Chapter 57: Letter
The envelope rested quietly in my hand, its weight far heavier than a few sheets of paper had any right to be.
My name was written neatly across the front.
Nothing else.
No address.
No academy seal.
No signature.
Just Adrian Cross.
The maintenance worker scratched the side of his head when he noticed none of us were saying anything.
"That’s all I was asked to do."
He pointed vaguely toward the courtyard.
"The person who gave it to me said it had to reach you personally."
I looked up.
"...Did they leave a name?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"They were polite, though."
Ryan immediately leaned across the nearest desk.
"Open it."
Marcus folded his arms.
"Or don’t."
Ryan looked at him.
"...Which is it?"
"I’m saying you shouldn’t let other people decide."
Ryan nodded once.
"...That’s surprisingly reasonable."
"I have those moments."
Daniel looked at the envelope.
"Did you recognize the person?"
I hesitated.
"...Maybe."
"Maybe?" Ethan asked.
"They looked familiar."
Noah had remained quiet ever since the maintenance worker entered.
Now he stepped closer.
"The same guest from earlier?"
I nodded.
"I think so."
Ryan frowned.
"So..."
"They solved our mystery..."
"...Then gave Adrian mysterious mail."
He looked around the room dramatically.
"I’ve seen enough detective movies to know that’s never good."
Daniel laughed.
"Everything is a detective movie to you."
"It is today."
The maintenance worker cleared his throat.
"If that’s everything..."
Noah smiled politely.
"Thank you."
The man nodded once before leaving, gently closing the club room door behind him.
Silence settled over the room again.
Five pairs of eyes immediately landed on the envelope.
Ryan lasted exactly four seconds.
"...Open it."
Marcus sighed.
"I think we all knew that was coming."
Ryan pointed toward me.
"I physically cannot focus until I know what’s inside."
Daniel nodded.
"I am curious."
Ethan looked at me.
"It’s your decision."
Noah didn’t say anything.
He simply waited.
I looked down at the envelope again.
The paper itself felt expensive.
Thicker than ordinary stationery.
The flap wasn’t glued shut. It had simply been tucked neatly inside.
Almost as if whoever wrote it expected me to read it immediately.
I slid a finger beneath the flap and slowly opened it.
Ryan leaned so far forward that Marcus grabbed the back of his shirt before he could fall off his chair.
"Personal space," Marcus muttered.
"I am respecting it."
"You definitely aren’t."
Inside was a single folded sheet.
Nothing else.
No photographs.
No business card.
No strange symbol.
Just paper.
I unfolded it carefully.
The handwriting matched the name on the envelope.
Clean.
Precise.
Elegant.
There were only six lines.
-––-
Mr. Adrian Cross,
It was a pleasure finally meeting you.
The exhibition exceeded my expectations, though I suspect the mystery extends far beyond your club room.
Please do not concern yourself with finding me. When the proper time arrives, we will meet again.
Until then, try not to die.
— A Friend
-––-
Ryan blinked.
"...That’s it?"
Daniel read the letter again over my shoulder.
"...That’s somehow creepier than I expected."
Marcus frowned.
"They didn’t even sign their name."
"They signed ’A Friend,’" Ryan pointed out.
"I don’t think that’s their real name."
"I was hoping it was."
Ethan looked thoughtful.
"...’Try not to die.’"
"That’s an odd way to end a letter."
Noah quietly held out his hand.
"...May I?"
I passed him the paper.
He read it once.
Then again.
Much slower the second time.
"What do you think?" Daniel asked.
Noah lowered the letter.
"...It’s deliberate."
Ryan looked confused.
"The whole thing is deliberate."
"The wording."
"The length."
"What isn’t being said."
He pointed to the second line.
"’It was a pleasure finally meeting you.’"
He looked at me.
"They expected to meet you."
I felt my stomach tighten.
Noah continued.
"And..."
He tapped the third sentence.
"’I suspect the mystery extends far beyond your club room.’"
Ryan scratched his head.
"...Meaning?"
"It could simply be a metaphor."
"...Or?"
"...Or they know something."
Nobody laughed.
For the first time since we’d opened the envelope, the room felt genuinely uneasy.
Daniel crossed his arms.
"Do you think they’re connected to the Frankenstein Killings?"
Marcus slowly shook his head.
"That’s a pretty big assumption."
"It is."
"But they clearly knew Adrian."
"...Or thought they did," Ethan added.
Ryan suddenly looked at me.
"Have you seriously never met this person before?"
I searched my memory.
Adrian’s memories.
Ethan’s memories.
Nothing.
"No."
Ryan frowned.
"Then how do they know your name?"
That...
Was a very good question.
I hadn’t even thought about it.
Visitors wore identification badges during the exhibition, but only club members had their names displayed.
Lucien could have simply read mine.
That explained the name.
It didn’t explain everything else.
Noah carefully folded the letter along its original creases before handing it back.
"If I were you..."
He paused.
"I’d keep this."
"I wasn’t planning on throwing it away."
"I’m glad."
Ryan leaned back in his chair.
"So what now?"
Marcus answered before anyone else could.
"We go home."
"Then tomorrow we finish the exhibition."
Ryan looked disappointed.
"...No dramatic investigation?"
"No."
"...Just regular sleep?"
"Yes."
"I’ve been betrayed."
Daniel laughed.
"You’ll survive."
"I hope so."
Noah glanced toward the clock.
"It’ll be dark soon."
"We should leave."
Nobody argued.
The evidence board was covered with a cloth.
The clue cards were stacked neatly inside a storage box.
Marcus checked the windows while Ethan switched off the unnecessary lights.
Ryan somehow managed to salute the cardboard victim before covering it with a sheet.
"...Rest well."
Marcus stared at him.
"You’ve officially spent too much time around fake crime scenes."
"I prefer immersive storytelling."
"You would."
Noah locked the filing cabinet before turning off the final light.
Only the hallway remained illuminated.
One by one we stepped outside.
The club room door clicked shut behind us.
For a moment, the six of us simply stood in the quiet corridor.
Tomorrow would be the final day of the exhibition.
Then everything would return to normal.
At least...
That was what everyone else probably believed.
We slowly made our way downstairs together.
Outside, evening had fully settled over the academy.
Most visitors had already left, leaving only club members cleaning booths and staff collecting temporary signs.
The festive atmosphere from earlier had faded into a peaceful calm.
Ryan stretched as we walked.
"I don’t know about you guys..."
"...But I’m ordering the biggest dinner I can afford."
Marcus looked at him.
"You’ve been talking about food since seven this morning."
"I’ve earned it."
Daniel smiled.
"I don’t think anyone can argue with that."
Even Noah nodded.
"It was a productive day."
"It was."
Ethan adjusted his backpack.
"I’m actually looking forward to tomorrow."
"So am I," Ryan admitted.
"I want to see if we can beat today’s visitor count."
"We’ll find out soon enough," Noah replied.
We reached the academy gate and naturally began separating toward our usual routes home.
Ryan waved lazily.
"Tomorrow."
"Don’t oversleep."
Daniel laughed.
"You’re the one who nearly oversleeps every morning."
"I set three alarms."
"You sleep through two."
"They’re warning alarms."
Marcus shook his head.
"I don’t even want to know."
One by one, everyone headed in different directions.
Soon I was walking alone again.
The folded letter rested safely inside my jacket pocket.
I could still feel it every time I moved.
Halfway home, curiosity got the better of me.
I stopped beneath a streetlamp and unfolded it once more.
The handwriting hadn’t changed.
The words hadn’t changed.
Yet something caught my attention this time.
The final sentence.
Try not to die.
Not...
Be careful.
Not...
Stay safe.
Whoever Lucien was...
They hadn’t written that line as a joke.
They’d written it like practical advice.
A familiar blue glow appeared at the edge of my vision.
______
[Main Story Updated]
A new individual has established contact with the host.
Relationship Status:
Unknown
Threat Assessment:
Insufficient Data
Recommendation:
Exercise caution.
______
I stared at the notification until it slowly faded.
"...Yeah."
"I figured."
I folded the letter again and slipped it back into my pocket before continuing toward my apartment.
Above me, dark clouds drifted quietly across the night sky, hiding the stars one by one.
Tomorrow was the final day of the exhibition.
And somehow...
I had a feeling Lucien’s letter wasn’t the end of our encounter.
It was the beginning.