7. The First Step
The travel went in heavy silence. Gray clouds, which hung low and dark by the afternoon sky, fit Miku's mood perfectly.
For better or worse, she was really confused. Angry she might be, but all the more confused than before. Everything the man told her was what playing in her mind now, words flickered in mockery and accusations. The truth, which seemed to be distant and blurred by the shadows of unknown strings, was something she was certain that the man hid farther than his identity. She knew nothing about him except for the fact that he was an active member of Circle of the Magi founded in the West. She didn't even know where he was born or what was his true intention—coming merely to serve his hirer? No, she wouldn't believe such a lie. There must be something else, she thought, something far more precious or even personal for the arrogant youth to lay his feet on Japan.
But if her instinct and sense were true, what then? Should she just sit patiently and obediently do as the man says—like a good dog would obey its master?
She was patient, that much was clear, but far from stupid. Rolve seemed to realize this fact although never missing a moment to launch some sarcastic comments in every occasion. Why, she wonder, must he be so sarcastic all the time. She had noticed that he treated others nice and fairly, playing the silent-and-straight foward-guy role in front of people, with Seijiro and Ryoji included. And wasn't he the one who said that they'd be allies in solving this case? Would he bleed in attempt to show her even the tiniest hint of respect?
Sighing inwardly, she massaged her forehead, feeling dumb for even thinking about him. Her attention should be elsewhere, she told herself. Yes, the usual approach, the simplest one, would be her only choice: play along, observe, and act accordingly. There was no need for her to speculate further than the facts laid; she only needed to gather more facts in order to find the truth.
"We've arrived."
Rolve's statement brought her back to reality. Miku turned to see the tavern through the window and found it in the same state as she remembered it from days ago: ruined, and sealed with yellow signs preventing curious eyes from getting in.
"Wouldn't it be suspicious if we just get inside and strolled down the ruins?" She returned her glance to Rolve, who was parking the car as she spoke.
If Miku was expecting more insult or bitter answers, her walls of defense stood unassaulted. His face was back to his favorite mask: cold, expressionless, and sharp. She caught no hints of mockery or anything similar when he simply said, "That problem has been attended."
Getting out from the car, the two walked into the back of the tavern, hands in pockets in attempt to block the cold weather from freezing them. Rolve turned at the forked route to take another road which had some people walking about at the time. They slowed down their pace to blend in, glancing around like curious tourists should be. In spite of the darkened noon, Rolve was wearing sunglasses, a smart choice of fashion to assure people that he was just another foreigner on holiday. She knew her role was to be much of an 'escort', so she walked with her back two steps from the silver-hair. Rolve had already told her about the back entrance he found when he scouted the area in his previous research, and Miku was walking towards it, hoping that this first investigation would reward her with some facts she needed.
"I see you've done this several times," Rolve commented, his voice was low and emotionless.
Miku glanced over her shoulder while walking. "Do what?"
"Blending in the crowds, investigating, and all the spying stuff."
"Leading a journalist's life can teach you many things," she admitted, her voice barren with emotion. "Though I dislike being spied on." The man must have realized this fact from studying her body language closely. Her back shuddered with the thoughts that something that was not completely human—as he had self-claimed before—was walking closely behind her, perhaps observing every little move her body suggested.
"It's not a hobby either," he said with a shrug. "I'm just used at observing people. Let some escape your sight and senses and who knows, you could be a dead meat afterwards. Taking a precaution doesn't hurt, even when you are living a commoner's peaceful life."
Miku was about to say 'And showing more respect doesn't kill you either' but she remained silent. In this game of words and wits, showing anger sometimes only worsen your position. Biting her lower lip, she simply walked and watched pedestrians passed by them. Some, mostly girls, looked to her companion and giggled, the older ones simply stole a glance or two as they walked by the tall foreigner. Some others, though, didn't even bother to look at them at all since curious eyes were still fixed on the ruined tavern as their feet carried them to their destinations. Miku's mind rang a bell indicating that people's curiosity hadn't died despite the lack of news in media. Swallowing hard, she increased her pace. Rolve adjusted his speed behind her.
After five minutes walking, they finally arrived at the back of the tavern. A small gate was the only entrance visible, and there were two police guards standing nearby, guarding it. Rolve stepped forward to show his ID and assured them that they were sent to the place on behalf of Officer Seijiro, tasked to investigate the closed area in hope of finding more clues. The guards nodded upon checking Rolve's ID and stepped aside, much to Miku's relief.
"Like I've told you before," he said when they were walking across a backyard garden, "all you have to do is 'sense' anything that might escape human's limited access towards the spirit realm. Look for any clues: sound, sight, memories, or even resonance that might occur as your sixth sense trigger."
Miku maintained a composed look on her face in spite that she had already conscious of her hammering heart's beating. Rolve took her silence as a gesture that she understood him and went to open a broken door which was already split in two, as if something heavy was hit to the middle of the wooden plank. An uncomfortable creaking sound washed away the grim silence, followed by their footsteps on the broken wooden floor. As soon as they were inside, Miku felt that the air was beginning to feel heavier and fouler than before. She remembered this ominous feeling: how the dull silence was only disturbed by some creaking sound of wooden planks, how her surroundings seemed only to get darker and darker… She remembered the terror now, from both the Rope Mansion and the Manor of Sleep. Her head ached upon the remembrance.
They arrived at the main hall now, where the bar used to stand with round tables and chairs arranged neatly across the room. But the sight was no more.
Miku and Rolve stood beside a broken counter, facing the center of the room that was in a mess. Dim sunlight was their only aid in seeing, for the some of the windows had broken and the stained wall had holes everywhere. Miku tried her best to focus, gathering her mind and recalling how to 'activate' her sixth sense. It was a trick she learned when she was forced to enter her first adventure in the Rope Mansion, and it had its uses. She sometimes would do this in front of closed doors before opening them to ensure that no malicious spirits were inside the rooms she was about to enter. Since some of them were smart enough to wait for her—or even lurk her if necessary—she had to learn how to read their moves. And sure though, the skill came in handy, mostly was to tell vengeful spirits apart from vanishing ones—the kind that would only pass by without attempting to harm living humans.
"How is it?" Rolve asked after some minutes standing still, eying her perhaps.
Miku opened her eyes slowly and tried harder to focus her mind. She tilted her head slowly to one side as she spoke. "I can sense some trails of vengeful ones here… But it was hard to tell where the resonance came from."
"Plural?"
Miku nodded. "Yes, not just one. But sensing from trails of existence alone, it's hard to tell."
"What usually aids you in this?"
"Objects," she replied almost right away. Her memory then shot some images of familiar things she had found across while uncovering the secrets of both mansions. Masks, mirrors, stones... "I mean, coming into contact with something that has previously connected to them might cause a resonance or even realization."
Rolve nodded in understanding, his eyes seemed distant. "Memories," he whispered.
"Memories," she agreed. "Vague as it may be, but it seems that we need to search for another clue in other rooms—"
Miku interrupted herself and froze. Rolve casted a wary glance but kept silent. The young woman than walked towards the opposite side of the room, where a hole was struck on the wall, the door was not attached to it anymore it would seem. Rolve followed her closely without a word. "It's leading here," Miku said, a bare whisper through her gritted teeth.
"This hallway leads to a wine storage," informed Rolve. "Underground," he added with a low voice.
"I don't like where this is going."
"Neither do I. But I thought that experience has told us many things about 'getting used' to these kinds of things."
Miku narrowed her eyes in both flickered anger and annoyance. But deep in her heart, she was thankful of the man's company; no matter how confident or cautious she may seem, there were always doubts and fears lingering deep within. And of course, she was also thankful of his sarcastic comments for the first time in her short encounter with him, for it made her able to forget her fears and kept herself to her angry self. Walking through the dark hallway and staircase leading downstairs, the two quickly found themselves in a large room where wine shelves were arranged neatly in lines. Well, that was what it should had been before the calamity. Now, only chunks of wooden shelves and broken wine bottles and drums—accompanied by a sharp scent of alcohol—were laid before them. The room had only two ventilations which supplied them with sunlight from outside, making it dark and murky place all the more the main hall had been. Miku almost slipped when her boots came upon a slippery liquid, wine it seemed. Rolve caught her by her right arm in time, preventing her from collapsing onto a mud of wine and rubbles.
"Thank you," she breathed, shoving away his hand gently.
Rolve shrugged. "Simply doing my job. Believe me, you don't want to get wet with whatever substance that's not water," he muttered darkly.
She hid a smile, wondering if he had talked from personal experience. Sensing something, she stopped and stood before a broken wine shelf. Closing her eyes, she tried to analyze her surroundings, trying to get in touch with any string that might be a clue in this case. Slowly, her breath slowed down, and so was her other senses. Rolve's breath was no longer audible now, and so was the cold air that wrapped her before. All she could sense was through her sixth channel: her special sense. Focus.
Slowly, she began to feel what she had been searching for. Bizarre images, unseen threads that glowed within the darkness, and finally, the resonance occurred. Unknown memories and emotions flowed within her head, as if she was a computer downloading some unknown data from the server. Every bit of what she saw and felt was recorded in the air, and leaving the only work to be done was selecting and downloading them. She had gone through this 'process' numerous of times back in both manors. Memories: which were she regretted to see and some that actually led her to find Kirie, were dancing in her mind like wild fire. Her mother's suicide, then a masked man holding a katana, followed by a little girl in traditional ritual attire of white and red—whispering her brother's name…
Miku shot her eyes open in shock, almost knocking herself off balance. Rolve, which was standing behind her, hurried off to her side and caught her arm. "I can't see them clearly," she admitted, one of her hands rubbed the other tiredly. Rolve waited for her to continue. "I could sense and see only some glimpses… But I'm not even sure whose sight or emotion was that."
"It's fine. Just tell me what you saw and felt."
"There were fear, anger and confusion… But like I said, I don't know whose emotions were they. But I did catch a glimpse of memory. It leads down there." She pointed the wooden floor with her finger.
Rolve's eyes darted from her to where her finger was pointing. He bent down to one knee and swept his hand gently on the floor, trying to sense anything below it. "This is the bottom level, no?"
Miku shook her head. "It was the strongest glimpse of sight I could get."
He tilted his head while giving the clue a thought. And then after a tense minute passed, he pressed his hand on the floor and closed his eyes. "Wind," he said after a while. "I can vaguely sense it, but it is no doubt that there is another level below us." Standing up again, he gestured Miku to step back with his hand's movement.
She stepped back and watched Rolve produce an object, which looked like a knife, from his belt and kneeled to the floor. Some twitching sound was audible when the knife sprung open from its folded state. She could saw it better now: it truly was a knife, no longer than the size of her lower arm, with a silver blade that shone upon the dim light that reached through the ventilation. Rolve carefully stabbed the blade into the floor and stood aside. Miku paid more attention as the long knife shone a dim light of purplish glow. On the other side, Rolve had walked off towards a crumbled wine shelf, his hand was moving alongside the corner of the wooden shelf. Miku realized then, that a purple string of light, was guiding him, moving slowly on embodied some objects as it danced. And that string stopped exactly in front of the Magi.
"There has to be some mechanism to enable access to the lower floor," he said without turning to Miku. "My guess is that mechanism was hidden behind this shelf."
Still wary and confused about what just happened, Miku whispered, "But the shelf is broken."
"True. And it only makes things harder than they already are." He moved to the side of the shelf, which was appeared to be in good condition. Gently pushing his fingers onto the surface of the wood, Rolve pushed forward. Some dark purple light appeared as he did so. And in another second, the broken shelf was moved—or rather, thrown—with a huge cracking sound and rested in the other side of the room. Dust and sprinkles of wine boomed from the impact. Miku shielded her face with both arms to prevent flying wood chunks from hitting her.
"Direct approach usually works the best," Rolve said simply as Miku walked to where he stood. And true enough, there was a dark, round object attached to the wall where the shelf stood before. Since the lighting on the room was minimal, Miku found it hard to identify the small object clearly. Was it a button? Or a tiny hole?
Pushing his hand gently to the object, Rolve managed to make it work with a faint clicking sound. He turned and spotted Miku's curious eyes glued on the thing he just touched. "It's called a 'key hole' in Magi's dictionary. It only resonates with people who had awaken to their extra senses like you and me. And it is interesting to know that the owner of this tavern is also a Magi."
Miku was about to utter more questions when a heavy, creaking sound startled her. And in mere seconds, the center of the room was not solid ground anymore. Dark hole which supplied them with another set of staircase appeared as the dust crumpled anywhere.
Rolve grabbed his knife from the floor he had left it before and walked to the newly appeared entrance. "Time to turn on the flashlight and begin the underground search. And oh, I hope you brought one since I don't need an extra light."
A/N: Thank you for reading, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
I'm not going to say much except for the fact that the story will now progress faster and deeper into the mistery. And yes, don't worry, our favorite weapon-the Camera Obscura-will soon make its first appearance in this fic! Used by our heroine, of course.
Last but not least, please do Reviews if you're interested! Revs are my source of energy in writing! XD
