A gentle breeze slipped through the open window, brushing against Sarah Ong's hair as she sat silently at her desk, lost in thought. Lately, this had become her habit—sitting still, staring into nothing, trapped inside her own mind. No sound, no voice could distract her anymore.
She had written down her symptoms and searched for answers online, but nothing helped. Even her studies, once her escape, felt impossible to focus on. Deep inside, Sarah knew something was happening within her body—something wrong—but she couldn't understand what it was.
Her parents were out of the country again.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through her room. Sarah, who had just decided to take a nap, lifted her head in surprise.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Young miss, your friend is here," the maid replied respectfully.
Sarah frowned. She never invited friends over. The word friend alone was enough to confuse her.
Who could it be? she wondered as she stepped out of her room.
When she reached the staircase and glanced toward the drawing room, she froze. Lucas was sitting calmly on the sofa.
Why is he here?
She descended the stairs and sat on the opposite sofa, facing him.
Lucas had come because he was worried about Sarah. He knew that if her emotions spiraled out of control, the consequences would be disastrous. He couldn't allow that to happen.
"I have a gift for you," Lucas said, breaking the silence.
"A gift… for me?" Sarah stared at him in disbelief. The man who never gave straight answers had brought her a gift?
She reached out and took the small wooden box he offered. Inside lay a blue crystal necklace, glowing faintly.
"I heard your parents are often away," Lucas said quietly. "Someone told me this crystal can ward off negative energies. Wear it—and don't take it off. Not even when you bathe."
With that, Lucas stood up and left without another word.
Sarah stared at the necklace for a long moment before finally putting it on. That night, she barely touched her dinner before going to bed.
The Nightmare
That night, Sarah dreamed.
In her nightmare, her parents were running—desperately fleeing from figures dressed in black robes. The robed figures cast a spell, forming an invisible wall that blocked her parents' escape.
A red light burst from one of their hands and struck Sarah's father. He collapsed instantly, blood spilling from his mouth. Her mother, Alena, rushed to protect him, but she was no match for them.
Once both parents lay unconscious, the figures pulled a strange red-blue light from Adrian and a dark, black light from Alena. Then, they vanished into thin air.
Sarah woke up gasping for breath.
She immediately called her parents. No answer.
She called her father's closest friend. He knew nothing.
They didn't go on a business trip… so where are they?
Was that really just a nightmare?
What if—no, it was only a bad dream.
They probably went on vacation. Yes… that must be it.
Sarah repeated the lie to herself over and over, clinging to hope despite the silence. She wasn't particularly close to her parents, but she could never imagine a world where they would leave her alone.
But life never follows our wishes.
One week after their disappearance, the news arrived.
Her parents were dead.
Their bodies had been found near a mountain villa owned by her family.
Sarah knew immediately—something was wrong.
There were no visible wounds. The postmortem report claimed both had died from heart attacks. But neither of them had any heart conditions. Two healthy people dying of heart attacks at the same time—it made no sense.
The day of the funeral came… and passed.
And with it, Sarah's world quietly shattered.