While Felix was working his night shift at the convenience store, his phone buzzed with a text message.
He furrowed his brow and reread the message carefully, just to make sure he understood it right:
The devil's hand is at work again. A student is missing from our school—we can't locate her.
The words made his chest tighten with anxiety. With trembling fingers, he typed his response.
Who's missing again?
He couldn't help but worry. His thoughts immediately jumped to his sister—her camp was near the place where several young women had vanished without a trace.
Thalia… please, not you. He whispered a prayer in his head.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered it quickly.
"Hello?"
"Your sister's fine," the caller said, bringing momentary relief. "But her classmate is missing."
Felix exhaled sharply, though the tension didn't fully ease.
"Ruth—no, Chesca—isn't okay. At first, we thought she'd just wandered off…"
"Where was she last seen?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.
"She was found unconscious deep in the forest. Thankfully, she had that tracker device in her pocket, so we were able to locate her quickly."
Felix nodded on the other end. "Maybe the henchmen are already after one of Fuego's daughters… How's Mikaela?"
"She's safe for now. Chesca is with the Dionson family."
"I know, but you were there at the crime scene… You know that Chesca is still in danger."
He paused.
"She's my sister's friend. If anything happens, Thalia could get dragged into this mess."
The teacher on the other end sighed. It was clear from the tone that this was more than just a simple missing-person case.
"Does her family know?"
"Not yet. We're waiting. We can't take official action until 24 hours pass since her disappearance. We're still hoping she turns up on her own."
Felix nodded again, though unease remained heavy in his chest.
"You know what to do when the time comes."
"I do. Just promise me Thalia won't be put in danger. I won't abandon you. I still have to uncover the truth about my parents' deaths."
"I know," the teacher replied. "We'll talk again. I've only taken a short break. We need to find that student before something worse happens."
"Alright. Keep me updated," Felix said, ending the call.
He ran his hand down his face and rubbed his temples, exhaustion already setting in. His eyes burned from the lack of sleep, but he couldn't afford to rest yet.
The night shift was just a cover.
In truth, Felix worked as an informant. The store was his façade, a normal job to support his siblings. Behind the scenes, he tracked illegal activity, kept tabs, and fed quiet reports to the police.
He was also an expert forger—certificates, birth records, whatever the mission required.
He hadn't planned this life. He got pulled in through his cousin Fernan. Like Felix, Fernan had siblings to care for. Both of them were orphans, doing what they had to do to survive.
The organization they were tied to worked on death calls — targets sent through a message, and the rest… carried out in blood.
Felix joined, but his heart couldn't handle taking lives. And that was when he met the siblings—not just two, but four.
He helped two of them escape. He found someone who could protect the others.
But Fernan's defiance cost him. The mastermind found out what he had done.
Fernan was killed.
Even his siblings were murdered—inside their own home.
Felix remembered it vividly. The blood. The horror. He lived right next door. He had arrived just before the police, and he would never forget the scene.
That was when he made the decision: he would do everything in his power to uncover the truth about his parents' deaths and to give Fernan and the sisters justice.
His shift was about to end. At dawn, other workers would take over. Sometimes, his shift extended, but not today—today, he needed rest.
As the first light began to brighten the streets, Felix hopped on a jeep. The city was beginning to stir.
He arrived near their house and signaled for the driver to stop. As he walked past the home that once belonged to Fernan, his heart sank.
It was abandoned.
No one dared rent it out. Rumors swirled that it was haunted—people spoke of weeping, wailing, and strange noises at night.
He didn't question it. Some spirits do linger.
When he entered his own home, the light was still on. He passed through the kitchen and saw Jenny slumped over, fast asleep. Greg, their youngest, was curled on the couch beside her.
Did they not sleep last night?
He didn't disturb them. He headed quietly toward his room.
But before he could close the door behind him, a voice called out.
"Brother?"
He turned and saw Greg sitting up.
"Good morning, Greg," he greeted gently.
"Brother…" Greg's voice cracked, his eyes brimming with tears.
"What's wrong?" Felix rushed over.
"I… I saw Brother Fernan. He said… he said to be careful when you go out," Greg whimpered, his face pale.
A chill ran down Felix's spine.
He was speechless.
Greg had always spoken of the things he saw, things others dismissed as imagination. But Felix knew better.
"I got scared, Brother… They showed me—you were shot." Greg broke into sobs. "I don't want to lose you like we lost Mom and Dad."
Felix knelt and wrapped his arms tightly around his brother. The boy trembled in his embrace.
Sleep no longer tugged at him. His mind raced.
It's true. Someone killed them. My parents. Fernan. And now… they want to silence us too.
He said nothing more. He simply comforted Greg, then helped him back to sleep before heading to his room.
As he lay on his bed, his thoughts churned restlessly… until finally, exhaustion pulled him into slumber.