Flo paced frantically through the clerk's office, her boots echoing in the unsettling quiet. "Ika!" she called out, her voice trembling as panic tightened its grip. She swung open doors with a force that sent hinges creaking, checked behind every desk and cabinet, and even peeked under the ancient wooden tables scattered throughout the labyrinthine office.

"Ika, this isn’t funny! Come on, answer me!" Flo’s tone turned pleading, almost as if her words alone could conjure her missing friend. Her hands trembled as she gripped the edge of a desk, her knuckles whitening.

When no response came, her breath quickened. She pressed the communicator at her wrist, fumbling with it for a moment before finally activating it. "Marge, Hans, Rem…" Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "I can’t find Ika. She’s gone. She disappeared without a trace." Her words rushed out, barely holding together.

——

The air outside the second house was heavy with the weight of discovery. Captain Henry stood by the body, his expression grim as he addressed Marge, Hans, and Rem.

“Elanor,” he began, his tone somber, “the former judge of Londona for nearly a decade. Her influence was unmatched—her rulings shaped the law and upheld the city’s principles. But her position also made her a target for those who sought to exploit or defy the system.”

Marge crossed her arms, her brow furrowed. “First Gainsworth, a prominent merchant, and now a former judge. These aren’t random victims. Someone is targeting Londona’s elite.”

Hans frowned, his gaze shifting to the Captain. “What about her recent cases? Any high-profile rulings that might explain this?”

Captain Henry shook his head slightly. “I can’t say for certain without digging into her records. But Elanor’s work wasn’t without controversy. Her courtroom saw disputes that could ruin reputations, fortunes—entire families.”

Before anyone could respond, the communicator crackled to life, breaking the tense discussion.

Marge’s head snapped toward the sound, and she pressed a finger to her device. “Flo? What’s wrong?”

Flo’s panicked voice came through, trembling. “I—I can’t find Ika. She’s gone. She disappeared without a trace!”

“Ika’s gone?” Marge repeated, her voice steady but laced with urgency. She pressed a finger to her communicator. "Flo, take a deep breath. Are you sure she didn’t step out? Did you check everywhere?”

“I checked everything!” Flo cried, her voice cracking under the weight of her frustration and fear. “She wouldn’t just leave like this. I went to refresh myself for a second, and now she’s gone!”

Captain Henry’s brows knit together as he took in the situation. “This isn’t a coincidence,” he murmured. “First Gainsworth, now Elanor, and now this… Whoever we’re up against has been watching. They know your movements.”

Marge narrowed her eyes, her tone turning grim. “Whoever it is, they’re targeting Londona’s elite—and now they’re targeting us.”

Flo’s voice broke through the communicator again. “What do I do?” she asked, nearly choking on her words. “Ika’s not here. I don’t know where she went. I don’t know what to do…”

“Flo,” Marge said firmly, though her tone softened at the edges, “stay put. We’re coming to you. Don’t move, don’t split up any further. We’ll figure this out.”

Hans and Rem exchanged uneasy looks as Marge signaled to Captain Henry to speed things up. “We’ll need horses and reinforcement,” she said brusquely, already bracing herself for another sprint through Londona’s shadowed streets.

——

Ika stirred in a haze of disorientation, the throbbing ache in her head making it difficult to focus. Her wrists were bound, the cold bite of metal chains digging into her skin. Every movement made the bindings rattle softly, a grim reminder of her captivity.

She blinked, her vision blurry, but the faint flicker of a dying light bulb overhead slowly brought her surroundings into view. The metallic chamber around her was grim and suffocating. Rusted walls oozed dampness, the air thick with an acrid chemical scent that burned her nose. Dust clung to every surface, undisturbed and oppressive.

Her mind raced, struggling to piece together what had happened. Where am I? How did this happen?

Ika instinctively reached for her ring, Sacred Bell, only to find her fingers bare. Panic surged through her veins, her breath hitching in her throat. They took it… They took my ring.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, her gaze drifted to the far corners of the room, where twisted shadows loomed. Her stomach dropped. Chained to the walls were grotesque forms—lesser titans, or what was left of them. Their forms were reduced to horrifying experiments. One had an arm fused with jagged metallic spikes, another’s wings hung limp and shredded, while a third had grotesque growths covering its body. Their low growls and ragged breathing filled the room, each sound a blend of agony and defiance.

Stolen novel; please report.

Ika’s heart pounded as the weight of the situation crashed over her. This isn’t just imprisonment. This is… torture. Experimentation. What are they doing here?

She tugged at her chains in desperation, but they didn’t give. Her breath quickened, a faint sheen of sweat forming on her brow. She couldn’t stop the rising fear in her chest. The titans’ distorted forms loomed closer, and for the first time, she wondered if she would end up like them.

Ika closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus despite the panic threatening to consume her. Come on, stay calm. They’ll come. Marge, Hans, Flo, Rem… They’ll find me. They have to.

——

The team gathered near the entrance of the clerk's office, tension crackling in the air. Flo stood trembling, her face streaked with tears. Her voice wavered as she spoke. “I couldn’t find her. Ika’s gone... and it’s my fault. I should never have left her alone.”

Marge stepped forward, gripping Flo’s hands firmly. “This isn’t your fault,” she said, her voice steady and commanding. “We’ll find her, Flo. But right now, we need to focus. Guilt won’t help Ika—it’ll only slow us down.”

Flo sniffed, nodding hesitantly as Hans held up the metallic box. “This might be a clue,” he said. “It’s magically sealed, but if we can open it, there could be something inside that tells us on what’s really going on here.”

Marge frowned. “We don’t have the tools to break it.”

Rem stepped forward, her cosmic ring shimmering faintly as she studied the intricate markings on the box. “It’s an advanced seal,” she muttered, brushing her fingers over the glowing sigils. “Whoever cast this didn’t want anyone breaking in without the proper key. I might be able to decode it, but it’ll take time.”

Flo’s head snapped toward her. “We don’t have time!” she exclaimed, her voice cracking with desperation. She grabbed the box from Hans’ hands, her grip trembling. “We need to open it now!”

“Flo, wait—” Hans began, but she ignored him, slamming the box against a nearby stone wall. It didn’t even dent. She tried again, gritting her teeth, but the box remained intact.

Her hands shook as frustration and guilt welled up inside her. “Why won’t it open?” she whispered, tears blurring her vision. “Why can’t I do anything right?”

As if responding to her anguish, the ring on her finger, Gorgon Rose, began to glow fiercely. A strange, icy-blue hue spread through the vines etched on its surface, and Flo gasped as a new power surged through her. The air around her thickened, charged with energy, and vines erupted from her hand—longer, sharper, and more vibrant than ever before.

The blue vines wrapped tightly around the box, glowing with an ethereal light. Tiny buds began to bloom, unfurling into roses of a haunting azure shade. The air was filled with the faint, otherworldly hum of magic.

Marge and Hans watched in stunned silence as the vines tightened around the box, the glow intensifying until the entire surface turned to stone. With a final cry, Flo clenched her fist, and the box shattered like brittle clay. Fragments flew in all directions, and from the remains, a flurry of papers erupted, scattering into the air.

Flo fell to her knees, breathing heavily, her hands still trembling from the overwhelming surge of power. Marge rushed to her side, steadying her. “Flo, are you okay?”

Flo nodded weakly. “I… I don’t know what that was, but it worked.”

Hans quickly gathered the letters, his hands moving deftly through the scattered pages. “These… they’re all addressed to Elanor,” he said, holding up a page. His brow furrowed as he read. “Look—this one mentions a retrial. It says her husband was framed for a crime he didn’t commit. She’s pleading with Elanor to overturn the verdict.”

He picked up another letter, the handwriting angrier and less refined. “This one’s different. It accuses Elanor outright of ignoring evidence. She’s claiming her husband wasn’t the culprit and that someone else set him up.”

Marge crouched beside him, taking one of the letters in her hand. Her eyes scanned the contents, her expression darkening. “These are all from the same woman,” she said grimly. “Elvira. She’s demanding justice for her husband, Arthur Wren.”

She pulled out another letter, this one filled with venomous language. “This one’s not a plea—it’s a curse. She blames Elanor for everything. She calls her a liar, a pawn of corrupt magistrates. Elvira writes that Arthur wasn’t just innocent, but deliberately made a scapegoat.”

Rem, who had been silent until now, glanced over Marge’s shoulder. “If these letters are true, Elanor wasn’t just complicit—she was part of a larger conspiracy.”

The implications hung heavy in the air. Marge straightened, her grip on the letter tightening. “Hans, Rem,” she said firmly. “Take these letters back inside. Cross-reference them with whatever you can find in the archives. Names, cases, anything connected to Arthur Wren or Elanor’s rulings. If there’s a pattern, we need to find it.”

Hans nodded, clutching the letters. “On it. This might be the break we need to figure out what’s happening in Londona.”

Captain Henry reappeared in the fog, leading two horses and accompanied by a handful of reinforcements. “I’ve brought help,” he said briskly. “We’ll cover the surrounding districts.”

Marge nodded, her focus sharpening. “Good. Flo and I will start searching for Ika. Hans, Rem, stay here and keep digging. The answer has to be somewhere in those files.”

Hans hesitated but gave a firm nod. “Be careful,” he said, glancing at Flo. “Both of you.”

Marge helped Flo to her feet, steadying her as they approached the horses. Flo’s face was pale but determined, the earlier despair replaced with a fierce resolve.

“Stay strong,” Marge said as they mounted. “We’ll bring her back. No matter what it takes.”

Flo clenched her fists, her new power thrumming faintly under her skin. “We will,” she said, her voice firm. With that, the two disappeared into the misty streets of Londona, leaving Hans and Rem to uncover the next piece of the puzzle.

——

Hans moved swiftly through the rows of archive cabinets, his eyes darting rapidly as he scanned line after line. "The trial of Arthur Wren..." he muttered, flipping through the documents with growing urgency.

From across the room, Rem suddenly shouted, "Found it! Over here, Hans!”

He hurried over, and the two leaned over the opened dossier. Names began to emerge, one after another, some familiar from their investigation, until they reached the last one: Ellingham.

Hans straightened, his expression tense. "He could be the next target." Without wasting a moment, he switched on his communicator.

"Marge, Flo," Hans said, his voice urgent. "Ellingham might be next. You need to get to him fast!”

On their horses, Marge and Flo halted momentarily as the message crackled through. Marge turned to Captain Henry, who was riding alongside them. "Captain Henry, we need to get to the house of Ellingham—now!”

Captain Henry nodded sharply, spurring his horse into action. "This way. Follow me!”

As they approached the stately residence of Ellingham, two guards at the entrance stepped forward to block their path. "Stop," one said, his voice firm. "Master Ellingham is not here right now.”

Captain Henry dismounted quickly, his tone authoritative. "This is urgent. Lives are at stake. Where is he?”

The guards exchanged a brief glance before one of them replied, "He’s at the port. He left earlier this evening.”

Marge's eyes widened, her memory flashing back to the strange lights they had seen at the port earlier in the fog. Her expression darkened. "It must be there. That’s where it’s going to happen.”

She grabbed her communicator again, her voice sharp. "Hans, Rem, meet us at the port immediately!”

Without waiting for confirmation, Marge urged her horse forward, following Captain Henry’s lead as they raced toward the docks. The fog thickened once more as the distant sound of waves and the creaking of ships filled the air, signaling they were close.