Vana's POV “Chairman Zerondale took the initiative to investigate the matter personally. If you need assistance for your case, it would be better to direct it to him,” Mr. Horus shrugged, scoffing. “Where is he?” Professor Zander asked. “He’s in the security room.” “Thank you,” Ms. Angela dismissed Mr. Horus as she scooted away from the area, navigating her way to the security room on the basement floor. She led us to a room a few feet away from the crime scene, knocking at the door in hopes for a response to come through. Ms. Angela entered after an inaudible sound came through, walking straight inside with a hint of annoyance in her eyes. We followed her inside, and I halted on my spot after my eyes landed on the tall man inside the room. Chairman Zerondale towered over us as he stood in the middle of the room. His robe-like garmnts flung on his shoulders down to his arms and legs, covering his round stomach and long legs. He was a big man—big, old man. His golden hair and fa
Vana's POV The city of Esmori echoed with life as the afternoon sun grizzled on the streets. The morgue is not that far from the museum, with the building a few miles away. The morgue is located alongside the police station, near the border of the city. A morgue is a place where dead bodies are temporary stored while the body is being identified and investigated. The body of the victim is supposed to be at the hospital, especially since the body is breathing and in a state of coma, yet it stayed in the morgue. Technically speaking, he’s dead. But that doesn’t mean he’s also alive. He’s balancing between life and death right now. With his soul gone from his body, his body is basically a living shell and in a comatose state until the soul comes back. “Excuse me, we’re here for the autopsy report of the Breathing Deadman case,” Ms. Angela greeted as soon as we enter, imploring our purpose in the place. The woman in the helpdesk lifted her gaze up, her eyes recognizing Ms. Angela. She
Vana's POV “In short, you’ll need me to be able to question her in her home and search her house,” Chairman Zerondale wondered, raising a brow at us as we ride his carriage on our way to the janitress’ home. We had left the morgue and headed back to the museum to fetch the Chairman, dragging him along with or scheme. I didn’t think of it as a good idea, but Ms. Angela and Professor Zander proposed and agreed to the idea, so I had no choice but to play along. Professor Zander didn’t have the time to explain to Chairman Zerondale about the situation as Ms. Rosemary and Ms. Angela dragged the poor old man out of the museum and into his carriage. Our bodies swayed over the ride as the horses trudged as we reach a rocky path on the foot of the valley. Jerome, Professor Zander, and I were seated across from the rest of the team, with the Chairman sitting in between Ms. Angela and Ms. Rosemary. The sound of crunching branches and leaves echoed outside of the carriage, trees and woods sha
Vana's POV “Roa, why are you here, geez. I told you to stay upstairs while mommy talks to our visitors,” Ms. Bella scolded in a gentle tone. “I’m sorry for this.” “No worries,” Jerome mumbled. “You can take your time.” “Go upstairs, Roa. Mum would be talking to our visitors. And no eavesdropping, okay?” Ms. Bella instructed to the child, ushering her son to head to the house’s second floor. The boy listened to his mom’s words, heading back to the second floor, picking up the tools and toys that fell down the stairs. My eyes turned into slits, looking at the items the boy held in his arms. Are those… dolls? That’s weird, why would a boy be playing with dolls? “I guess some kids like dolls,” I mentioned, glancing at Ms. Bella to see her reaction. Ms. Bella was startled at the comment, an awkward smile pushing on her face. “Uh—y-yes…” she stammered in agreement. I eyed her a suspicious look in secret, turning away before she notices. Now I can’t wait to look at the second floor of
Vana's POV “We’ll have to find a way to get inside,” Jerome said, eyes staring at the wall. My eyes landed back on the fireplace, tracing the sharp lines cut through the black wall. The cracked line etched brick by brick, concealed within the flames bursting from the fireplace’s hearth. I followed where the lines lead, tracing it down on the floor beneath me. It stretched out from the fireplace, carving through the carpeted floor. I knelt on one knee, removing the thick carpet above the floorboards. The lines continued on the wooden floor, connected to the lines within the fireplace. If I had to guess, if the secret passage is opened, the fireplace would retract forward and slide to the side, while the floor would turn into steps leading down to the basement. This is based on the pattern carved on the wall and floor. “Should we take this chance?” I wond
Vana's POV I bit my lip, battling my mind on what the right thing to do. This ring belongs to Chairman Zerondale. Why would his ring be in the vents of a crime scene? On top of that, the vent where I found it has lingering magic. Yeah, I should give this back to him. I shouldn’t assume or jump to conclusions just yet. There has to be an explanation to this. I stared at the ring for a long minute, contemplating on what I am supposed to do. I stood up, burying the ring on my pocket as I leave the crime scene and make up my mind. Its better to keep it to myself about where I found the ring. I don’t know why, but if I reveal that I found it on the crime scene, things will get extremely complicated. I have one last errand to do before heading back to the team. If the vent in the vault has lingering magic, there’s a good chance that the other vents outside the vault also have linge
3rd POVThe serene voice of Bella echoed in the air of the forest night. Her song brought her son to sleep, the lullaby humming in the air in a gentle, sweet voice. She nearly drifted to sleep herself, but she chose not to as she remembers the reason why she keeps herself awake.She smiled, a small, sad smile that falters in the distant air. She caresses her son’s hair, watching him sleep on his bed. She wondered about many sufferings her son would face. She wonders about how his son will live without a father.She pursed her lips, eyes watering as she thought of her son’s demise. She felt sorry for him, for having a mother like her. She leaned her face down, pressing her forehead against his. She plastered a kiss on his forehead, whispering into her son’s ear as if to reassure him.“I love you, my son… Roa…” she murmured with a sob.
3rd POV“I am going to surrender myself,” she declared, eyes glaring at the wall.Bella’s insides coiled as Wina’s aura burst in her mind, forcing her way through her defenses. Bella pushed her back, exploding her aura out, enough to push her back for the time being. Wina’s consciousness disappeared from her mind for a moment.She panted, enhancing her mind barricade with the remaining aura she has. She cannot let Wina stop her. She cannot let her take over her body. If she does, she will run away, flee, and escape from the crime.Bella heaved a breath, grabbing the bottle that contained Plaid’s soul and rushed back up the stairs. She placed the bottle in her pocket, dashing up as she reaches for the top of the stairs. Her body flung to the side as Wina came crashing against her mind’s barricade, pushing her off balance.