Vinash, Vikram, Power, and Lunar were all heading toward Anita's house.
Anu had already gone home, but Vikram had told her he'd return later.
On the way, Vinash turned to Lunar and raised a brow.
"Didn't you introduce yourself as Moon during the last exam?"
Lunar glanced at him, then pointed to himself with mock confusion.
"Me? Oh yeah, that was back then. I was Moon then. I've changed my name since. Now I go by Chandra."
Power stared at him, baffled.
"Are you… stupid? You literally said an hour ago your name was Lunar!"
Chandra looked at her, indignant.
"Who are you calling stupid?! Just 'cause you're Vikram's girlfriend doesn't mean you can say anything you want!"
Power flared up, offended.
"HUHH?! Excuse me, mortal! My mere presence carries the essence of the divine! Just breathing the same air as me is a blessing from the celestial realm! How dare you assume I'd be in a relationship with a mere earthling?"
Vinash raised an eyebrow at her.
"Then just say no. Why all the dramatic monologue?"
Vikram sighed, cutting in.
"Leave her alone. She's delusional."
Chandra nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah… that does explain a lot."
Power pouted, clearly offended.
"You're all so ungrateful!"
The three of them chuckled softly—
But behind those laughs, the weight of grief still lingered.
Noticing this, Power's expression softened.
She quietly glanced at each of them and gave a look of gentle sympathy
Vikram turned to Chandra and asked,
"By the way… how do you know her address?"
Chandra replied casually,
"Some of our seniors had been there once—on 'service' duty. I overheard it from them."
Vinash narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
"What kind of service are we talking about?"
Chandra gave him a dry look.
"Oh come on. Don't pretend you don't know. Her father's been caught multiple times… but never convicted. They could never find solid evidence against him."
He stared ahead, his voice low but firm.
"He claims he works for a company called I-Pro Services. That's why they never arrested him."
Vikram tilted his head, confused.
"I-Pro Services? What's that?"
Chandra answered flatly,
"I-Pro Services is a front for an underworld gang. They mostly operate in the red-light district. They cater to all kinds of pleasures—for politicians, businessmen… you name it."
Vinash leaned back, thinking aloud.
"And how do you know all this?"
Chandra exhaled deeply, then looked Vinash straight in the eyes.
"When you've worked in factories your whole life… you meet all sorts of people. In places like that, you hear what goes on beneath the surface. You start to understand how the world really works."
He paused, then added with quiet intensity,
"I'm not part of any gang—but that doesn't mean I'm blind."
As they continued talking, they finally reached Anita's house—a rundown four-story building surrounded by wreckage. The neighboring houses were in equally terrible condition. Broken liquor bottles lay scattered across the pavement. A few disheveled men stood nearby, their long, curly, unkempt hair and ragged clothes making it clear what kind of people they were.
One of them, eyeing Power, shouted out with a twisted grin,
"What a dangerous item you kids have brought to sell. Didn't expect schoolboys to be dealing in something like this."
He started walking toward them, eyes fixed on Power. As he got closer to Chandra, Vinash, and Vikram, he said with a sick laugh,
"Forget selling to that old man—sell her to me instead. I'll pay good money."
Both Power and Vikram turned their coldest glares on him.
Chandra stepped forward quickly. "Please, just go back inside. We're only here to meet our classmate, Anita. Everything else you're thinking is completely unnecessary."
The man glanced past Chandra at Power and shrugged with a wicked smile.
"Shame… Anyway, how much for one night?"
Before he could say another word, Vikram's fist crashed into his face.
The impact sent the man flying several meters backward, landing hard on the ground.
Chandra and Vinash both turned toward Vikram, stunned. In unison, they exclaimed,
"How the hell did you do that?!"
Vikram ignored them.
He marched straight to the door and kicked it—so hard that it tore off the hinges and slammed open, crashing violently inside.
Power leaned toward him and whispered,
"When did you transform?"
Without turning, Vikram answered quietly,
"I activated the seal before we even came here."
Vinash glanced around inside, then stepped out and looked at the building from the outside.
"Luxurious from the inside, rundown from the outside?" he muttered in disbelief.
Chandra nodded in agreement.
"Nice way to avoid paying taxes."
Suddenly, a man stormed out, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist—clearly drunk or deranged.
"Who the hell are you people?! How dare you knock on my door?!"
Before anyone could respond, the man lunged toward Vikram, raising his hand to slap him.
But Chandra moved like a shadow—grabbing the man's wrist mid-air.
"Ah, we're here to see Anita. We didn't come to—"
Before Chandra could even finish, Vikram's fist crashed into the man's gut, sending him stumbling back, breathless and nearly unconscious.
Vikram grabbed him by the collar and growled,
"Where is Anita?"
The man glared at Vikram through bloodshot eyes, coughing and wheezing,
"You'll pay for this…"
Chandra casually stepped forward and kicked him under the chin with his shoe, making the man bite his own tongue and scream in agony.
"Aghhhh—AAHH—AAGH!!"
The room froze.
Vikram, Power, and Vinash all turned to look at Chandra, who simply raised his hands with a shrug.
"What? Vikram started it."
Then he added coldly,
"By the way, this man… is Anita's father."
Power's eyes narrowed.
She stepped forward slowly, her presence turning icy.
"So… you're the reason behind her miserable life?"
Without another word, she slapped him across the face.
So hard, five of his teeth flew through the air—embedding into the wall.
His face turned crimson with blood, his vision spinning, the world around him blurring into fog and pain.
Vikram, Vinash, and Chandra moved from room to room, flinging open doors in search of Anita. Suddenly, Vinash let out a sharp cry:
"Everyone! Come here—now!"
Power, Chandra, and Vikram immediately turned back and rushed toward him. As they reached, their eyes widened in horror—Vinash stood frozen, pale, staring into the room.
There, hanging from the ceiling fan, was Anita.
Everyone's breath caught at once. A suffocating silence wrapped around the space as Power's eyes welled up with tears.
Chandra noticed a paper lying on the ground. He slowly bent down, picked it up, and began to read.
Meanwhile, Vikram and Vinash rushed in. Together, they brought Anita's lifeless body down. Power gently cradled Anita's head in her lap and slowly closed her vacant, open eyes.
Vikram didn't move. He just stood there, staring at Anita's body in shock.
Her skin was covered in bruises—clear signs of repeated abuse. Scratches, dark marks, wounds... and they were fresh. She had been sexually assaulted.
Chandra continued reading aloud from the letter:
"Sorry, Vikram. I broke my promise. I said I'd leave this world behind… but I couldn't."
He paused for a moment, his voice catching, and looked at Vikram.
Vikram didn't say a word. He was fixated on the letter.
Vinash sat beside Anita's body, still too stunned to cry. Power looked at him silently, then leaned forward and wrapped Anita in a tight embrace, as if holding on to what little warmth remained.
Chandra's voice broke the silence once more as he continued reading…
I'm sorry, Vikram… once again."
Anita's words trembled in the letter.
"That night when we met… you made me promise—if I ever left that life, you'd take me on a date. I was happy. I really thought I was free. I went home smiling."
"But then—"
As soon as she stepped inside, her father was standing outside the door, waiting. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her inside.
"Have you lost your damn mind?!" he shouted.
"That man was one of our most valuable customers, and you crushed his delicate body part!"
He slammed her against the floor and kicked the door shut.
Anita, sobbing in pain, cried out,
"I… I don't want to work for you anymore, Father!"
That was all it took.
Fury twisted his face. Teeth gritted, he yanked off his belt.
And then—he began to beat her.
"Ahh! Aghh! Please, stop! Please, Father—STOP IT!"
She turned and scrambled toward her room, limping. But he followed close behind, shouting:
"Where the hell do you think you're going?!"
"Don't forget—you can't run from me! I've got hundreds of men ready to track you down if you vanish. The gang entrusted me with this business. I won't let it go to waste because of you!"
Anita slammed the door and locked it from the inside.
Panting, trembling, she looked around. Her eyes darted between the walls. The only option: the window.
She rushed to it, flung it open—
But before she could climb out, the door behind her shattered.
Her father had broken through it.
He stormed inside, grabbed her by the arm, and slammed her to the ground.
Anita cried out in agony. Her legs couldn't hold her anymore.
"P-please… please, stop… Aren't I your daughter? How—how can you do this to me?"
She began crawling toward the door.
But he grabbed her by the hair again, dragging her back across the floor.
"Yes, you're my daughter," he hissed,
"That's exactly why I trained you myself. Maybe you've forgotten… So let's review. It's been eight years, hasn't it?"
Chandra tears apart the letter in his hand."
"I… I can't. I can't read anymore."