Kyle, holding the notebook in his hands, took a step back. His eyes widened, his hands trembled, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.
On that drawn page was "Elizabeth's corpse"… abandoned among flowers, her intestines and heart removed and filled with flowers. Her heart had been removed and placed in her chest while Elizabeth held it with both lifeless hands.
Beneath it was a date:
896/07/23
Kyle thought:
"This was drawn three days before Elizabeth's murder… Elizabeth was killed on the 26th…"
His heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest. He took another step back and, unconsciously, flipped another page—and froze, feeling pure terror.
The notebook slipped from his hands, and he just stood there, sensing someone watching him.
On that page was something else—Kyle himself… his eyes and mouth sewn shut with thread, his hands and feet tied to a chair, powerless and in need of help. In the center of his chest, a dagger had been plunged. The scene looked empty around him, like a theater stage.
Beneath it was a date:
896/07/24
This meant it was drawn three days prior, exactly one day after Elizabeth's drawing—but why was Kyle chosen? How had Charles selected him?
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside the room. Kyle immediately closed the notebook on the desk and stepped toward the center of the room, still panicked and terrified, unsure of what to do.
His heart raced uncontrollably, sweat pouring down his face. Then, the door slowly opened.
It was him.
Charles entered the room calmly, smiling warmly. He hadn't expected to see Kyle there. His smile remained, though he raised a slight eyebrow and jokingly said:
"An unexpected entrance, Kyle… welcome. Please, sit."
He gently closed the door, smiled as he did, then turned and walked deliberately toward Kyle.
Still shocked and disbelieving, Kyle sat carefully on the sofa, unable to take his eyes off Charles.
Charles picked up a bottle of wine and two glasses, poured the wine slowly, and said at the same time:
"It doesn't happen often that we get to talk, my friend…"
Then he looked at Kyle and added:
"You seem stressed… did something happen?" in a calm, friendly tone.
Kyle, still in shock, instinctively replied:
"No, everything's fine " forcing a fake smile.
Charles nodded for a moment, then handed Kyle a glass of wine. He unbuttoned the middle button of his coat and sat down on the sofa with care. Crossing his legs, he swirled the wine gently. Its clarity revealed a light red color.
He took a small sip, set the glass on the table. Kyle, terrified, didn't drink his own, keeping it at hand—suspicious that Charles might have poisoned it.
Kyle thought:
"Who's really in front of me? A psychopathic killer… or a professor?"
He glanced at the wine glass in his hand and thought:
"Did he really kill Elizabeth? But why? And why was I in that drawing? Does he want to kill me too? And how does he know I know?"
Charles tilted his head slightly and smiled warmly:
"You wanted to meet me, right? Probably because of the shocking incident with Elizabeth… you're worried, aren't you?"
Kyle's eyes widened, paralyzed, unable to move. He swallowed hard.
Everything was finally set in motion." He" deliberately entered the greenhouse through the main entrance so "Kyle" could see him… because "Kyle" was the next victim. "He" knew Kyle would search for clues in "his" room… and probably deliberately left the notebook in the drawer, knowing "Kyle" would look for it. And exactly at the moment Kyle arrived, "he" entered the room with a slight delay so "Kyle" would discover the truth.
Kyle forced a fake smile and said:
"Well… yeah… I wanted to talk to you about Elizabeth."
Charles took a deep breath, wetting his lips, and said:
"Seems like something is bothering your mind… you're not like before." He smiled.
Kyle blinked, trying to pull himself together, then said:
"About…" lowering his head.
"Did you—" then realized he was asking a foolish question.
He pointed to the painting behind Charles:
"I wanted to know… did you get this painting recently? It wasn't here the last time I came."
It was a classical painting: a woman standing over a defeated black demon with a raised blue flag, surrounded by people staring in disbelief and shock.
Charles turned his head toward the painting and said while looking at it:
"Yes, I bought it at an auction… it has a revolutionary beauty---"
While Charles was talking and paying attention to the painting, Kyle swapped their wine glasses.
Charles continued:
"It's a valuable piece from my favorite artist…"
Kyle lifted his glass and smiled:
"Must have been expensive" he joked, taking a sip.
Charles gave a faint smile, brought the glass close to his nose, swirled it a few times, inhaled its aroma, sipped again, and set it back on the table.
Kyle drank more of his wine, feeling safer, and became bolder:
"Charles—"
Suddenly, a sharp headache hit him, and he felt dizzy. His vision blackened, and he struggled to stand. The glass slipped and shattered on the floor. His vision went in and out of focus.
Charles calmly sat back, crossed his legs, swirled his glass, sipped, and placed it on the table.
He leaned forward, his face just inches from Kyle's, and whispered:
"Welcome to my mind… Kyle."
A small smile appeared.
And then, darkness…