Emilia left Lucian’s room with her thoughts swirling, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Every time she spoke with him, it felt as though another piece of herself was slipping through her fingers. She felt trapped, yet drawn back to him, as though he held answers to questions she didn’t even know she had.

Lestrade was waiting just outside the door, her arms crossed, watching Emilia carefully.

“You get what you needed?” she asked, her tone hard but with an edge of concern.

Emilia nodded, though her answer was automatic, her mind still inside the room with Lucian. “He’s toying with us. But there’s something in what he says. He’s... he’s convinced that we’ve all missed something. That there’s more going on.”

Lestrade’s eyes narrowed. “He’s manipulating you. That’s what he does. You’re smart enough to see that, Emilia.”

Emilia bit her lip, her hands trembling slightly as she crossed her arms. “Maybe. But what if he’s right? What if we’ve missed something important?”

Lestrade let out a low sigh, shaking her head. “There’s always more to the story, Emilia. But Lucian... he’s pulling you in, making you question everything you know. He’s done it before—he’s done it to everyone who’s come too close. I don’t want you to end up like them.”

Emilia blinked, her gaze flicking up to meet Lestrade’s. “Like them? What do you mean?”

“The others,” Lestrade said, her voice quieter now, more serious. “The ones who vanished. They all started off like you—curious, trying to figure him out. They got close, too close. And then... they were gone.”

Emilia felt a chill run down her spine, but she forced herself to stand her ground. “I’m not them. I’m not going to disappear.”

Lestrade’s eyes were sharp, unreadable. “None of them thought they would either.”

The silence between them grew heavy, the weight of Lestrade’s words sinking deep into Emilia’s mind. She wanted to argue, to insist that she was different, but a part of her couldn’t shake the doubt creeping in. Was she really in control, or was Lucian already winning?

Lestrade pushed off the wall, stepping closer. “Look, Emilia. You’re good at what you do. That’s why we need you here. But you need to keep your distance from him. Whatever game he’s playing, you’re not the first person he’s tried to pull into it.”

Emilia looked away, feeling a knot of tension build in her chest. “I know that. But I can’t walk away. I have to figure this out. There’s something bigger going on.”

“Then figure it out without getting too close,” Lestrade said firmly. “Lucian is dangerous in ways we don’t fully understand. He’s been manipulating people for years, pulling strings behind the scenes. You’re not immune to that.”

Emilia stared at the floor, her thoughts tangled. She knew Lestrade was right—Lucian was dangerous. But there was something in his words, in the way he spoke about choices and control, that she couldn’t ignore. She needed answers, even if it meant walking the razor’s edge between truth and madness.

“Thanks, Lestrade,” Emilia said quietly, her voice barely audible.

Lestrade gave her a long look before nodding. “Be careful. We’ve already lost too many good people to him.”

With that, Lestrade turned and walked away, leaving Emilia standing alone in the hallway. The quiet settled in around her like a heavy blanket, suffocating. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, but Lucian’s words kept playing on repeat.

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“You and I... we’re not so different, Emilia. We’re both searching for the same thing.”

Emilia made her way back to her office, her feet moving on autopilot as her thoughts continued to spiral. By the time she reached her desk, she felt more exhausted than she had in days. Sitting down, she glanced at the file Lestrade had given her earlier—the profiles of the missing people.

She opened it again, her eyes scanning over the faces. Young men and women, all full of life, and now... gone. What had Lucian done to them? What had he made them believe?

Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. It was a message from Elias.

Hey. Thought I’d check in. Need to talk?

Emilia stared at the screen for a moment before typing a quick response.

I’m okay. Just trying to figure things out.

The reply came almost immediately.

You don’t have to figure it all out by yourself, you know.

She smiled faintly, appreciating his concern. But even though Elias was right, there was something about this case, about Lucian, that made her feel like she was the only one who could see the full picture. Or maybe she was the only one willing to see it.

Before she could reply, there was a knock on her office door. She looked up, surprised to see Dr. Hayward standing there, a thick stack of papers in his hands. His face looked even more tired than usual, dark circles beneath his eyes, and his usual jovial demeanor was replaced with a weary seriousness.

“Dr. Hayward,” Emilia said, sitting up straighter. “Everything okay?”

He stepped inside, placing the stack of papers on her desk. “I’m not sure. I wanted to talk to you about some of the tests we’ve been running on Lucian. Something doesn’t add up.”

Emilia frowned, her curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

Hayward leaned forward, flipping through the stack of papers until he found what he was looking for. “His brain scans. The results are... strange. It’s like there’s something missing. Or rather, something we can’t detect.”

“Missing?” Emilia echoed, feeling a sense of unease settle over her. “What exactly are we talking about here?”

Hayward pointed to the image on the page, showing her a scan of Lucian’s brain. “This area here, the part that typically shows activity related to emotional responses, empathy, even impulse control... it’s almost completely inactive. But that’s not the strangest part. It fluctuates. One moment, there’s almost no activity, and the next, it spikes, but in a way I’ve never seen before.”

Emilia stared at the scan, her mind racing. “What could cause that kind of fluctuation?”

Hayward shook his head. “That’s just it. We don’t know. It’s like he’s controlling it somehow, turning parts of his brain on and off at will. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Emilia’s thoughts flashed back to Lucian’s cryptic words about control, about chaos. Was this what he meant? Was he somehow manipulating his own mind, creating a facade of normalcy while hiding something much darker beneath the surface?

“What are you saying, Hayward?” she asked, her voice quiet.

Hayward hesitated, glancing around the room as if someone might be listening. “I don’t know what to think. But whatever Lucian is... he’s not like anyone we’ve ever dealt with before. And I’m not sure we’re equipped to handle him.”

Emilia felt a cold sweat form on the back of her neck. “We need to figure this out. If he’s manipulating us, if he’s somehow controlling his own mind, we need to know how.”

Hayward nodded, his expression grim. “I agree. But we’re running out of time. The longer we keep him here, the more dangerous he becomes. We need to make a decision soon—either we figure out what he’s doing, or we let the authorities take over.”

Emilia shook her head. “We can’t hand him over. Not yet. There’s too much we don’t know.”

“Emilia, if we wait too long—” Hayward began, but she cut him off.

“I’m not giving up on this. I need more time. I’m close. I can feel it.”

Hayward studied her for a long moment before finally sighing in defeat. “Alright. But be careful. Lucian isn’t just another patient. He’s dangerous, and I’m starting to think he’s more dangerous than we ever imagined.”

As Hayward left the room, Emilia stared down at the scan in front of her. What was Lucian doing? How could he manipulate his own brain in such a way, and why?

She leaned back in her chair, her mind racing with possibilities. Lucian wasn’t just a psychopath. He was something else—something they had yet to fully comprehend. And whatever he was, he was pulling her deeper into his world.

Emilia knew she was walking a dangerous line, but she couldn’t stop now. There were too many unanswered questions, too many pieces of the puzzle still missing. Lucian had the answers, and no matter the cost, she was going to get them.

Her phone buzzed again, another message from Elias.

Just checking in again. Don’t forget, you’re not alone.

Emilia stared at the screen, her heart heavy. She appreciated Elias’s concern, but the truth was, she felt more alone than ever.

With a deep breath, she typed her reply.

Thanks, Elias. I’ll talk to you soon.

As she sent the message, Emilia couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever came next, it would change everything.