Chapter — First Case: Rahul
Darkness swallowed Vansh whole.
The red room trembled. The walls of flesh pulsed. The screaming stopped.
Then—
Silence.
A cold wind brushed against his face.
The blood vanished.
The bodies on the wall dissolved like smoke.
Vansh found himself standing inside a normal high school corridor.
Bright afternoon light filtered through dusty windows. Lockers lined the walls. Students' laughter echoed faintly.
A soft female whisper came from nowhere—
"Solve it."
Vansh clenched his fists.
"So this is the Spirit Case…"
---
Scene Shift
A boy walked down the hallway.
Slim body. Messy hair. Slightly hunched shoulders. His school bag looked heavier than it should.
His name was Rahul.
Five boys blocked his path.
Kabir. Nihal. Mihit. Vedant. Mayank.
Kabir smirked. "Where are you going, genius?"
Rahul lowered his eyes. "Class…"
Vedant snatched his bag and threw it on the ground. Books scattered.
Mayank kicked them aside.
Nihal leaned close to Rahul's ear. "Complain again?"
Mihit pushed him hard.
Rahul stumbled but didn't fight back.
The corridor was full of students.
No one interfered.
No one looked directly.
Vansh watched from a distance.
He tried to move forward.
He couldn't.
He was only an observer.
---
Teacher's staff Room
Rahul stood before his male teacher.
His name was Viruj.
Viruj was in his mid-30s. Calm face. Tired eyes.
Rahul's voice trembled.
"Sir… they bully me every day."
Viruj's fingers tightened on the table.
He knew the names.
Kabir. Nihal. Mihit. Vedant. Mayank.
Powerful families.
Political connections.
Rich businessmen.
If he reported them seriously—
He could lose his job.
He looked at Rahul.
The boy's hands were shaking.
Viruj felt guilt burn inside his chest.
"I will… talk to them," Viruj said softly.
Rahul nodded.
He left.
Viruj leaned back in his chair.
His thoughts screamed—
(If I push this matter… I will be transferred… maybe fired. My parents depend on me. My loan isn't cleared yet. But that boy… he is breaking…)
He closed his eyes.
He did nothing.
---
Weeks Passed
The bullying became worse.
Rahul's uniform was torn.
His lunch was thrown in the dustbin.
He was locked inside the washroom once.
They wrote on the blackboard:
"Rahul = Loser."
Every day he smiled weakly in front of his mother.
Every night he stared at the ceiling.
His thoughts grew darker.
(Maybe I am weak. Maybe I deserve this. No one stops them. Even Sir didn't help.)
Viruj noticed Rahul becoming quieter.
One day Rahul didn't come to school.
The next day—
Absent.
Third day—
A rumor spread.
Rahul was found dead in his room.
He had taken his own life.
---
The corridor in front of Vansh cracked.
The sky turned grey.
A scream echoed through the empty school building.
Viruj stood alone in the staff room holding the news.
His hands trembled.
He dropped the paper.
His mind replayed Rahul's face again and again.
"I will talk to them."
Those words stabbed him.
He could have done more.
He didn't.
---
Viruj's Psychological Collapse Day by Day
Days passed.
Viruj stopped sleeping.
He saw Rahul sitting on the last bench.
He heard footsteps in empty corridors.
He heard whispers:
"Sir… you said you would help…"
Viruj began hallucinating.
He once screamed in class.
Students saw him staring at an empty seat.
He muttered apologies to no one.
His colleagues grew worried.
He stopped eating properly.
He avoided mirrors.
Because sometimes—
In the mirror—
He saw Rahul standing behind him.
Months later, Viruj was admitted to an asylum.
Doctors said it was severe depression and psychosis.
One night, while he kept repeating,
"I'm sorry, Rahul… I'm sorry…"
Doctors gave him an injection.
He closed his eyes.
He never woke up.
But his consciousness did.
---
Spirit Realm
The classroom before Vansh twisted.
The lights shattered.
Desks floated.
Blood began dripping from the ceiling.
Rahul stood in the center.
His eyes were hollow.
Dark veins spread across his pale skin.
Behind him stood Viruj—
Older. Broken. Transparent like a fading spirit.
Rahul's voice echoed unnaturally.
"They watched… and did nothing."
The five bullies appeared.
Frozen in fear.
Not moving.
Like puppets.
Rahul's spirit energy strangled them mid-air.
Viruj screamed.
"Stop! This isn't you! They are not real!"
Rahul turned to him.
"You also did nothing."
Viruj fell to his knees.
"I was scared…"
Rahul's eyes darkened.
"And I wasn't?"
The room began collapsing into the red flesh realm again.
Walls filled with human body parts.
Eyes watching.
The same horror from before.
Vansh finally felt his body move.
He stepped forward.
This time—
He could interact.
---
Vansh Confronts
"Rahul!"
The spirit paused.
Rahul slowly looked at Vansh.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
Vansh swallowed his fear.
"I am Vansh. I came here to free you from this place."
Rahul's aura shook violently.
"Don't act like you understand!"
Vansh's voice became firm.
"You wanted someone to stand for you. That's all."
Silence.
Viruj looked at Vansh with desperate hope.
Vansh continued,
"You don't want revenge. You want acknowledgment. You want someone to say you mattered."
Rahul's form flickered.
The five bullies trembled but remained frozen.
Viruj crawled toward Rahul.
"I was wrong," he said. "I chose fear. I failed you."
Rahul's eyes trembled.
Tears—dark like ink—fell from them.
Vansh stepped closer despite the crushing pressure.
"You're trapping yourself here. Reliving this every day. Punishing him. Punishing yourself."
The screaming walls quieted.
"You don't need to prove your pain by destroying others."
Rahul's energy weakened.
Viruj placed his hand over his heart.
"If there is punishment… let it be mine."
Rahul looked at him.
The hatred slowly faded.
"I waited… for you to say that…"
The bullies vanished like smoke.
The red realm dissolved.
The blood dried.
The classroom returned.
Rahul's spirit became lighter.
"You finally saw me," Rahul whispered.
Viruj cried silently.
"I always did. I was just a coward."
Rahul smiled faintly.
The first genuine smile.
His body turned into glowing particles.
He looked at Vansh.
"Thank you."
Rahul disappeared.
Viruj's spirit looked peaceful now.
He bowed slightly toward Vansh.
Vansh said in a firm tone, "Viruj, this was not entirely your fault either. You didn't stay silent because you were weak. The bullies came from powerful families. If you had complained, you might have lost your job and failed to pay your loan. Free yourself from this guilt."
He cried with relief.
Then he too faded.
---
Suddenly, the room was covered in white light.
The environment shattered again.
Vansh found himself standing in the cold chamber before Mohini and Maya.
The others watched in observer mode.
Maya clapped slowly.
"Impressive."
Mohini smiled calmly.
"He chose confrontation over violence."
Vansh's legs trembled.
But his eyes were steady.
His first case was solved.
Not by fighting.
But by facing truth.
The Spirit Realm whispered—
"Candidate Accepted."
Darkness swallowed the scene.
Chapter End.