---
Abigail stood before the tall glass window of the Zedrack residence, her hands folded neatly behind her back as the evening sun melted into the skyline of Dakar, painting the horizon in shades of gold and crimson.
To anyone passing by, she was nothing more than a devoted nanny.
Calm.
Gentle.
Unremarkable.
Exactly as she intended.
Yet her eyes never rested on the city beyond the glass.
Instead...
She stared at the reflection.
Not her own.
Not even Anita's.
But at the faint shadow lingering just behind the girl's reflection.
It lasted only a heartbeat.
Then vanished.
---
Anita Zedrack lay comfortably across the living room sofa, her school bag tossed carelessly onto the floor while she scrolled through her phone with a smile.
Occasionally, a quiet laugh escaped her lips.
Kiara had left only a few minutes earlier after promising to call later that evening.
Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Abigail's fingers twitched ever so slightly.
She felt it again.
A presence.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching.
Not attacking.
Not approaching.
Simply...
Watching.
A familiar name surfaced in her mind.
Ezerus.
---
"Dinner will be ready soon, Miss Anita," Abigail called gently, forcing warmth into her voice.
Anny barely looked away from her screen.
"Thanks, Abby."
The simple nickname echoed strangely inside Abigail's mind.
Abby.
A name she had accepted after arriving in the Mortal Realm.
Convenient.
Forgettable.
Safe.
But it wasn't her true name.
Nor was it the first name she had ever carried.
---
---
Abigail turned away before Anny could notice anything unusual.
Her smile remained gentle.
Perfect.
Practiced.
"No, my dear," she said softly.
"Everything is exactly as it should be."
Anny smiled and returned to her phone.
She never noticed...
That Abigail's shadow lingered behind.
It stretched unnaturally across the polished floor.
Not toward the window.
Not toward the door.
But...
Toward the silver pendant resting against her chest.
And somewhere beyond the Mortal Realm...
Beyond the veil separating light from darkness...
A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.
A voice, ancient enough to make time itself hesitate, whispered into the endless void.
"I've finally found you."
---
End of Episode 3
---