The next morning. Klein finished his shift of the Chanis Gate. He used the time to visit the Awwa County Police station as soon as possible to request about the investigative reports of Lanevus case.
He took the time to read it and confirmed where Megose live, in 23 Consail Street.
That was five districts away from the docks... Without wasting any time, Klein boarded a carriage and stopped somewhere in Consail Street, likely where fish vendors flocked.
He quickly spotted a gray walled house with a multi-faceted dormer roof. He prepared his badge and proceeded to knock on the door.
"Excuse me. Awwa Country Police Inspector Klein Moretti." Klein presented his badge to a woman with wrinkled face, possibly Megose's grandmother.
"Young man, what is it?" asked the lady.
Klein withdrew his badge and said, "I came to see Megose and discuss a few things with her. Mind if I talk to her?"
"Dear, even if I allowed you to, Megose isn't here." The lady bitterly said.
"What?" Klein was slightly taken aback. "Then, where is she?"
The lady thought before saying "She's with Christina, out on a stroll."
"Where?" Klein became curious. Out of all the times, it had to be now that they went out.
"Hmm, they didn't mentioned where they're going. Maybe at the park?" The lady answered.
Klein was disappointed inside when he heard this. Still, he gave a thorough goodbye with polite tone. Then set off again for the park.
When he got there, it was already turning dusk, he searched but still couldn't find the two ladies.
"Where could have they gone?" Klein creased his eyebrows and diligently checked and surveyed the people. However, he received negative replies.
This continued until noon was upon the city.
Klein had no choice but to postpone. But on the side note, this time the coincidences are a chain of causes.
Ince Zangwill is preventing him from reaching Megose!
...
In the second floor of Blackthorn Security Company.
Selina woke up with her red hair quietly receding. She was unable to inform everyone again of a information she found yesterday. That Megose is carrying a spawn!
The Nighthawks that were monitoring her have been Frye, Seeka and Royale. All except Klein and Leonard!
What is happening? Why now of all times? She felt like fate was toying with her again, just like what she felt during the chase.
Then, it occurred to her. Could it be that her finding Blackthorn Security Company is also a coincidence? A product of Ince Zangwill?
Her thoughts turned chaotic as she heard Seeka's voice, "Selina, I know you feel devastated by this. But please, get through this. I still have unchecked drafts that requires you opinion..."
Selina felt an aching presence in her heart. That one of her close friends are deprived of what is truly happening.
...
Having just fished his keys to open the door to his house, Klein saw the maidservant Bella wiping the dining table while his sister, Melissa, who was dressed up, and his brother, Benson, came downstairs.
"Where you going?" Klein asked with a colorless expression.
Benson tugged his sleeves and said, "Sounds like someone who had only just been left alone for a day would ask."
Klein was a bit stunned.
Having explained that Selina would need some time in the Company to be allowed to leave. Melissa quelled the bitterness in her tone as she explained, "Today is the first day that 'The Return of the Count' will be releasing tickets for sale."
Hearing that, Klein forced smile and took off hit hat.
"I've been too busy recently. I totally forgot about it."
"How's Sis Selina? When will she come back?" asked Melissa in return as she adjusted her fishnet bonnet.
Klein's expression froze as he slowly said, "I visited her. She won't be back until next week."
Don't worry sis. I've already found what Ince Zangwill is up to... He added in his heart.
"Mhm." Melissa looked at him with concern and said, "Your breakfast is in the kitchen. Eat it and get some sleep. Benson and I thought that since we're going out, we might as well drop by Saint Selena Cathedral to have Mass."
"Alright." Klein waved and bade his brother and sister farewell.
When he turned for the kitchen. He suddenly found the scene heavy and painful. The simple breakfast wasn't bad, but it's unusually bland. When he was done, he returned to his bedroom.
After he did the preparatory work, he took four steps counterclockwise and entered the world above the gray fog. He saw that Justice and The Hanged Man's corresponding crimson stars were burgeoning and shrinking faintly.
He extended his right hand and emanated his spirituality. Then, blurry images formed before Klein's eyes. Miss Justice's prayer sounded in his ears.
...
"I pray for you to listen.
"Because of the Qilangos incident, my father hired a Beyonder to protect me. There are also others who are watching over me secretly. It wasn't easy for me to finally find an opportunity to pray to you. I would like to apply for leave from the Gathering next week. I believe this will pass soon."
Klein subconsciously glanced at the blurry image. The image was filled with fog, and there seemed to be a huge bathtub with rippling water. Miss Justice was wrapped in a bath towel.
He retracted his gaze and started listening to The Hanged Man's prayer.
His description was different from Justice's, but he was making the same request. He too needed to ask for leave due to the aftermath of Qilangos's death.
Klein nodded slightly and responded to their prayers respectively.
"I'm aware."
Then, he sent a message to The Sun and The Lover's crimson star.
"The upcoming Gathering will be canceled temporarily."
...
City of Silver.
Derrick Berg was paying attention in the training field. The sky above his head was still dark, with occasional flashes of lightning that lit up the sky.
Suddenly, his vision went blurry before he saw the thick fog and the ancient palace that looked like the home of a giant. He also saw Mr. Fool, who sat in the depths of the gray fog.
"The upcoming Gathering will be canceled temporarily."
His voice reverberated, but the view before Derrick had already returned to normal.
He wasn't shocked at such a magical incident because Mr. Fool contacted him in this manner to remind him before every Gathering.
Derrick looked up at the woman in front of him subconsciously, a member of the City of Silver's six-member council, Shepherd Lloydia.
This terrifying expert kept switching between a smile and being aloof. She told every young man at the training field that they would join the patrolling troops soon and rid the dark monsters in the vicinity. That wouldn't be training anymore.
Elder Lloydia didn't notice anything strange... She seems to be getting weirder. Is it because there's a High-Sequence Beyonder's evil spirit among the souls that she grazes? Derrick thought.
...
In Blackthorn Security Company, health room.
Suddenly, her vision went blurry before he saw the thick fog and the ancient palace that looked like the home of a giant. Selina also saw Mr. Fool, who sat in the depths of the gray fog.
"The upcoming Gathering will be canceled temporarily."
His voice reverberated, but the view before Selina had already returned to normal.
Gathering cancelled... Selina felt a little disappointed that she will not be able to ask help from others indirectly.
Perhaps it's for the best...
...
Klein returned to his bedroom, threw himself into bed, and quickly fell asleep. He dreamed about what had happened these past few days.
Suddenly, he felt like he was being shaken by someone, and he suddenly woke up.
Klein opened eyes and saw a gigantic white bone hand.
The hand paused and threw the letter on the bed. Then, it vanished into thin air.
Mr. Azik's reply... Klein grabbed the letter and opened it.
"... I thought about a few possibilities regarding the scenario you described, and I remembered a few things about Vampires and Mutants.
"Natural vampires were already on the brink of extinction before the dragons and giants bowed out of the stage of world history. Later on, they might occasionally be discovered. The Vampires we usually talk about, as well as those mentioned in folklore, are more similar to Beyonders. I recall that the name of a potion in a particular pathway is called Vampire.
"If your superior is now in a half-insane state, then it's very likely that he mistakenly consumed such a potion. The result of mixing two potions from different pathways makes a half-insane state a certainty. Yes, I vaguely remember the pathway of the Evernight, which is also the Sleepless pathway as you know it, can be interchanged at High Sequences with the pathway of Death and the pathway of Giants. But it doesn't include the Vampire pathway.
"Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that your superior might have accepted it willingly. After all, Vampires have a long life, an exceptional constitution, and excellent looks. When compared with these benefits, accepting a state of half-insanity is reasonable."
Klein froze when he read the letter. He didn't expect Mr. Azik to provide him with this much information. His thoughts delve deeper as he went silent.
The Captain is perfectly fine usually, other than his poor memory. He doesn't show any signs of half-insanity. I can rule out the possibility of him consuming the Vampire potion...
Mr. Azik has recalled quite a number of things recently... Could the Creeping Hunger have really stimulated his memories?
Klein nodded and continued reading the letter.
"Mutant isn't the name of a particular species. It's more like the description for many similar creatures. Under normal circumstances, they're no different from an ordinary human, but there is an innate, suppressed, twisted desire in their hearts. This desire erupts when they come into contact with a certain scene or object. They become monsters, succumbing to their desires for blood and massacre.
"After everything settles, they will return to normal again. They become slightly more merciless and unfeeling after each time their desires erupt, this will continue until their souls are completely twisted.
"The only example of this that I can recall is the werewolf. They're similar to humans for the most part, and they cannot be distinguished using most Beyonder abilities. But, during the full moon, the twisted desires in their hearts intensify, and their bodies also change accordingly.
"Your superior might be a potential Mutant. The death of your teammate might have triggered his true nature.
"These are all my personal guesses. I cannot guarantee that there are no other possibilities since I haven't gotten all my memories back. Perhaps your theory of this being a precursor to losing control can also explain this.
"There's no saving him whether he has consumed the Vampire potion, or if he's a Mutant. Of course, many people have theorized that Mutants were originally ordinary human beings, but were put under a strange curse or corrupted by some evil god or devil, and, thus, transform into a different monster under certain circumstances.
"Also, I'm not too sure if you can treat him when you notice the warning signs of losing control. I would advise that you report this directly to your superior's superior and hope that there's still time."
Klein looked gravely at the desk after placing the letter down. He slipped into deep thought.
He had to admit that the theory of a Mutant was a very possible one, but he couldn't eliminate the possibility that it was a warning sign to him losing control.
Let's wait for Madam Daly's reply... Klein can't be bothered having simultaneous things occur in his mind. He burnt the letter using his spirituality and prepared to leave.
But as he was about to, he suddenly fell lulled into sleeping. Captain is pulling me to sleep?
Curious if this concerns something important, Klein used Cogitation to put himself to sleep.
In the hazy world, Klein was suddenly jolted to his senses. He knew that he was dreaming.
He then saw Dunn Smith in his black windbreaker appear in front of him.
Responding in a manner congruent with a normal dream, Klein gave a delayed greeting, "Good morning... Captain..."
Dunn nodded slightly and said, "Leonard found a clue when he was investigating the Lanevus case. He needs your help. The Mystery Pryer that the Holy Cathedral sent over won't arrive until tomorrow morning because of a train fault."
"Alright..." Klein replied in a fleeting voice.
Dunn thought for a moment before adding, "There's no need for you to return to Zouteland Street. Head to 62 Howes Street directly. Leonard will be there waiting for you. It's been hard on you."
The moment he finished his sentence, Klein's dream shattered. Klein instinctively opened his eyes.
Howes Street... Isn't that the area where the Divination Club, my classmate Welch, and the member of the Aurora Order lived? Another coincidence? Klein thought gravely as he got up slowly. He washed up in the bathroom before changing into a white shirt, brown vest, and black windbreaker. He then picked up his hat and went down to the living room.
It wasn't eleven yet, and Benson and Melissa hadn't returned home. Klein informed Bella that he was going out and that she didn't need to prepare lunch for him.
He then took a public carriage to Howes Street and saw the messy-haired Midnight Poet—Leonard Mitchell, whose hair exuded beauty, waiting for him in at building 62.
Leonard was still in a thin white shirt despite the chilly September weather. He had paired it with beige pants. He swept his green eyes at Klein.
"This might be the building rented by Lanevus under a false name."
"How did you figure it out?" Klein asked.
Leonard pointed to his head.
"Since you found a clue from Hood Eugen and suspected that Lanevus was likely connected to that member of the Aurora Order—the cloth merchant Sirius Arapis—I had to change my line of thinking after my normal investigations revealed nothing. I started investigating the Aurora Order.
"The previous report told me that Sirius had interactions with many of the residents on Howes Street, so I searched every one of them and found a problem with this one."
"What problem?" Klein posed another question.
Leonard raised his brows. "An obvious problem. The guest here appears very rarely. He claimed to be going to the Southern Continent to do business after Hanass Vincent's death and never returned. His records are very realistic, and the police didn't discover anything."
"This could only be a coincidence." Klein creased his eyebrows intensely.
"Yes, a coincidence." Leonard nodded solemnly and added in a way that felt casual. "But when I showed the residents around here Lanevus's picture, an old man felt that he looked similar to the resident at number 62, other than his different glasses."
He took out a black-and-white photograph from his pocket.
Klein nodded without saying anything. The intent was mutual. He entered 62 Howes Street with Leonard, and at Leonard's request, he started to divine if there were any hidden compartments or secret chambers.
The result was yes!
"The secret chamber or hidden compartment in this building."
Klein wrote down another divination statement. He took a seat on the sofa and closed his eyes as he recited the statement.
Seven times later, he entered a dream. His vision was blurry.
In the blurry world, Klein saw a wooden bookshelf. He saw rows upon rows of books. He saw that one of the books had been taken away. He saw the wooden surface beside the book open, revealing a hidden compartment.
The scene quickly disappeared as Klein opened his eyes and told Leonard, "In the study."
Klein wound the topaz pendulum around his wrist and followed Leonard into the study. He saw the wooden bookshelf he had seen in his dream.
"Pull out that book, the place it's covering has a hidden compartment." Klein pointed at the book nearest to the sides.
"So it's here... I couldn't find anything when I searched the place, and I had no choice but to return to Zouteland Street to request for help," Leonard grumbled as he walked over. He pulled out the book Klein had pointed out.
After searching the area, he finally found the mechanism to open the hidden compartment.
A letter lay silently in the hidden compartment.
A letter? Lanevus hid a letter here? Klein felt an omen from this.
After he divined to see if there was anything dangerous within the letter and received a negative answer, Leonard picked up the letter and opened the unmarked envelope.
Leonard pulled out the letter within and unfolded it.
Klein leaned forward to get a look of its contents. All he saw were the first few paragraphs of the letter:
"Hahaha, congratulations. Congratulations on finally finding this letter!
"This means that you're not too stupid, nor too slow. You qualify to take part in this game of life and death that I've designed.
"Child laborers that die before their time. Factory workers who seldom live past ten years after entering the factory because of their working conditions. Female workers who risk severe illnesses for a meager salary. I see boundless resentment surrounding every factory, turning the surroundings oppressive and gloomy. This is the worst of times, and also the best of times. Our game shall take place under such a setting.
"Fools, prepare yourselves, I'm going to issue you a hint!"