**Chapter 1: The Vanishing Links**

I stared at the news feed on my tablet, my eyes scanning the headlines with a mix of fascination and fear. "Lin-Manuel Miranda Missing in Broadway Performance," "Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Reportedly Disappeared," and "Another Lin Dunn Goes Missing in Small Town USA." The stories all had one thing in common: people named Lin were vanishing left and right. I shivered, despite the warmth of my bedroom. My name was Iris Johnson, and I was only 13, but even I couldn't help but wonder if it was more than just a weird coincidence. My best friend's name was Lin, and I hadn't seen her in a few days. We were supposed to hang out at the mall on Saturday, but she never showed up. When I texted her, my messages went straight to voicemail. "Mom, have you seen this?" I called out, holding up my tablet. My mom, a renowned physicist, walked into my room, sipping a cup of coffee. "Ah, sweetie, I saw the news. It's quite bizarre, isn't it?" "What's going on?" I asked, my brow furrowed with concern. "From what I've gathered, it seems that people named Lin from all over the multiverse are disappearing. No one knows why or how," she explained, setting her cup down on my nightstand. The multiverse. I had learned about it in school, but it was still hard to wrap my head around. Essentially, it was an infinite number of parallel universes, each with their own versions of reality. Some of them overlapped, creating alternate realities that were similar yet distinct. "But why Lins?" I asked, my mind racing. "That's kind of... ironic, isn't it? I mean, Link from Zelda, Linkin Park, Lin-Manuel Miranda... it's like the universe has a sense of humor." My mom's expression turned serious. "Iris, this isn't a joke. People are disappearing, and we need to figure out what's going on. I've been in touch with some colleagues from other universes, and they're all stumped." I thought about all the famous Lins I knew: Link, the hero from Hyrule; Linus, the philosopher from Peanuts; and even Lin, the main character from the Chinese novel "Journey to the West". What did they all have in common? Just then, my tablet beeped with an incoming message. It was from an unknown number, but the text made my heart skip a beat: "Meet me at the old oak tree in the park at midnight. Come alone. -L" My mom's eyes locked onto mine. "Iris, do you think...?" I nodded, my mind made up. "I have to go." She sighed, a look of resignation on her face. "Be careful, sweetie. We don't know what's going on, but I have a feeling it's not good." As the clock struck midnight, I made my way to the old oak tree, my heart pounding in my chest. Who was behind the mysterious message, and what did they want with me? The darkness seemed to swallow me whole, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows...