Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 302: Missing

The Isley estate was exactly as Jayden remembered—tall iron gates, manicured lawns, security cameras visible at every corner. The kind of place that screamed wealth and protection.

Jayden got off his bike and strode toward the gate, which opened automatically upon recognition. He walked in and began heading to the house.

Penelope appeared at the front door, dressed in casual clothing, but still radiating that effortless aura.

But something was wrong about her entire demeanor. Her face was pale and drawn, eyes red-rimmed from crying. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

"Jayden..." she whimpered, taking a step forward.

Jayden could hear it immediately in her voice—the raw edge of panic, exhaustion, and barely suppressed tears.

His stomach dropped. "Penelope, what’s wrong?"

Penelope’s composure crumbled. "She’s gone," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Cassandra’s gone."

Jayden froze. The world seemed to tilt slightly. "What do you mean, gone?"

"She left," Penelope said, tears streaming down her face now. "And she hasn’t come back since. I can’t reach her. No one’s seen her. I don’t know if she’s okay. If she’s hurt. If she’s—" Her voice broke into a sob.

Jayden stepped forward, his mind racing even as he tried to keep his expression calm. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Penelope took a shaky breath, trying to pull herself together. "I noticed... I noticed how down she’d been lately. Distant. Giving me the cold shoulder. I thought it was just teenage moodiness, but it kept getting worse. So I confronted her. Asked her what was wrong."

She paused, wiping at her eyes.

"But she snapped at me. Told me she knew about..." Penelope’s gaze flickered to Jayden, pain evident in her expression. "She knew about us. About me and you. She said she’d been listening that night. She’d heard everything."

Jayden felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The guilt he’d tried so hard to bury resurfaced immediately.

"I tried to explain," Penelope continued, her voice cracking again. "Tried to tell her that it was complicated, that I never meant to hurt her. But she wouldn’t listen. She just... stormed out. And she hasn’t come back."

"How long has it been?" Jayden asked, his voice tight.

"Two days," Penelope whispered. "Two full days, Jayden. None of her comms are going through. Her friends haven’t seen her. The school hasn’t heard from her. It’s like she just... vanished."

Jayden’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. He forced himself to stay calm, to think clearly. "Maybe she’s just cooling off somewhere? A friend’s house you don’t know about. Perhaps a place she goes when she needs space."

"That’s what I thought at first," Penelope said, shaking her head. "But it’s been too long. Cassandra’s done this before—stayed out overnight to worry me, made me think something was wrong when she was fine. But never for two days. Never without contacting someone."

She looked up at Jayden, desperation in her eyes.

"There have been reports lately," she continued, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Kidnappings in the city. People going missing without a trace. That’s why I upgraded our security, added more strict measures, hired extra guards. I was trying to protect her all along. But I still lost her, Jayden. I lost my baby."

Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground, sobbing.

Jayden knelt beside her, placing his hands on her shoulder. "Penelope, listen to me. Cassandra is strong. She’s smart. Whatever’s happening, she can handle herself."

"But what if she can’t?" Penelope looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "What if someone took her? What if she’s hurt? What if—"

"We’ll find her," Jayden interrupted, his voice firm and steady. "I promise you. I will not rest until Cassandra is found. I will bring her back to you, okay?"

Penelope stared at him, searching his face for... something. Reassurance. Hope. Certainty.

And she must have found it, because she nodded slowly.

"Okay," she whispered.

Jayden helped her to her feet. "Have you filed a report with the authorities?"

"Yes," Penelope said, wiping her eyes. "The EVA are already aware. They said they’re looking into it, but..." She trailed off, clearly not convinced the police were taking it seriously enough.

Jayden nodded, his mind already working through possibilities. "Did she give a hint as to where she was going when she left? Do you have any idea where she could be at all?"

"No," Penelope said. "She just... stormed out. I don’t know where she could be... I’ve contacted all the possible places I could think of. And she didn’t take anything with her except her comm device. And that’s been off since she left."

A cold knot of dread formed in Jayden’s stomach. If Cassandra’s comm was off, that meant either she’d turned it off herself... or someone else had.

"I’m going to find her," Jayden said again, more to himself than to Penelope. "I promise."

Penelope nodded weakly, clearly exhausted and emotionally drained.

Jayden turned to leave, but paused at the door. "If you hear anything. Anything at all. Contact me immediately."

"I will," Penelope whispered.

Jayden spent a few more minutes comforting Penelope and providing her with the emotional support she needed. Then he walked back to his hoverbike in a daze, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Cassandra was missing.

He hadn’t anticipated this happening.

And from the sound of it, she was possibly taken by the same people who’d been kidnapping other people across the city. Probably a criminal faction of sorts.

[Jayden] Luna’s voice cut through his thoughts, quiet and serious. [What are you going to do?]

Jayden stopped beside his bike, his hands gripping the handlebars so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I’m going to find her," he said, his voice cold and hard. "No matter what it takes."

[How? You don’t even know where to start]

"Then I’ll start everywhere," Jayden replied. He pulled out his holo-tab and scrolled through his contacts until he found the encrypted number Fred had given him.

[You’re calling the EVA agent?] Luna asked in disbelief.

"He said if I ever needed help, I should contact him," Jayden said, his thumb hovering over the call button. "Well, I need help. Now."

He pressed the button.

The line rang once. Twice. Then—

"Jayden?" Fred’s voice came through, cautious but alert. "I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Jayden said, his voice tight with barely controlled emotion. "I need your help."