The sharp scent of formaldehyde and industrial bleach was as familiar to Dr. Elias Thorne as his own heartbeat. At just twenty-eight years old, he was the youngest and most brilliant forensic pathologist at St. Jude Memorial Hospital. While men his age spent their Friday nights in loud bars, Elias preferred the company of those who could no longer lie: the dead.That night, the underground autopsy suite felt colder than usual. The fluorescent lights overhead hummed a low, steady drone, casting a stark glare over the pale body of a middle-aged man lying on the stainless steel table.The deceased was Arthur Vance, a Supreme Court Justice found dead in his study. The police report, already signed off by his superiors, listed the cause of death as a heart attack. Very neat. Perfectly plausible for a man in his late sixties.Elias was only tasked with performing standard procedures before releasing the body to the family. However, the moment he tilted the corpse's head, the routine shatter

"Adrian, are you in there?"Elias remained still for a moment, his gaze fixed on the door. The voice behind the thin wood sounded young, slightly breathless, and implied a level of familiarity far too close to the original owner of this room. He cast a brief glance at the cracked smartphone on the desk, then looked back at the door. So, this was one of Adrian's acquaintances. Or perhaps, his friend. Whatever his status, Elias had absolutely no intention of opening that door until he knew exactly who he was dealing with."Adrian?" The voice called out again, this time accompanied by another knock. "We're going to be late."Elias frowned. Late for what? Right as the question formed, fragments of an unfamiliar memory drifted to the edge of his consciousness. A classroom. A university campus. Stacks of books. A class schedule. The memories didn't surface as complete, intact pieces, but rather as weak, disjointed, and random impressions. Yet, it was enough to give him an answer: College. A

Elias waited beside the side exit, allowing the shadows of the concrete wall to swallow half his body.The corridor was narrow and dim, a stark contrast to the grandeur of the Metropolitan Institute of Forensic Sciences' main lobby. A service light flickered erratically overhead, casting a pale glow across the tiled floor. From behind the thick walls came the muffled sounds of the conference room—the occasional roar of applause, the thud of footsteps, and the low hum of hundreds of voices.Elias checked the time. 10:56 a.m. The keynote lecture should be ending soon.He had stood there like a statue for nearly forty minutes. A dull ache began to creep up his legs. The physical weakness of Adrian’s body did not simply evaporate just because Elias’s iron will refused to acknowledge it. His empty stomach twisted, his muscles lacked strength, and sickening waves of dizziness occasionally washed over his head.But he endured it. All the physical suffering meant nothing. Soon, Marcus would w

The internet café was nearly empty when Elias finally found what he was looking for.He had spent hours jumping from one article to another, tracking down names, dates, and fragments of information scattered across old news reports. The initial reports described Elias Thorne’s death as a sudden and tragic incident. A brilliant forensic pathologist, only days away from reviewing another major case, had collapsed and died inside the St. Jude autopsy suite.Cause of death: acute cardiac failure.Elias stared at the glowing monitor. He read the sentence three times before forcing himself to continue reading.The official reports stated that no signs of foul play were found. The toxicology screening apparently revealed nothing suspicious. The autopsy had been conducted by a team from St. Jude, with Marcus Vance acting as the senior consultant who reviewed the findings.Elias’s eyes narrowed sharply.There it was. Marcus was involved in the investigation. Not as a suspect, but as one of the

Elias arrived at the lecture hall early. Instead of heading for the back rows, he walked straight down the aisle and took a seat right in the very front.Leo froze halfway up the steps. His eyes widened, staring at his friend as if Elias had just announced his intention to jump off the roof of a building."Are you sick?" Elias glanced over his shoulder. "No." "Then what are you doing?" "Sitting." "Up front?" "Yes."Leo hurried over to him, dropping his voice into a panicked whisper. "We always sit in the back. Especially in Professor Sterling's class. You know that."Elias simply shifted his gaze to the empty lecturer's podium. Valerie Sterling. The name on last night's assignment sheet. The name that had instantly triggered a shift in Marcus's expression within his memories."I just want to try something different," Elias said flatly.With a long sigh of surrender, Leo dropped into the seat beside him. "You know, Adrian... lately you've really been scaring me."A few minutes later, t