A week passed by, the scandal regarding the murder in the Canning manor soon evaporated. The authorities found out a shred of evidence that it was, in fact, the Canning's household chef who brutally tormented the gardener, proving Zachary Canning innocent.

Just as everything began to make its way where it should be, another tragedy struck again, springing yet again an uproar.

An unidentified man assumably in his forties was found brutally murdered just a few meters away from the Canning manor.

The poor man was, parallel to what happened to the gardener, without his eyeballs, nowhere to be found. His head, however, remained intact but this time, his feet and hands were chopped off.

The same Latin words are inscribed to the man's pale belly, 'Catch me before I kill more'.

The authorities let not the incident passed, reasoning how unlike the previous murder, Zachary Canning, is indeed residing in the city.

It was the dead of the afternoon, the sun scorching above them when the authorities barged into the Canning's residence unalarmed.

Whether Zachary Canning approves of it or not, the three middle-aged men stepped foot inside the gigantic manse, their eyes traveling around the place.

Zachary Canning, being alone inside the manor followed the men, his arms crossed, his brow raised, his face smug.

Beginning from the garden to the kitchen, to each of the chambers upstairs up to his very room.

The man held the doorknob, switching it but realized it was locked. His daring eyes darted to Zachary Canning who stood beside him, watching every deed of his, challenging him.

"I require you to open this door right away, Mr. Canning," stated the man, his hand still around the doorknob.

With that, slowly and mockingly, Zachary fished the rusty golden keys from his pocket. The artist could feel the man's stares boring behind his back, unlocking the wooden door.

As soon as the man heard the faint click, signaling that the chamber is, indeed, ready to be searched, the man barged into it right away.

Zachary's back rested on the wall, his arms crossed then ran his fingers through his blond hair.

The man's eyes searched and searched and searched, occasionally lifting a few items here and there. However, Zachary's blazing blue eyes turned dark seeing the man touched his filthy hands on his masterpiece, containing his most-prized illustrations, his secret.

Just thinking about someone other than the subject flipping through the pages makes Zachary's blood boil, his hands clenched at such an idea.

While on the verge of flipping through the pages, Zachary instantly flew right beside the man, gripping his wrist, stopping him. "That's enough,"

The man before Zachary was about to object, reasoning out how he is utterly just doing his job, his responsibility when Zachary gave the man a dagger stare, frightening him.

Gulping, the man let the countless journals scattered on the desks slide, leaving them all alone, thinking that the artist standing beside him is not someone to mess up with.

Making his way outside the artist's lair, he surveyed the place one last time, letting out a soft sigh before heading downstairs, meeting the others.

It was an hour later when the search concluded, "We couldn't thank you enough, Mr. Canning, for your cooperation,"

All Zachary could ever do is nod, his eyes still gazing at their backs as the three mount their carriage.

When the carriage utterly disappeared from Zachary's voice, another carriage began to make its way towards the Canning manor.

Zachary let out a frustrated sigh, however, still not closing the door, expecting for the worst to come.

However, that mindset of his changed when she saw the ravishing woman in black stepped out of the carriage followed by Aunt Veronica.

Aunt Veronica strolled fast towards her godson, wrapping her arms around him, "Goodness gracious as soon as I confirmed that the authorities are done, we immediately went here to check on you,"

Zachary gave his godmother a smile, showing the other side of his mask, "All is fine, Aunt Veronica," then his eyes drifted to Seraphina who was just approaching them.

"Walk faster, child," exclaimed Aunt Veronica to Seraphina, rolling her eyes heavenwards followed by an inaudible mutter to herself.

Aunt Veronica, as expected, entered the Canning manor, making herself home. Her lilac purse draped on the couch.

That leaves Seraphina and Zachary all alone outside. Seraphina ignored his daggering stares, her delicate fingers clutching her black frock, following her aunt inside but not her aunt's actions.

That alone confirmed Zachary that Seraphina is still furious regarding what occurred the last time she was here.

If it makes her happy, if it makes her even throw a glance at him, he's fine with burning all his sketchbooks.

For now, Zachary followed the woman in the black inside, his hands behind his back, his footfalls loud due to the marbled floor.

The whole time, Seraphina pretended as if Zachary did not exist. Zachary's used to it, she not giving him a mere look but as usual, it brings him an ache to his heart.

Zachary excused himself for a minute, Aunt Veronica nodded at him, Seraphina's eyes still glued to her lap.

As soon as Zachary made it to the highest floor, a few steps away from his room, that's when he knew something's amiss.

His gut proves him right as soon as he opened the door for written in fresh blood over the wall were the words, "Adhere to the code,"

Panic rising within him, his blue eyes traveling around his room, the windows are exactly how he left it. The door was locked, his keys, the only key to this door, were, indeed, inside his pocket. His journals remained in place, cueing how not a single soul barged into his room without his permission.

However, the words painted on his wall indicate otherwise. Zachary slammed the door shut, frustration eating him alive as he began walking back and forth inside his room, biting his nails making his skin bleed a bit.

The tormented man was so engrossed in his thoughts to the point he did not notice the woman in black entered his chamber.

"I've been knocki-" Seraphina doesn't have the chance to finish her sentence when her eyes flew right into the spine-chilling wall before her.

Before Zachary could stop her, Seraphina strolled towards the scene, her fingertips trembling, as if she was on the verge of touching the blood.

Before Seraphina could do that, Zachary encircled his hand around her wrist, throwing her dagger stares.

"Stop," roared Zachary, his voice full of anger, his eyes blazing.

Seraphina just stared at him, glued in her very spot, her mouth dry, zero clues on what should come out from her lips.

One thing's for certain, it's been a while since she last saw Zachary like this. His face mixed with anxiety and anger.

"I-i was just-" stuttered Seraphina, her heart skipping a beat.

Seraphina could take it no more. She had enough. Her curiosity is eating her alive. Thousands and thousands of questions circling around her.

"What is all this about?" confronted Seraphina, her voice trembling, Zachary's hand remained snaked around her bare wrist.

She knew she had no time for such appropriateness, what she had time for was to unravel the truth. The reason behind all this madness.

"Answer me, Mr. Canning. What have you got yourself into?" she roared back once more, her emerald eyes drifting for a moment to the gruesome wall before them.

Seraphina was about to throw another question burning at the back of her mind all these years when suddenly, Zachary Canning burst out.

He began throwing everything his hands could hold, smashing them, slamming them with such force. Those include his most-cherished sketchbooks.

Seraphina flinched at her spot, feeling the ache of her knees and feet getting hit by hard journals.

He even threw the blank canvas at her feet before roaring the words, "Get out of my house!"

With what spilled from Zachary's mouth, both Seraphina and Zachary were stunned at what just occurred.

Suddenly, Zachary's furious blue eyes altered, shifting to doe-like eyes, looking like an innocent sleep-deprived artist.

Before he could apologize, plead her that what she saw a while ago was not him, the woman in black who was on the verge of tears stormed out of the room, leaving Zachary all alone in his chamber.

Laggardly, he slumped into the cold ground, hearing Aunt Veronica's loud gasps, demanding to know why her niece is crying.

With that, Zachary let out a frustrated groan, cursing himself, his eyes traveling around his godforsaken chamber. From the warnings inscribed in his wall to the journals scattered around.

His fists curcled in his sides as he began to think of ways how to brutally murder the man in his mind.

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