The salty breeze swept over the cliffs as Rafael turned the old key in his hands. His gaze was locked onto the metal object, as if it could reveal the answers that had remained hidden from him for so long.
Lila watched him in silence. There was something about the way he held the key, the mix of reverence and tension in his posture, that made her heart race. She knew that this discovery meant more than just another puzzle.
"Do you know where this key belongs?" she finally asked.
Rafael looked up, his dark eyes piercing through her.
"I have a suspicion," he said quietly. "But if I'm right, this is going to get dangerous."
Lila wrapped her arms around herself, as if to steady her nerves.
"I didn’t come all this way just to turn back when we’re so close to the truth."
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"Good. Then let’s go."
***
They left the cliffs behind and made their way south, where houses became fewer, and the paved roads turned into rough, uneven paths. The vegetation grew denser, wild bushes creeping along the edges of the trail, muffling the sounds of the lively marketplace they had left behind.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination—a crumbling, abandoned villa almost entirely swallowed by ivy. The iron gate, which must have once been securely locked, now hung loosely on its hinges.
"Here?" Lila asked skeptically.
Rafael nodded.
"My sister mentioned this place in her notes. I’ve never been here before, but she wrote about a house where she left something behind."
Lila studied the building.
The windows were shattered, parts of the roof had collapsed, yet there was something grand about the house. As if it had once been full of life and stories that had never been told.
"What exactly are we looking for?"
Rafael pulled the key from his pocket and held it up.
"If it belongs anywhere, it’s here."
With cautious steps, they pushed open the rusted gate. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and forgotten memories.
***
They entered through a half-collapsed veranda. The interior was dark, with only slivers of light seeping through the broken windows. Dust particles danced in the air, and the wooden floor creaked under their weight.
"Did she live here?" Lila asked incredulously.
"No," Rafael said. "But she was here—long enough to leave something behind."
His fingers trailed over the wooden walls as if searching for a hidden mechanism.
Lila scanned the room until her eyes landed on an old dresser, its drawers seemingly untouched.
"Maybe the key belongs to one of these drawers?" she suggested.
Rafael knelt beside the dresser and examined it. The top drawer was open, but the bottom one was locked.
Sliding the key into the lock, he turned it carefully.
A faint click echoed in the silence.
Lila held her breath as Rafael slowly pulled the drawer open.
***
Inside was an envelope, yellowed with age.
Rafael carefully took it out and opened it.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting was the same as on the first letter Lila had found—the handwriting of Rafael’s sister.
He began to read aloud:
"If you're reading this, it means I didn't come back. I don’t know if there’s still a chance, but if there is, you will find the next step. They found me. I don’t have much time left."
Rafael froze.
Lila felt a chill run down her spine.
"What does this mean?" she whispered.
Rafael clenched his fist.
"It means she knew she was being watched. That she discovered something someone didn’t want her to find."
Lila swallowed hard.
"And what’s the next step?"
Rafael looked up, and in his eyes, she saw a mixture of fear and determination.
"We have to find out."
