Elias sat at his desk, staring at the stack of papers in front of him, but his mind was miles away. Emilia had been missing for over twenty-four hours, and every second that passed only deepened the pit of dread in his stomach. He couldn’t focus on anything else. His phone sat beside him, silent. No calls, no updates—nothing.

Lestrade had been working around the clock, coordinating search efforts and pushing for any lead they could find. But there had been no sign of Emilia, and it was starting to feel like they were chasing ghosts. Elias felt the weight of failure pressing down on him, suffocating him.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed, breaking the silence. Elias snatched it up, his heart racing as he read the name on the screen: Lestrade. He answered immediately.

"Lestrade? Any news?"

Lestrade’s voice was tense, but there was something else there—frustration, maybe even anger. "We’ve got something. Not exactly what we hoped for, but it’s something."

Elias sat up straighter, gripping the phone tighter. "What is it? Have you found her?"

"No," Lestrade admitted, the word heavy. "But we’ve got surveillance footage from a camera near the hospital. It shows Emilia leaving late last night, just after her last conversation with Lucian."

Elias frowned. "She left alone?"

"Yeah. No sign of anyone with her," Lestrade confirmed. "But here’s the strange part. She was headed away from her apartment. We tracked the route, and it looks like she was walking toward the old docks. No one goes down there, not at that hour."

"The docks?" Elias’s voice was thick with confusion. "What the hell would she be doing there? That place is practically abandoned."

Lestrade paused, and Elias could almost hear her weighing her words carefully. "I don’t know. But something doesn’t feel right about this. It’s like she wasn’t herself."

Elias’s chest tightened as he considered the implications. "You think Lucian got to her. He manipulated her somehow."

"I don’t want to jump to conclusions," Lestrade said, though her tone suggested she was thinking exactly the same thing. "But it fits. The way she left, where she was headed... it’s not like her. And Lucian’s release happening at the same time? It’s too much of a coincidence."

Elias cursed under his breath, standing up and pacing the room. "We need to get down there. Search every inch of those docks."

"We’re already on it," Lestrade assured him. "But I need you to stay focused, Elias. I know this is hard, but we can’t afford to lose control here."

"I’m not losing control," Elias snapped, though even he could hear the edge in his voice. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Sorry. It’s just... we’re running out of time, Lestrade. If she’s in trouble, we need to find her now."

Lestrade’s voice softened slightly. "I get it. Trust me, I do. But we can’t rush this. If Lucian’s involved, we need to be smart. He’s already two steps ahead of us, and I don’t want to give him any more of an advantage."

Elias nodded, though she couldn’t see it. "You’re right. I’ll be ready when you call."

"Good. We’ll be in touch soon," Lestrade said before hanging up.

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Elias tossed the phone onto his desk, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The pieces of the puzzle were scattered, and every time he thought he was close to putting them together, something shifted. Emilia’s disappearance, Lucian’s mind games, the docks—it all felt like part of some larger plan, but Elias couldn’t see it. Not yet.

A soft knock on the door broke through his thoughts. He turned to see Dr. Hayward standing in the doorway, looking as tense as Elias felt.

"Elias, do you have a moment?" Hayward asked, stepping into the room without waiting for an answer.

"Now’s not a great time," Elias muttered, sinking back into his chair. "Unless you’ve got something that can help us find Emilia."

Hayward closed the door behind him, his expression serious. "Actually, I might. I’ve been going through Lucian’s medical records again, trying to find anything we might’ve missed. And... well, there’s something strange I found. Something about his scans."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Hayward set a file on the desk in front of Elias, opening it to reveal a series of brain scans. "Remember how we were seeing irregular activity in certain parts of Lucian’s brain? The areas associated with empathy, emotion, moral reasoning? I reanalyzed them after he was discharged, and I noticed something I hadn’t picked up on before."

Elias leaned forward, studying the scans. "What is it?"

"It’s not just that those areas were inactive," Hayward explained, tapping a finger on one of the images. "It’s like they’ve been bypassed completely. But that’s not the strange part. Look here—these regions, the ones related to higher cognitive functions and decision-making, they’re hyperactive. It’s as if Lucian is processing information at an accelerated rate, almost beyond what a normal human brain should be capable of."

Elias frowned, trying to make sense of it. "What are you saying? That Lucian’s... smarter than we thought?"

Hayward shook his head. "It’s more than just intelligence. It’s like he’s rewired his brain to control his emotions, his impulses. He can override natural responses—fear, guilt, even empathy. He’s not just manipulating others, Elias. He’s manipulating himself. His brain is functioning in a way we’ve never seen before."

Elias felt a chill run down his spine. "So, what? He’s some kind of... sociopath with superhuman control over his own mind?"

"That’s one way to put it," Hayward said, his voice low. "But it’s not just that he lacks empathy. It’s like he’s evolved beyond it. He’s operating on a different level, making decisions based on logic and self-preservation, without any emotional interference."

Elias stared at the scans, feeling a growing sense of dread. "And you think that’s how he got to Emilia. He found a way to... influence her, without her even realizing it."

Hayward hesitated, then nodded. "It’s possible. If he’s capable of controlling his own mind to that degree, there’s no telling what he could do to someone else’s. Especially someone who was already vulnerable, already questioning everything."

Elias clenched his fists, the reality of the situation sinking in. "We need to stop him. Before he does this to anyone else. Before he does something worse."

Hayward looked grim. "I wish it were that simple. But without concrete evidence, we can’t just go after him. And right now, all we have are theories."

Elias slammed his fist on the desk, the frustration boiling over. "Damn it, Hayward, we don’t have time for theories! Emilia’s missing, and Lucian’s out there, walking free, planning his next move. We need to do something."

Hayward didn’t flinch, though there was sympathy in his eyes. "I understand. Believe me, I do. But we need to be smart about this. If we make a move without the right evidence, Lucian will slip through our fingers again. And if that happens, we might not get another chance."

Elias knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. Every minute that passed felt like another step closer to losing Emilia for good. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucian was playing them all, that this was part of some twisted game only he understood.

Hayward stood up, gathering the files. "I’ll keep digging. There’s got to be something we’ve missed. But in the meantime, keep your head clear, Elias. We’re going to need you when the time comes."

Elias nodded stiffly, watching as Hayward left the room. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts, each more unsettling than the last. He felt trapped, powerless, and for the first time in his career, truly afraid. Not just for Emilia, but for what Lucian was capable of.

Just as he was about to sink back into the overwhelming silence, his phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn’t Lestrade. The message came from an unknown number.

Meet me where it all began. Come alone.

Elias’s breath caught in his throat. The docks. It had to be.

And if he was right, then Emilia’s life—and perhaps his own—hung in the balance.