Chapter 78: A Message...

Raven's POV

“Dael?” I whispered.

He didn't respond. Drew moved closer to him. “Dael, who is he?”

Dael finally spoke. “Aster. The man who helped me escape.”

My stomach dropped.

Adrian's eyes widened.

“Aster?”

Dael nodded. “Yes. He still works for them.”

“Then why did he help you?” I asked.

Dael fell silent for a moment.

“I have no idea, but he promised he was going to come and collect when the time was right.”

The room suddenly felt much smaller.

I thought about everything we had discovered so far. If someone from Aster had found us, then this couldn't be a coincidence.

“But wait,” Adrian said. “I thought Raven's father helped you escape?”

Dael frowned.

“I... don't know. All I remember is being carried out of the building by this man.”

“Then why are you hiding from him if he helped you?” I asked.

Dael swallowed.

“He only helped me escape. That doesn't mean he was nice to me.”

I could see how difficult it was for him to talk about this, so I placed my hand on his arm, squeezing it slightly.

Adrian's eyes followed the movement.

The moment I turned toward him, he looked away, but not before I caught a glimpse of hurt in his eyes.

I might have to clear things up once we're out of here.

“But how did he find us?” I whispered, returning to the topic at hand.

Dael didn't answer.

Drew looked toward the door. “Maybe he followed someone.”

All eyes turned toward Adrian.

“I wasn't followed,” he gritted out.

I could tell he was getting pissed by the way his jaw ticked. I immediately remembered the missing files.

“Or maybe he was already here.”

They all turned to me.

“Remember the files?”

“You think he was behind that?” Dael furrowed his brow.

“I don't know,” I replied honestly.

Before anyone could say anything else, the man outside spoke again.

“I know you're wondering how I found you.”

Nobody answered.

“I also know about the ring.”

My hand instinctively moved toward my pocket.

Adrian and Dael both turned toward me.

The man's voice became amused.

“You've been searching for Rebecca.”

All our faces went pale.

“And I know exactly where she is.”

My heart pounded.

Drew stepped forward.

“How do you know that?”

The man laughed.

“Because I was there when she disappeared.”

Drew froze.

My breathing became uneven.

I might not have been ready to face my mom, but if she was alive, then...

“What did you do to my mother?” I shouted.

There was a pause.

Then the man answered.

“Nothing.”

His voice had suddenly lost its amusement.

“But I know what she did.”

I looked at Drew.

His face had gone pale.

“You know him,” I whispered.

Drew didn't answer.

“Drew?”

He slowly lowered his head.

“Yes. I think I do.”

His voice was barely audible.

We all stared at him.

“Who is he? And what does he mean by what she did? Did my mother do something wrong?”

Drew looked toward the door.

“He was one of the scientists at Aster before the explosion.”

My stomach twisted.

A scientist.

One of the people who had experimented on us.

The man outside laughed again.

“And I see you've finally found each other.”

My blood ran cold.

“Each other?”

He knew about me.

He knew about Dael.

He knew about Adrian.

And now he could supposedly take us to the exact location of my mother without us having to guess.

I didn't know if we should trust him.

The man's footsteps slowly resumed.

Adrian raised his gun.

Dael did the same.

Drew also raised his gun, stepping back slightly.

Rhea and I remained in the center.

Then the man's voice came one last time.

“Raven.”

My heart skipped.

“You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you.”

I stared at the door.

I had never seen this man before. At least, I didn't think I had.

But judging by the silence beside me, Dael knew exactly who he was.

Slowly, a shadow began to emerge, and Adrian aimed his gun while I prepared myself for whatever was about to happen.

The man finally stepped into view.

He was older than I expected, probably in his late fifties. His hair was almost completely gray, and there was a deep scar running from his left temple down to his jaw.

But it was his eyes that unsettled me the most.

Cold and calculating.

They swept across the hall before finally settling on me.

A strange smile appeared on his lips.

“Raven.”

I instinctively took a step backward.

“Where is my mother?”

He chuckled.

“Somewhere,” he replied as the lights in the hallway grew brighter.

“Where is Rebecca?” Drew suddenly demanded, stepping forward.

The man's smile disappeared.

“Still protective of her, I see.”

Drew's grip tightened around his gun.

“You shouldn't have come here.”

“I didn't come here for you.”

He scoffed, his eyes shifting toward Dael.

Dael immediately raised his gun higher.

“What do you want?”

The man smiled.

“I came to collect what I was promised.”

Dael's face hardened.

“I don't owe you anything.”

“Oh, but you do.”

The man took another step forward.

“You wouldn't be standing here today if it weren't for me.”

I glanced at Dael.

For the first time, he looked uncomfortable.

Almost afraid.

That alone told me more than his words ever could.

“What did you promise him?” I asked.

Dael didn't answer.

“Dael?”

“Nothing,” he snapped.

The man laughed.

“Still lying for him, I see.”

Adrian stepped forward, his gun raised.

“Stay where you are,” he ordered sternly.

The man's eyes moved toward Adrian.

For a moment, he simply stared at him.

Then his lips curved upward.

“Adrian.”

Adrian's expression hardened.

“Don't say my name,” he spat.

The man's smile only widened into a grin.

He looked between Adrian and Dael.

“The twins fighting over one girl. Pathetic.”

Dael's jaw clenched.

“How do you know?” he muttered.

“I was there, silly.”

His expression became almost nostalgic.

“I was there the day Aster took all of you.”

My breath caught.

Adrian lowered his gun slightly.

“You were one of the people who separated us?”

“One of them?”

He laughed.

“I was the lead operator and researcher assigned to your project, dear.”

My entire body went cold.

I glared at him.

“You were the one who experimented on us.”

He didn't deny it.

“One of them.”

The words came so casually that my stomach churned with anger and hatred.

I wanted to smack that smug look off his face.

Adrian's hand tightened around his gun.

“What was the project?”

The scientist smiled.

“You still don't remember, do you?”

Adrian frowned.

“No.”

“Of course not.”

He glanced at me.

“Your mother made sure of that.”

I frowned at the way he rolled his eyes.

It looked like my mother had gone against a whole lot of people.

Drew suddenly stepped forward.

“That's enough.”

The scientist looked at him and sighed.

“You've always been impatient, Drew.”

Drew's face hardened.

“You don't know anything about what happened after Aster.”

“Oh, I know more than you think.”

He paused.

“And so does Rebecca.”

My heart pounded.

“Take us to her.”

His eyes returned to me.

“Not yet, love. I came to collect, and that's what I plan to do.”

I stepped forward despite Adrian's attempt to stop me.

“You said you know where she is. Then just tell me. If you won't take me there—”

The scientist studied me for a few seconds.

“Well, I can tell you one thing. She isn't where you think she is.”

Drew's expression changed.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you're chasing an old location.”

My stomach dropped.

“The location from the ring?”

He smiled.

“The ring doesn't lead to Rebecca.”

Drew froze.

“Then what does it lead to?” Adrian asked.

“The beginning,” he replied with a shrug, seemingly disinterested.

“The beginning of what?” I asked.

The scientist looked at Adrian.

“The Origin.”

My heart felt as though it was about to rip out of my chest.

I instinctively reached for the ring in my pocket.

The moment my fingers touched it, the scientist's eyes followed the movement.

“You really don't understand what you're carrying, do you?” he asked, staring at me.

“No,” I admitted. “Do you know?”

He smiled.

“I wish I did, love, but I don't. And honestly, I don't need to find out.”

His gaze dropped to the ring.

“But you should. It's what Rebecca wanted.”

Drew shook his head.

“No. She wanted the ring destroyed.”

The scientist's expression suddenly changed.

“Did she tell you that?”

Drew didn't answer.

“Well, she lied to you.”

My eyes moved between them.

“What is he talking about?” I asked, looking at Drew.

Drew remained silent.

“Drew!”

He finally looked at me.

“I don't know what he's trying to do.”

The scientist laughed.

“Still protecting her secrets, are we?”

He reached into his coat.

Every gun in the room immediately pointed toward him.

“Don't,” Adrian warned.

The scientist rolled his eyes before slowly pulling out a small device and holding it between two fingers.

I recognized it immediately.

It was similar to the device I'd seen in the recording my mother had left behind.

My heart stopped.

“What is that?”

“A message.”