"The Shadow Killer"

That night, the mansion was empty.

The aunts had gone out with Agatha's children to an important dinner at the Blackwell estate — a powerful millionaire family with political connections.

Melinda and even Yuri had gone as well, due to protocol and service duties.

Sara refused to go.

"I don't want to be there," she said before they left. "I have nothing to do among fake people."

Agatha only smiled from the doorway.

"As you wish. Stay here… alone. With your cat."

And so she did.

When the car disappeared down the main path, Sara felt a heavy silence settle over the house.

Persi walked beside her, meowing softly — as if she too sensed the change in the air.

"Come on," Sara whispered. "This is our chance."

They went upstairs to the second floor and entered the library.

She'd been searching for clues for days now.

Things that could give her answers about her parents.

About Elias Rhen.

About who was behind all of this.

She checked shelves, drawers, old books.

Nothing seemed to make sense.

But then…

A noise.

Downstairs. In the main hall.

Sara froze.

"Yuri?" she murmured. "Melinda?"

She looked at Persi.

Maybe they came back early.

She carefully descended the stairs, wrapped in the darkness of the empty home.

Moonlight filtered through the tall windows, casting shadows across the floor.

She reached the main salon.

No one.

Only silence.

"It must've been the wind," she whispered.

But just as she turned to leave, another sound came.

Closer this time.

Like someone breathing in the dark.

Persi tensed. She hissed loudly. Her body went rigid with alert.

It was enough for Sara to feel a chill run down her spine.

"Hello?"

No one answered.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows.

A man.

Tall. Thin. With dark eyes and a cold stare.

In one hand, he held a large, gleaming knife.

In the other, an envelope stained with dust and dried blood.

Sara instinctively stepped back.

"Who are you?"

The man smiled.

"I knew you'd stay alone tonight. I waited a long time… but now you're here."

Sara took another step back.

"Don't come any closer!"

He moved slowly, without rush.

As if savouring the fear in her eyes.

"You have your mother's eyes. And your father's arrogance.

But you won't live as long as they did."

His words struck like a punch straight to her heart.

"What do you know about my parents?" Sara shouted, trembling.

The man raised the knife.

"Too much."

Just as he lunged toward her…

Persi leapt.

With lightning speed, the cat launched herself at the man's face, claws and teeth sinking into him with unnatural strength.

The stranger cried out in pain, trying to shake her off — but Persi didn't let go.

"Persi!" Sara screamed.

But she was too scared to move.

She ran up the stairs, climbing as fast as she could.

Below, the man continued to scream, trying to rip Persi off his face.

Finally, he shook her off. The cat fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Something inside Sara broke.

"Persi!"

But she couldn't stay.

She couldn't help her now.

She burst into her room, locked the door, and hugged herself tightly, trembling violently.

Footsteps followed. Slow. Heavy.

Approaching.

Then, a voice — low and cruel — from the other side of the door:

"Your father… knew this would happen."

Sara clenched her eyes shut, gripping her diary like it was her only defense.

"Who are you?"

"He didn't die in an accident," the man continued. "He was betrayed. Sold out by someone pretending to love him."

Sara swallowed hard, tears streaming down her face.

"By who?"

But before he could answer…

A gunshot.

Loud. Close. Final.

Sara screamed.

She heard a body hit the floor with a dull thud.

A moment later, the door swung open.

It was Yuri.

He still held the smoking gun in his hand.

Behind him, the man lay dead.

His face covered in claw marks.

Blood fresh on the floor.

His eyes wide open, lifeless.

Sara couldn't move.

She was frozen.

Then everything broke apart.

She started crying — loud, desperately.

Yuri lowered the gun, stepped forward, and pulled her close.

"Shh," he said gently. "It's over. I'm here."

Sara clung to him like he was the only real thing in the world.

"He… he knew something," she managed between sobs. "He was going to tell me who killed my parents…"

Yuri held her tighter.

"Someone who can't hurt you anymore."

Sara wept for minutes. Maybe hours.

Meanwhile, Yuri stared at the dead man on the floor, his expression serious. Cold.

Almost like he had seen him before.

But he said nothing.

🔍 What They Found

The man carried a letter signed by someone named Elias Rhen .

Inside the envelope was an address:

42 Whitmore Street, Edinburgh.

Yuri took the letter and tucked it away without a word.

💬 The Next Day

Melinda glanced at the corpse.

"Who was he?"

Yuri didn't answer. He simply said:

"Don't ask. It's better not to know."

But Sara wanted to know.

So that night, she wrote in her diary:

📝 Diary of Sara Campbell Jhonson

Date Unknown

Today, I almost died.

A man broke into my house.

He wanted to kill me.

He said he knew who murdered my parents.

That it was betrayal.

That it wasn't an accident.

Persi saved me.

The worst part is… she paid the price.

She's hurt.

Silent.

But alive.

Yuri arrived after.

He shot him.

He hugged me.

He told me everything was okay.

But I know it isn't.

Because that man was about to tell me who's behind all of this.

And Yuri killed him before he could speak.

Now I have new questions.

An address.

And one certainty:

I can't stay here any more.

I have to find Elias Rhen.

I have to uncover the truth.

🔮 Final of the Chapter – The Beginning of a Journey Without Return

Sara closed the diary tightly.

She looked at Persi, lying weakly in bed, bandages covering her side.

She didn't say anything.

She didn't need to.

She already knew what she had to do.

The next day, she confronted Yuri.

"Why did you kill him?

Why didn't you let him speak?"

Yuri didn't answer right away.

He only looked at her — with that dark gaze that always saw beyond people.

"Because there are truths not ready to be told."

Sara clenched her fists.

"Then I'll have to find them myself."

Yuri didn't stop her.

He only nodded.

"If you decide to leave… do it right.

Because if you go looking for Elias Rhen…

You won't return the same person."

Sara said nothing.

She only turned around and walked away.

There was no turning back.

No safe place left.

Only one address.

And one question she had to answer