"Have you not slept at all?" Zach's brows arched in concern as soon as Dryzza trudged into the office. "Do I truly look that dreadful?" she replied, stifling a yawn as she nearly collapsed into her chair. "More like, utterly ghastly," Sai, one of their colleagues, interjected, stepping to the corner of Dryzza's desk and tapping the stack of white files he had placed there earlier. Zach couldn't help but notice how drowsy and disoriented Dryzza appeared as she slumped into her chair. "What happened?" he asked, genuine concern etched across his face. Dryzza looked at him, perplexed, as if struggling to recall something just out of reach. "I'm not sure," she murmured, furrowing her brow. "I had the weirdest dream last night. It was horrible, but... I can’t seem to remember much about it." Zach could see the frustration in her eyes as she tried to piece together the fragments of her dream, but the harder she tried, the more elusive it became. The only clear image lingering i
"Rest assured, we’ll keep everyone informed," Zach said, briefly tapping Dryzza's shoulder before leaving the office to follow up Samantha's case with the cops who were stationed near the crime scene—to where she seemingly disappeared. "So, we're still handling that case too?" Sai asked, scratching his head in disbelief. "I thought we were focused on the murdered children this time? Why are we dealing with all of these? Why us?" He waved the white files in frustration, though with a playful tone. "I have no idea," Dryzza replied with a sigh, her eyes shifting to Esmeralda, the senior cold case investigator recently assigned to assist with the reopening of Takumi's case. "Will Mr. Takumi be brought in for questioning?" she asked. Esmeralda merely raised an eyebrow, her disinterest apparent—or so it seemed to Dryzza. It was only after several moments of silence that Esmeralda finally spoke, just as Dryzza was about to take her seat. "Mr. Takumi is uncooperative," she said in a
"Our Cyber Sleuths are already deep into the investigation," Zach remarked as he entered the room, his tone carrying a confident assurance. "It might just be, uh... pranksters?" Dryzza rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Of all people, I didn't expect such a weak theory from you," she retorted. "And you didn't keep us updated—what's the status?" "I've documented most of the findings," Zach replied, settling into his chair. His gaze swept over his colleagues before resting on Dryzza, who sat to his right. "But I felt it was important for you to hear this directly from me." "I've consulted with several spiritualists, and they all reached the same chilling conclusion: those markings are genuinely demonic. This information is already circulating in the public domain. However, something more troubling came to light today. A man approached me at the crime scene, claiming to have seen those very same demonic marks at the site where the children were murdered." Dryzza's expressio
The wind howled through the twisted trees as Dryzza stepped out of the car, the old mansion looming before her like a decaying specter. The moonlight struggled to pierce the heavy clouds, casting eerie shadows that danced across the crumbling facade. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rotting wood, a stench that seemed to seep from the very walls of Takumi’s abandoned estate. Beside her, Sai shivered, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and anticipation, while Esmeralda, ever the stoic professional, moved ahead with the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to confronting the dark unknown. Their mission tonight was crucial: they had come to the mansion specifically to search for the grimoire mentioned by the man in Dryzza's dream that could help them—however it will. The urgency of their task was compounded by the strange destruction outside—the garden had been widely torn apart by an unknown force from beneath the ground, a troubling sign that something malevol
"I want you to do something for me and I'd you did it well, with no flaws, I'll get you away from here; you and your child will live a normal life free from curses... Demons." The weight of Kim's words from that fateful day lingered heavily on Jess's mind, the day when Scott's life teetered on the brink of death. Although Scott is still in a fragile state, Jess clings to the hope that he will pull through. The memory of that conversation plays on a loop in her mind, like a haunting melody she can't escape. "Are you suggesting a t-trade?" Jess had stammered, her voice betraying her fear and uncertainty. "Honey, trade is when you're given an option to choose from," Kim had replied with a chilling calmness, her words cutting deeper than Jess had anticipated. Kim's offer wasn't merely an exchange; it was an ultimatum, a demand cloaked in the guise of salvation. Though Kim hadn't approached her since that day, the mere thought of her was enough to send shivers down Jess's spine, remin
"You heartless bitch," Jess whispered faintly, trying to suppress the wave of anger that threatened to surge through her. She couldn't afford to feel such emotions, not with the baby. But Kim’s laughter, soft and mocking, pierced the silence. "Oh, don’t look at me like that," she taunted. "I wanted to meet sooner, but I figured your little mind would need time to process with everything going on. Consider it... my kindness." “Kindness, my ass!” Jess hissed through clenched teeth, her voice low but seething with barely contained fury. “Your kind could never understand something so human, and I pity you for it.” Her words hung in the air, venomous and sharp, meant to pierce through Kim’s pretense. It wasn’t just the insult; it was the truth Jess wanted to wield like a weapon, a blade aimed at the heart of the twisted figure before her. But she knew, deep down, that such a sentiment was lost on someone like Kim, whose cruelty ran so deep it had long since masked any capacity for e
"Home sweet home," Jess murmured softly, her eyes sweeping over the estate with a mixture of nostalgia and wariness. Her gaze was sharp and judging, taking in every detail of the place that once held her childhood. The estate loomed before her, unchanged and yet foreign, as though it was frozen in time but distorted by years of absence and untold stories.She stood behind a slender, ancient tree that had been a silent witness to her youth. It was the same tree that had offered her shade during long, lazy afternoons when life had been simpler, untouched by the darkness that would later creep in. Jess swallowed hard as images flashed before her eyes—memories of a time when everything was still normal, or at least, as it should have been. The echoes of her past stirred unbidden in the cool air, filling her mind with fragments of a life long buried.The rusty gate, once a barrier to the outside world, now seemed pristine to Jess, as if time had reversed itself. She felt as though she ha
[A Preceding Chapter of Chapter 58]The investigation room, though bright and spacious, felt suffocating to Jess. She sat stiffly, the weight of her pregnancy making her uncomfortable in the cold, metal chair. Almost ready to give birth, she found herself trapped in more ways than one. Despite the room's ample space, it felt narrow and confining. Across from her sat Zach, who despite his calm demeanor, was determined to unravel the mysteries he has been detangling ever since. Zach leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Jess, probing for a reaction. "We already know you grew up at the Takahashi manor," he said, his voice measured but persistent. Jess, she didn't feel surprised at all. After all, she knew this very day would come and for some reason, she's almost thankful she has been caught. Yet, getting her to talk felt like trying to coax words out of a stone; no matter how hard they pressed, Jess remained silent, like a dam holding back a torrent of truth that could fl