The night felt heavier than usual in Blackwood.
Clouds covered the sky, hiding even the faintest light of the moon. The streets were quiet, almost unnaturally still.
Inside his room, Ryan stood near the window, staring out into the darkness.
Elena's words echoed in his mind.
"I don't know if I can trust you anymore."
For the first time, something inside him felt… unsettled.
But he pushed it away.
Trust was never part of this.
A soft knock broke the silence.
Ryan turned.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
A man stepped inside.
Tall. Calm. Controlled.
Mr. Verma.
Ryan's father.
"You've been going out at night," his father said, his voice steady but cold.
Ryan didn't answer.
"I told you to stay away from the past."
Ryan's eyes hardened slightly.
"The past hasn't stayed away from me."
Silence filled the room.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Ryan spoke again.
"I went to the mansion."
That was enough.
His father's expression changed—just slightly, but enough to notice.
"You had no right," he said sharply.
Ryan stepped closer.
"No. You had no right to hide it."
A tense silence followed.
Then Ryan took out the file.
He placed it on the table between them.
"Aarav Verma," he said quietly.
His father didn't look at the file.
But his silence said everything.
"He's not dead," Ryan continued. "He's missing."
Still no answer.
Ryan's voice dropped.
"You lied to me."
For a long moment, Mr. Verma said nothing.
Then he finally spoke.
"I told you what you needed to know."
Ryan's jaw tightened.
"That's not the truth."
"No," his father replied calmly.
"It was protection."
Ryan's eyes flashed.
"From what?"
This time—
His father hesitated.
Just for a second.
But Ryan saw it.
And that was enough.
"They're connected to our family, aren't they?" Ryan pressed. "The symbol… the disappearances… all of it."
Mr. Verma looked at him directly now.
And for the first time—
There was something different in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not control.
Something closer to… concern.
"You're getting too close," he said quietly.
Ryan didn't back down.
"Then tell me what I'm getting close to."
A long pause.
Heavy.
Then—
His father spoke.
"They don't just take people."
Ryan's breathing slowed.
"What do you mean?"
Mr. Verma's voice lowered.
"They change them."
Silence.
Cold.
Unsettling.
Ryan's mind raced.
The missing people.
The files.
The word "Transferred."
"They're not gone…" he whispered.
His father didn't respond.
But he didn't deny it either.
Before Ryan could ask more—
His father stepped back toward the door.
"This is your last warning," he said.
"Stop now."
Then he left.
The door closed.
And the room fell silent again.
But nothing was the same anymore.
Ryan stood there, unmoving.
One thought repeating in his mind—
If they weren't killing people…
Then what were they doing to them?
Far away, in another part of Blackwood…
A dimly lit room flickered to life.
A figure sat in front of multiple screens.
Watching.
Tracking.
Waiting.
And on one of the screens—
Ryan's face appeared.
A voice echoed softly in the dark.
"He's ready."
And somewhere behind the shadows…
someone smiled. 🌑📖