on his study table with a letter in his hand that referred to him as some 'Xenith Holder'. 

(Essel is staring at the letter, thinking whether he should open it or not.)

Essel - What is it in this Letter? What does Kuru wanna tell me now? What 'Xenith'? I have heard about it before............but where?....................anyway at last I have some of my answers in my hand, i guess. I should read it now.

(He opens the envelope and takes out a piece of paper with a very neat, legible and beautiful hand-writing.)

Essel - Kuru does really have a good hand-writing, i never saw any of my teachers even write so well!

(He then starts reading the Letter.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Essel,

I hope this letter finds you in good physical and mental health. I know I was going to meet you the other day but I could not turn up because of some urgent work. I am Sorry for that. Right now, I am busy searching for a reason why you lost your powers. As far as I can observe, Xenith is behaving very differently with Earthlings. Had you been a Xenobian, you would have been burnt to death as soon as you came in contact with Xenith. Instead you were able to extract powers from it. And not just you, both you and your friend extracted the powers. You must be surprised as to how do I know about your powers and who actually am I? So here's my introduction to you-

I am Kuru Shirosawa, a member of Mystic Force and the Head of Squad16, whose mission is to protect Xenith from getting into the hands of Evil Forces. Squad16 was ordered to leave Xenobia, our home planet, to protect Xenith, if it ever reaches some place which is dangerous.

As far as I know, you have been able to know the whole Xenobia episode and also to contact the characters who are closest to your own nature through your dreams. But the ending of the story is still unknown to you. Let me first complete it for you, that would make it easier for you to understand all this :-

Half an hour was left for Xenobia to explode. The fate of almost all 'Xenobians' was decided. There seemed no way to protect Xenobia from destruction. Prince Venn had very less super-powers left with him. He decided to distribute them among the best and the most daring of his soldiers, a group, of which I was the head. (Not that i am exaggerating or flaunting). Instead of going himself to protect it, Prince Venn decided to be with the other Xenobians. He could not leave his country people alone and live a life, when they needed him the most. He decided to die with them instead. This shows how much he cared for all of us. He would have been the best King of all times. He was just like his father.

The motive of Squad16, as i already told, was to protect Xenith at any cost. By the time we were ready to follow Xenith, we didn't know exactly where it had gone. So Squad16 decided to split up and search for Xenith on different planets in the same direction in which it was launched by Prince Venn. I, along with a comrade, Tobey, came to Earth in search of Xenith. When we reached Earth, we sensed the presence of Xenith somewhere over here, which confirmed that we were at the right place. Still we had no clue about its whereabouts and how we could get it.

Xenobians are 'generally' intelligent species but like you humans we also have a diversity. Tobey, my comrade, has high strength but is a bit silly. By the time we reached Earth we had lost almost all powers that Prince Venn gave us. But as I told you, we are intelligent species, we made a super-computer by researching on the existing technologies of Earth along with some Xenobian Modifications. 

We then researched on all the existing languages, the history, civics and geography of different countries, so that we could behave normally wherever we were. Through a little bit of research we came to know about the Meteor fall at the 'Moon Light Park' and many other places at the same time. And soon we knew much about you and your friend, Amanda. We then made our own GPS to keep a track of you and to protect you from any kinda danger. Protecting you was a part of our job as you were now a part of Xenith.

Still I have no clue, why have you lost your powers. I am trying to know the reason and the person who attacked you, I still don't know who he is. But whoever he is, you take care of yourself. I'll soon contact you with more details.

Kuru.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Essel - So many of my questions still remain unanswered! and the main one, "WHAT ABOUT MY POWERS"?

Who is the one, who had sent a Ninja to kill Essel? What about Essel's Powers? What Next?



Keep visiting to know the Answers. The answers will be unfolded in the following Chapters

Chapter Eleven - Fresher's Nite

Essel came home after his 1st day at College, which was as amazing as he wanted it to be. He waited for long for Kuru But He didn't came.

Essel - Where the Hell is He now? He promised me he would come.

Essel kept on waiting for him but he got no answers for his Questions.

Essel - Hey, I should talk to Amanda. Is she fine? Oh God, help her.

He picks up the phone to call Amanda. Suddenly the phone starts ringing. Essel Answers the phone.

Essel - Hello.
Voice - Hey Essel, How are you?
Essel - Who's this?
Voice - You forgot me silly. It's me Amanda.
Essel - Ahh, Amanda. How are you? Is everything fine.
Amanda - Yeah, I am fine. But it's just that i was not feeling good about something, So thought to call you. How are You?
Essel - Yeah I am fine, was just attacked by a ninja today, tryin to kill me n stuff.
Amanda - Oh my god, Are you fine? should I come to meet you.
Essel - Naah dont worry, someone saved me at the right time.
Amanda - Who's that?
Essel - A guy named Kuru, he is the one who was following me from a few days.
Amanda - Who's he?
Essel - Dont know, he was going to tell me today, but he hasn't come to meet me yet. God knows were he is.
Amanda - Oh, Okay. You just take care of yourself. Be in touch.
Essel - Yeah and you also take care of yourself. Call me whenever you need help.
Amanda - Yeah i would. Bye
Essel - Bye.

Essel disconnects.

He then waited for kuru till late night. But it was of no use.

Essel - It's of no use. He would come, one day or the other. And the questions were not of any importance, only if I m not attacked again by some-one.

The next day he went to college as usual. Nothing unusual happened. Everything was normal yet again. Everything was different in college as compared to school. Everything around him changed, and so did Essel. Essel was changing, growing up, learning new things, making new friends. He along with Tony, participated in each n every activity they were interested in. They both made many new friends in the process And in about 1 month, they became an integral part of college and it's activities. Another thing that was developing in the students his age was the attraction towards the opposite sex. He and his friends had developed a crush on someone or the other girl. It was a whole new world for Essel and Tony, trying to reach their crush to talk to them or merely say 'Hi', a task they regularly failed in. It was fun. Soon their was a party organised by the seniors to welcome the first years, it was called ' The Fresher's Nite'

This was goin to happen in about a week, and it was expected to be good. Essel was late as usual. Tony was there since afternoon. The function began at about 7 pm, much late than the scheduled time. Muck, a common friend of Tony and Essel was accompanying Tony till then; Essel came ten minutes before the actual start.

Before the show had begun, their eyes googled the stage of the Open Air Theatre (OAT). Their Common friend anchored the show.

The first event was the Mr Fresher finals. The first guy, failed to create an impression with his guitar. The second one did mimicry, this one became humourous and more special as he continued. He wished to convey that girls' outside-hostel time-limit should be revised from 8.30 pm. There were some dance performances, then a hilarious hasya-kavita (funny poetry), some boring singing and more dance. In between these came technical snags, during which the anchors had a tough time controlling the audience; to keep the audience entertained they tried to talk all sort of general stuff, which resulted in people booing in dissatisfaction.
This was it at the Party for the group of friends of Essel. Lying ahead was the adventurous scandal.


Muck had told Essel and friends long before. that his latest crush in his class was The Girl. But the problem was that after the first semester, she was leaving for the other college. So he could not obviously take it any further, but Muck had this urge to at least tell her about his feelings before the time came when nothing could be done. Since this was a grand night with a partying mood, and since he had nothing to lose, Essel suggested him to do it tonight if he did so want it.

The college band was battling some serious technical errors that had crept in on the stage. The anchors were bored with making the audience happy. And dismayed, some people had started getting up. The main Canteen was just about 20 metres from the OAT and probably it offered them better. Essel had a phone call and so he went at the back to talk. then he called others there since it provided a better view of what was going on.
As Muck and Tony started their journey to that spot, they noticed a girl. And a boy. At a lonely spot on the OAT. The girl looked tense. She was not looking at that boy but the distress on her face showed as if she was trying to avoid the guy's look. The boy was staring at her as if to expect her to speak. They had obviously just talked on something that looked strictly not of our business.

In her hands she held a jacket. The jacket was not at all puzzling for Tony at this stage.

The girl looked familiar.

She was The Girl. Muck was shocked and destroyed. She was a girl who he knew could not be his as she was going away after exams, still the sight had brought his mind and heart to a virtual standstill.

"Whats this misfortune with me, that whichever girl I like has got other intentions..."

Muck was close to crying. Tony told him that just a boy and girl standing like that does not mean much; he can still do what he wanted . But Muck was shaken. Five minutes of looking into nowhere in distress, and then he wanted to go to the canteen for a cold drink.
Essel and Tony waited and waited, but he didn't seem to be coming back. The function had reached an anarchical scenario, and many people were getting up.

Essel and Tony went to see whats up.

There he was... outside the canteen, sipping the cold drink and sitting in disappointment.
They went inside the canteen to get a bottle of water.

Muck - I just saw that boy again, he had that jacket in his hand now. What was she doing with HIS jacket in her hand there? There's something fishy with this...

Fishy or octopussy or froggy, all they needed was to forget this. Just because he had no future with the girl, and he had seen her with a boy, not in a compromising situation obviously, but with a jacket that troubled him so much. But that part was interesting indeed, the boy's jacket in the girl's hand, and the situation they saw them in.

That done, Essel and friends once again came to the OAT. On the way, The Girl was coming towards them, alone this time. The boy had gone somewhere else, Muck had seen him alone with that jacket.
Not only The Girl, half the audience seemed to be marching towards the canteen; things in the much-hyped Freshers' Nite had obviously gone all wrong, looking from the audience's point of view. It was a big farce as it turned out.
In the OAT, however the process to recover from the technical problems was still on. Those guys believed in "All's well that ends well", and they had decided to finish on a good note so that everyone would forget the stuff that went on in the midst.

Then all hell broke loose.

Muck - I want to go to her now, and say to her that I like her.

Trouble began. Since they had seen her going towards the canteen on their way back to the OAT, they headed there. The canteen was getting jam-packed as the evening progressed, and they all were looking for her, then he spotted her sitting in a corner. Eating. The ruddy girl was eating food without anyone to accompany her, at such a strange time, even when she is not a hosteller, and when party refreshments were still due.
Muck was too tense to think sensible. He wanted to go away now.Ideas and energy had dried up and the chaos in Muck's mind for reasons so insane were visible. Lying ahead was the second part of the adventure.

He decided that he was not courageous enough to say it to her directly, even if he saw her stationary at one place. And he said it was to be done through a sheet of paper, with a message written on it.

Sounds filmy style. Even if not filmy, this was desperation at its best.

So then began a search of a small piece of paper. The ideal candidate came out of Essel's wallet. The spot for writing the message stood right in front; the language for the message came from each of them, and the words came from Muck and Tony. Essel's not good at writing.


--------------------------------------------

(Her name),
Before you leave for NSIT, I wish to tell you that I liked you a lot for your innocence and simple nature. Please do not mind this; and I don't expect or want any reply from you.
Muck.

-----------------------------------------------

This speeded up activities. Now that no tension remained just to hand over the sheet to the girl, they just had to look for her and inform Muck. At his orders, they went in different directions, looking for her, and with instructions to give him a call as soon as one of them spotted her.

The biggest difficulty during the course of the entire episode was tackling friends who were roaming here and there and expected Essel to talk to them on seeing them. But there was no scope of explaining to them what was going on my side. One such friend told him that refreshment packets were now available in the Civil Engineering Convocation Hall, and guessing she might be present there, he went there with Tony.

There he saw her, and informed Muck of this. As he came in the hall, he saw her. While trying to come towards her, a pillar separated the two of them, and as he came to the other side of the pillar, lo and behold! she had disappeared in that one second in which he was behind the pillar!
Yes, she was at the exit gate of the hall now, and once again the search had to begin anew.

Once again the search began, in similar fashion as before. She was spotted with her friend, standing and watching the dance floor come to life. Surprisingly, during their absence from the OAT, things had started happening here again, and everyone was dancing to the music out there on the ground-level stage.

Now the trouble was obviously that nothing could be done until the friend was removed from the scene. According to Essel and Muck, (who are classmates of those two girls), that other girl is a big gossip, and a small act of carelessness here from one of us, and Muck would have to be prepared to get as embarrassed in class the next day as he would be without his pants in front of everyone.
The opportunity was provided by The Girl herself. Or probably the person who chose to make a call to her at that very moment. She took out her cellphone and marched towards a solitary corner to talk.
With the key moments so close, Muck gave Tony the message and told him to give it to her, saying it was from him.
It was getting so very funny. With the hero himself reluctant to walk out to the battlefield, it was decided that Essel would go to her, and tell her that Muck wanted to say something to her.

Essel and Tony wandered off to the place where she was chatting on the phone, and stood some way behind her. As she was coming back, Essel told her that Muck wanted to say something to her, and when she asked where he was, he pointed to him sitting at a lone spot. She looked at that place, and there he was, looking back at her.
Essel had done a task as big as climbing the Mount Everest; it takes nerves to propose to a girl, and even more if you have to be the messenger between the boy and the girl like this.
She sort of ignored! No response at all; she moved back to her friend and continued with what she was doing before the phone call.

Muck was devastated….. when they went back to him, he was lying on the grass really frustrated. He still hoped Essel to tell him she was coming, but she wasn’t.

Freshers’ Nite was the place where half the boys come to get a girl, as the saying goes. The boy with the jacket was most probably trying to talk to her about this only, and that had made her tense, and she felt the same about Muck’s attempt, (it was obvious by the way Essel gave her the message), and that’s why probably she got more distressed.)

That's how the Fresher's nite went for Essel and his friends. Essel learned alot about the relationship between a girl and a boy, and decided to not to fall for another girl, untill and unless she is that special someone.

Everything Else was normal. Essel and Tony reached their respective homes.
Essel layed on his bed thinking about what all happened today.

Essel (thinking) - Overall a learning experience for me. Enjoyed it. Hard Luck for Muck. He will get some-one soon for sure.

Mom Calls Essel.

Mom - Hey Essel. There's a letter for you.
Essel - For me !!! Who has sent that?
Mom - It's someone named Kuru. Mentions you as Essel, the Xenith holder. What does that mean?

Hearing this Essel jumps off his bed. He runs towards his mom to get the letter.

Essel - Oh, he's my friend. Just joking with me by writing that.
Mom - Okay fine.

Essel takes it from his mom and runs back to his room.

Essel - Ok bye Mom, Good Night.
Mom - Good Night......These kids are always in a hurry.

Essel sits on his study table with letter in his hand. It says

---------------------------

To Essel,
The Xenith Holder.

---------------------------


Essel is staring at the letter, thinking to open it or not.





Who is this stranger Kuru? Who is the one, who had sent a Ninja to kill Essel? What Next?




Keep visiting to know the Answers. The answers will be unfolded in the following Chapters