“The Black Sun Society was destroyed over twenty years ago.”
The silence after Alekxander’s words felt heavy.
Too heavy.
Ophelia looked between him and Cassian slowly.
“Okay…”
Nobody spoke.
She blinked.
“See this is exactly the problem with you people.”
Cassian frowned slightly.
“What?”
“You all say dramatic things and then stop talking.”
Honestly, it was exhausting.
Ophelia threw her hands up slightly.
“What is the Black Sun Society? Murder cult? Secret organization? Rich people with too much free time?”
Cassian almost choked trying not to laugh.
Alekxander looked mildly offended on behalf of history itself.
“Ophelia.”
“No seriously,” she continued.
“Because every conversation lately sounds like the start of a horror movie.”
Cassian rubbed his forehead.
“She’s funny.”
“She’s stressful,” Alekxander corrected immediately.
Rude.
Accurate.
But rude.
Cassian finally leaned forward slightly.
“The Black Sun Society was a secret group formed by several noble families years ago.”
Ophelia’s expression slowly became serious again.
“They were obsessed with power,” he continued quietly.
“Not political power. Something older.”
Oh.
Supernatural nonsense again.
Amazing.
“They believed certain bloodlines carried abilities connected to memory and death.”
Ophelia immediately felt sick.
Ashbourne women.
The visions.
The whispers.
“My family,” she whispered.
Cassian nodded once.
“The Ashbournes were one of the families involved.”
A cold feeling spread through her chest slowly.
“What exactly were they trying to do?”
This time, Alekxander answered.
“They believed memories could survive death.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
“And?” Ophelia asked carefully.
Alekxander’s gaze stayed fixed on her.
“They wanted to control it.”
Silence.
Real silence.
Because suddenly all of this felt much bigger than hidden rooms and noble drama.
This sounded dangerous.
Like genuinely dangerous.
Ophelia swallowed slowly.
“And the original Ophelia found proof of this?”
“Yes.”
Cassian’s expression darkened slightly.
“She discovered records connected to the Society shortly before her death.”
Ophelia leaned back slowly into her seat.
Everything was starting to connect now.
The visions.
The murder.
The attacks.
Somebody wanted the truth buried badly enough to kill for it.
Again and again.
“So why was the Society destroyed?” she asked quietly.
Cassian and Alekxander exchanged another look.
Ophelia hated when they did that.
Then Cassian finally spoke.
“Because people started dying.”
Her stomach twisted immediately.
“What kind of dying?”
“Violent ones.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
Great.
Fantastic.
Wonderful even.
Cassian’s voice lowered slightly now.
“There were rumors the Society experimented on people who carried abilities like yours.”
Ophelia felt her blood run cold.
Abilities like hers.
No.
No no no.
Alekxander noticed her expression immediately.
“They can’t hurt you here.”
Ophelia stared at him.
“You say that every time danger appears.”
And honestly?
The evidence was not supporting him lately.
Cassian stood up slowly.
“We should move the search forward.”
Ophelia frowned.
“Search?”
“The hidden room.”
Right.
That.
Cassian looked toward Alekxander.
“If the room still exists, we need to find it before anyone else does.”
Alekxander nodded once.
Then both men looked at Ophelia at the same time.
Absolutely not.
“No.”
Cassian blinked.
“No?”
“You both looked at me like I’m about to volunteer for something dangerous.”
Alekxander sighed softly already.
“You’re the only one who’s seen the room.”
“And somehow that sounds like a personal problem.”
Cassian laughed again.
Honestly, he was enjoying this situation too much.
Alekxander stepped closer slowly.
“Ophelia.”
The serious tone.
Terrible sign.
“We need your help.”
Oh.
Oh that was unfair.
Because suddenly he wasn’t being cold or secretive anymore.
Now he sounded sincere.
And annoyingly enough…
That affected her.
Ophelia looked away quickly.
“This is emotional manipulation.”
Cassian looked confused.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Alekxander’s mouth twitched slightly again.
That tiny almost-smile he kept doing.
One day she was going to force him to smile properly out of pure spite.
Unfortunately, her brain betrayed her again by finding the idea cute.
Disgusting behavior honestly.
After a long moment, Ophelia sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
Cassian immediately relaxed.
“But if I die again,” she pointed at them both, “I’m haunting everybody personally.”
“Noted,” Cassian replied immediately.
Alekxander looked far too unsurprised by that statement.
Which honestly felt concerning.
The Ashbourne estate looked worse than before.
Dark.
Empty.
Too quiet.
Rain clouds gathered above the massive manor again as their carriage stopped outside.
Ophelia stared at the building through the window uneasily.
“I hate this place.”
Alekxander stepped out first before offering her his hand again.
That had become a habit now somehow.
No vision this time.
Thank God.
Cassian followed behind them while guards spread around the estate immediately.
The moment Ophelia stepped inside, a strange feeling settled over her.
The whispers returned softly.
Not painful yet.
Just there.
Watching.
Waiting.
She rubbed her arms slightly.
“It feels different.”
Alekxander looked at her immediately.
“What does?”
“The house.”
Ophelia frowned slightly while looking around the hallway.
“It feels…”
Wrong.
Like something had been disturbed.
Cassian noticed her expression too.
“You sense something?”
Ophelia hated how normal that question sounded now.
Slowly, she started walking deeper into the estate.
The whispers grew louder with every step.
Fragments brushed against her mind.
“Don’t let them see…”
“Hide it quickly…”
“He’s coming…”
Pain pulsed lightly behind her eyes.
Not a full vision yet.
Just echoes.
Ophelia stopped suddenly near the staircase.
Her breathing slowed slightly.
“Here.”
Alekxander moved closer instantly.
“What is it?”
She looked toward the wall beside the staircase slowly.
The whispers became louder there.
Stronger.
Her heart started beating faster.
“There’s something behind this wall.”
Cassian immediately stepped forward.
“Move.”
One of the guards approached quickly and pressed against the wooden panel carefully.
Nothing happened.
Cassian frowned.
“There has to be a mechanism.”
Ophelia stared at the wall slowly.
Then suddenly…
Another memory hit her.
The original Ophelia standing right there.
Pressing her fingers against one specific part of the carving.
A click.
The vision disappeared instantly.
Ophelia inhaled sharply and reached toward the wall carefully.
Alekxander grabbed her wrist immediately.
“What did you see?”
“Let go.”
“Ophelia…”
“I know where it is.”
Silence.
Slowly, Alekxander released her wrist.
Ophelia stepped closer to the wall again.
Her fingers brushed across the carvings carefully until…
Click.
Everyone froze.
A low sound echoed through the hallway as part of the wall slowly shifted open.
Darkness waited behind it.
Cold air escaped from inside the hidden passage.
Cassian cursed quietly under his breath.
But Ophelia barely heard him.
Because the whispers inside the passage suddenly became deafening.
And deep inside that darkness.
Something whispered back.
“You finally returned.”