Chapter 23

Diana's mind became a whirlwind of emotions as she read Mr. Varane's cryptic message.

"Diana, what does it say?" Luka asked Diana out of concern.

Without a proper word from her mouth, Diana bent and picked the paper. She looked down at the note clutched in her trembling hand, her eyes scanning the words.

The weight of Meera's words hung heavy in the air, and Diana felt a rush of anxiety and confusion.

She passed the paper to Luka to read. With a surprised brow, Luka glanced at the paper in his hand.

"It's from Meera. She said her sister, Isabella, is in grave danger. She's been pursued by the same forces long before now and she's left to find her and keep her safe." Luka read it loud to Diana's hearing.

Diana struggled to find her words, her mind was full of different thoughts and all she did was to nod.

"Why didn't Meera tell us about this?" Diana faced Luka, understanding the gravity of the situation at hand.

"I guess she wanted to protect her sister without involving anyone else. But now that we know, we can help her." Luka said in a determined tone.

Mr. Varane, who has been afraid and confused because of Diana's scream, gave a fake cough in order to get their attention.

"Diana, what's it? Are you okay?" Mr. Varane asked, his voice weak and low.

"It's Meera, she might be in trouble, and need help." Diana glanced at Mr. Varane on his bed, and responded. B

"I don't know what it means yet, but please help her if she's truly in danger." Mr. Varane said.

"We will, Mr. Varane," Luka continued. "Do you have any idea where Meera might have gone to find her sister?" Luka asked Mr. Varane.

"Merra's sister you say?" Mr. Varane asked, his eyes widened.

"Yes, sir, Meera's sister." Diana replied.

"If it has anything to do with her sister, then I can only think of a place." Mr. Varane said.

Mr. Varane then gave them an address, a private cabin in the woods outside the city.

"This is where Isabella is hiding. Please hurry; I fear time is running out." Mr. Varane echoed.

"Who is Isabella?" Diana asked Mr. Varane.

"That's her name, Meera's sister." Mr. Varane

"Oh okay." Diana said.

Still feeling curious, Diana was about to ask another question when Luka spoke.

"Diana, this message is still unsettling. We need to find out what she meant." Luka continued. "Let's get going."

Diana agreed. "But we need to be cautious."

Without staying for another minute, Diana and Luka left the hospital and headed towards the cabin in the woods. They knew they had to find Meera and Isabella before it was too late.

As they both left Mr. Varane's room, Diana knew the threat of Steffan was very real, she presumed it could be connected to Steffan and she knew they had to tread carefully.

"Luka, What do you think?" Diana asked, with her voice low. "Do you trust Mr. Varane's offer to have someone watch over us?"

"I appreciate his concern, but I don't want us to feel like we're being watched. We need to handle Steffan on our terms." Luka considered it for a moment before responding.

Diana nodded in agreement and said, "I feel the same way. We must not let fear control our actions. We'll face Steffan this time face-to-face and protect those we care about."

Luka let out a laugh, "Look who is talking about facing an evil bastard like Steffan."

With what looked like a crying face, Diana responded. "Wait till I know all that surrounds my newfound abilities,"

Luka chuckled.

As they walked through the hospital corridors, the weight of their mission hung heavily in the air.

They were determined to trace the address Mr. Varane gave to them, but the danger that lay ahead was far from attacking Steffan only.

"When was the last time you heard from Steffan? Diana stooped to ask Luka.

"My men are working on that, soon we shall get him". Luka looked at her with an assuring look.

"Sounds good," Diana said.

As they reached the cabin, it was clear that Meera had chosen a place far from prying eyes.

The cabin was located deep in the woods, surrounded by tall trees and dense foliage. Its windows were shuttered, and there was an air of secrecy about the place.

Meanwhile, as Diana and Luka approached cautiously, their senses were on high alert.

They did not know what dangers lay ahead. Luka gestured for Diana to stay close as he cautiously opened the cabin's door.

Inside the cabin, Diaba and Luka found Meera sitting on an old wooden chair, she looked very worried.

Also, she was talking to a young woman who looked unkempt and frightened—Isabella.

As they moved closer to Meera, she turned to them with relief in her eyes. She gave Diana a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I had to leave the way I did, it's just complicated." Meera said after the brief hug.

"I know Meera." Diana continued, "You don't have to be sorry for anything, you did the right thing." Diana said.

Meera glanced at Luka, "Luka, you came." she asked surprisingly. "How did you know I am here?"

"Mr. Varane did, he gave us this address." Meera gave the answer.

"The old man's guess was accurate," Luka said.

"Mr. Varane is not an old man." Diana defended. "He might still look pale now because of his treatments at the hospital."

"Noted."

"This is my sister, Isabella. She's been running from some non-identical people who target to have her killed." Meera reached Isabella and held her hands.

"Non-identical people ?" Diana and Luka glanced at one another.

"Yes." said Meera. "Isabella should give a better explanation.

"Why and what do they want?" Luka asked, and moved closer to Isabella.

Isabella looked up at the people standing in front her, her voice trembling.

"They said I have information about something called the 'Eclipse Key.' I don't know what it is, but they won't stop until they find me."

Luka's expression darkened as he realized the significance of the Eclipse Key.

"It is a powerful artifact that can tip the balance of power in the supernatural world. If they get their hands on it..."

"It could mean chaos and destruction." Diana completed Luka's sentence.

Meera nodded. "That's why I had to bring her here, where I thought she was safe was not, they were able to track us down. So I brought her to our cabin. Help me, we need to protect Isabella."

Luka and Diana exchanged glances for the second time. "We won't let them harm Isabella or get their hands on the Eclipse Key," Diana declared, her voice determined.

"It's either we secure this place or go elsewhere, I don't know." Meera's voice trembled.

As they prepared to defend the cabin from the approaching threat, Meera revealed something that left them stunned.