Chapter 1
Raven's Hour
"I am that Raven Delia, torn from the world too soon.
11:11—I need a wish, but not from heaven.
Safe haven enough, I've had enough."
The city never truly slept, but tonight New York felt haunted. Olivia Benson jolted awake in her apartment, sweat slicking her brow, her heart pounding with the echo of a gunshot that had long since faded from the world but not from her memory. William Lewis's twisted smile lingered in the darkness, a specter she could never quite shake.
She sat up, pressing her palms to her eyes. It was 11:11 on the clock—she almost laughed. If wishes worked, she would have used them all by now.
The silence was broken by the shrill ring of her phone. She answered, her voice steady despite the tremor in her soul.
"Benson."
"Lieutenant, you need to get down here," Fin's voice crackled through. "We've got a situation."
SVU SQUAD ROOM – DAY
The squad room buzzed with the usual chaos—phones ringing, detectives hunched over paperwork, the city's wounds bleeding out into their hands. But the energy shifted as the doors burst open and a woman stumbled in, wild-eyed and desperate.
Anna Dr-umpill Imstillskin looked like she'd run through a war zone. Her hair was tangled, her clothes wrinkled, her eyes darting as if she expected the walls to close in.
"They're changing my words!" she cried, voice raw. "I can't… I can't ask for help!"
Rollins was on her feet in an instant. "Whoa, ma'am, slow down. What's going on?"
Anna's hands shook. "He's silencing me! The… the shadow man. He's using the Hertz levels!"
Velasco exchanged a glance with Fin, confusion written across his face. "Hertz levels? Ma'am, are you alright?"
"My children!" Anna's voice broke. "He's going to hurt my children! Please!"
Olivia moved closer, her presence grounding. "Anna, focus on me. Is that your name? Take a deep breath. Tell us who's doing this."
Anna's eyes filled with tears. "Jonathan… Jonathan Reid. He… he offered my doctor money. To keep quiet!"
Fin's tone sharpened. "Money? About what?"
Anna's voice dropped to a whisper. "He… he's hurting me. He's… controlling me."
Benson exchanged a look with Rollins. There was something in Anna's terror that rang true—a pattern they'd seen before but never quite like this.
SVU CONFERENCE ROOM – LATER
The team gathered, the weight of Anna's words heavy in the air. Olivia briefed them, her voice low and urgent.
"She's not delusional. There's something happening here—something organized. She mentioned Hertz levels and a shadow man. It's not the first time we've heard about manipulation, but this… this feels different."
Rollins nodded. "She said Jonathan Reid. We should run him through every database we have."
Velasco tapped at his laptop. "And the Hertz levels? I'll check with tech crimes—see if there's any connection to known methods of psychological manipulation."
Fin leaned back, arms crossed. "Feels like the start of something big. Or the return of something we never finished."
Olivia's gaze lingered on the window, the city lights flickering like distant stars. She couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare was only beginning—and that somewhere, William Lewis was still playing his twisted game.
End of Chapter 1