Chapter 1
The city of Malangra was bathed in flickering neon lights at night, but darkness lurked in its narrow alleyways.
In this eerie atmosphere, Sabrina von Strauss—an elite detective known for her sharp instincts and fearlessness—stepped into a dimly lit alley where a woman’s body had been found. Dressed in a black leather jacket, her long hair neatly tied back, her sharp eyes scanned every inch of the crime scene.
The victim lay on the ground. Her body was dry and completely drained of blood, as if her very essence had been sucked away.
Strauss examined the bite marks on her neck and noticed something unsettling—a symbol drawn in blood on the ground, resembling some kind of ritual. The stench of decay stung her nose, but she remained focused, suppressing the nausea creeping up her throat.
“Look at this,” one of the officers called, pointing at the bloodstains near the wall. “This isn't a normal case, Detective von Strauss. A series of murders, all with the same pattern. Every victim was found in the same condition.”
“All their blood drained,” Strauss muttered, frowning. “We might be dealing with a serial killer with a disturbingly dark motive.”
As the forensics team gathered evidence, another officer approached Strauss with a worried expression. “There’s a report about a girl being treated at Malangra Psychiatric Hospital. She might be connected to all this.”
Strauss nodded, jotting down the information. “What’s her name?”
“Nadia. According to medical records, she was admitted before these murders started.”
“A perfect alibi,” Strauss murmured, deciding to head to the psychiatric hospital. Perhaps the girl held the key to unlocking this case.
*
Malangra Psychiatric Hospital
Malangra Psychiatric Hospital was an old building with walls that seemed to hold countless secrets. As Strauss stepped inside, an eerie chill filled the air. The security guard led her to Nadia’s room.
On the way, Strauss could hear whispers from other patients. Faint voices slithered through the silence, adding to the tension pressing on her chest.
Nadia lay in bed, her face pale, her eyes hollow. As Strauss approached, the girl looked at her intensely, as if she could see straight into her soul. “You’re here to hear about the New God, aren’t you?” Nadia Petrova’s voice was soft, but an unmistakable madness trembled beneath it.
A chill ran down Strauss’s spine. “I’m here to talk about the murders. Do you know anything about them?”
“The New God doesn’t like wicked people. He kissed me one night, and since then… they all died. One by one,” Nadia whispered, a strange smile creeping onto her lips.
“A kiss?” Strauss kept her voice steady. “What do you mean?”
Nadia laughed, but the sound was chilling, distorting the air around them. “You don’t understand. He grants our prayers. All sadness disappears… if you believe and accept his kiss.”
Strauss’s mind raced back to the symbol she had seen at the crime scene. Something much bigger was at play—something she couldn’t ignore. “And you don’t feel guilty?”
“Guilty?” Nadia’s eyes bore into hers. “They were obstacles. Now they’re gone. Thanks to the New God.”
Tension coiled in Strauss’s stomach. Nadia might appear harmless, but every word she spoke carried a horrifying truth. A dark force was gathering around them.
“He will come for you too,” Nadia said, her voice trembling. “You have to choose, Strauss. Join us… or he will take you.”
Strauss lifted her chin, her confidence unwavering. She wasn’t the type to back down. “I don’t fear anyone, especially not a so-called god who relies on death to prove his power.”
Nadia smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “The New God doesn’t need fear. He only needs a soul ready to be kissed.”
Strauss held her breath. “What do you mean, Miss Petrova?”
“My God sees the darkness and suffering in his people. And you… you suffer deeply. I can see it.”
Strauss stiffened. “Do you know who I am? I’m a detective. I’m here to stop this madness.”
Nadia laughed, the sound sharp and unnatural. “And the New God is already watching you. He wants to lift your burdens. He wants to free you from all that pains you.”
A chill spread through Strauss’s veins. “I don’t need the ‘freedom’ he offers,” she said firmly, pushing away the creeping fear in her chest.
“Oh, really?” Nadia tilted her head. “The New God’s kiss can erase all your suffering. Don’t you want to be free from all the betrayals and pain?” Her eyes gleamed as she stared deep into Strauss’s soul. “He sees you, Miss Strauss. He knows who must be removed to save you.”
Strauss’s breath hitched. “Who must be removed?” she asked, her voice trembling despite her efforts to remain composed.
Nadia leaned closer, her voice rasping. “Everyone who has hurt you… everyone who has caused you pain. They deserve to die. They all deserve to die! Die! DIE!!”
Before Strauss could react, the door burst open. A nurse rushed in, panic written all over her face. “Nadia, stop! Don’t say another word!”
Nadia’s grin widened, her expression growing more twisted. “The New God is coming, and he won’t let anyone stop him! He will kill everyone who deserves it! They will face divine justice! I am no longer afraid because the New God is with me! He answered my prayers, unlike those silent gods who let their people suffer!”
The nurses restrained her, injecting a sedative into her arm.
Strauss felt a cold sweat run down her back. Something inside her screamed at her to flee, but her feet remained frozen in place.
Suddenly, the lights flickered. A strange noise whispered from the hallway, like the wind carrying voices.
Nadia’s empty gaze locked onto Strauss. “He has marked you, Miss Strauss. And that mark won’t disappear. When the time comes, you will see that he is right.”
The lights went out.
Total darkness.
Strauss fumbled for her phone, turning on the flashlight. But everywhere she looked, there was only an endless void. Where was she? What had happened? Where had everyone gone?
Without warning, something grabbed her shoulder—cold and unyielding as ice.
A breath ghosted against her ear. “Welcome, my new servant, Sabrina von Strauss.”
The voice was low, seductive, and utterly wrong.
Her body froze, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
A large hand covered her eyes. The scent of wood and something else—something unexplainable—clouded her senses, dizzying her.
The embrace around her tightened, unyielding as steel shackles.
She struggled, fighting against the force holding her captive. She wanted to scream, but the sound lodged in her throat, strangled by fear.
The being gripping her was relentless, inescapable.
She wanted to look, but her eyes refused to open.
And when she finally mustered the courage to pry them open—
—she found herself back in Nadia’s hospital room.
The lights shone harsh and white, the sterile scent of antiseptic filling the air.
Nadia lay in bed, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, as if trapped in another world.
A nurse shook Strauss’s shoulder, her expression filled with concern. “Miss Strauss, are you okay? Miss?”
The voice sounded distant, distorted by the pounding in her head.
Strauss exhaled shakily, trying to banish the lingering terror clawing at her mind. “What just happened?” she murmured.
“You froze in place as if you were having a seizure,” the nurse said, worry etched on her face. “Are you sure you’re alright? That could be a sign of something serious. You should get checked.”
“No. I’m fine,” Strauss denied, though her heart pounded with lingering dread. It all felt like a nightmare she desperately wished to escape.
She hurried out of the room, an unshakable sense of unease coiling around her.
Outside, the night deepened, and fog wrapped around the city like a shroud.
“The New God…” she whispered. “Is he real, or just the delusion of the insane?”
She pressed her fingers against her temple.
Her head throbbed.
So much pain.
“…God, help me,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to die… help me…”
*
Chapter 2
A light drizzle began to fall over Malangra, soaking the empty streets. Sabrina stood beneath a flickering streetlamp, her trembling hand clutching a cigarette that was nearly burnt out. The dark sky above mirrored the turmoil in her heart—filled with doubts and a fear that clung to her like a shadow.
"Am I losing my mind?" she muttered to herself.
The scene in the hospital room replayed over and over in her head, every word Nadia had spoken cutting into her thoughts like a blade.
She took one last drag from her cigarette before tossing it onto the wet pavement and crushing the ember beneath her heel. Her breath was heavy, her body cold to the bone. Leaning her head against the brick wall behind her, she tried to make sense of what had just happened.
"What did she mean by saying I’ve been marked?"
The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Sabrina was someone who believed in facts, in tangible evidence—not in the supernatural. But what she had experienced tonight felt like more than just mind games. It was as if an invisible force had reached out and wrapped itself around her.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, shattering her thoughts. She fished it out, glancing at the name flashing on the screen—Lieutenant Adler. Cynical but dependable, he was the one person she trusted in this city.
"Strauss, we’ve got new evidence from the crime scene," Adler’s sharp voice cut through the static. "You need to get back to headquarters. Now."
Sabrina exhaled, gripping her car keys tightly. If Adler was calling, it meant this was serious. Without wasting another second, she hurried toward her car, ready to face whatever awaited her next.
*
Malangra Police Headquarters
Adler stood in front of a large board covered with photos of victims and a city map. His face was tense, his sharp jawline rigid with focus.
"You look like you’ve just seen a ghost," Adler remarked as Sabrina walked into the room.
"You could say that," she replied flatly. "What do you have?"
Adler gestured toward the latest photo of a mutilation victim. Beneath the body, the same symbol from the previous crime scenes was visible. But this time, the forensic team had managed to scan something in greater detail.
"Look at this," he said, pointing to a small, burnt mark on the victim’s wrist. "There's something strange here."
Sabrina examined it closely. The mark looked like a small brand in the shape of an "N," coiled by a serpent.
"What does it mean?"
"We don’t know for sure," Adler admitted as he turned on the projector. "But after some digging, we found a similar pattern in old cases from other cities. This symbol has appeared on the bodies of victims, all of whom were linked to a particular cult."
Sabrina frowned. "What cult?"
Adler met her gaze, his expression grave. "They call themselves Ecclesia Novum. In our language, The New Church. They believe in the presence of an entity they refer to as the New God."
Sabrina's heartbeat quickened. Nadia’s words at the hospital echoed in her mind.
"New God," she murmured. "So this isn’t just a coincidence."
Adler nodded. "No. And it’s bigger than we thought. Similar cases have happened in three other cities before Malangra. And each time they moved, there was always another victim."
Sabrina studied the evidence board, her eyes scanning every detail. "Do we have any leads on who’s leading them?"
"Not yet," Adler admitted. "But I got intel from an underground informant. He said this cult isn’t just some group of crazed fanatics. They have a hierarchy. And their leader is known as The Lightbearer."
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "The Lightbearer? That sounds like something out of a fairy tale."
Adler exhaled. "Yeah, but I wouldn’t take it lightly. They have a strong influence in certain circles. Even our informant was too afraid to say their name out loud."
Sabrina stepped closer to the board, her gaze landing on the city map of Malangra, marked with red dots. "Does this pattern tell you anything?"
Adler nodded, then drew a large circle around the points. "They’re moving in a circular formation, as if they’re surrounding something."
"What’s at the center of the circle?"
Adler pointed to a location on the map.
Sabrina felt her heart stop for a moment when she read the name.
Malangra Psychiatric Hospital.
*
Night at Sabrina’s Apartment
Sabrina returned to her small but tidy apartment, trying to process everything she had learned that day. She opened her laptop and started searching for more information about *The New Church.
But every time she typed the name, the search results came up blank. As if the group was a secret, only accessible to those who knew exactly how to find it.
Exhausted, she collapsed onto her couch, letting her thoughts swirl into chaos. But then, something caught her eye.
A small mark was forming on her wrist—like a faint scratch.
It was the letter “N,” identical to the one found on the victims. The only difference was that hers didn’t have the serpent coiling around it.
Sabrina felt her blood turn cold.
She rubbed at the mark, but it wouldn’t come off. Instead, a burning sensation spread through her arm, followed by something even worse—whispers.
"We see you... We are waiting for you..."
Sabrina shot to her feet, breath ragged. She scanned the room, but there was no one there.
"This isn’t real," she muttered, trying to ground herself.
But the whispers grew louder, filling the air around her like a suffocating presence.
Panicked, she ran to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She exhaled, gripping the edges of the sink, and slowly lifted her gaze to the mirror.
Her heart nearly stopped.
In the reflection behind her stood a towering shadowy figure with glowing red eyes.
It smiled.
And then, in a voice that sent ice down her spine, it spoke:
“Welcome to the game, Sabrina von Strauss.”
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