Emilia sat at her desk, staring blankly at the open case file in front of her. Her eyes glazed over as the words on the page blurred together. She had read the same paragraph three times but hadn’t processed a single word. Lucian’s voice echoed in her mind, his cryptic statements digging deeper into her thoughts.

"You and I... we’re not so different, Emilia. We’re both searching for the same thing. The truth."

She clenched her fists, trying to push the thought away, but it clung to her, like a shadow she couldn’t escape. The truth. What truth? What could he possibly mean?

Her phone rang, snapping her out of her daze. She glanced at the screen—Elias. For a moment, she considered letting it go to voicemail, but she knew he would just keep calling until she picked up. With a sigh, she answered.

“Elias, hey,” she said, her voice sounding more exhausted than she intended.

“Emilia, are you okay?” Elias asked immediately, his tone serious. “You didn’t come to the briefing this morning. Everyone’s worried.”

Emilia rubbed her temples, leaning back in her chair. “I’m fine, Elias. Just... trying to piece things together.”

“You don’t sound fine,” he replied, his voice laced with concern. “Look, I get it. This case is getting to you, and Lucian... he’s inside your head. But you need to take a step back before you lose yourself in this.”

“I’m not losing myself,” Emilia said, though even she didn’t believe it. “I just... I need to understand him. There’s something more to this, something we’re missing.”

Elias sighed on the other end of the line. “Emilia, Lucian is a psychopath. He’s dangerous. Whatever game he’s playing, he’s trying to drag you into it. Don’t let him.”

“I know that, Elias,” she snapped, then immediately regretted her harsh tone. She softened her voice. “I know. But there’s something he’s not telling us, something... deeper. He keeps talking about choices, about the people who disappeared. It’s like he knows something I don’t.”

“Of course he knows things you don’t. He’s been planning this for years,” Elias said. “But he’s manipulating you. You have to see that.”

Emilia exhaled slowly, trying to calm the storm inside her mind. “I’m trying. I just... need more time.”

There was a pause before Elias spoke again, his voice more gentle this time. “Just promise me you won’t go see him again alone. Let me be there, or Lestrade. He’s dangerous, Emilia. More dangerous than you realize.”

Emilia hesitated but nodded to herself. “Okay. I promise.”

After she hung up, Emilia stared at her phone for a moment, the weight of Elias’s words pressing down on her. She knew he was right. She couldn’t let Lucian get to her. But how could she distance herself when every instinct she had screamed that there was something important she was missing? Something Lucian was holding back.

The knock on her door startled her, and she looked up to see Lestrade standing in the doorway. Her expression was as unreadable as ever, but there was a sharpness in her eyes, as if she had been observing Emilia from a distance for a while.

“Busy?” Lestrade asked, though she didn’t wait for an answer before stepping into the room.

Emilia quickly straightened in her chair, closing the file on her desk. “No. Just... going over some things.”

Lestrade gave her a long, scrutinizing look, then tossed a folder onto Emilia’s desk. “More disappearances. We’re tying them back to Lucian. I thought you should take a look.”

Emilia opened the folder, her eyes scanning over the profiles of several new names, all young men and women, all vanished without a trace. She swallowed hard as she flipped through the reports.

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“Are these all... connected to him?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“Seems like it,” Lestrade said, crossing her arms. “We’re digging through his old associates, people who had ties to his operations, people who got close to him. Most of them disappeared after they tried to back out or... get too close.”

Emilia felt a cold shiver run down her spine. “And none of them were ever found?”

Lestrade shook her head. “Not a trace. It’s like they just... vanished into thin air. No bodies, no leads. Nothing.”

Emilia stared at the faces in the photos. Each one of them looked so normal, so unsuspecting. But if Lucian had anything to do with their disappearances, then normalcy was the last thing that described them. She knew, deep down, that this was more than just a series of random cases. This was personal. Lucian had chosen these people for a reason. But why? And what was the connection to her?

Lestrade’s voice cut through her thoughts. “I’ve seen your face every time you come out of that room, Emilia. You’re not the same after you talk to him. I’ve been doing this long enough to know when someone’s being pulled under.”

“I’m fine,” Emilia insisted, though her voice lacked conviction.

Lestrade narrowed her eyes. “You’re not fine. And you need to stop pretending you are. This man isn’t like the others you’ve dealt with. He’s not some troubled mind you can fix with therapy. He’s a predator, and he’s locked onto you.”

Emilia bristled at that, standing up and facing Lestrade directly. “I know what I’m doing, Inspector. I’ve been trained for this. I can handle Lucian.”

Lestrade’s expression didn’t waver, her gaze unrelenting. “That’s exactly what the others thought too. The ones who disappeared. They all thought they were in control until they weren’t.”

Emilia felt her breath catch in her throat. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that Lucian doesn’t just target people. He manipulates them, draws them in, makes them believe they’re special, that they can see things no one else can. And then, when he’s done with them, they vanish. Gone. Like they never existed.” Lestrade’s voice was cold, almost detached, but there was a hint of concern beneath it.

Emilia swallowed hard, her mind racing. Was that what was happening to her? Was she falling into the same trap as the others?

“I’m not like them,” she said, her voice quieter now, more uncertain.

Lestrade leaned forward, her eyes locked onto Emilia’s. “Aren’t you?”

The question hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Emilia felt her chest tighten, her thoughts swirling. Was she really in control, or was Lucian pulling her strings, just like he had with the others?

“I need to talk to him again,” Emilia said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “There’s something he’s not telling us. Something important.”

Lestrade shook her head. “You’re walking right into his trap. You need to step back before it’s too late.”

“I can’t step back,” Emilia snapped, her frustration boiling over. “I need answers, Lestrade. I can’t just walk away.”

Lestrade studied her for a long moment before sighing. “Alright. But I’m coming with you. You don’t go in there alone.”

Emilia hesitated, but she knew she had no choice. “Fine.”

A short while later, they stood outside Lucian’s room again. Lestrade stayed just outside the door, her arms crossed as she kept a close watch on Emilia.

As Emilia entered, Lucian was sitting upright in bed, as if he had been waiting for her. His smile was as calm and unsettling as ever.

“Back again, Emilia?” he said, his voice smooth and welcoming. “I must admit, I’m flattered.”

“I need answers, Lucian,” Emilia said, wasting no time. “No more riddles. No more games. You’re going to tell me what happened to those people. Why they disappeared.”

Lucian’s smile widened slightly, and he leaned forward, resting his hands in his lap. “And what makes you think I have those answers?”

“Because you’re connected to all of them,” Emilia replied, her voice firm. “You knew them, didn’t you? You made them disappear.”

Lucian chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You think this is all about disappearances? About people vanishing into the night? You’re still looking at the world through such a narrow lens, Emilia.”

“Then explain it to me,” she said, her frustration growing. “What is this all about? Why do you keep talking about choices?”

Lucian’s gaze sharpened, and for the first time, there was no amusement in his eyes. “Because the choices we make define who we are. And those people—the ones who disappeared—they made a choice. Just like you will.”

Emilia’s heart raced, but she forced herself to stay calm. “What choice?”

Lucian leaned back, his eyes never leaving hers. “The choice to see the world for what it truly is. To step beyond the illusions, beyond the lies. They all chose to embrace the truth. And so will you.”

“What truth?” Emilia asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Lucian’s smile returned, but it was colder now, more dangerous. “The truth that there is no control. No order. Only chaos. Only the void.”

Emilia felt her breath catch in her throat, her pulse quickening. Was that what he wanted? To pull her into his twisted view of the world? To

make her see things the way he did?

“I’m not like them,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Lucian’s smile widened. “Oh, but you are, Emilia. You just don’t know it yet.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Emilia stared at him, her mind spinning, trying to make sense of it all. But deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucian was right.

She had always been searching for something.