Chapter 21: The Return of the Shadows
Excerpt from the diaries of Edgar Wilmore:
"The city hears me without knowing, and the shadows follow every step. The game has not ended; the truth has just begun."
In the old districts of London, small signs began to appear—ones not clear to everyone.
Strange drawings on the walls, folded papers hidden between the pages of library books, small red flowers carefully placed on park benches.
They were not crimes yet, but they felt like omens of the shadow's return.
Eliza noticed these signs for the first time from the window of her office. Her heart wavered between curiosity and fear.
The shadow has returned… but in a different way… more precise, more artistic.
Edgar had not appeared physically yet, but he was present in every sign he left behind.
His messages whispered in Eliza's mind like a distant echo:
"Every step you read, every line you write… you are part of this city, and I am part of it."
Eliza felt an intense chill, yet she did not move. She watched, wrote, analyzed every detail, as if she were part of a living work of art.
Detective Howard could no longer endure the waiting. He suddenly entered her office.
"These signs… they're a plan. Are you cooperating with me or not?"
Eliza answered calmly, despite her racing heart:
"I write the truth, only the truth. Nothing more."
Howard felt frustrated, but he decided to continue the surveillance, knowing that Edgar only appears when necessary.
On a rainy night, the police discovered a murdered woman—but she was unlike the previous victims.
A small note had been placed beside her:
"The city follows every step…"
Eliza felt something strange: this was not merely a killing, but the art of the shadow itself coming to life.
She realized that Edgar was testing her… testing the city… testing the world.
The messages continued in an almost invisible mental exchange:
Eliza: "Why are you sending me these riddles?"
Edgar (inside her mind): "So you may know who you are when you are no longer allowed to run."
Each message pulled her deeper into the game, increasing her tension, yet she was strangely captivated.
The next day, while walking down an abandoned street, Eliza found a massive mural painted on the wall of an empty square.
It depicted her face among the shadows of London, as if she were part of a deadly painting.
She whispered to herself:
"The shadow never disappeared… it is here… watching… and writing."
In the back room, Howard was watching as well. He knew the game had entered a new phase—this time larger and far more dangerous.