"If you're reading this, that means that I'm dead. The Sapphire family... They aren't who they say they are.."
Okay, I won't lie — that line felt like it came straight out of a horror scene. It sent eerie chills down my spine. My fingers trembled slightly as I held the journal.
I quickly turned the page, my eyes scanning the neat handwriting, desperate for more answers, for any clue as to what 'Olberic' – the original adopted son, had discovered.
In the next paragraph he wrote: "I'm not their biological son, but as of writing, for most of the time I'm treated as such," the diary continued. "They treat me as one, especially Evelina. She was truly lovely, some may say even too nice. Luminous, he was always cheerful, he loved munching on nuts, those seemed to be his favourite. Lady Sapphire, she tries her best to shower me with the same affection she shows her true children. I'm forever grateful for the Sapphire family, for taking me in."
I paused, absorbing the details. Evelina. So that was the eldest daughter's name. And Luminous for the younger child, the nut-munching one. It was a small, almost mundane detail, but it grounded the narrative, making these fictional characters feel more real, more human. Olberic's gratitude was clear, his affection for the family, especially Evelina, evident in his words. It painted a picture of a seemingly loving, benevolent noble house.
But then, the tone shifted. The handwriting seemed to press harder on the page.
"But, Lord Sapphire, I always had my suspicions about him. It grew with every passing second. He for once never talked with me, for a scholar, he has an overwhelmingly large amount of Armory at his disposal, his room is always lit at night, I saw it through the window, and that's when I figured it out, that he is—"
The words cut off abruptly.
My eyes darted to the bottom of the page, then to the next. My breath hitched. The rest of the pages were gone. Torn out. Not carefully removed, but violently ripped out it, now had jagged edges, leaving only stubs of paper clinging to the bind. The diary, which felt substantial moments ago, was now thin, almost empty.
My mind was put to work, Who had done this? Who had torn out the pages? And why? Did they know that Olberic knew the 'secret' of the family? The secret that Lord Sapphire was involved in something dark, something that required a vast, hidden armory, something that kept him awake at night?
My mind raced, connecting the dots. The "let his will be done" I'd overheard Lord Sapphire say earlier. The mysterious man who could 'sense' my presence. The armory I had stumbled into. It all pointed to something far more sinister than just a scholarly noble family with a penchant for collecting antique weapons.
My hands clenched around the diary. Was I still a target? Even here, within the supposed safety of the Sapphire manor? If Olberic had known something, something dangerous enough to get his diary pages ripped out, then what about me? I was in his place. Did that mean I inherited his knowledge? His danger?
Was the one who tore the book still in this manor? Was it Lord Sapphire himself? Did he suspect that I – Kai Lorne, the now adopted son – now knew his secret? The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through me. I had just escaped death in the arena, only to walk into a potentially greater, more insidious danger within the walls of my new home.
I looked around the room, my 'new' room. It felt less like a sanctuary and more like a death cage.
I slowly walked over to the bed, the diary still clutched in my hand. I sat down, the soft mattress offering little comfort against the turmoil in my mind. My eyes scanned the room, searching for anything else, any other clue. But there was nothing. Just the portrait of my own face staring back at me from the wall.
The implications were terrifying. If Lord Sapphire was involved in something nefarious, and he suspected Olberic knew, then my new life as Kai Lorne was just as dangerous as my old one. Perhaps even more so, because this danger was hidden, insidious, lurking beneath a cloth of familial affection and aristocratic elegance. I was trapped, a pawn in a game I didn't understand, surrounded by people whose true intentions were shrouded in mystery.
My mind replayed the words from the diary, the hints about Lord Sapphire's nocturnal activities, the vast armory. What was he doing? What was he part of? And what was the 'will' that needed to be done?
As my mind drifted further, I heard a soft knock on the door that broke through my thoughts. The sound was eerie at first, making my heart leap into my throat, adrenaline surged through me, as I prepare for the worst. My eyes darted to the door in anticipation of what's next.
"Kai?" A gentle, female voice called out from the other side. "Are you in there? It's Evelina."