Mason pulled Syl's phone from his pocket to show Dr. Stomberg the lock screen. "He has my sister. I want to know why, I want to know how, I want to know what I can do-everything you can possibly tell me, I need to know." Dr. Stomberg peered at the phone, clearly expecting Bughuul to do something.

Nothing.

Mason also showed the picture on his phone, of the symbol in Syl's apartment. Stomberg sighed deeply, shaking his head. He was silent for a minute, nervously chewing on a pencil before he said, "Tell me more about your sister."

"She was-she is my best friend. We've been buddies since she was born. She's literally the greatest, always been a good kid. Energetic, funny, but really deep and thoughtful. Ever since our dad died ...heading on a decade ago, things have been beyond tough. Mom kind of lost it, leaving the picture, but Syl worked her tail off to support herself so I could have my own life, she told me. She would always put others first."

Mason swallowed the lump in the back of his throat. "I...my wife and I moved several states away for work, which Syl insisted I do, for my sake. I feel like I abandoned her. Her only other good friend is her roommate, and then my wife. Syl's been alone, afraid and alone."

Stomberg gave him a small comforting smile. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "Tell me, Bughuul..."

"I tried so hard to convince her he wasn't real, but look how well that turned out. I just don't get it. He took her. Just like that, no major theatrics. Nothing."

"It is a bit odd..."

"What's odd is why take someone like her?" Mason began to sound desperate. "Why not some disgusting excuse for a person? Why someone so sweet, young, innocent and incredible? It's my fault. Because of me she knew about him."

Stomberg looked at him thoughtfully, tapping his pencil against his temple. "It's not your fault. I'm just kind of at uh, at a loss."

"Meaning...?"

"Ok, you know about the, uh, chains, you said? There haven't been any of his murders in the States in almost a decade. He's moved to other countries. I think, more likely than not, he was getting tired of the detective and me, like we were just pests. Burning houses only made his job harder." Stomberg looked around the room to gather his thoughts. "Why would he leave a 'good' chain, to come back here, to do something so uncharacteristic? There's always the family, the child, and then the offering. Not one single person."

Mason watched him intently. "He's always very methodical," Stomberg continued. "If he wanted to go out of his way to kill someone, it would be someone like me, the detective, or my daughter, since we all have targets on our heads."

"What if my sister is part of a different chain? Stealing adults for fun, kids for food?" Mason wondered.

"Because he's never gone after adults before. At least not like that."

"But how do you know unless it was recorded? Start of a new process, maybe," Mason mumbled. "Capture innocent adults, and break them apart slowly, piece by piece, and-"

"Look, Mr. Harper. Nothing historical proves against the fact he is methodical. I don't want to be disrespectful or anything, but how can you prove he has a sinister motive?"

Mason let out a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You of all people should know he is nothing but pure evil."

"I understand that, but there... there's always more than one side to things."

"You're one to talk," Mason scoffed. "I have no idea what's happening to my sister, and there's nothing I can do to help her! I am all she has. That's why I came to you for help. Can. You. Help. Me?"

"I want to, but unless we know exactly where she is, there's really not much I can do."

"So is there no way to stop him?" Desperation laced Mason's voice and Dr. Stomberg felt a pang of guilt.

"We can slow him down, like what the detective and I did. But the only way to kill him is starvation, and there will never be a shortage of children."

"What about summoning him?" Mason asked.

"I mean, it's possible with blood sacrifices and his symbol, or his image."

"What if I find a picture of him and ask nicely? Maybe drip some of my blood on it? What does he want?!"

"I don't know. He probably chooses whether or not to answer someone's call."

Mason stood. "I'm sorry I wasted your time."

"You didn't waste my time," Dr. Stomberg assured. "I wish I could help you, but now I need time to see if I can find more. Please try to think of the possibility that she is alright. This is historically different from anything he's done. Maybe it is all-around different."

"But there is hardly anything historically recorded about him because people were too afraid of bringing him into this world, and here I have to suffer with not knowing what the hell is going on because of them. Well, here's a new thing for future generations to hear, better write it down."

"I know you couldn't have told me anything over the phone, but now that I know what we're dealing with, maybe I'll be able to do more."

Mason nodded soberly, reaching out to shake Dr. Stomberg's hand. "Thank you."

"I will keep in contact with you on whether or not I find something helpful. In the meantime, I know you will keep doing your own research and I really hope you find answers."