DEVIL'S SHADOW

ASSEMBLE

Preethi receives the call, but she remains immobile. Aditya calls her repeatedly until she awakens from the shock, and then he hands her the phone, saying her father is calling. She answers the phone, and someone informs her about her father's death in an accident. Aditya turns on the TV, and the report of her father's death has already begun to play, alerting her that the murderer is Karthik. Aditya becomes enraged and switches off the TV, advising Preethi to rest because going outdoors would be dangerous. She moves to her room and starts thinking about all these incidents that are happening sequentially. She begins to cry without making a sound, her eyes welling up with tears as she recalls all of her father's memories.

She felt very alone. She is unable to leave the room due to strict security. The following evening, she walks out with strict security to visit her father's body. The body is completely charred and shapeless. Her eyes dry up as she stops sobbing. She expresses her desire to meet everyone to Aditya, who is standing next to her.

The next day, Preethi sneaks out of the house with the help of Aditya, wearing a rag to disguise her face. Her face is completely hidden. Preethi visits the cafe where she thought Karthik might be. But, to her disappointment, he wasn't there, but Dev greeted her at the cafe and offered her some snacks. Aditya inquires about Karthik with Dev, but even Dev is unaware of his whereabouts. While they are conversing, a van pulls up next to the cafe, and Brahms enters. Preethi is overjoyed to see everyone again. Preethi gets up and walks out of the cafe while they are having a pleasant conversation, getting fresh air with an absent mind. Brahms approaches her and says he might know where he'll be. Preethi glances at the Brahms and asks, "Will you help me reach my destination?" Brahms smiles as a sign of acceptance, and the remaining members wish to accompany her on her quest. Everyone enters the van to begin their journey, and as she does so, she notices a sword covered with a cloth in the van and thinks to herself, "I think I did see that sword somewhere."

After a long journey, they reach the Central. In that, they reach a small village, which now looks abandoned. Everyone gets out of the van and starts searching, but they didn't find a single person. Everything appears to be vacant, with abandoned buildings. They arrive at a very large and dusty railway station. The train station's roof is built of glass and is now coated with dust, giving the impression that the roof is prone to cracking and falling. Trains are passing through the station, but none of them are stopping. Then Dev noticed an elderly man reading a newspaper with a stick alongside him at the station. They approach the old guy, and Dev inquires about the location.

The old man wearing spectacles coughs and says, "I believe you are new to this place. This location has long since vanished from the face of the earth. It's now simply an abandoned village where no one comes and no trains stop. Every five minutes, a train passes past this station but never stops. Do you recall a bombing that occurred over two decades ago? This is the village where it took place. Within one minute, a beautiful village was transformed into this. Everyone died as a result of a meaningless bomb, including children, the elderly, and those with goals. There's a kid in that blast who couldn't stop wondering who was responsible. He began to learn about the actual world. He is..." Preethi hits the old man, knocking him down, and says, "You think I can't recognise you, idiot... Karthik."