Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Devil's Will and the Empty Paper
While the driver sped away to report Morgan's suspicious behavior to the Barclay family, Morgan himself had already reached his destination. He moved like a puppet on a string, driven by a cold compulsion to pay back the money he had taken from Edward, as if fulfilling a pact he didn't fully understand.
Meanwhile, in the heavy silence of the Ferguson estate, Edward had retreated into the depths of the library. He sat on an ancient wooden chair, surrounded by the scent of old parchment and the books his grandfather had left behind. With a pen in hand and a blank sheet of paper, he began the painstaking task of extracting his grandfather's will from the hidden layers of the texts.
It wasn't just a simple letter; it was a labyrinth of cryptic symbols. On every page, Edward found strange markings that required deep interpretation. He decoded them one by one, recording their hidden meanings. After a long while, he managed to extract a portion of the will.
With a trembling heart, Edward began to read: "If you are reading this, then you have undoubtedly summoned the Devil... Pay attention to the things that are unique, not just the words I have written. Look beyond what is visible."
As the grandfather began to narrate his story and the family's dark history, Edward felt a sudden, icy shift in the room. A presence—faint but unmistakable—was drawing near. He felt a cold breath graze his neck, as if something from another realm was leaning over his shoulder.
Panic seized him. Edward slammed the books shut and hid his notes, but in his frantic haste, he left the paper with the decoded symbols lying right there on the desk.
The door creaked open. Toula entered with measured, silent steps, his golden eyes scanning the room with predatory calm. He looked at the desk, then fixed his gaze on Edward, who was struggling to maintain his composure.
After a heavy silence, Toula let out a cold, enigmatic smile and asked, "Edward... why are you sitting here in the dark, staring with such intense focus at a blank piece of paper?"
Edward froze. He looked down at the table. To his utter shock, the paper he had just filled with secrets and symbols appeared perfectly white under Toula's gaze, as if the ink had vanished into thin air. At that moment, Edward realized his grandfather's legacy was protected by a curse or a blood-seal—one that hid the truth from the very entity Edward had summoned.
"I... I was just trying to gather my thoughts," Edward stammered, trying to mask his discovery. Toula stepped closer to the desk, his eyes never leaving Edward's face. "Fair enough... but be careful, Edward. Sometimes blank papers tell more stories than those filled with words