Alex and Emmett had been in Bright Falls for the second day already. Since it was a weekday, they happily skipped school — Lucina and Rosalie had convincingly covered for them, saying they left for family matters.

Once again, the Cullen family gathered at Alex’s place: Lucina, Alice, Samantha, Rosalie, Jasper, and Jane were present; Esme and Carlisle were absent. Bella had been there only briefly — and now the sound coming from the second floor made it clear she was sick after watching the live broadcast from the “Elderwood Palace” motel. All those mutilated, torn corpses had been the last straw for her — she still wasn’t used to the brutal side of the supernatural world.

Edward was helping Bella recover; Samantha turned away so she wouldn’t have to look at the screen. She already understood — what was happening in Bright Falls was part of their new reality. Rosalie, who had been tense before, finally relaxed — Alex and Emmett were being followed by fairy drones, streaming everything to the living room screen.

When Rosalie saw Emmett running from Scratch with Alan Wake slung over his shoulder, she trembled with anxiety — she knew how dangerous Scratch was and that Emmett couldn’t handle him alone. But when it turned out that Emmett got away with only a couple of broken ribs, Rosalie sighed with relief.

“Why did Alex decide to cooperate with those agents? What are they called — that bureau…?” Jane asked, frowning slightly.

“I think he has his reasons,” Lucina replied, stirring her coffee. “The FBC isn’t much different from the Men of Letters — it’s a secret organization that studies, tracks, and controls supernatural phenomena. From what Alex said, he’s interested in the FBC’s director — Jesse.”

“So, he decided to flirt with another woman?” Jasper smirked.

“No, I don’t think so. More likely he wants to steal something from them — and maybe get their support in the process,” Alice suggested cheerfully.

“So, Alex just decided to rob them. Well, that’s better,” Samantha remarked dryly, shaking her head.

Lucina nodded; she knew Alex well — if he liked something, he’d definitely try to get it. She opened the family chat to ask the others’ opinions, but Brunhilde and Geirölul were silent: either Alex hadn’t planned anything at all or was preparing something big.

At that moment, footsteps were heard from upstairs — Edward and a very pale Bella came down. She looked as if the life had been drained out of her. Seeing the corpses and torn bodies on the stream had been too much of a shock for her.

“How are you, Bella? Feeling better? Maybe you should lie down instead of coming downstairs?” Alice asked, worried.

“No, I’m fine… I just didn’t expect that. Even seeing it on screen — it’s still awful and disturbing,” Bella whispered.

“Alex told you our world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There aren’t any unicorns prancing around — usually, it’s death and piles of corpses,” Rosalie noted flatly.

“Rosalie!” Edward exclaimed, frowning.

“What? I’m just telling the truth. And don’t yell at me, Edward! You can’t protect her forever. Sooner or later Bella will have to see what the world is really like. She needs to grow up — otherwise, it’ll cause problems for her and for all of us,” Rosalie shot back, baring her teeth slightly.

The tension in the living room grew: Edward and Rosalie started arguing, and everyone else reacted differently to her words. Samantha believed Bella needed to get used to reality early — she herself had learned that lesson the hard way. If not for Alex, some of her friends wouldn’t have survived that night on Blackwood Mountain. Now, Samantha had firmly decided never to be weak and helpless again.

Bella tugged on Edward’s hand, trying to calm him down, but she couldn’t — she was still too fragile and gentle to immediately accept the cruelty of the world around her.

“Rosie, Edward, both of you, stop it. Don’t start a fight in my house,” Alice said sharply, clapping her hands. “If you want to fight — do it somewhere else.”

“Hmph, tell that to Edward. He’s still acting like an overprotective guy. My husband, for example, got beaten up by a dark entity — and I’m not falling apart, rushing off to save him like a maniac,” Rosalie snorted, crossing her arms.

“Edward, calm down. I understand your concern, but Rosalie’s right — Bella has to learn to stand up for herself. Not about corpses, but about not blindly trusting everyone she meets,” Alice said, her tone firmer than usual.

“I decided to stay here myself. I appreciate that you protect me, but you can’t be with me 24/7. I want to learn how to stand up for myself,” Bella said firmly.

Edward looked at Bella closely — his gaze full of worry and care. The girl tried to appear confident, as much as she could with her pale face and tired eyes. In the end, Edward gave in, sighing heavily, and promised he would protect her anyway. Unsure of what to do with her hands, Bella suddenly gave in to impulse and hugged him tightly, as if afraid to let go.

Samantha, watching the scene, smiled softly and suggested that Bella train with her. She had only recently begun to dive into the supernatural world herself and knew exactly how frightening it could be at first. Bella turned to Samantha upon hearing that and met her kind, encouraging gaze. A moment later, she nodded decisively — if she was going to live among all this, she would learn and grow stronger. Even if Edward later disagreed, she had no intention of backing down.

When the tension faded, everyone turned to the TV screen. The broadcast showed Emmett arriving at the sheriff’s station with agents from the FBC and their supervisor, Kieran Esteves. Alex, meanwhile, stayed in the woods with Saga, and now the two were trying to decide what to do next.

Still shaken by what she had seen in the Watery warehouse, Saga decided to call her husband — just to make sure her daughter was safe. But no matter how many times she dialed, the call wouldn’t go through: either there was no signal, or the voicemail kicked in. The more she tried, the tighter her chest felt. She already knew the book “Return” was merging deeper with reality, and Bright Falls was slowly tearing itself away from the ordinary world. Even if Alex had managed to pull off his insane plan and close all the Folds, it wasn’t enough. To change everything — the Spiral had to be broken, as he kept saying.

“Can’t get through?” Alex asked, watching Saga dial her husband’s number for the tenth time.

“Yeah… Either the number’s out of range or it goes straight to voicemail,” she replied with frustration, slipping the phone into her pocket.

“Use mine. Unlike you, I’m not a character in a book. Maybe it’ll work,” Alex smirked, handing her his phone.

Saga gave him a doubtful look but decided to try. Taking the phone, she dialed again — and to her surprise, after a couple of rings, she heard her husband’s voice. In the background, her daughter’s laughter echoed. Saga’s heart trembled with relief — as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her soul. She quickly explained that she’d be home later and told him not to worry.

When the call ended, Saga stood still for a moment, eyes closed, feeling warmth return to her chest. Logan was still recovering from his head injury, but that didn’t matter — they were safe, and that was all that counted.

“I can see you feel better now,” Alex noted, taking his phone back. “You heard their voices, and the fear’s gone, right?”

“Yeah… much better,” Saga said with a relieved smile. “After everything I saw in Watery, I just needed to know they were okay.”

“Glad to hear it. Just remember — all of this is happening near Cauldron Lake. And your home’s pretty far from here,” Alex reminded, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t remind me. You weren’t the one told your daughter had drowned,” Saga replied irritably, then sighed and softened a bit. “But you’re right… Alright. What now? What’s our next move?”

“I think I closed all the Folds, but there’s a chance the Taken are still out there somewhere,” Alex said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

“Even if I was taken off the case, that doesn’t stop me from visiting some relatives,” Saga smirked. “Maybe they’ll give us an idea of what to do next.”

“You mean you want to visit Thor and Odin?” Alex grinned. “Heh, I like the way you think. They’re part of this story too — and they’ve meddled with the Dark Presence more than once.”

“So there might be a Fold there too. Even if it’s already closed, the darkness could’ve seeped through the cracks. Or maybe it already has,” Saga said with a faint smile. “I guess that’s a good reason to visit the grandpas.”

They exchanged glances — like two co-conspirators. Even if Alex wasn’t officially part of the investigation, he still intended to see it through. Posing as a Men of Letters agent worked for now — no one really knew who he truly was anyway.

Just as they were about to get into the car and head for the “Valhalla” nursing home, Saga’s phone suddenly rang. The screen showed an unknown number. They exchanged a quick glance.

“Hello?” Saga said cautiously.

“Saga! It’s Thor! Your grandpa! Sweet bun, you finally decided to visit us!” came Thor’s hoarse but energetic voice.

“How did you know I was planning to come see you?” Saga asked, surprised.

“That’s not important right now, sweetheart! We’ve got… uh… bigger problems— Damn it! Go to hell, old hag! Can’t you see I’m talking to my granddaughter?!” Thor shouted to someone off-screen, and then the call abruptly disconnected.

Saga blinked, staring at the dark phone screen in shock.

“Well,” Alex smirked, “looks like they’re really expecting us.”

Alex listened to the whole conversation carefully, and as he suspected, not all the Taken had disappeared after he closed all the Folds at once. He remembered that in the Valhalla nursing home there lived an elderly Taken woman — once either in love with Thor or Odin, or actually having had a relationship with one of them. All he could recall was that the woman had been consumed by the Darkness to get to the two restless old men who constantly thwarted the Dark Presence’s plans.

Saga frowned, feeling unease.

“Looks like we’ll have to hurry to the nursing home after all. I don’t know what Thor was babbling about, but we should get moving,” she said, slipping her phone into her pocket.

“I bet your grandpa just got attacked by an overzealous elderly fan and couldn’t fight her off,” Alex quipped with a smirk.

“Don’t start. I don’t want to know what my relatives were or are up to,” Saga grumbled, rolling her eyes. “The main thing is that they’re alive.”

Alex shrugged and moved forward. They had to cross the woods to reach Valhalla on the far side.

They stepped onto an old wooden bridge when Saga suddenly noticed a white corner of paper peeking between the planks. She bent down, pulled out a page of the manuscript, and began to read. Alex came closer and glanced over her shoulder.

The page described the founding of the Valhalla nursing home and a few episodes from Thor and Odin’s youth — back when they were reckless rock-and-roll types. Nothing crucial, but Saga carefully folded the page and tucked it into her pocket. Experience told her every little detail might be useful later.

The walk through the woods took longer than they expected. Twilight deepened and the air grew colder. Alex walked in silence, focused on how to get into the Fold beneath Cauldron Lake. He couldn’t quite remember the exact method. Saga’s mind was elsewhere — determined to find Thor and Odin at any cost.

When they finally reached the nursing home, a surprisingly well-kept, cozy mansion stood before them. Only one thing marred the scene — a black plume of smoke rose above the third-floor roof. Alex frowned.

He already knew the Taken crone hid up there, but couldn’t understand how she could have activated if the Folds were closed. The only hope was that Thor and Odin were still alive.

Exchanging a look, Alex and Saga approached the door. Saga pressed the doorbell, and soon footsteps sounded. The door opened to a young woman in a green nurse’s uniform, with short curly hair and an unnaturally fixed smile.

Alex recognized her at once — it was Rose. She had become Taken during the events of Departure, but now looked alive and well. Yet there was something disturbing in her eyes — as if she still lived inside the book and didn’t want to leave it.

“Saga! What a joy to see you! It’s been a while. How are you?” Rose said with a smile that felt more like a puppet’s grimace.

“Hello, Rose. I just stopped by to visit some relatives. Hope it’s okay that I’m late?” Saga answered politely, trying to sound civil.

“Oh no, of course. I was just tidying up…” Rose faltered for a second, “I’m glad you came, Saga. But Thor and Odin aren’t seeing visitors today.”

Alex could hardly hide his eye roll. Rose’s theatrics were unbearable — she was clearly hiding something, and badly.

“Sorry, Rose, I literally spoke to Thor on the phone a minute ago. He invited me himself,” Saga said calmly but insistently.

“Sorry… Thor and Odin got a bit overstimulated during their recent trip to Watery, and they need to rest right now,” Rose stammered, her smile growing even more unnatural.

Alex sighed and stepped closer, looming over her.”I’m sick of this performance,” he said coldly. “If you want to play your book role, go perform somewhere else. Clear the way before I break your nose.”

Rose went pale and took a step back.

“I… um… I don’t think… I understand what you’re talking about…” she mumbled.

“Repeat that?” Alex cracked his knuckles. “You can fangirl over Wake as much as you like, but because of you people can die. This isn’t a damn book, and you’re not a heroine. So pull the manuscript page out of your pocket and get out of the way before I change my mind.”

Saga wanted to stop Alex when she heard him threatening Rose, but after listening to everything, she understood the reason for his outburst. Rose’s behavior and her strange attempt to keep them away from Thor and Odin looked far too suspicious. Even Saga felt irritation rising within her — part of her also wanted to punch Rose in the face for playing “the heroine of the book” and keeping up that ridiculous act.

Alex was still standing over Rose, holding out his hand and demanding the manuscript page she was clearly hiding. His patience was wearing thin, and he was already ready to take it by force. At that moment, Saga decided to act differently — to use her ability to look into Rose’s mind and understand what was really going on.

After a few seconds of probing into her thoughts, Saga frowned as the truth became clear.

“Rose… Alan Wake has returned,” she said calmly, cutting Alex off before he could hit Rose.

“Oh my God!” Rose exclaimed with fanatical excitement, her eyes widening. “You are the heroine, Saga! You have to save Alan Wake! Oh, I’m such a fool — why did I even try to stop you from going inside? Thor and Odin went completely mad, so I locked them in the infirmary before they could say too much. Ah, right! Almost forgot!” Rose smacked herself on the forehead and pulled a manuscript page and a key from her pocket. “Alan asked me to give you this. The key will help you find what you’re meant to find. I believe in you, Saga. You’ll succeed. Because that’s how it’s written.”

Her voice was filled with fervent devotion, and her eyes gleamed with a nearly insane light.

Alex raised an eyebrow, frozen in disbelief, and then smacked his forehead.

“Right… I forgot she’s just a fan,” he muttered, exhaling in frustration. “And all it took was one sentence — no need to turn it into a whole damn circus.”

Saga took the key and the manuscript page, glancing at Rose, who was practically glowing with joy — as if this were the best day of her life. With a sigh, Saga brushed aside her thoughts and headed toward the entrance. Rose didn’t try to stop them — on the contrary, she cheerfully waved goodbye and skipped away down the corridor.

Alex and Saga exchanged glances.

“You really were going to hit her? Or was that just to scare her?” Saga asked, giving him a sidelong look.

“I was,” Alex replied calmly. “Something’s seriously wrong in this building, and she’s busy acting out her little performance. I can’t stand zealots. Screaming at conventions is one thing — but when someone loses touch with reality and endangers others because ‘that’s how it’s written,’ that’s a diagnosis.”

“On that, I agree with you,” Saga said, shaking her head. “I almost hit her myself. From the start, I could tell something was off about her. Turns out, she just wanted to play her part.”

Alex smirked and nodded toward the page Saga was still holding.

“Let’s see what it says.”

Saga unfolded the manuscript and began reading aloud. The page described how to open the Fold hidden within the nursing home. To do so, one needed a vinyl record to be placed back into an old jukebox — only then would the gate open. But there was no mention of the Fold beneath Cauldron Lake.

“So there is a Fold in the nursing home,” Saga said thoughtfully, rereading the text. “But you said you closed all of them. Can this one still be opened through a ritual?”

“No,” Alex shook his head. “The ritual will only play the music. The doors to the Folds are sealed, their locks removed, and the keys are useless.”

“Then we just need to talk to Thor and Odin, and then head back,” Saga said, slipping the page into her pocket.

“Or we search the place,” Alex added. “We might find more pages. Any clue is worth its weight in gold right now.”

He pulled a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth — a clear substitute for the cigarette he wanted.

“So,” he said with a smirk, “shall we go find the old rockers?”

Saga nodded in agreement and decided to look around too, now that Rose was no longer standing in their way.

Alex immediately noticed a closed room to his right and opened the door. The moment he did, his eye twitched — in the corner stood a life-sized cardboard cutout of Alan Wake holding a book.

Stepping inside, both Alex and Saga instantly realized who had been living here. The room practically breathed fanaticism — posters everywhere, a whole collection of books, clippings, drawings, photographs, even a shrine dedicated to Alan. On the desk sat a typewriter, and beside it lay a neatly stacked pile of old manuscripts.

Alex tried to ignore it all, pretending it was just an illusion. Saga, however, could only shake her head, realizing just how deep Rose’s obsession ran. Then something caught her attention — a manuscript page sticking out between the books.

She pulled it free and began to read. The text described a scene where she herself was speaking with Odin — the very one who was supposed to be unconscious. He was telling her that Thor had been pulled into the Fold — something that should have been completely impossible.

Saga and Alex exchanged glances and decided to head to the infirmary to check on the old men. Alex, however, planned to stop by the third floor as well — to visit old Cynthia, about whom he had already heard some unpleasant stories.

As they reached the second floor, Alex spotted a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall and, without hesitation, took it down. Saga, watching him, raised an eyebrow.

“What are you planning to do?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“While you’re busy chatting with your relatives and figuring out the details, I’ll go have a talk with Cynthia. From what I understand, your grandpa locked her up on the third floor. Better deal with her before she starts acting up,” Alex replied, slinging the extinguisher over his shoulder.

“And you decided to use a fire extinguisher?” Saga asked in disbelief.

“You don’t get it, Saga. Every horror story has a creepy old lady who suddenly turns into a monster. I’m just being proactive. Anyway, go on — I’ll be right back,” Alex grinned and headed up the stairs.

Saga just shook her head and went toward the locked infirmary, while Alex, still in good spirits, climbed to the third floor.

At the top, he ran into Ahti, who was just leaving his room. When he saw Alex, the janitor nodded politely. Alex returned the gesture and continued down the hall.

Stopping in front of Cynthia’s door, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Ahti lingered nearby, watching him with mild curiosity.

“Well then,” Alex muttered. “Politeness doesn’t work in places like this.”

He kicked the door open and stepped into the darkness. A chill and an oppressive aura of dark energy seeped out — the air was thick with the presence of the Dark Entity.

“Cynthia, come on out. No point hiding — I know you’re here. I promise it won’t hurt… probably,” he said with lazy amusement as he stepped further inside.

He looked around carefully, then up at the ceiling — nothing. Under the bed — no one there either. That left only the wardrobe and the bathroom.

Alex opened the wardrobe and gave the clothes inside a good whack with the extinguisher — just in case the old woman had decided to play hide-and-seek. The metal hit the wooden panel with a dull thud.

“Alright then, the bathroom it is,” he muttered with a crooked grin. “Really don’t want to go in there… might see something I’ll regret.”

Suppressing his disgust, Alex approached the bathroom door. Feeling moisture under his feet, he looked down — water was seeping out from underneath.

He grabbed the handle and pulled — the door creaked open. A wave of cold air and thick darkness spilled out. Water kept flowing, filling the hallway, and from the bathtub — filled to the brim — came sinister, almost living shadows.

“She’s hiding under the water? …Yeah, I don’t want to see this,” Alex muttered, grimacing as he tightened his grip on the extinguisher, bracing for the worst.

But Alex had no choice — he had to deal with Cynthia. Compared to other Taken, she was something different. The Dark Entity had used this old woman to get to Thor, turning her into something that could no longer be called human.

Approaching the bathtub, Alex carefully pulled the curtain aside—just in time to dodge as a pale, emaciated old woman in a nightgown lunged at him with an inhuman shriek. It was Cynthia. Her movements were jerky and spasmodic, her eyes glowing with a ghostly, lifeless light.

Cynthia vaulted over Alex and, wheezing and growling, scurried on all fours toward the window. Alex turned slowly, tracking her movements, one eyebrow raised and a faint smirk tugging at his lips. A moment later, that smirk widened into a broad, almost insane grin. He lifted the fire extinguisher.

“Don’t run, Cynthia. You won’t get far anyway,” he said, stepping forward.

The old woman hissed something in a distorted, static-laced voice, and with a desperate motion, hurled herself through the window.

Alex rushed to the sill and saw Cynthia, moving unnaturally fast—almost spider-like—as she crawled toward the forest.

“Damn acrobat,” he muttered, tightening his grip on the extinguisher.

He aimed and threw it with all his strength. The metal cylinder cut through the air and struck Cynthia squarely in the head with a heavy thud. The old woman was thrown back into the darkness of the woods.

Without hesitation, Alex jumped out of the third-floor window and landed softly on the ground.

Lighting a cigarette, he started walking toward where Cynthia had fallen.

When he reached the spot, he found only the dented fire extinguisher—the old woman herself was gone. But footprints marked the ground, leading deeper into the forest.

“Perfect,” he said with a crooked grin. “Let’s play chase.”

He followed the tracks, but they soon vanished. At that moment, the darkness around him seemed to thicken, and from within it came a warped, elderly voice—like a broken radio:

“We must deal with that fool Anderson. His mind is shattered. His heart is dead. He cannot be saved… he cannot be saved… the darkness awaits him…”

“Yeah, sure,” Alex replied calmly, smiling. “But enough with the hide-and-seek. I know you’re right here.”

He turned—and saw Cynthia clinging to a tree like some nightmarish creature. Her face was twisted in hatred, her lips muttering fragmented, incoherent phrases. Yet the voice echoing around him didn’t belong to her—it was the Dark Presence speaking through her.

Alex smirked—and vanished. In the next instant, he reappeared right in front of Cynthia. Twisting midair, he delivered a spinning kick. Cynthia barely managed to leap away, jumping onto another tree. Alex’s strike sliced through the trunk of the first tree as if it were made of paper.

Landing lightly, Alex straightened and looked at her.

“You will pay for what you’ve done! The story is over! The final act begins!” the distorted voice screeched all around him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that one before,” Alex yawned lazily. “I’ve got to save Wake. He’s been stuck with you long enough.”

“My writer!” hissed the Dark Presence. “You won’t have him! He created his nightmare—and in it, he will die! Just like you!”

“You all say the same thing,” Alex laughed. “But you can’t leave either, can you? Alan Wake wrote your rules—you’re trapped here without his words. You caught the writer, but he imprisoned you. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Silence answered him.

Alex shrugged and glanced at Cynthia, still clinging to the tree.

“Alright then—curtain call,” he said, and hurled the extinguisher.

The old woman tried to dodge, but Alex was already there. He leapt, loomed over her, and stomped down with full force. A sickening crack followed, and Cynthia’s body went limp, collapsing onto the ground.

Alex straightened, stretched, and glanced around, expecting a trick. But the forest was silent—the Dark Presence had seemingly withdrawn.

He sighed, pulled out his phone, and lit another cigarette, staring at the screen. It was time to warn Emmet—the attack on the sheriff’s station would happen as soon as the sun went down.

He sent a message and soon received a reply—a thumbs-up emoji. Emmet would handle it.

“Good,” Alex muttered. “As for the FBC agents… well, they chose this line of work.”

He pocketed the phone, shoved his hands into his coat, and without looking back, walked toward the retirement home.

To be continued…

(This could be your ad, or whatever else is usually written here. Oh yeah, I have to say something about the plot again. But I don’t have much time, so have a nice day, and I’m going to go drink some soju and watch Brassic with a friend. Yahoo.)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep