Crystal's POV:

I was so shocked that my grip slackened, and the phone slipped from my fingers. I could feel my back break out in cold sweat.

I took several deep breaths to calm myself, then turned to check on my son. Fortunately, he was still sleeping soundly.

I carefully lifted the quilt and got out of bed. I padded out of the room as quietly as I could and paused at the empty corridor.

The cold was brutal in winter nights, and goosebumps immediately rose on my skin. It felt especially chilly at my nape, and I subconsciously reached up to rub it for some warmth.

"Who are you?" I quickly typed and sent to the unknown number.

No reply came, however. Not even when my fingers began to feel numb.

A part of me knew that I had a slim chance of finding this person right now, but I still called them back.

I was greeted by a series of beeps, followed by an operator's voice informing me that the other party had turned off their phone.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping in defeat.

I had no idea how long I stood there, but I finally decided to call a number I hadn't touched for a long time.

It was picked up after a couple of rings, and a familiar voice came through the line.

"You know, Crystal, you're the only one who would dare to disturb me in the middle of the night," Blair

yawned. "You and Rufus, that is."

"I'm really sorry, Blair, but I need your help." I sounded anxious even to my own ears.

"What happened?"

I went straight to the point. "I need you to trace a phone number for me and find out its user."

"Come on, Crystal," Blair scoffed. "You know that I'm currently not in the imperial capital. How do you expect me to help you with this?"

I knew Blair very well, so I didn't take

his nonchalance to heart. "I know you have your ways. Please, Blair. This person knows about my previous identity."

"What? Are you sure?" Blair immediately turned serious, and I could imagine him sitting up in bed, fully awake.

"Yes, I'm sure. They texted me and called me Sylvia." "Okay, sure. No problem. I'll look into it right away. Send me the phone number."

I hung up and sent him the details. If things went well, Blair should be able to find the person in two days.

I went back to the bedroom and

tried to sleep, but I was more uneasy than I had previously been. My mind was racing with possibilities, wisps of clues appearing and disappearing, taunting me. The more I pondered them, the more worried I became.

It was no surprise, then, that I woke up the next day with dark circles under my eyes. I forced myself to cheer up and trudged to the kindergarten.

I passed by my daughter's classroom during class break, just as I always would, and popped my head inside. My little girl was nowhere to be found. Did Rufus not send Beryl to school this morning? Well, that wasn't likely.

I shook my head and thought nothing of it. Back when my daughter was in the border pack, she had

a habit of skipping classes. She was probably out playing somewhere, so I wasn't too bothered.

By noontime, I watched a group of

kids playing their games on the lawn. It was then that I spotted Laura in the distance. She had her people with her, and they seemed to be in a rush.

I found it strange. Why would Laura suddenly come to the kindergarten without informing me beforehand?

I headed over to meet her. As I drew closer, I realized that she looked quite frantic.

My thoughts immediately jumped back to that ominous message from last night, and I found myself hurrying to Laura's side. "What's wrong?" I asked, clutching her arm.

"Has Beryl come to school?" Laura asked, her eyes flashing anxiously.

"What? No? I don't think... I haven't seen her..." My heart felt heavy in my chest, and I heard a ringing in my ears.

Laura's face darkened. She took a deep breath as if to brace herself. What she said next made me fall apart. "Beryl is missing."

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