Victor_graves

Synopsis

Detective Elias Mercer, known as ‘Mercy’ for his angelic demeanor, hides a mind as sharp as a blade and a heart as cold as the cases he solves. A former journalist framed and cast out, he now walks the thin line between justice and obsession, unraveling the city’s darkest secrets one case at a time.

When Adrian Holt, a man seemingly swallowed by the shadows, vanishes without a trace, Elias is dragged into a mystery far deeper than he anticipated. His only lead? Evelyn Drake—a woman who speaks in riddles and keeps secrets like currency. As Elias peels back the layers of deception, a familiar name resurfaces from his past: Nathaniel Voss, a phantom figure lurking behind countless crimes, always just out of reach.

With each step forward, the case tightens around him, drawing him into a web of corruption, fear, and a truth far more sinister than murder. The deeper Elias digs, the more he realizes—some ghosts aren’t meant to be found, and some truths are buried for a reason.

But Elias Mercer doesn’t believe in walking away.

And this time, the darkness is watching back.

Elias mercer: mercy in the shadows

The cold bit at Elias's skin as he stepped onto the empty street, his breath curling in the air like ghostly whispers. The city had a way of feeling alive at night, not with warmth, but with the quiet murmurs of things unseen.

Adrian Holt had been afraid of something, and now that fear was starting to breathe down Elias's neck.

He slid into his car, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. Evelyn had told him something, but not everything. She had dangled just enough information to keep him intrigued—just enough to make sure he'd come back. He couldn't tell if she wanted to help or if she was merely playing the game, enjoying the tension of the chase. Either way, she knew something, and Elias wasn't one to leave threads hanging.

His fingers moved to the case file on the passenger seat. He flipped it open, eyes scanning the black-and-white photograph of Adrian Holt. Sharp features, dark eyes, a wary expression. A man who had learned to fear something long before he disappeared.

Then, his gaze landed on something that made him still.

Tucked in the corner of the report, almost buried under the weight of bureaucratic nonsense, was a name.

Elias frowned, tapping the name with his thumb. It was familiar. Too familiar. A name that belonged to a ghost of a man—a figure that had surfaced in more than one case Elias had worked in the past, always just out of reach, always slipping through the cracks.

Drug rings, underground dealings, unexplained disappearances. Voss's name was never the center of the crime, but it was always there, lingering in the background like a shadow watching from the edges of the room.

No. Elias didn't believe in coincidences.

With a quiet curse, he grabbed his phone and dialed.

"Collins," he said the moment the line connected.

A groggy groan answered him. "Dude. It's three in the morning. Normal people sleep."

"Normal people don't get tangled in cases like this. I need a background check."

There was a shuffle, a rustling of sheets. Collins sighed. "Who am I digging up this time?"

Elias exhaled, staring at the name like it might disappear if he blinked.

"Nathaniel Voss. Find me everything."

There was silence on the other end—just a second too long. Then Collins spoke, his voice no longer groggy, but sharp and alert.

"Elias... you sure you want to poke that hornet's nest?"

Elias's grip on the phone tightened. "I think we already have, Collins. And I think it's about to sting."

Elias stared at the phone, then back at the case file, a feeling creeping into his gut like ice water.

This wasn't just a missing person case anymore.

And he had a feeling he was just getting started.

A name in the dark