Atharva Pathak, a science-loving college student who works part-time at a café, is introduced in Chapter 1. He is calm, focused, and spends his free time coding and working on personal projects. His two best friends—Ansh, a playful gamer who loves wild theories, and Sidharth, a talented mechanic with a no-nonsense attitude—bring humor and companionship to his life.

One evening, the trio notices strange activity in the college lab. When they investigate, they find an inoperable machine and papers scattered around. Atharva secretly copies an encrypted file from the lab’s computer onto his pendrive while fixing the machine. The file triggers his curiosity but also fills him with unease. He keeps it a secret from his friends, unsure of what it means. Later that night, Atharva attempts to decode the file but discovers it’s unreadable and encrypted. He dismisses his friends' questions with humor, concealing his growing anxiety. Meanwhile,...