Flames clawed at the house, devouring wood and glass, while black smoke rolled into the sky, turning daylight into choking night. Sarah stumbled forward, her hair in disarray, terror blazing in her eyes. Behind her, Jacob's desperate voice split the chaos:
— "Adam! Adam!"
She pointed with a trembling hand toward the inferno. Without hesitation, Youssef plunged inside. The heat struck him like whips against his face. Through the burning wreckage, he spotted a small body curled beneath the bed. Crawling fast, he dragged the child out, clutching him tightly as he staggered back into the open air. He laid the boy on the soaked lawn, where water from neighbors' failed attempts still dripped from the grass.
Sarah fell to her knees beside her son, heart nearly bursting. Jacob, panting hard, pressed his phone to his ear, shouting for an ambulance. At the gate, Noah stood frozen, eyes wide, as if trapped inside a living nightmare.
Sirens wailed. Red and blue lights painted the ruined walls. Paramedics swarmed in, lifted the boy, and loaded him into the ambulance.
— "Who's coming with the child?" one asked.
Before the doors closed, Sarah climbed in, clutching her son against her chest. The vehicle roared away.
Outside, under the blaze, rage exploded. Jacob struck Youssef with a heavy punch. Youssef grabbed his collar, shouting:
— "Where is Eva?! How did she vanish?!"
Jacob stammered, voice breaking:
— "We… we don't know. She was with the nanny in the garden… then she was gone. The nanny too!"
From a distance, Noah's trembling voice cut in:
— "Youssef! I think I know something…"
Youssef steadied himself, hand on Noah's shoulder:
— "Then we go. To the hospital."
— "I'm coming too," Jacob muttered.
At the hospital, the air was thick with dread. The moment she saw Youssef, a woman hurled herself at him, eyes drowning in tears:
— "Bring me back my daughter! Bring her back, and I'll forgive you… even for killing my father!"
The words stabbed him like a blade. Darkness swallowed his vision. He collapsed.
When he awoke, he was lying on a white bed. Near the window sat Noah, who leapt up at once, smiling wide:
— "Don't despair, my friend. We'll find Eva. I'm certain Judy is behind it."
Youssef's face was worn, but his eyes blazed with anxious hope:
— "Why do you think that?"
Noah lowered his head, voice shaking with guilt:
— "Don't you remember? When I came with Judy to your house… we planned to take one of your children."
— "Why?" Youssef's voice cracked with tension.
Noah's eyes flickered away:
— "I don't know… but whenever she spoke of one of them, she called the child the key to the treasure."
Youssef's chest tightened. Without a word, he bolted out of the hospital.
The nanny's house loomed ahead. The outside was silent—but inside was a nightmare.
The door swung open to a flood of screams, wails, and the frantic patter of shadows racing through the hall. Phones rang endlessly, shrill as war sirens.
Youssef climbed the stairs, heart hammering. At the end of the corridor, a door yawned open. A shadow crawled toward the threshold—then something unseen yanked it back. The wet sound of tearing flesh froze his blood.
A deep, inhuman voice called from within:
— "Youssef… come inside."
He backed away, shaking, throat dry. On the stairs, a woman's shadow shrieked past him, hair flying like a banner of terror.
At the door, he struggled in vain—locked. The house fell into stillness.
Then, in the center of the hall, a small shadow appeared. It drew a fork nearly as tall as itself and drove it into the floor. The clang was not metal—it was a gavel.
— "Silence! The trial begins!"
From the darkness, the nanny emerged. Draped in black smoke, she wiped blood from her lips with a dark handkerchief. Her pale eyes streamed cold tears, but her sharp fangs gleamed when she smiled.
— "Why are you here, Youssef? What do you want?"
His voice shook:
— "The trial… for whom?"
Her grin widened:
— "For you."
She stepped closer, each footfall heavy on his chest. Her icy hands seized him, fangs brushing his neck.
— "Please! Not now!" he cried. "Eva is missing—let me save her first. Then I'll return… for your judgment."
She froze, then drew back, eyes burning.
— "You don't even know? You killed Tamaris! They found her shadow's corpse where you stood!"
The small shadow leapt on her shoulder and struck her face. She stumbled back, releasing him. Youssef collapsed, gasping.
— "I didn't kill her…" he whispered desperately.
The shadow slapped him again, pointing at the door. With his last strength, Youssef tore it open and stumbled out. Eva's face flashed in his mind, her voice crying in his ears:
— "They've taken her!"
The nanny and shadow exchanged a knowing look.
— "Why would they use a child for the treasure?" Youssef demanded.
The shadows dragged him to the sofa. The nanny leaned close, breathless:
— "Tell me—does Eva have a guardian?"
— "A nanny…"
— "Not that! If she's the key, they won't kill her. They need her. But the guardian… the guardian will kill them first."
Tears blurred Youssef's eyes.
— "Daniel…" he whispered.
Smoke burst from her head, flames licking upward. Shadows pointed him toward the door. He ran.
Leaping into the night, his body cracked, wings tearing free. Youssef soared as a great eagle, slicing through the forest skies.
Below, Judy's cabin crouched in the trees. In front of it lay a body—Noah. His face was streaked with blood and tears.
Youssef landed, shifting back, kneeling beside him:
— "Are you alright, my friend?!"
Noah clutched his chest, voice broken:
— "Why won't he obey me? Why do I become a fool in front of her?!"
— "Idiot!" Youssef shouted, shaking him. "I found Judy—was Eva there?!"
Noah's fading voice:
— "No… but she knows… I heard her… with Daniel…"
Then silence. His body went limp.
— "Noah! Don't leave me!" Youssef roared.
He shifted once more, eagle wings spreading. He carried his unconscious friend through the night sky to the hospital gates, landing in desperation.
— "There's a man outside! Save him!" he cried.
Paramedics rushed, whisking Noah away. Youssef stood trembling, watching until his friend vanished inside.
Lowering his head, he whispered to the silence:
— "Wake up, my friend. I'll teach you how to be stronger… but please—don't leave me now."