Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 56

Chapter 56 Wayne Academy — Director's Office

The Director's office no longer resembled an office. It had become a command center.

Monitors covered the long conference table, each one replaying security footage from different corners of Wayne Academy—campus gates, parking areas, dorm entrances, empty hallways lit by cold night lamps.

The screens flickered in a constant loop.

Two days of investigation.

And still— No clear answer.

Zaren Wov stood before the largest monitor, arms folded behind his back, posture rigid. His gaze never wavered.

Beside him stood Director Cienna Verra, her composure calm but visibly worn. Dark shadows rested beneath her eyes.

Neither of them had slept much.

"Replay that again," Zaren said.

A technician obeyed immediately.

The footage rewound.

The front gate appeared on the screen, captured by a late-night security camera. A sleek black car rolled slowly toward the entrance before stopping just outside the academy gates.

"Pause."

The image froze.

Cienna leaned forward slightly and pointed.

"That's Erika De Luna's car."

Zaren gave a small nod.

"I confirmed the registration."

The video resumed.

The car remained parked beside the gate.

Minutes passed.

Students walked past. A security guard crossed the frame. A delivery vehicle entered the campus.

But the car door never opened.

Zaren's eyes narrowed.

"The car arrives," he murmured.
"But the driver never leaves."

Cienna frowned slightly.

"Maybe she entered through another gate."

Zaren shook his head.

"I checked every entrance."

He gestured toward another monitor displaying the academy's security grid.

"No entry logs. No camera sightings. No witnesses."

Cienna's voice lowered.

"It's like she vanished."

Zaren didn't respond immediately.

Because with every passing hour, that possibility felt less impossible.

"And her boyfriend?" Cienna asked carefully.

Zaren's expression hardened.

"He was found this morning."

"Alive?"

"Yes."

A pause.

"But barely human."

The room fell silent.

"He was discovered wandering near the western coast," Zaren continued. "Unresponsive. Violent. Unable to speak."

Cienna felt her stomach tighten.

"What happened to him?"

Zaren's voice turned colder.

"He consumed Zenip's blood."