Back at her house, Maricella didn’t feel angry. Quite the opposite, actually—she spent the entire night preparing activities and planning a full day with Soma, hoping this would help them reconcile and laugh like before.

  Early the next morning, she headed to Spearhead’s house earlier than usual, walking quietly on tiptoes into Soma’s bedroom.

  But here’s where the real problem started:

  Soma was gone.

  So were her things.

  And even Theo was missing from his room.

  Panicking, Maricella ran to wake up Spearhead, blurting out that both Soma and her little brother had disappeared without a single trace.

  Confused and struggling to understand what had happened, Spearhead noticed a small folded paper on the table. It was a letter from Theo.

  In the letter, Theo apologized for leaving so suddenly without saying goodbye or thanking Spearhead. He explained that his sister’s emotional state had worsened, and that they had no choice but to leave quietly. He also asked one thing:

  To tell Maricella that it wasn’t her fault.

  That there was no reason for her to feel sad.

  They had always planned to leave eventually… and it seemed that “eventually” had come sooner than expected for Soma.

  “So thank you, for everything you both did for us.

  Goodbye, Uncle Spearhead.

  Goodbye, our dear friend Maricella.

  Sincerely, Theo and Soma.”

  When Spearhead and Maricella finished reading the letter, their eyes were filled with tears—tears of sadness and longing for the two siblings who vanished without warning.

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  But in truth, Soma and Theo hadn’t gone far. They were hiding, not too far from Spearhead’s house.

  Soma stared down at another letter she held in her hands. Her eyes were lifeless, hidden beneath a dark scarf that now covered most of her face. Then, out of nowhere, she jumped up and landed on the rooftop of a nearby house.

  Just then, Maricella walked out of Spearhead’s home, heading back to her own.

  Soma followed, carrying Theo on her back. She stayed hidden for several minutes, watching from the shadows until she saw Maricella enter a small house. That must be her place.

  Soma waited.

  She waited until nightfall.

  Once Theo was fast asleep, Soma crept quietly into the house. Her goal was clear:

  She needed to find proof.

  Proof that Maricella’s father was one of the people who murdered her parents.

  Inside, she noticed it was only Maricella and her mother. That made it easier. Soma searched room by room until she found a small storage space—and there it was.

  A sword.

  One she recognized instantly.

  There was no mistake now.

  Maricella’s father had been one of them.

  And then she found something that shattered all her doubt.

  A photo.

  Small. Burned at the edges. Stained with old blood.

  It was her family.

  Her real family.

  Tears fell freely, but her eyes burned with hatred.

  She clenched the photo in one hand and grabbed two daggers with the other. Her breathing grew heavy. Her rage took control.

  An eye for an eye. A life for a life. The guilty must pay.

  She had every right to strike. Every reason to avenge. Her parents were killed—and one of the murderers had lived under her nose this whole time.

  But something inside her… stopped her.

  Her pure heart—no matter how broken—wouldn’t let her go through with it.

  She dropped the daggers, carried her brother, and ran. Ran through the night, crying, her scarf soaked with tears. She just wanted to escape the nightmare her life had become.

  And as she stood beneath the stars, she wiped her face and swore one thing:

  She would find out why her family was killed.

  And she would hunt down every last person responsible.