Void (The Youngest, Book 3.B.)

Chapter 十八 (B)

The Sheriff had contacted Derek and Chris, informing them about Stiles and Kylie being in the boy's room, and they all headed for the Stilinski house. They waited for each other by the front of the house before moving in together. They carefully made their way upstairs, only to find Stiles' room empty.

Derek moved through the rest of the house, but there was no sign of them anywhere. When he reconvened with the others in Stiles' room, he gave a shake of his head. "They're gone."

"But Stiles left something behind," the Sheriff said, pointing towards a chessboard set up on a small table, with colored sticky notes marking the pieces.

"What is all this?" Chris asked as they gathered around, leaning over to examine it. "What's with these sticky notes?"

"This is how Stiles tried to explain all of you to me," the Sheriff answered, looking pointedly at Derek.

Allison narrowed her eyes, studying the arrangement of the board. "Maybe it's a message from Stiles. The real Stiles, trying to get through."

Chris picked up one of the removed pieces and saw Isaac's name on it. He scanned the board more thoroughly, noting that all the wolves, along with Deaton, were on one side, while he and his family were on the opposing side, joined by Jennifer, Jackson, and Matt. He examined Isaac's piece more closely, realizing that it, surprisingly, was also part of the opposing side.

Derek frowned, noticing another oddity. "Why is my name on the king? And where's Kylie? Why isn't she part of the board?"

The Sheriff leaned in to scrutinize the setup, his expression hardening. "You're heavily guarded, Derek. And here's the alarming detail—you're one move from being in checkmate."

Chris' face darkened as realization struck. "This isn't a message from Stiles. It's a threat from the Nogitsune." He gestured towards the absent piece. "And Kylie isn't here because it can't risk her being in danger. She's off limits to it—at least for now."

Allison's eyes went back to Derek's piece, the king, surrounded and vulnerable. She suddenly understood. "They're at the loft. That's where he's telling us to go."

Chris nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. "And it wants us to come there."

Derek glanced out the window, noting the dimming sky. "Night's fallen."

"This couldn't scream 'trap' any louder," Chris muttered, glancing between the others.

The Sheriff shook his head. "I don't think it is."

Chris eyed him skeptically. "I think you might be letting emotions cloud your judgment, Sheriff."

The Sheriff held up a hand, urging patience. "Just hear me out. We're dealing with something here that lacks a clear motive. There's no rhyme, no reason, right?"

"Meaning what?" Chris asked.

The Sheriff hesitated, trying to put his thoughts into words. "Despite how much Stiles tried to explain all of this supernatural craziness to me, I'll admit, I'm still lost on half of it. But one thing is clear—this thing isn't just a killer. It's a trickster. Killing people? That's just a by-product of the chaos it creates."

Derek narrowed his eyes. "If you're saying it won't kill us, I'm not convinced."

"It doesn't want to kill us outright," the Sheriff clarified. "It wants irony. It wants to play a trick, to make us dance. All we need to do is figure out the punchline—the part it isn't expecting."

Chris privately doubted the Sheriff's hopefulness, thinking he was letting his love for his son and Kylie cloud his judgment. The hunter knew that this thing, wearing Stiles' face, was going to exploit every advantage it had, and drag Kylie into its twisted games. But even if everyone else was being led by emotions, Chris would keep a clear head. He let out a measured breath, looking directly at Stilinski.