Chapter 173: Following the Clues

We had forty eight hours. The Council gave Aria two days before trial. Two days to prove she was innocent or she'd be executed.

"We work fast. Find evidence. Find the real thief." I organized everyone. Me. Sarah. Maya. Luna. Thomas senior. Young Thomas. All of us.

"Where do we start? We have nothing." Sarah looked at the files. Hundreds of victims. No pattern.

"We start with the victims. We talk to them. Find what the Council missed." Maya grabbed her coat. Ready.

"I'll take the first ten. You take the next ten. Luna takes the third group." I divided the work. Fast. Efficient.

We split up. Covering more ground. Racing time.

I visited the first victim. Woman named Sarah Chen. Lost her vampire powers three weeks ago.

"Tell me everything. What happened." I sat with her. Listening.

"Nothing unusual. Normal day. Work. Home. Sleep. Woke up human." She looked sad. Lost. "But I had a dream. Strange dream."

"Tell me." I leaned forward.

"I was in a white room. Empty. Someone was there. Behind me. I couldn't see them. But I felt them reaching into me. Taking something. Taking my power." She shivered. "Then I woke up. And it was gone."

"Did you see anything? Hear anything?" I asked.

"A voice. Whispered. Said something like 'for the greater good'. And a smell. Strange smell. Like flowers but wrong. Rotten." She tried to remember.

I wrote it down. Important clues.

I visited nine more victims. Eight had similar dreams. White room. Unseen person. Taking power. Whispered words. Strange smell.

One victim was different. He saw something.

"I woke up during it. Saw someone standing over me. Wearing a white mask. No features." The victim was a wolf named Marcus. "They put their hand on my chest. I felt burning. Then nothing. Woke up human."

"Man or woman? Tall or short?" I needed more.

"Tall. Maybe six feet. Thin. Moved like a woman but not sure. Mask covered everything." Marcus tried to remember. "But their hand. I saw it. Pale. Very pale. And a ring. Silver ring with red stone."

Now we had something. Description. Ring. Real lead.

I called Sarah and Maya. They found similar stories. Same dreams. Same white room. Same words.

"It's one person. Same method every time." Sarah confirmed.

"But who? Who can reach anyone anywhere?" Maya asked.

Luna called. Excited.

"Mama. I found a connection. All victims live near hospitals. Within five miles." Luna had mapped it. Clear pattern.

"Hospitals. Who works in hospitals? Who has access?" I thought hard.

"Doctor. Nurse. Medical staff." Sarah listed.

"Or volunteer. Anyone with hospital clearance." Maya added.

Then Thomas senior called. His voice shaking.

"Lita. I know who it is. And it's bad. Really bad." He sounded scared.

"Who? Tell me." I demanded.

"Dr. Rebecca Walsh. The researcher who wanted to study Luna years ago. She's been doing this for twelve years. Since Luna was born. Planning all along." Thomas explained. "I found her research. Her notes. She's not just stealing powers. She's transferring them. All of them. Into one person."

"What person?" Luna asked. Scared.

"Her daughter. Rebecca has a daughter. Sixteen years old. Born without powers. Normal human. Rebecca is giving her stolen powers. Making her the most powerful being on Earth." Thomas sent files. Photos. Proof.

The daughter was Allison Walsh. Looked normal. Average teenager. But had fifty different powers now. All stolen. All combined.

"Where are they?" I needed location.

"They disappeared. Two days ago. When Aria was arrested. But Rebecca bought tickets. To Geneva. Leaving tonight." Thomas checked databases.

"Geneva. Where the Council is. Where Aria is." Sarah understood.

"They're going to frame Aria. Make her look guilty. While they escape." Maya saw it.

"Or attack the Council. Kill the Guardians. Take their powers." Luna saw bigger picture.

"We stop them. Go to Geneva. Save Aria." I was already moving.

"But the Council won't believe us. They'll arrest us too." Sarah was right.

"Then we go alone. We catch the real criminals ourselves." I decided.

Through the bond Sarah and Maya agreed.

"Thomas. Can you still teleport? Without powers?" I asked young Thomas.

"No. That's gone. I'm human now." He looked down.

"Then stay here. Keep researching. Be our information source." I gave him purpose.

"I want to fight. Want to help." He protested.

"You are helping. Information wins wars." Luna hugged him. "We need you safe."

We flew to Geneva. Six hours. Midnight arrival.

Rebecca and Allison landed three hours earlier. Head start.

"Where would they go?" Cole came with us. Support.

"Council building. Where everything is. Where they can do most damage." Maya realized.

We rushed there. Found chaos. Guards running. Alarms. Fire. Smoke.

"What happened?" I grabbed a guard.

"Attack. Two attackers. Mother and daughter. Super powerful. Killed twenty guards. Heading to the cells. Where Aria is." He was panicked.

We ran. Through smoke. Through destruction.

Reached the cells. Found bodies. Guards. Council members. All dead. Powers stolen.

Aria's cell. Door open. Empty.

Aria was gone.

On the wall. Written in blood. A message.

"Come find us. Top of Mount Blanc. Bring Luna Triad. Or Aria dies. You have two hours."

Mount Blanc. Highest peak in Alps. Two hours away. At night. In winter. Impossible.

But we'd do it. Because we were Luna Triad.

One more battle. One more fight.

For Aria. For justice. For everything.