Morning came without bringing Lyra any sense of peace. After traveling through the night, she and Nadia finally arrived in a small town they rarely visited. The place looked ordinary enough, but to Lyra, every street corner held memories she never wanted to remember again.
The car stopped in front of an old building that had been abandoned for years. The paint on its walls was beginning to peel, several windows were shattered, and the front yard was overgrown with weeds.
Nadia looked at the building uncertainly.
"Are you sure Arka came here?"
Lyra opened the notes she had brought with her.
"According to the last clue I found, he was here once."
"Places like this usually mean one of two things."
"What?"
"Either they hold a big answer or an even bigger problem."
Lyra stared at the front door.
"I've come too far to turn back now."
They went inside slowly. Their footsteps rang clearly through the empty building. Dust billowed every time they opened a room's door.
Inside a small room, Lyra found an old table covered with scattered documents.
"Nadia, look at this."
Nadia moved closer.
"What is it?"
Lyra picked up an old photograph.
In the photo, Arka stood with several people Lyra had never met.
But one face made her fall silent.
Raven.
"He really was here," Lyra said softly.
Nadia studied Lyra's face.
"You've met him before?"
Lyra slipped the photo into her pocket.
"More than just met him."
"What happened?"
Lyra was silent for a long moment.
"I used to trust him."
From Lyra's tone, Nadia understood that this wasn't something easy to talk about.
"And then?"
"He was the one who destroyed my trust."
Before Nadia could ask anything else, they heard something fall from the upper floor.
They stopped immediately.
"Someone else is here," Nadia whispered.
Lyra picked up a small sharp object from the table.
"We're going up."
"Aren't you scared?"
Lyra looked at the stairs in front of them.
"I'm more afraid of being too late to find Arka."
They climbed carefully. Every step creaked beneath their feet.
When they reached the second floor, they saw a door slightly ajar.
Lyra signaled for Nadia to be quiet.
She slowly opened the door.
The room was empty.
But in the middle of it sat a laptop that was still on.
Lyra stepped closer.
"Look."
Nadia looked at the laptop screen.
A video was paused before it finished playing.
Lyra pressed the play button.
A few seconds later, Arka's face appeared on the screen.
"Lyra, if you're watching this video, it means I didn't make it back."
Lyra froze.
Arka's voice sounded heavy.
"I know you're probably looking for me. But before you do anything, listen carefully."
The video stopped for a few seconds, then continued.
"What's happening now didn't begin when I disappeared. This all started years ago."
Lyra stared at the screen without blinking.
"Someone deliberately made all of this happen. And that person knows our greatest weakness."
Nadia looked at Lyra.
"Our?"
Arka continued.
"Lyra, there's one thing you need to know. I didn't leave because I wanted to abandon you."
Lyra's voice began to tremble.
"Then why did you leave?"
As if Arka could hear her question, the video continued playing.
"I left because I found something out about your past."
Lyra shot to her feet.
"My past?"
The video suddenly turned into static.
The screen flickered several times.
Then a single sentence appeared.
"Don't trust Arka."
Lyra took a step back.
Nadia stared at the screen grimly.
"Someone did this on purpose to confuse us."
"But who altered the video?"
Before they could find an answer, footsteps sounded behind them.
They turned around.
A man stood in the doorway.
He looked to be in his thirties, wore a black jacket, and had an unreadable expression.
"You shouldn't have come here."
Lyra immediately went on guard.
"Who are you?"
The man didn't answer.
"I'm here to warn you."
"That doesn't make any sense. If you want to help, tell us your name."
The man looked at Lyra.
"I'm Ezra."
Nadia narrowed her eyes.
"You know Arka?"
Ezra nodded.
"I'm the last person who spoke to him before he disappeared."
Lyra stepped closer.
"What happened?"
Ezra glanced around before answering.
"Arka found something he was never supposed to find."
"What?"
"An old project."
Lyra sensed that something was wrong.
"What kind of project?"
Ezra took a breath.
"A project involving time."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Lyra remembered what Raven had said.
Arka's time was almost up.
"What do you mean?"
Ezra looked at her.
"Arka is trying to stop something that's already in motion."
"What's in motion?"
Ezra didn't answer right away.
"A countdown."
Lyra fell silent.
"What?"
"Ever since the night Arka disappeared, someone has been counting down."
Nadia looked unconvinced.
"Counting down to what?"
Ezra looked at both of them.
"That's what we have to find out before time runs out."
Lyra felt as if her head were filled with questions.
Every clue she found only made the problem bigger.
Arka had disappeared.
Raven had returned.
There was a secret project.
And now there was a countdown they didn't understand.
"Do you know where Arka is?" Lyra asked.
Ezra lowered his head for a moment.
"I have a theory."
"Where?"
"Where it all began."
"What place?"
Ezra looked toward the window.
"The place where you and Raven first met."
Lyra's heart seemed to stop for a moment.
That place.
The place she'd spent all these years trying to forget.
"I don't want to go back there."
Ezra looked at her seriously.
"If you want to find Arka, you have to go back."
Lyra tightened her grip on the old photograph.
For the first time in years, she realized that the past she'd buried had never truly disappeared.
And now, that past was waiting for her again.
Not to remind her.
But to destroy everything she had left.