Morning hit the city like it hadn't slept at all.
TVs were already loud. Buzzing more than fhey usually do. Every channel, same news, different takes. They all has visuals, grainy clips, rain-soaked roads, flashing red-and-blue, helicopters spiraling down,
Krish's arrival , then static.
" total failure," a reporter said.
" police overwhelmed "
"EVEN KRISH UNABLE TO STOP HIM"
The masked guy was everywhere now.
Phones.
Tea stalls.
Auto radios.
Office elevators.
Everyone had a theory.
Everyone had an opinion.
Everyone knows about it.
Some of them were scared, Some of them excited, some of them smiling a little too much.
He wasn't just a criminal anymore.
He was a story.
A legend like a myth.
Then one channel cut through the noise.
Drishyam Daily.
The studio lights softened. The background went calm blue instead of red panic graphics. And then
—
Supriya..
Everyone knows her.
Even Dj watched the news from his secret layer.
She sat straight, calm, composed. Same familiar face, Same steady eyes, the kind people trusted without knowing why.
"Good morning, India," she said as usual, her voice smooth, practiced.
Rony leaned forward without realizing it. Dj standing beside him.
Supriya continued, carefully. She talked about the last few days, The fear, The uncertainty and The masked figure who had pushed the city to the edge.
"He is not one of you," she said, firm. "He has no supernatural powers. What we are seeing has a logical explanation—and we will uncover it."
DJ exhaled slowly atleast someone didn't label him an experiment.
Supriya's face shifted, Her tone hardened just a bit.
"There have been murders," she said. "Confirmed. First, Sakshi. Then, the co-founders of Hoarsman Industries."
Rony's face hardened.
" Why he did this and who did this, we don't know. But maybe we know it today," Supriya added, both Dj and Rony's eye changed.
A pause. Just long enough to pull everyone in.
"Tonight, live," she said, "Hoarsman chairman Mr. Roy Singhania will address the nation."
The screen froze on her composed face.
Then—
Advertisements.
DJ stared at the blank screen blankly like it had personally insulted him or had something very out of touch.
Rony didn't move. He was already turned back to his monitors, turned to look at his friend.
DJ rubbed his eyebrows with his folded arms, Tired. And when he looked at his friend's gaze he felt Annoyed.
"That's bad," DJ muttered.
Rony didn't answer. But he wanted to say. What a genius.
Roy was talking tonight, and whatever he was about to say, wasn't going to be good. They knew that. Even a fool would know that.
"He's going to expose you," Rony said, stating the obvious.
DJ didn't answer. He startes pacing the room, slow than gradually gained speed.
Rony saw his friend pacing in tension and he kept going anyway. "He probably knows about the camera and footage By now."
DJ paused and asked . "But then why didn't he say it on the news?"
DJ stopped near the far wall. Didn't turn. Didn't blink.
"Why wait?" Rony asked. " isn't he is going to say that in the news tonight, why is he waiting?"
"Yes," DJ said.
Rony frowned. "Yes… what?"
"Yes, he's waiting."
DJ finally looked at him. Calm, calmer than before.
Rony didn't understand his calm.
"Either he calls us in ten minutes," DJ said, "or we call him."
" Why?" Rony asked.
" We'll know in ten minutes." He said and immediately sat down in front of his phone.
Rony seeing his friend's reaction followed him anyways. He checked the clock, and than counted.
They waited.
Nothing.
The monitors hummed like a flash, the fan kept rattling somewhere.
DJ glanced at the clock again. Then at Rony.
" Call him."
Rony swallowed and looked at him. "You sure?"
DJ didn't answer. He pulled the phone out, dialed.
No pickup.
Rony leaned in. "Nothing?"
DJ hung up. "Keep trying."
Once.
Twice.
Third time—
Click.
The phone connected but no sound came.
DJ waited for other party to say something but nothing came the phone remained silent for a while.
Rony looked at him and than the monitors the phone was indeed connected.
DJ seems to understand something and he said hello with greeted teeth.
"Ah," Roy's voice slid through the speaker, smooth and little smug. "DJ. You finally answered." The voice sounded cheerful, almost optimistic.
DJ didn't respond he kept the phone tightly.
" You called early. Ten minutes early. I thought you'd need at least half an hour."
DJ said nothing..
A chuckle. "What reminded you of me, hmm? Didn't we already meet last night?"
DJ's fist tightened eyes turning, and he said with greeted teeth. "What do you want."
Roy sighed, like he was bored. "Nothing. Not anymore."
Then, lighter. "Though I did like the drone you sent. Very advanced. Shame it got caught. You've got impressive tech. Just work on th stealth a bit."
"Stop wasting time," DJ said. "Say it."
A pause. Just long enough to feel intentional.
"I want to see you worried there," Roy said softly.
"That's all."
Rony's eyes flicked to DJ.
"You escaped Krish," Roy continued. "Credit where it's due. But that ends now. Exactly seven p.m., I release your identity. To the public of course. One hour earlier—to the people whose money you burned. One hour before that—to the man whose boss's daughter you killed."
DJ's hand tightened around the phone.
"And don't try anything clever," Roy added.
"Everything about you is already in the cloud. Touch me, and it goes public. Same situation as before."
A smile in his voice. "This time, I won't challenge you. I know you'll think you're smarter. So—accept defeat. Stay out."
Silence.
"But you won't," Roy said. "Will you?"
He checked his watch. DJ could hear it. The faint click.
"Ten thirty-eight," Roy said. "So here's my generosity. One hour. I disappear. No calls. No announcements."
A beat.
"You just need to find me, you kill me. Before I speak."
A soft laugh. "Fair, right?"
Click.
The line went dead.
Rony stared at the phone. Then at DJ.
"That's a trap."
DJ didn't deny it. Even a blind person can see it's trap. A bollywood villian calling you in secret place, not to talk about philosophy or love. He invited you be cleaved in half.
DJ just looked back at the clock. Time ticking down a little faster than he liked.
"You're going to jump in," Rony muttered, half to himself.
DJ dragged a hand through his hair, pacing. Again.
The room felt smaller than it already was.
"Can't you plan this?" he snapped. "You beat Krish. What's this Roy guy compared to that?"
Rony stopped typing. Looked up. "I planned three years to survive Krish. You think I woke up one day and said, yeah, I'm bored let's destroy it. I'm in not that level yet."
He shook his head. "Roy knows we escaped him. And he's still inviting you. That means he's not bluffing. He has something ready."
DJ turned back. "Teleport you can do that if things went South? "
Rony winced. "One-time trick. Fries your suit. You've already lost four sets."
A beat. "Those aren't cheap, DJ."
DJ walked past him, restless. "So what then? What do we do?"
Rony leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "We go there, trigger whatever trap he's set, somehow live through it, face him—"
He laughed, humorless. "—and even if we win, who believes us? We've got nothing. No proof. Sakshi's camera only shows the tunnel and a cave full of Pull-water. That's it."
DJ stopped.
Slowly turned. "The camera. It's still live?"
Rony froze. Then fingers flew to the keyboard. Screens flickered.
"…Yeah," he said after a second. "Still alive."
Then, quieter. "Which could also be another trap."
DJ didn't argue.
Silence settled between them.
"So," Rony said finally. "Dead end. Either way—we lose, it's..... " Rony didn't finish.
DJ looked at him. "Impossible?"
Rony stiffened. He knew that look. Knew that tone.
"No," he said quickly. "I didn't say impossible. I was going to day difficult."
DJ tilted his head. "So not impossible."
Rony choked out a laugh. "I didn't mean—"
"Then it's possible."
Rony had nothing left. He looked down at the floor.
"DJ… this is too much."
DJ watched him for a moment. Then, softer:
"Do you believe me?"
Rony blinked. That question again.
He laughed under his breath. "You really love throwing back at people."
DJ didn't smile. " So you do trust me or not?"
Rony exhaled. "Yeah. I do. More than my tech."
A faint hum filled the room. Somewhere, music leaked from a speaker—low, steady. You can call it the BGM booting up.
Rony straightened. "Okay. Then what's the plan?"
DJ hesitated. Just a flicker. Shame, maybe.
"…We talk to my old friend."
The impressive music died down like an old man on deathbed.
Far across the city, inside the glass-and-steel building of Drishyam News & Paper, Raghav sat at his desk, flipping through documents with practiced boredom.
"Sir?" his secretary leaned in. Dizzy—no one else called her that.
"There's… a mail. Someone says he's your childhood friend."
Raghav frowned. "Childhood friend?"
He looked up. "Since when did I have one?"
"He said his name is… Devesh Joshi."
Raghav blinked. "Who?"
Dizzy shrugged, embarrassed. "He said you'd know, sir."
Raghav sighed wanting to know what he did wrong in his previous life to hey such assistent. "Give me the folder."
She handed it over.
" All day I'm busy saving the world risking my life and secretary just let anything in my office." Raghav complain to himself.
But the moment he opened it, the boredom and complain vanished shifting to a serious one. .
His eyes narrowed as he saw the contains of the folder.
A glowing pond .
A familiar glowing pond.