Aria slowly walked toward him and sat beside him.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked softly, "Are you angry with me too?"
Rithul didn't look at her. "No," he said calmly. "No one is angry at you, Aria. They're angry at themselves. Me included."
Aria turned to him, desperation clear in her eyes. "I'm begging you, Rithul," she said in one breath.
"Please tell me everything. The past. The flashbacks. Every single thing about KHSS. I can't afford to mess up like this again. I need to know."
Rithul stood up.
"There's nothing more," he said quietly. "Nothing too mysterious about KHSS."
He picked up his bag. "I'm leaving. If I stay here any longer… it won't be good. For anyone."
And with that, Rithul walked away.
The doors closed behind him.
Aria was alone.
The huge auditorium felt emptier than ever.
The projector, which had been switched off long ago, suddenly came back to life.
Click.
The machine hummed softly as a sharp beam of light shot forward and landed right in front of Aria.
She turned slowly.
On the screen appeared the image of a girl.
A girl with striking blue eyes.
She looked almost identical to Aria— long black hair, fair skin, soft pink lips, the same delicate features.
Graceful. Elegant.
And most of all—
A bright, cheerful smile.
Aria's breath caught in her throat.
She couldn't take her eyes off the screen.
Who… is she?
Aria suddenly rushed toward the laptop connected to the projector, desperate to know more about the girl.
But before she could do anything, the projector went dead again.
The laptop had shut down.
She checked it frantically and realized it had malfunctioned—again.
She muttered a curse under her breath, packed up the laptop along with her belongings, and left the hall.
She was determined to get the laptop repaired and find out who that girl was.
The curiosity inside her refused to stay quiet. It wouldn't let her rest until she had the answers.
As she walked down the road, she heard someone calling her name.
"Aria!"
She turned around.
It was Lolan—far away, running toward her.
He finally reached her, stopped beside her, and patted her shoulder warmly.
Lolan asked softly, "Are you okay?"
In response, Aria just smiled.
Even then, she was smiling—yet her eyes told the real story.
They were about to break, filled with tears, ready to spill at any moment, but none of them fell.
Her eyes shone, watery and bright, yet not a single drop escaped. She held herself together.
Her blue, shining eyes lifted to meet Lolan's.
Seeing her like that—so unconditionally beautiful even in her sadness—Lolan paused for a second, hesitant, unsure of what to say or how to comfort her.
Just then, a message popped up on Aria's phone.
She looked down and checked it.
It was a message from Zorvath.
Things here are a little complicated. Take leave for two weeks. Let me handle things.
Reading that message, Aria completely broke.
The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, flowing like waterfalls.
Lolan, standing beside her, froze in shock.
Seeing his favourite girl—the one he almost worshipped, the one he always saw as graceful, beautiful, and perfect—cry like that shattered him.
He couldn't hold himself back anymore.
He stepped forward and pulled Aria into a tight hug.
Aria was drowning in sadness, but this was exactly the comfort she needed. Right there on the roadside, the two of them stood holding each other.
Aria finally let everything out.
"I don't know what to do," she cried.
"Why are they treating me like this? I don't understand what's happening to me… to my life. Everything is falling apart. Everything is messed up."
Her voice cracked.
"Sona… she doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. What did I do? What did I do wrong, Lolan?"
She looked up at him through her tears.
"Do you hate me too? Am I really that bad?"
Each word came out broken, shattered again and again by her sobs.
And like that, they stayed there, hugging each other.
Far away—unnoticed by them—
A hand slowly lifted a phone.
Click.
Photos of Aria and Lolan together were taken.
Night was slowly falling.
Aria and Lolan walked along the roadside, Lolan accompanying her home. Aria was still shaken, her mind a complete mess, but Lolan's presence felt comforting in a way she couldn't explain.
She kept checking her phone—hoping Sona had texted, replied, anything. But there was nothing. Sreya and Danvy had ignored her too.
Finally, a message came from Danvy.
Things will be alright within two weeks.
It was the same line Zorvath had sent.
But that single message wasn't enough to comfort Aria. And the thought of staying home for two whole weeks felt unbearable.
Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Lolan spoke.
"I don't know if this is the right time to say this," he began carefully, "but our café is actually doing really well, and we need to buy some supplies. In South Kerala, you get really good tea leaves, tea powder, and coffee powder. I have a friend there."
He glanced at her.
"We could go and check it out. It might be a change for you too. Are you okay with that?"
Aria didn't reply.
They walked a little farther in silence.
Soon, they were standing in front of Aria's house. Lolan stopped beside her, waiting for an answer.
When none came, he smiled gently and said, "If you're not okay with it, that's fine. Seeing how sad you are, I just thought I'd suggest it."
He took a step back.
"Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow. See you."
As he turned to walk away, Aria suddenly called out,
"Tomorrow… which train are you taking?"
Lolan turned back, smiling.
Cender Jail__
In the visiting room of cender Jail, Zorvath sat silently. A police officer stepped forward and ordered,
"Move ahead."
Zorvath stood up and walked forward.
On the other side of the iron bars stood another boy—no more than nineteen or twenty years old.
His face was bruised, with fresh cuts marking his skin. His hair was messy, his clothes unkempt; everything about him looked disordered.
Yet despite it all, he was strikingly handsome.
There was a familiar glow in his face—something unmistakably Zorvath.
Almost like looking at a rougher, broken version of himself.
The boy asked quietly,
"How are things going?"
Zorvath replied emotionlessly,
"Just as I wrote in my earlier letter. Nothing more."
He paused, then added,
"Room Zero was shut down by that old man."
The boy frowned.
"And your girlfriend? The blue-eyed girl you mentioned?"
Zorvath looked away.
"I don't know. Things are getting complicated. I don't know what to do anymore."
The boy studied him for a moment before asking,
"Do you love her?"
Zorvath didn't answer.
The boy spoke firmly,
"If you love someone, you stay by their side. No matter what."
Zorvath slowly raised his head.
"Even if that means hurting others? Hurting the people who love me?"
"Yes," the boy said without hesitation.
"Your first priority should be your woman. And I'm sure your woman won't be cruel enough to hurt others."
Zorvath gave a faint smile.
"She's just a child."
The boy smirked slightly.
"Who is that old man, huh?"
Before Zorvath could reply, a voice echoed from behind the police line,
"Time's up!"
The boy leaned closer to the bars.
"Do it. Because she is your woman. And you should be there for her."
He added softly, but with certainty,
"You are the king. She is the queen. Two more years… I'll be back. I will come back."
Zorvath smiled, nodded once, and turned away.
Behind him, the boy stepped back into the darkness of the cell.