There… Victor could be seen!
He was trapped somewhere! All around him were old stone walls, like some dark dungeon or secret chamber. His hands were bound, and in front of him stood a shadowy figure.
Victor was trying to say something, but no sound came from his mouth!
Alia whispered in a strangled voice, "Victor…!"
Then, in an instant, the image in the mirror vanished!
Alia was now completely terrified. "Where are you keeping him?! You haven't hurt Victor, have you?"
The shadowy figure spoke in a low voice—
"Your Victor is alive… for now. But how long he stays that way depends on you, Alia."
Alia slowly collapsed to the floor, her head spinning. Everything around her was blurring, and the last thing she heard was a cold, chilling laugh.
"Hahaha… has my little princess gotten scared?"
Then, gradually, everything was swallowed by darkness.
Who knows how much time passed!
Alia's eyes slowly began to open. Her head felt heavy, her whole body numb. She realized she was lying on a soft bed.
Then a familiar voice drifted to her ears—
"Hm… so you're going to start asking questions the moment you wake up, aren't you?"
Alia quickly sat up and looked.
Viki?!
He was leaning against the doorframe, that familiar mischievous smile playing at the corner of his lips, as if nothing had happened.
Alia was stunned. "Viki! You… how are you here?"
Viki shrugged. "That's the question, isn't it? But the real question is—are you okay?"
Alia stared at him for a while.
But… something wasn't right!
Was this really the Viki she knew? Or… someone else?
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed outside the door.
"Viki, you've gone too far. You shouldn't have made this into a joke!"
Alia quickly turned her head.
Victor!
He entered the room briskly, his face hard, his eyes shadowed with deep anger.
Alia stared, bewildered, glancing from Victor to Viki. "Wait… then you…"
Viki only smiled—a calm, cool smile. "Why are you getting so serious, brother? Just having a little fun."
Victor's face grew darker. "This isn't some harmless prank, Viki! Do you have any idea how much danger Alia was in?"
Alia was slowly beginning to understand.
So… was this really just one of Viki's pranks?
But then she remembered—the vision in the mirror… she had seen Victor bound!
She whispered, "But… what I saw in the mirror—what was that?"
Victor was silent for a moment, then he said, "That was the real threat."
Viki's smile faded too.
He let out a long sigh and began to walk toward the door.
"I'm leaving. The Russian mafia lord takes his leave."
His voice carried a mixture of wounded pride and mystery, as if there was something he wanted to say but never would.
Alia watched in astonishment. "Viki, where are you going?"
Viki paused, looking off to the side, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"To the place where I belong…"
Then he opened the door and left.
Victor stood there, staring after him. "That man is never straightforward. But this time… something is really wrong."
Alia was silent, but only one question echoed in her mind—
Was Viki truly just playing around, or was he part of something deeper?
Victor slowly closed the door, then turned to Alia with a faint smile.
"My little bird… were you scared?"
Alia narrowed her eyes, then a small smile curved her lips.
"Hm… I was scared. But now I'm angry!"
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Angry? Why?"
Alia crossed her arms. "Why did you take so long to come? And while Viki was doing all this, where were you?"
Victor paused for a moment, then slowly said—
"Because… before I got here, someone else had already taken my place."
Alia's eyes widened in shock.
"What do you mean?"
Victor stepped closer and whispered—
"The man who introduced himself to you this morning—that wasn't me."
Alia felt her breath catch.
Then… the Victor she had met this morning… who was he really?
Her whole body shivered.
"Then… who was the one I spent the whole morning with?"
Victor's eyes narrowed, his voice low and hard. "Did you look into his eyes closely, Alia?"
Alia froze.
Did she? Did she really look closely?
She remembered that morning—the face like Victor's, the voice, the gestures… but something had been off!
Yes—his eyes!
That morning, Victor's eyes had seemed strangely cold. Even his smile… somehow unfamiliar!
"I… I don't know. I thought it was you!"
Victor spoke slowly—
"That wasn't Viki. And it certainly wasn't me."
Alia's throat closed. "Then… who was it?"
Victor's face grew serious, his voice dropping even lower—
"It was the Shadow."
Alia felt her whole body turn cold.
The Shadow…?
Then… the person she had spent the entire day with, the one she'd talked to, trusted—
At that moment, Alia spoke.
"Hm… Victor, right now I'm in Scotland because you summoned me here, and I know we've been spending time together. But tell me… was the person I was with this morning really you—or someone else?"
Victor went very still. His eyes deepened as if he were searching for something. After a few moments of silence, he spoke slowly.
"If you're in Scotland… then whoever you were with this morning—it couldn't have been me."
Alia felt her blood turn to ice. She stood rooted in place, her voice trembling.
"Then… who was it?"
Victor took a step forward. "That's exactly what I want to find out, Alia. Did you look carefully into his eyes?"
Alia's mind flashed to moments from the morning—Victor's face, his voice, his mannerisms… but something had been wrong!
Yes! His eyes!
That Victor's eyes had been strange—like a supernatural darkness flickered in them!
Her voice came out hoarse. "His eyes… were strange, Victor. Something wasn't right about them."
Victor drew in a deep breath. "I'm afraid, Alia. Because I don't know who that was… but I'm sure of one thing—he didn't just come to see you. He had a purpose."
Alia felt the ground quake beneath her feet. If she hadn't been with the real Victor all day, then…
"Was he… trying to do something to me?"
Victor pressed his lips into a thin line. "He must have tried to learn something from you. Or maybe he said something you were supposed to remember."
Alia tried to recall the morning's conversation…
Suddenly she remembered—that Victor had once said, "What you don't remember is your greatest secret."
She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now…!
Victor's temples throbbed. "We're making a mistake, Alia. This isn't just some personal confusion—there's a deeper conspiracy here."
Alia whispered, "Then… is the Shadow real?"
Victor spoke slowly, "Not only is it real—it's one step ahead of us."
Alia looked into Victor's eyes, her throat tight, and spoke quietly—
"Your eyes are blue… but his eyes were—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Victor's eyes had always been that familiar shade of blue. But the man she'd spent the morning with—his eyes…
"His eyes were like deep shadows… an uncanny black, like some endless abyss!"
Victor inhaled sharply, his face growing darker.
"Black?" he said in a low voice, as if needing to be sure.
Alia nodded quickly. "Yes! At first I didn't notice, because everything else looked exactly like you. But now… I feel like I was trapped in an illusion."
Victor fell silent. After a few moments, he said—
"Then it's come even closer to us."
Alia frowned. "It? Who are you talking about?"
A shadow of fear flickered in Victor's eyes. His voice dropped even lower—
"The Shadow's game has begun, Alia. And this time… we're the target."
Then suddenly, Alia said, "The Shadow could be one of your own allies—couldn't it?"
Victor's eyes widened in surprise. For the first time, hesitation crossed his face.
"Me?"
Alia smiled mysteriously, her eyes glinting with a strange light.
"Yes, Victor… the Shadow is you!"
Victor's forehead furrowed deeply. "What are you saying, Alia? How could I be the Shadow?"
Alia stepped slowly toward him, her voice dropping into a low, resonant tone.