Aria's POV__
It's been a long day.
I sit back in the cab, my head resting against the seat, eyes half-closed. I booked it like always. And today... it's smooth. No jerks, no noise, no irritation.
Everything is calm.
Unlike my life.
My thoughts drift again.
Sona.
A small weight settles in my chest.
I feel... guilty.
I don't even fully understand why, but she looked so sad since morning. And I didn't go near her. I didn't even try.
I exhale slowly.
I regret it.
But... it's better this way.
If I get close to her, we'll become closer. Friends. Maybe even more than that.
And that will only bring trouble to her.
So it's better if I keep my distance.
I don't want her to suffer because of me.
If she becomes close to me, the whole school will turn against her. The whispers have already started. The looks... the tension...
And I might leave.
GHSS.
What if I go... and she stays?
I don't want her to be left alone in that place, carrying hate that was never hers.
My fingers tighten slightly.
So just like her... I'm avoiding everyone.
That entire group.
It's easier this way.
Or at least... it should be.
A few students passed by today, whispering about me.
I noticed.
Of course I did.
But none of them dared to come and say anything directly.
They all know.
Everyone knows about the challenge between me and Zorvath.
And no matter what-
No matter what it takes-
I have to win.
My jaw tightens.
I want to prove it.
That he's not worthy of being that so-called king.
That what he's running... that system... it's wrong.
I want to shut it down.
Completely.
Forever.
My eyes open slowly, staring ahead.
I will do it.
No matter how much they hate me.
No matter how hard it gets.
I won't let more students fall into that.
Not in this city.
Not anywhere.
If I can save even one student...
Just one...
It's like saving an entire family.
A life.
That's enough.
That should be enough.
I let out a quiet sigh.
By the time I realize it, the cab has already stopped in front of my house.
I've already paid.
So I just step out and walk in without a second thought.
Please don't be home...
I don't even know why I think that.
But I do.
And for once...
Luck is on my side.
She's not there.
A small note is left behind-she's gone to visit a friend.
Relief washes over me.
Not because I don't like her.
But because I don't have the strength to face her right now.
I don't want her to see me like this.
I walk up the stairs slowly and push open my room door.
It's clean.
Of course it is.
Nanny.
A small, tired smile touches my lips.
"Thanks..."
I whisper under my breath.
I really wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else.
I drop my bag on the table and fall onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Long day..."
The words escape me softly.
Silence fills the room.
Then-
Reality hits again.
I said I'd win.
But how?
I let out a frustrated breath.
I accepted that challenge in the heat of the moment.
And now...
I don't even know where to begin.
My brows knit together.
"This is all because of him..."
Zorvath.
Lazy.
Throwing his responsibility onto me like it's nothing.
But still-
That doesn't make him a leader.
And I'll prove it.
Slowly, I sit up.
My eyes sharpen just a little.
If I want to walk into KHSS with my head held high...
If I want to change anything at all-
Then I have to do this.
No excuses.
No backing out.
"I will do it."
This time, my voice is quiet-
But certain.
I think about it again.
Again and again.
How do I change KHSS?
I turn to my side on the bed, staring at the wall, my thoughts running in circles.
Plans.
Ideas.
Nothing stays.
Nothing feels right.
"I can't even find one proper way..." I whisper to myself, frustration creeping in.
No matter how much I think... it all feels incomplete.
Forced.
Wrong.
I exhale slowly, closing my eyes.
Maybe... I'm doing this the wrong way.
A pause.
Then the thought comes-
Clear.
Simple.
Understand first.
I open my eyes.
"I need to know them..." I murmur.
Not just surface-level.
Not just what I see.
But everything.
Their mindset.
Their struggles.
Their reality.
KHSS itself.
Only then... I can fix something.
A slow realization settles in.
I can't stay away from KHSS.
I can't just observe from a distance and pretend I understand it.
If I want to change it-
I have to walk into it.
Fully.
Face everything.
Understand every problem.
And then... find solutions.
Even if it's messy.
Even if it's hard.
I sit up slightly, my thoughts shifting.
I did try to search.
Online.
Articles. Old records. Random information.
I found a few things.
Things I already knew.
Rahan Das.
Mohan Das.
Two brothers.
Once known as the best in the city.
KHSS was started first.
By their family.
Back then... it wasn't like this.
It was popular.
Respected.
Almost like what GHSS is now.
Students wanted to study there.
It had a name.
A reputation.
A future.
Then-
Mohan Das started another school.
I frown slightly.
Why?
If they were close... if they were brothers...
Why build another school so close?
If he had started it somewhere else, far away, both could have grown.
Both could have survived.
But this?
It didn't make sense.
And it didn't end well.
Mohan Das's school didn't rise like KHSS.
It couldn't match its name.
Its strength.
And slowly...
It fell.
Collapsed.
Gone.
Time passed.
And then-
The truth about KHSS started coming out.
I don't even know what exactly happened.
But whatever it was...
It was enough.
Enough to destroy everything.
KHSS started losing its name.
Its respect.
Its students.
One by one... they left.
Transferred to other schools.
To GHSS.
To anywhere but here.
And Rahan Das...
Failed.
I swallow slightly, my fingers tightening over the bedsheet.
There was another article.
I remember it clearly.
A student from KHSS...
Murdered someone.
A cold shiver runs down my spine.
My mind flashes-
Room Zero.
The boys.
The violence.
The blood I imagined.
I shut my eyes tightly for a second.
"That's..."
That's not just a rumor.
That's a sign.
Something is deeply wrong here.
And then...
That rumor.
My eyes slowly open.
"They said... it was Rahan Das's son."
My voice is barely a whisper.
Not confirmed.
But still-
It spreads.
It stays.
And it changes things.
I sit up straighter now.
Rahan Das has two sons.
That's what I read.
If one of them is in jail...
Then where is the other one?
My heartbeat slows slightly.
Thinking.
Connecting.
"Is he... in KHSS?"
The question lingers.
Unanswered.
Unsettling.
If he is...
Then I might meet him.
And if I do-
Will he be like the rumors?
Or something else entirely?
I stare ahead, my thoughts heavier now.
This isn't just about fixing a school anymore.
There's a past here.
A broken one.
And somehow...
I've stepped right into the middle of it.
The next day, I reached KHSS early.
Too early.
I didn't want to face the whispers or the murmurs in the corridors.
And... I had something else to do.
The campus was almost empty. Morning silence had taken over everything. No footsteps. No voices.
Just me.
Walking alone through this broken building.
A chill ran down my spine.
This place... already felt like a haunted house.
And after the rain, with the overgrown grass and damp walls-
Perfect.
Perfect for a Bollywood horror movie.
I let out a quiet breath.
"Not now..."
I didn't have time to stand around imagining things.
I had questions.
And I knew where to go.
Room Zero.
As I walked toward it, my mind kept circling back.
That iron door.
The one inside.
The one I noticed the first time I came here.
And the balcony-
Where Zorvath and Rithul stood, watching everyone below.
And the vault.
Everything about this place felt... hidden.
Like answers were buried here.
I just had to find them.
I stopped in front of the entrance.
The outer iron door.
Chains wrapped around it-Rahan sir's way of sealing it.
But no lock.
Just chains.
If someone wanted to open it...
They could.
Like me.
I swallowed.
The silence around me felt too loud.
Even the smallest sound could echo.
Like making Maggi at 2 a.m.-every little noise feels like a crime.
Still-
I reached forward.
My fingers touched the chain.
Cold.
Rough.
I slowly pulled it.
Clink.
I froze.
My heart jumped.
"What if someone hears...?"
I waited.
Listened.
Nothing.
No one.
Just silence again.
I continued, more carefully this time, loosening the chain until-
It slipped.
And fell.
With a loud metallic crash.
I flinched hard.
"Great..."
I whispered, my breath uneven as I quickly looked around.
No one came.
Still safe.
For now.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Dark.
Dusty.
Still.
There were switches on the side wall-too many.
I didn't know which one to turn on.
So I turned them all on.
Click. Click. Click.
Lights flickered alive-yellow, dim, uneven. A strange blue light from outside mixed in, making the whole place feel... off.
I didn't like it.
But at least I could see.
I walked further in, slowly.
Carefully.
Every step felt louder than it should.
One corner caught my eye.
Messy.
Broken furniture, scattered sticks, old cushions-something that was once a sofa, maybe. It looked like a place people used without caring.
I paused.
"For couples...?" I muttered under my breath.
A strange thought.
Romantic-
But not here.
Not like this.
Then my gaze shifted.
The other side.
Clean.
Too clean.
Sofas arranged properly.
A table in the center.
Enough space for ten... maybe twelve people.
Not exactly rich.
But in KHSS?
This looked luxurious.
I stared at it for a moment.
So this is where they sit.
The rich ones.
The ones Sona mentioned.
The ones who bring money... just for fun.
And with that money-
Others survive.
I let out a slow breath.
"I get it..."
But the drugs...
That part didn't sit right with me at all.
I looked up.
The balcony.
I could almost see it-
Zorvath standing there.
Looking down.
His team behind him.
Watching.
Controlling.
I moved toward the stairs and climbed up slowly.
Each step creaked.
The sound echoed.
Too loud.
When I reached the top-
I stopped.
"...That's it?"
No setup.
No luxury.
Nothing.
Just dust.
Broken edges.
A place to stand and look down.
That's all.
I expected more.
But this?
This was empty.
Dead.
Something moved near my foot.
I jumped.
"Aah-!"
I looked down.
A rat.
I let out a breath, annoyed at myself.
"Seriously...?"
I quickly turned on my phone flashlight.
Even though there was light-
I didn't trust it.
I wasn't taking chances with anything crawling near me.
That's when I noticed the walls.
Covered in writings.
Names.
Scratches.
Marks.
I stepped closer.
Reading.
Trying to understand.
And then-
One section stood out.
Different.
Like someone had written history there.
KHSS.
Its past.
Its story.
I blinked.
"So it was all here..."
I almost laughed quietly.
"And I wasted time searching online."
But something felt wrong.
Here-
GHSS was the villain.
Online-
KHSS was.
I frowned.
"Who am I supposed to believe...?"
I glanced around the broken place again.
"...This says enough."
Still-
Mohan Das.
Why start another school so close?
If they were brothers...
Why compete like that?
Something happened.
Something no one is saying clearly.
I pulled out my phone and started clicking pictures.
Quick.
Random.
Just in case.
My eyes moved across the wall-
Names.
Leo.
Rizwan.
Zorvath.
And then-
One name.
Different.
Written in bold blue letters.
"Luna."
I paused.
That name again.
I've heard it too many times.
But no one explains it.
No one talks about her properly.
I took a picture of it.
"Who are you...?" I whispered.
As I moved down again, something caught my eye.
Red marks.
On the lower wall.
I stopped.
Stared for a second.
"...Paint," I muttered quickly.
It has to be.
I didn't look too long.
I didn't want to.
And then-
My gaze shifted.
Forward.
Deeper.
The iron door.
The real one.
Standing there.
Silent.
Heavy.
Like it was hiding something.
My steps slowed.
My heartbeat picked up again.
"I think..."
I whispered under my breath,
"...all the answers are in there."
I stood there.
Looking at it.
Not moving.