Sheriff's Jail Cell
Robert sat with his head resting against the wall.
"Hey, Reana," he called lazily.
Reana didn't respond. She just rocked back and forth, hugging her pillow in silence.
Robert sighed and continued,
"I never liked your husband... but your baby—"
She screamed, cutting him off.
"My baby!"
Robert took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for your baby... but you need to tell them the truth."
Reana snapped,
"What would a beast like you know about sorry!? You only know how to kill people!"
Suddenly, something sharp struck Robert in the chest.
A heartbeat. Loud. Alive.
"Ugh!" he growled, clutching his chest with both hands.
His body trembled as he curled in on himself.
What is this feeling?
He gasped calling out Lillian.
"Lillian..."
Just then, the cell door opened.
Sheriff Wesley stepped in casually.
"Well, well, well. Reana. Robert. How are the two of you doing? Getting along?"
Robert smirked without looking up.
"Did someone die?"
Wesley's eyes narrowed.
"What do you know?"
Robert lifted one hand and waved it lazily.
"If nothing happened out there, you wouldn't have come to me, would you?"
Wesley smiled coldly.
"No... But I came here for your blood. I want to run some tests."
Robert's eyes narrowed.
"What for?"
Wesley leaned in, hands gripping the bars.
"Just to see what's living under your skin."
Robert flinched. "Only me?"
"No. Everyone. Including your little girlfriend...
There's something alive under her skin."
Robert's eyes widened.
Wesley whispered coldly,
"What do you know, poet? Lillian killed Nira for you. She's a murderer."
Robert's grip tightened on the bars.
"No! She's not the killer. Don't lie to me!"
Wesley chuckled.
"Wow... I've never seen you angry before, poet.
That girl must really mean something to you."
He held out a hand through the bars.
"Tell me everything.
Help clear her name... if you know who the real killer is."
Robert looked up, voice low.
"The Secret of the Beast, I explained everything in there.
Every truth... every answer. "
Wesley gave him one last sharp look "It better be." before turning to leave.
"And your blood?"
Wesley stopped, holding out a small injection kit.
"Do it yourself? Or I'll do it for you."
Robert took the needle and stabbed it into his own arm.
"Ugh..." (Why can I feel this pain?) he groaned.
Wesley frowned, watching him carefully.
"Is that brave... or just careless?"
Robert lifted his eyes.
"Well, that's your job to find out, Sheriff."
He tossed the vial toward him.
"You better find out who the real killer is."
Wesley smirked.
"Count on me."
Meanwhile... Deep in a Dream
Somewhere in the middle of the ocean...
A small boat rocked gently on the sea.
There stood Lillian at the bow.
and beside her, Robert.
His left arm wrapped around her shoulder,
his right hand holding hers.
"Robert... do you really love me?"
Robert stared into her eyes, soft and warm.
"Lillian...
Not only do I love you
Your love taught me how.
You showed me what it means...
to grow a heart.
Now it's blooming inside me,
And it beats only for you.
That's how you'll know
I truly, deeply... love you."
He leaned in to kiss her.
She gasped, slowly closing her eyes and leaning closer.
Suddenly, a black cloud swallowed the sky.
The sea twisted around them forming a tornado.
"Robert!" she screamed.
Robert's face began to change.
Her father's face appeared.
"Linda!" he screamed.
Then it twisted into the face of a shadowed beast.
He reached for her.
but the sea swallowed everything in darkness.
Then, Robert's voice echoed faintly.
"Lillian... remember... kiss me before the fifth falls..."
Lillian's Room
Lillian jolted awake.
Her eyes flew open.
"I... I was dreaming?" she whispered.
Mikael stood by the curtains.
He approached quietly.
"My lady," he greeted.
"Mikael... what happened to me?" she asked.
Mikael replied gently,
"The doctor said you'll be fine. You just need rest."
Her gaze shifted to the window.
(Was it real? What was that? I have to find a clue.)
"Mikael. Come with me."
He hesitated.
"But no one is allowed outside, my lady," he warned softly.
Lillian turned to him, eyes burning with determination.
"Help me, Mikael. This is important.
I have to save two more lives."
She clenched her fists.
"I already lost my family... my friend...
I won't lose anyone else.
I have to put a stop to this."
Before he could respond, she stood up, pulled on her cape, and marched to the window.
"I'll go alone if you won't help me."
"My lady! This is dangerous! The killer is still out there—"
"I'll be fine."
She tied a rope to the post and began climbing out the window.
"My lady..." he called again.
Lillian turned back to him.
"If you want to stop me, Mikael... stop trying."
He nodded slowly.
"I'm well aware of that, my lady.
Because of that... allow me to accompany you."
She smiled.
"Thank you..."
Her feet touched the soft dirt.
(How does Robert do this?) she wondered.
Mikael was already waiting with a small horse from the stable.
Together, they rode swiftly toward the town's old library.
Inside the Mansion...
Dr. Edwin stared down at a small plant inside a glass container.
"Hmm... Fascinating...
Just a drop of her blood gave this plant life.
What else is her blood capable of?"
He placed his palm on the glass.
"If only I had this... twenty years ago...
I could've saved her."
Flashback Begins...
The sound of a woman coughing filled the room.
"My dear..."
Edwin held a woman's hand tightly as she lay on the hospital bed.
It was his wife.
Alaira.
She was weak, barely able to move.
"Alaira! Stay strong!
I'll find a cure for you. I swear!"
Alaira smiled gently, forcing the last strength she had.
Her hand reached up to his face.
Then she spoke, each word fragile.
"My dear... there's no cure for me.
I know better than you...
All the medicine I taught you...
was never meant for this disease."
She paused, breathing shallowly.
"Let this be the final lesson...
So you can save others in the future.
Use my body... if you must...
Find a cure. For the next generation."
Her hand went limp slipping away from his face.
He caught it before it hit the floor.
"Alaira! Alaira! ALAIRA!"
He screamed,
But nothing could bring her back.