Chapter 3: Shadows of the PastThe morning sun barely reached Aryan’s apartment. Thick gray clouds hung low outside the window, casting a dull light over the cramped room. Papers were scattered across the table—old photographs, wrinkled notebook pages, copies of sketches, and printouts of the strange red symbol Neel had hidden in his final painting. But no matter how much Aryan stared at the symbol, it refused to reveal its meaning.He ran a hand through his messy hair and leaned back in his chair. Sleep had been impossible. That image—the swirling black chaos and the glowing red symbol at its