Detective Holt's office smelled like dust and ink—just like it used to.
Paper, old wood, and something faintly metallic lingered in the air.
But today… it felt different.
Not because of the room.
Because of the people inside it.
Kieran stood near the window, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the street below. People passed in the street below.
Edward hovered near Holt's desk, already sifting through scattered notes and files, eyes scanning every detail as if the paper might confess under pressure.
And then there was her.
Selene—no…
Eleanor Harrington.
She sat straight-backed on a wooden chair, posture flawless, gloved hands resting neatly in her lap. Every movement of hers carried an elegance that felt practiced—too practiced.
Amira lingered just behind Serene's shoulder, arms loosely folded—but her eyes were alert, moving between everyone in the room.
Waiting.
Measuring.
No one spoke for a moment.
Then Kieran turned from the window.
"Before we start," he said, voice steady but edged with tension, "let's make sure everyone is on the same page."
Serene tilted her head slightly, brows drawing together.
"First of all," she said, her tone controlled but laced with unease, "where is the fifth one?"
Her gaze swept the room.
"There were five of us. I assumed we all got dragged into this world… whatever this is."
A brief silence followed.
Kieran exhaled.
"We'll get to that," he said. "First, we lay out everything we know."
Edward didn't look up from the papers as he spoke.
"We were transported into this world," he said, matter-of-fact. "All of us. Same time—or close enough. We still have our phones… but they're not our phones."
He picked his up from the desk, turning it slightly.
"They assign missions. Quests. We can decline them… apparently. Only Kieran, Serene and Dante got them. The quests grants points—"
Amira stepped forward slightly.
"And completing them unlocks something like a shop," she added. "Abilities. Skills. Things that shouldn't exist."
Her gaze flicked toward Kieran.
"But only he can access it for now, as far as we know."
The implication hung heavy.
"Which raises a question," she continued. "What about Dante?"
A pause.
"And where is all of this even leading?" she pressed. "What's the end goal? Escape? Survival? Or something worse?"
Kieran's jaw tightened.
"And that's where Dante comes in," he said.
"He's Detective Holt."
The room stilled.
Serene's fingers twitched ever so slightly in her lap.
"He's the one assigned the murder case," Kieran added. "The same one I mentioned before."
Serene frowned.
"But where is he?" she asked.
"That's the problem."
Kieran's voice dropped.
"We haven't been able to contact him. Not recently."
Edward finally looked up.
"And the only person close to him," he said, "is Clara Whitemore."
He exhaled.
"And judging by her expression," Edward continued, "she doesn't know where he is either."
He set the paper down.
"And if we push her," he added, "we lose access to this place."
A quiet understanding settled in.
Serene turned toward Kieran again.
"But why are we even looking for him?" she asked, her voice sharper now. "What does his case have to do with our situation?"
Her hesitation was brief—but noticeable.
"With… my—uh, the—marriage?"
Kieran didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped forward, his expression hardening.
"Nothing," he said at first.
Then—
"Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be."
The shift in tone made everyone tense.
"The day before he disappeared," Kieran continued, "I met him."
Edward straightened slightly.
"He told me about his quest."
Silence.
"And unlike ours," Kieran said, his gaze locking onto Serene, "his has consequences."
A pause.
A breath.
"If he fails…" Kieran said quietly, "…all five transmigrators will be trapped in this world. Permanently."
The words didn't just land.
They hit.
Hard.
Amira's eyes widened.
Edward froze.
And Serene—
Serene felt something cold settle in her chest.
"What…?" she whispered.
No one answered.
Because there was nothing to add.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Serene asked, her voice rising despite herself.
Kieran ran a hand through his hair.
"I don't know everything yet," he admitted. "But one thing is clear."
He looked at her.
"The marriage… is connected."
The room went still again.
"And if we want to stop the murder," he continued, "we need to stop the marriage."
For a moment—
No one reacted.
Then—
"What?"
Serene stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor.
"Are you even listening to yourself?" she demanded, her composure finally breaking. "You want to call off a marriage—my marriage—based on a theory?"
Her voice trembled now.
"Do you have any idea what that means?" she continued. "What people will say? What it will do to my family?"
Her eyes burned.
"My father—"
She stopped herself, breath uneven.
"You don't understand," she said, quieter now, but sharper. "You won't face the consequences. You'll walk away from this like it meant nothing."
Amira stepped closer to her side.
"She's right," she said firmly. "You can't make a decision like that alone."
Kieran stared at them.
For a second—
Something in his expression snapped.
"Yeah?" he said, his voice suddenly rising. "You think I'm the selfish one here?"
He took a step forward.
"My only friend in this world is missing," he said. "We don't know if he's alive, dead, or something worse."
His gaze swept the room.
"We're thrown into a place that doesn't make sense, forced into roles we didn't choose, given quests by something we don't understand—"
His voice hardened.
"And even the slightest mistake means we might not even escape."
A beat.
"And I'm trying to buy us time."
Silence.
"If that murder happens," he said, quieter now, "we don't get to argue about consequences."
His eyes met Serene's.
"Because we won't be leaving."
The words lingered.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Serene swallowed.
But she didn't back down.
"And you're so sure we'll escape even if we do everything right?" she shot back. "Did you forget the contract?"
Kieran frowned.
"What contract?"
Serene let out a hollow laugh.
"Exactly."
Her hands holding the chair.
"I won't let you gamble my family's life on something you can't even prove," she said, her voice breaking at the edges. "Not like this."
Amira placed a steady hand on her arm.
Kieran looked at them for a long moment.
Then—
"Fine."
The word was sharp.
Cold.
"Play house," he said. "Pretend this is your world. Your family."
He stepped back.
"And see how long that lasts."
No one stopped him as he turned.
The door swung open.
And then—
Bang.
He was gone.
The silence he left behind was louder than anything he'd said.
Edward remained still for a moment, staring at the door.
Then he exhaled.
Muttered something under his breath.
And followed.
The door closed again.
This time—
Softly.
Serene sank back into her chair.
Amira didn't let go of her.
And in the suffocating stillness of Holt's office—
They just hoped to find a way.