Meanwhile, in a darkened mansion, two men knelt before a figure lurking in the shadows. The man in the center barely raised his head. His gaze alone was enough to impose silence.
One of the men spoke.
"Master... we couldn't capture Elma. She escaped."
A heavy silence followed. Then the master's voice rang out, icy.
"How could you let her escape?"
"We think she had been warned," added the other. "She probably wasn't alone. A second person surely helped her escape."
The master clenched his fists, visibly irritated. But he managed to contain his anger.
"And the girl?" he asked.
"We're still looking for her." But... she's protected by a young man with dark eyes and black hair. He's not human, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to defeat our men.
The master stood up slowly, his voice even more menacing in the calm.
"It doesn't matter. Find her. Capture her. Do whatever it takes."
The men bowed deeply before leaving the room.
For her part, Miria felt increasingly troubled. The voices in her head were becoming more insistent, more oppressive. She decided to rest, hoping that sleep would offer her a moment of peace.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, she was plunged into a strange dream.
She was standing in a hazy, almost ethereal place. Three women, dressed in long hooded cloaks, were talking among themselves. One had short black hair and piercing blue eyes, the second had long, white hair with green highlights, and the last had short brown hair and deep brown eyes.
Their voices remained inaudible, as if muffled by the fog of the dream. Yet, the worry was clearly visible on their faces. Suddenly, the white-haired one took out a thick, old, time-worn tome and pointed it at the others.
The scene then changed abruptly.
Miria found herself facing a strange scene: a child version of herself was standing next to a man whose face was impossible to distinguish. Yet the man's voice was clear, deep, resonating like an echo from another time.
"Keep this secret safe, Miria. Never forget it."
The little girl nodded.
Then, suddenly, Miria woke up with a start, drenched in sweat, panting.
"What was that dream…? Who are these people?" she whispered, disturbed.
She was interrupted by her phone ringing. The screen displayed a familiar name: Marlie.
She took a deep breath, tried to steady her breathing, then answered.
"Hello, Marlie."
"Hey, beautiful! How are you?" Marlie asked cheerfully.
"I'm fine… and you?"
"I'm fine too! So, what's up?"
"Nothing special. I was just sleeping… I had nothing to do. And you?"
"Same… well, almost," she replied mischievously.
Miria frowned.
"Marlie… what have you been up to?"
"Nothing dangerous, I promise! But… I'll tell you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Miria said, intrigued.
"Don't tell me you forgot we have class tomorrow? It's Monday!"
Miria froze. Anxiety suddenly seized her.
"Damn… I completely forgot."
She felt panic rising. How was she going to face a day of classes with those voices in her head? She was pulled from her stupor by Marlie's voice.
"Hello? Miria? Are you here?"
"Yes, yes, I'm here," she replied, jumping.
"So you really forgot, huh?"
"Yes… but don't worry, I'll be here tomorrow."
"Okay! See you tomorrow, then."
"See you tomorrow…"
Miria hung up. She sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. How would she survive this new week?
With this heavy thought, she fell back asleep, the mysteries of her dreams still fresh in her mind.