The static crackled faintly as the cassette tape whirred to life.
Ratan and Raju leaned in, listening intently. The Detective remained still, her mask unmoving, her posture tense.
A young woman's voice spoke—uneven, trembling.
> "My name is Ananya Mukhopadhyay. If you're hearing this... I'm probably already gone."
Raju glanced at his brother, but Ratan raised a hand—"Wait."
> "They followed me. I thought it was just paranoia. But the black rose... it's not just a symbol. It's a warning. A mark that means you're chosen. Or cursed."
The voice paused. A shaky breath.
> "I saw things. In the basement of the tuition center. People with masks. Rituals. And a girl… she looked like me. But it wasn't me."
The tape clicked slightly, then continued.
> "The school knows. The garden hides secrets. We were not the first. We won't be the last. If someone finds this—stop them. Don't trust—"
The audio abruptly cut off.
Silence followed. The tape kept spinning, but there was nothing else.
Ratan switched it off slowly.
"Cut off," he muttered. "Deliberately."
The Detective held the tape in her hand for a long moment.
"She left this," she said quietly, "knowing she wouldn't survive."
Raju's voice was barely above a whisper. "What is the Black Rose, really?"
Ratan turned to his younger brother. "We thought it was just a symbol… but now I think it's an organization. A secret one. And it's been hiding in plain sight for years."
The Detective placed the tape back in the box. "There's someone still alive who knows everything. Someone who was there."
Ratan nodded slowly. "Then we need to find them."
Suddenly, Raju's phone buzzed.
He checked it—eyes widening.
"Sir… there's been another message. A letter. Just arrived at the station. No sender. Just a symbol again."
"What symbol?" Ratan asked.
Raju held up his phone and showed them the photo.
A black rose.
But this time—
The moon in the center was cracked.
The Detective's hands clenched.
"A warning," she said.
"No," Ratan said, voice grim. "A declaration."
The war had just begun.
---
To be continued…