Rain hammered against the archive room windows.
Cold.
Sharp.
Relentless.
But Sarthak barely heard it anymore.
Because his mind was locked onto one thing.
The bracelet.
Black thread.
Silver charm.
Familiar.
Painfully familiar.
He had seen it recently.
Close enough to remember the scratches on the silver.
Which meant—
The person in that footage…
Was not some forgotten ghost from the past.
They were still here.
Still close.
Still watching.
"…Say it," Ananya said quietly.
Sarthak looked at her.
"…You know who it belongs to."
Silence.
Because he did.
Or at least—
His heart already feared the answer.
"…Riya," he whispered.
The word barely escaped him.
And somehow—
Saying it out loud made everything heavier.
Ananya did not react immediately.
That alone—
Was terrifying.
"…I saw her wearing it two days ago," Sarthak continued.
Flash.
Riya in the classroom.
Her fingers wrapped around her notebook.
That bracelet on her wrist.
Clear as daylight.
"No," he muttered instantly.
Because it did not fit.
Riya was scared.
Gentle.
Fragile.
She could not—
Could she?
"You are thinking emotionally again," Ananya said.
Her voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"She could have changed."
"…Or someone else owns the same bracelet," Sarthak snapped.
"Possible."
A pause.
"But unlikely."
Silence.
The projector screen behind them stayed dark now.
Like the room itself was waiting.
"…Why are you helping me?" Sarthak asked suddenly.
That question had been growing for days.
Ananya looked at him for a long moment.
Then—
She laughed softly.
Not mockingly.
Almost tired.
"…Because you are not the only one searching for the truth."
"What does that mean?"
She looked away briefly.
"…That girl who died…"
A pause.
"…She was my cousin."
Everything stopped.
Sarthak stared at her.
"…What?"
"For years," Ananya continued quietly,
"I wanted to know what really happened."
Her expression hardened slightly.
"But everyone buried it."
Rain hit harder outside.
"And then suddenly," she said,
"you came back into the center of everything."
Silence.
"…So you approached me intentionally."
"Yes."
Straight answer.
No hesitation.
"I thought you were hiding something," she admitted.
"…Were you?"
A faint bitter smile touched Sarthak's lips.
"…I do not even know anymore."
A vibration.
Both phones lit up simultaneously.
Unknown Number.
Again.
Sarthak opened it instantly.
"Cute reunion."
Ananya's jaw tightened slightly.
So she was getting messages too.
Important.
Very important.
Another message arrived.
"But if you want the next clue…"
Pause.
"Come to the festival tonight."
Festival?
Sarthak frowned.
Then remembered.
The college cultural festival.
Thousands of students.
Music.
Masks.
Noise.
Perfect place to disappear.
Perfect place to attack.
"…This feels like a trap," Ananya said immediately.
"It is."
"…And you still want to go?"
Sarthak looked at the rain-covered window.
"…I am tired of waiting for clues."
Slowly—
His eyes darkened.
"…This time, I will drag the truth out myself."
NIGHT – COLLEGE FESTIVAL
Lights flooded the campus.
Music echoed everywhere.
Students laughed.
Took photos.
Ran between stalls.
A normal night.
At least on the surface.
Sarthak moved through the crowd carefully.
Observing.
Listening.
Searching wrists.
Bracelets.
Faces.
But everywhere he looked—
Noise.
Confusion.
Movement.
Perfect chaos.
"…You look terrifying right now."
Vansh appeared beside him holding two cold drinks.
"…You came."
"Of course I came."
A weak grin.
"…You are my problem, unfortunately."
That familiar humor should have felt comforting.
But now—
Sarthak noticed something else.
Vansh's wrist.
No bracelet.
Of course not.
Still—
His mind questioned everything automatically now.
"…Have you seen Riya?" Sarthak asked casually.
Vansh nodded.
"Near the main stage earlier."
Main stage.
Crowded.
Sarthak immediately moved.
The music grew louder as he approached.
Lights flashing wildly across the crowd.
And then—
He saw her.
Riya.
Standing alone near the edge of the stage lights.
The bracelet visible on her wrist.
Black thread.
Silver charm.
Exactly the same.
His heartbeat slowed.
"…Riya."
She turned.
Slightly surprised.
"Sarthak?"
He walked closer slowly.
Watching her carefully.
For the first time—
Not as someone he wanted to protect.
But as someone he needed answers from.
"…Where did you get that bracelet?" he asked quietly.
Her expression changed instantly.
Tiny.
But noticeable.
"…What?"
"The bracelet."
Silence.
The music around them suddenly felt distant.
"…Why are you asking?"
Because it might connect you to murder.
Because I saw it in the footage.
Because I do not know who to trust anymore.
But he said none of that.
"…Just answer."
Riya slowly touched the bracelet unconsciously.
Then—
Very softly—
She spoke.
"…Someone gave it to me."
Sarthak's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…Who?"
Silence.
Then—
The stage lights suddenly cut out.
Darkness swallowed the festival.
Students screamed in confusion.
Music stopped.
Chaos.
And in that single moment—
Riya grabbed Sarthak's wrist tightly.
Her hand trembling.
Then whispered something that shattered everything.
"…If you want to survive…"*
A pause.
"…Stop searching."*
The lights came back on.
And Riya—
Was gone.
Vanished into the crowd.
Leaving Sarthak standing there—
Frozen.
Because that was not fear in her voice.
It sounded like a warning.
Or guilt.
And for the first time—
Sarthak realized something horrifying.
What if Riya was not the mastermind…
But trapped inside the same nightmare?
To be continued…