Chapter 262: The Network of Shadows

**Thelma Zane’s POV** Compared to Linda’s peculiar condition, Frank’s situation was even more troubling—if one could still call it a "situation." To be precise, it was uncertain whether Frank, as a person, even existed in the world anymore. Two fragments of Frank’s soul had been sent back to the palace for treatment, but his story grew stranger by the day. On the night we confronted Azazel, the fragment of Frank left at the foot of the mountain underwent a bizarre transformation. It melted into a strange liquid substance and escaped into Linda’s ward, vanishing without a trace. The investigation team theorized that this fragment had fused with Linda’s black cocoon. However, as the cocoon remained off-limits for study, they could not confirm this and eventually dropped the matter. Meanwhile, the fragment of Frank on the mountain escaped in an eerily similar manner the following night, slipping past the heavy guard detail before disappearing. Like the first, it was also belie