Fairy x Adventure

by Magnafeana

In a new era after the Alvarez War, Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail not only face new challenges but watch as their kids go on new journeys, learn new powers, and battle new enemies and old! Join Luna, Nashi, and the upcoming generation of Mages on Fairy Tail and more on their never-ending adventure!

98. Adventure 098

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail, any work professionally associated with it, nor any pop culture or classical references. All original plots and characters are mine.

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In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with Magic found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, Magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, Magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name...is Fairy Tail.

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PREVIOUSLY, on Fairy Adventure:

"What!"

"You heard correctly. You've both been assigned to this mission starting now."

"Five students were murdered on their spring half-term holiday. All of them were students of Deutzia Falls High School."

'Someone knows something. And they're going to talk.'

'The sergeant got a positive EMR, but it didn't tick off Magic as the Ether source. And he's hiding it.'

"And if my theory about a Curse being used is right, this will make the murderer nervous they're about to be found out. And a murderer this elusive will make damn sure they kill every loose end."

"Luke… What's out there?"

"It's…familiar to me."

"Can you…smell that?"

"Smell what?"

"It smelled like…rot and mold…and…"

"'And'?"

"Death."

---

The hotel offered a decent breakfast bar. It was not gourmet, but it was decent enough. Daylight was out and about now that March had rolled in like a lion, but there were not too many tenants of the hotel to take up the small restaurant space the hotel provided for meals. A big, bearded man had loaded up on eggs and bacon while he listened to sports highlights. A few people who had stopped in the hotel on their road trip had come with their kids in pajamas as they sleepily grabbed plates. Some new ham was being swapped out for the old.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Hotel Seed

North Bluemink

Fiore, Ishgar

7:30 AM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale and Luke had come downstairs for breakfast, showered and fresh, though Luke was a little more subdued. It took Gale nudging him for him to pick up a plate and with their appetites normally the same, it was concerning when Luke had half a plate of breakfast while Gale had two plates full of food.

Gale dug into his eggs and grits while Luke picked at his biscuit and ate like a bird. Gale finished his mouthful to look at Luke's somber expression to his food then back to him. "Eating that slow would have you starve at my house. Livy, Dad, and I duke it out for our food," he jested.

Luke sighed, but he said nothing.

Gale stopped eating. He murmured low, "Is this about last night?" He shifted when Luke stiffened. "Luke, it's nothing—"

"It's not 'nothing'," Luke whispered, ashamed. "I told you. I'm not in control." He put down his picked-apart biscuit. "I should tell Master you should take this case alone. I should go home. I shouldn't be around people—"

"Luke, you're a—" Gale lowered his voice so only Luke could hear it. "You're not some monster from a Mary Shelley novel. You're just not human. I'm not exactly human either. But that doesn't mean we should lock ourselves away."

"That's easy for you to say," Luke accused, turning his head away. "You're in control, Gale, but I'm…I'm not in control. I could've hurt someone last night or ran off or done something worse. You don't know what it's like to keep being afraid you'll turn into something you can't control, okay?" He pushed up his glasses. "You don't know what it's like."

Gale sighed and set down his silverware. "I was going to attack your sister."

That got Luke's alarmed tension, and he whipped his head to stare at Gale. "What?"

"Not any time recently," Gale put to bed when he smelled spicy anger. "This was back in December at the Snow Ball." His eyes dropped as his elbow clattered onto the table and he combed through his hair. "She confessed to me, but I got keyed up and I couldn't control myself. I know my body was going to attack her." It punched him in the gut when he remembered that horrible scent of Luna's fear. "I was going to…"

Shame twisted in him like a knife. "I was furious and desperate that I couldn't think straight. I would've attacked her. I would've…" He closed his eyes. "I would've Marked her."

Luke's hands clenched until his knuckles turned white. "You would have done that to her? Attacked her like that?" A dangerous whisper.

"I was out of control, but that isn't an excuse." Gale let out a long breath. "I know what I did was wrong. Blowing up at her, turning on her, thinking about…doing that to her… None of that was right. It's why…" An uncomfortable shift. "It's why I'm in therapy, all right? I don't want to ever get that point again with anyone—especially Blondie. It's why Igneel never wanted me around her. He knows I was fucked in the head."

He clenched a hand. "And it's why…I know Blondie and I are better off friends until we get our shit together." He lifted his eyes so steady rubies clashed with honeyed ambers. "So, yeah. I know exactly what it feels to be afraid of your own skin."

Luke was unreadable as he stared at Gale. "Igneel might kill you when he comes home."

"I know." Gale held Luke's gaze. "I'm not going to run from it." He leaned in to murmur, "I know it's different, but it's also not between us. At the bare minimum, we're working with material we've never dealt with before and we have to be careful. That's all there is."

Luke shook his head. "I ran yesterday. I couldn't control it, Gale, I just…"

"It was your instincts." Gale's eyes fell a little. "I know that's like." If Sycaña hadn't stopped me when Blondie ran from me… He tried not to think about it. "But right now, those instincts are going to help us crack this case."

"How?" Luke questioned, despaired. "If I can't control myself, how will this help the case?"

"When your spidey senses start tingling, we'll know we're on the right track. And as for control…" Gale thought about it for a moment. "We'll have to figure it out as we go," he said, honest. "I know that's not the answer you want, but that's the best we can do. I mean, what did you do when Igneel got too hard to handle?"

"Figured it out on a case-by-case basis," Luke murmured. "But I'm not Igneel."

"And thank god you're not because I only have so much body to be abused and so many Dragneels to be afraid of," Gale muttered. "I can't promise you that you won't lose control, but if we stick together, I'll make sure you get back in control, all right? Whatever it takes."

Luke took a deep breath and nodded. "Right. Whatever it takes." He forked in some eggs. "We're starting at the school this morning, then the assembly, and then the parents, right? Did Genius find out anything from the CID?"

"Nada," Gale replied. "But I have a feeling they think the trail is stale." He shoveled in more food. "Luckily, we were hired, and the scent is still hot. We can handle this. We just need to ask the right questions."

Luke hummed and offered Gale a curious look that turned into a chuckle.

Gale glanced at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Luke shook his head. "I'm just reveling how nice it is to talk to you like this because once Igneel comes home, he's going to make sure you can't speak for a week or two after you tried things like that on Lu." He grinned. "But I'll make sure to speak kindly of you at your funeral."

Gale shot him a sour look. "Y'know, for someone that's supposed to be so Zen and nerdy, you have a sick, sadistic side." And he grumpily took another bite of his breakfast.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Itsu datte kimi no sono-te wa

Itsu demo sekai o kae reru yo

Tsudzukete ku koto yamecha dame datte

Kon'na mon janaidaro? Susume!

•

Mukuwarenai sono doryoku wa `kabe' o `tobira' ni kaerukara

Kowagarazu ni sa~a nokku shite

It will be OK

Let's go sonosakihe

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

KINKON… KINKON…

The bell had rung as students waiting in the cafeteria fled with their friends to seep into the halls. Early morning chemistry let out and early morning practices dissolved as students rushed to clean up, clean off, and get to their first-period class. A group of band friends was groaning about their orchestra competition coming up. A few rugby players were excited about their D&C game tonight. A couple did not care that their PDA grossed out their peers as they made out in the middle of the hallway.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Deutzia Falls High School

Deutzia Falls

Fiore, Ishgar

9:00 AM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The guidance counselor's office was about the size of a bedroom that was from a one-bedroom apartment. It was obvious the guidance counselor was doing her best to handle all these students alone and tried to make her office comforting and resourceful with pamphlets of expansive future options, motivational posters, and a comfy chair for students. Gale had popped out a Lacrima Recorder to set on the desk with mugs of water provided for them. It was decided Luke was the kinder one between the two and he would sit behind the desk while Gale lurked by the window.

Luke was also the chosen one to offer the opening spiel to everyone who came into the office for interrogation. He offered a kind smile. "Hello. I'm Luke and this is Gale, my partner. We're both Wizards from Fairy Tail and we came today to ask you a few questions about the unfortunate victims. If any of this becomes too much for you, please don't feel afraid to say so. We don't want you to feel overwhelmed, but anything you can provide us about the students will help."

"And we suggest you tell the truth," Gale would occasionally drawl as he leaned onto the windowsill with his arms crossed. In comparison to Luke's bright elf-like look with his light greens and blues, Gale certainly looked like the bad cop drenched in black with his black bandana headband. "We're both aware that the CID brought you in for voluntary questioning, and we're sure you answered as best as you could, but we'll be asking some different questions. And you being honest would help your friends rest in peace a lot easier."

Luke sighed and shot him an exasperated look. "Gale," he whispered, "please have some tact. This is a delicate situation."

"Oh, for sure it is," Gale agreed with a casual nod of his head. "But we need answers. And we can't afford to putz around and hope that these people tell the truth. The victims deserve justice and anyone who wants to lie is an accomplice in their murder."

"He doesn't mean that," Luke quickly assured. "But he does bring up a point I want to make. While we can't hold you under oath, I'd like to remind you we are Wizards." He adjusted his glasses. "It's very easy for us to cast a Compulsion Spell or a Truth Spell. It's unprecedented and frowned upon and not something we will do, but we can tell if you're lying. So if you wouldn't mind, please answer every question to the best of your ability. You have the right to remain silent on questions you don't want to answer—"

"But it makes you look awfully fuckin' guilty when you whip out that right," Gale grunted. He tossed an exasperated Luke an innocent shrug. "It's true. It makes you look guilty."

Luke gave a long-suffering sigh. "I apologize for my partner. He's not, um…the most eloquent or tactful with his words, but he means well and he feels as strongly about solving this case as I do," he assured. "There's no time limit and nothing is too out of bounds or off the table. If anything comes to you, please feel free to speak your mind. This is a safe space—"

Gale smothered his laugh as a rough cough when Luke straightened, closed his eyes, and took a deep, cleansing breath.

"This is a safe space," Luke stressed, "for you to air out your grief." Honeyed amber softened. "I'm sure these days have been difficult for you. Death is never easy and death of a loved one or an admired one is even harder. So, please, don't hold back if you feel emotional. We're here to listen. And if you're ready…"—he hovered his button over the ⟪ Record ⟫ button—"we'll start now."

CLICK!

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 098

•

A Man of the Crowd

•

群衆に溶け込む男。時間がなくなっています。

•

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luke asked, "If you wouldn't mind me asking, how did you know the deceased?"

The student on the other side of him was a braced and freckled pale girl with long hair and expressive eyes. She answered comfortably, "I was on the cross-country team with all five of them. They were pretty supportive of the team and a good group of people. And I was on track and field with one of them." She shook her head. "It's so fucked up what happened to them, y'know? None of them deserved it."

"What do you mean like that?"

"Like, I don't know." She exhaled. "I guess I just mean no one deserves to get murdered, y'know, but they weren't bad people. They were good people. I wasn't close to them, but they all seemed like they were good friends to people, I don't know. It just sucks it happened."

At one point, Luke had clasped his hands on top of the desk. "Did you notice any of them acting strange up until spring half-term? Anything out of place? Maybe they were skipping classes more or maybe they were having external troubles."

"No." A math teacher had answered this question. He was a dull sort of person—not to say math teachers were dull—with thinning hair, a polo shirt, and slacks. "No, I didn't notice anything wrong with them the entire time I had had them for class. They were good students. They fell in the average range, but it was nothing too worrying. At least I don't think they had any problems."

Gale had taken over and had asked a question of his own. "How does everyone else like them? They look like they were pretty popular. Did they have an entourage or hater or anything like that?"

"No, no, they were really cool." A fellow senior on the lacrosse team had come in with his varsity jacket and class ring (yes, he was one of those people). "I don't know. Popular crowds and stuff feels like something you see about US sitcoms or something. Nah, they pretty much floated anywhere. We'd go to parties at North Blue and we never had problems." He thought about it and cracked a chuckle. "I guess it was a pretty big upset to Sandy's fan club when she and Nai started dating, though. Man." He shook his head in amusement. "He was such a lucky guy."

"Why was he such a lucky guy?" Gale wanted to know.

The senior shrugged. "I don't know. Look, Sandy was pretty top-tier here for girls to date. She was nice to everyone, and she's sporty and talented. Out of all the five, she was the one everyone wanted to be friends with or date the most. Plus, she's hot. So, yeah, people were jealous of Nai when he scored Sandy. Who wouldn't be? But it's not like it was enough to murder him. They were a good couple and Nai was pretty chill, so it wasn't like he was a dick or something."

Luke took over. "When the victims skipped classes, did they go anywhere?"

A "skater boy" had been the next on the docket with his "drug rug" poncho and laid-back voice. "Mmm, a few times, some of us would hit the falls for a dab and Duke would hot box. I don't know. They'd post on their stories sometimes that they went over for North Blue to the Commons or something, but it wasn't major." He sat forward. "That whole weed thing isn't on the record, right? My mom would kill me if she found out."

"Miss Cassie Rohrbough was a favorite student of yours and she was said to spend a lot of time in your classroom with other art students," Gale mentioned in passing. "Did she ever confide in you about any troubles she was having?"

The art teacher was a doll of a person with a small star tattoo on their temple and looked like they stepped fashionably out from the Minstrish disco era. "She'd mention little problems to me, like which teachers annoyed her and stuff and basic drama I get from all the art students who come to my room during their free periods. She didn't really talk about her family unless it was something funny or about some international trip they did." He tapped his chin. "Though, we did have an hour-long conversation about how she could be ace…"

Luke questioned, "Do you know what the relationship was like between the deceased? They were close friends, of course, and we know that Nai and Sandy were dating, but…"

"They were always together." An overemotional redhead was in the office with a gaggle of tissues in her hand and her eyes red-rimmed. "They'd do everything together. Th-They were s-s-such good friends—!" She blew her snot into a tissue.

Gale grimaced, disgusted, while Luke subtly passed the tissue box to her.

Gale asked, "Anything about them change within the last year? Anything about them stand out to you more within the last year?"

"No, no really," a spoiled sophomore girl on the basketball team replied. "I don't know." She checked her nails. "You should really check their SNS. They posted on there a lot. I don't know why you haven't yet."

"That's a good idea," Luke realized. "Would you mind writing down their usernames for the social media stuff? We'd really appreciate it." He passed her a cluster of sticky notes and a pen.

She took out her Compact and jotted down the information. "This should be all their Instas and Snaps and Twits." She passed Luke three sticky notes. "Here, and, um…" She scribbled something down and offered it to him with a sly smile. "This is for you."

"Thank you." Luke took it, but he was confused when he saw what was written on it. "But…this is a Com number…"

"It's mine." She purred, "Are you, like…with anyone or something?" She cocked her head in interest. "Your smile is pretty cute. And those glasses make you hot. Are they real?"

Gale choked back a laugh while Luke flushed and shakily adjusted his glasses. After clearing his throat, he barely got out, "Th-Thank you for joining us today. If that's all…"

"Sorry. That's all I have about them. But, um…" She leaned forward whispered salaciously to Luke, "I'm free after fifth."

Luke blushed to the roots of his hair and looked like he was about to have an anxiety attack. "O-Oh, um… Th-That's…nice?" He shrunk when she leaned in closer.

"He'll come find you if he's free," Gale told her as he tried not to cackle. Better put the poor prince out of his misery. "Don't worry." He winked. "He's got your digits. He'll text you."

She giggled and wiggled her fingers at Luke. "Bye." With a sway of her hips, she left the office and shut the door after a kittenish look at Luke.

Luke sagged as he covered his red face. "I want to go home," he mumbled. "This is a nightmare."

"That's, like, the fifth time some girl is asking if you're available," Gale guffawed with a clap. "This shit is hilarious. The nerd has some magnetism. Dayum, who would've guessed?" He got up to slap Luke on the back and took pity the Demon Prince looked so out of sorts. "Relax, man, we'll be leaving soon, anyway. And you'll leave a trail of broken hearts in your wake."

Luke sighed. "I'd rather not leave a trail at all." He stopped the recording. "I feel like we're not getting anything useful from all the questions." He looked at the social media handles and frowned. "Don't you have to make an account for some of these?"

"Of course the nerd wouldn't have social media. Gimme those." Gale stole the sticky notes and got out of his Compact. "Jesus. Get your head out of a book for once and look up, Dragneel."

Luke sniffed. "There's nothing wrong with studying."

"No, but there's something wrong if you can flirt with two-dimensional girls but three-D girls suddenly give you a goddamn asthma attack." Gale sat on the desk as he scrolled through the first account.

Luke froze. Then he sulked. "I can't believe Lu told you. I paid her in milkshakes."

"Told me what?" Gale absently asked.

"Nothing." Luke cleared his throat. "Are you finding anything?"

Gale raised his eyebrows when he saw a quick video of the female victims who snuck into some bar with drinks sloshed around while they blew kisses at the camera in less-than-conservative clothing. "Yeah. Dude wasn't joking that Sandy is hot." He winced when Luke looked at him murderously. "I'm totally in love with your sister. But hot is hot."

"You disgust me," Luke muttered.

Gale heavily rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me, Bishop, for thinking people are attractive. For the record, Blondie drools a lot of guys, okay, and I have to suck it up and deal with it. Especially when she fangirls over fuckin' Aaron Gray, the stupid werewolf."

"I think he has an interesting character arc." Luke offered a sheepish smile when Gale raised an eyebrow. "Lu and Nashi made Igneel and I watch the entire series. It's not historically accurate, but some of the character arcs make it redeemable. Igneel like the vampire portrayal of that one girl." He made a face. "But I think it was because she reminded him of Mary Jane."

Gale snorted and kept scrolling with an arm crossed. "Totally fucking with him for that when he's back." He reached for one of the suckers the counselor kept in a mason jar and decided to help himself. As he popped in the sucker, something struck him as odd. This is weird… He checked the next handle and tried that account and scrolled. All right, we're two for oh. He went to the third, fourth, and fifth accounts. "Hey. I think I'm seeing something funky."

Luke maneuvered his head when Gale lowered the Compact to see. "What is it?"

"It looks like on all their accounts, they pretty much hashtag shit TBT Tuesday, Rewind Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, or I-Forgot-About-This Friday." Gale's face went flat when he saw Luke's confusion. "The fact that you don't know what these hashtags are is so sad to me."

"Please get on with it," Luke insisted, not in the mood.

"It looks like a bunch of these videos and pictures they all post came from the past," Gale reiterated. "They still get tagged in photos and videos with other people, but it's nothing that they post on their stuff." He switched to Twit and searched for the handles. "But it looks like they were pretty active on Twit." He scrolled through one of their accounts. "I'm not seeing much deviation…"

"Can I see it?"

"Sure."

Luke took hold of the Compact and gripped his frames. "Gale-Force Mode: Activate!" He scrolled fast through the feed as words blew past him and he absorbed them all. He fell into the spell for two minutes before he stopped and deactivated Gale-Force. "I scrolled back as far as one and half years ago and there's something that I think we need Genius to check out."

"What's up?"

"I think we need to scan their social media for words they say," Luke reasoned.

It hit Gale. "You're thinking back to Misses Benson and the whole thing that started a year ago and her Shadow Cat. What are you thinking about the case?"

"I don't know, but for a Shadow Cat to get upset every time the victims were in the cabin and it showed up a year ago around the time they started renting out the cabin makes me suspicious of something," Luke said as he handed back Gale's Compact. "I want to send all this to Genius and get the parents' permission to get data from their kids' PALs and Compacts too to check over for any sort of words they use or anything."

"Except that the CID probably confiscated Coms and PALs already," Gale pointed out. "We'll have to work with what we've got." He jumped off the desk to twirl the sucker in his mouth. "It just feels weird, doesn't it? They rented the cabin last spring half-term, and it becomes their place to go. Their visual social media accounts are mainly throwbacks. And then your power trip." He went back to sit on the windowsill. "Something strange went down."

"Should we gear the questions to a year ago?"

"We'd have to be specific to start jogging memories and we're on limited time as is," Gale noted. "The murderer is probably getting antsy. And if the murderer has a personal vendetta against these kids, they might be a high schooler here. We can't linger too much with interrogations unless we want the murderer to wizen up and escape."

Luke sighed. "Right."

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Samantha peeked in with a smile. "Ready for the next one?"

"Send 'em in," Gale called. "We're ready."

"Right." Luke hovered his finger over the ⟪ Record ⟫ button. "We're ready."

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

And so…

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luke sat back in his chair while Gale cracked his back when the last teacher left the office. Exhaustion set into them from all the questions, emotional outbursts, random wandering conversations, and Luke's near-death by embarrassment when a few other girls and one boy had taken their chance with him and Gale had to speak on his behalf while he tried to figure how to speak and breathe.

Gale plopped down in the seat across from Luke as he sent an email. "Genius said the data reaping shouldn't take him too long since their social media accounts aren't all too deep, but it'll still take until the end of the day." He threw his Compact on the desk once he was done and sank into the chair. "Man, that was brutal."

"But we did get some good information," Luke supposed. "When we shifted gears and started asking vague but specific questions, we learned a little more than I thought." His eyes darkened. "It looks like, from what the students said, during summer break last year, the victims spent a lot of time at the cabin and with each other. They socialized enough that it didn't really seem mentionable, but when we asked the right questions, they talked."

"So that whole thing about a year ago actually did make a difference," Gale murmured. "I bet the CID missed that. They would've ignored a Shadow Cat. Falls under the 'Magic' category." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "But how do we make a connection?"

"I'm not sure," Luke breathed. "But it has to mean something." Ever since a year ago, the victims spent more time together than ever. The Shadow Cat sensed something off and my powers acted up outside. But I would've sensed if a Curse or Black Magic was cast in the house, right? How does all this add up to now?

He blinked up when Cullen slipped through the cracks. "Did you find them?"

Cullen nodded.

Gale sat up. "Find who?"

"Yesterday, when Principal Vasquez gave me a tour of the school, I sensed someone was following me," Luke confided. "I could smell their guilt and fear and nervousness which made me suspicious they knew something critical. I sent Cullen to track them down, and I did it again today."

Gale cocked up an eyebrow. "Going hunting, are we? Lure out the shy person by being all alone and approachable?"

"Exactly." Luke nodded. "If they're too nervous, I can use my Zen Magic to set them at ease."

"Shit, if you were in better control of your powers, you could seduce them into speaking," Gale chuckled. He saw Luke's discomfort and amended, "Sorry. Tasteless joke. Happy hunting. Keep your Com reporting the entire time."

Luke got up. "Will do."

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK.

Samantha peeked in again with a smile. "Looks like you two have wrapped up the one-on-ones," she noted. "The afternoon assembly should be taking place within the next period after lunch if you two want to eat before then."

"Since my partner beat me to it, could I ask for a tour of the school?" Gale requested as he got up. "I want to make sure all our bases are covered while Luke goes out to get us some lunch."

"Most certainly," Samantha enthused. "With most of the students in the cafeteria, a tour will be easier." She nodded at Luke. "It was nice to meet you, Mister Dragneel. I'll see you at the assembly."

"You too, Principal Vasquez," Luke farewelled.

As Gale and Samantha left, Luke took out his Compact and made sure it was voice recording. With everyone in the cafeteria, it'll make things easier for me to lure them out. Igneel was always better than me at setting traps. He took a deep breath. I'll have to play it by ear. He pocketed the Lacrima Recording before he headed out. Empty hallways greeted him with his ears pricked to the noisy cafeteria. He closed his eyes and sensed around him.

If I focus on my breathing and tone down the white noise…I can hear a heartbeat close to me. Five… No, ten feet away. Their heart is beating…hold on…around one-thirteen a minute. Their breathing is shuttered and audible. Their anxiety and fear are strong. I can scent it without any wind and just the natural draft of the school. Their fear smells…—he licked his lips—delicious…

Luke rolled his head around before he opened his eyes and a faint spark of red was in those honeyed ambers. Well then. His eyes cut down the hall. Time to hunt.

He wandered down the empty halls like a tourist and stopped at every poster and trophy case that came along the way. No one seemed to walk the halls, no teachers or students or other staff. He made a show of stopping for water and looking as innocent as can be, but he was aware that Cullen was in range and keeping watch.

Those footsteps are falling a hallway away. I can get a better sense of the vīrya now. Yes, they're nervous and guilty. Now I just need to close myself in. He blinked when he saw a small hallway that was darkened with a few lockers and held a glass case to display more academic awards. This will work. He wandered into the small hallway and decided to go all the way up to the glass case.

His ears pricked.

KAN… KAN…

Honeyed ambers glinted in red focused on the reflection of the glass. They're waiting. Time for a push.

He pushed up his glasses. "Would you like to join me?" The murmured felt sweetened and delicate. "Please do. I'm not familiar with this school." His glasses glinted. "I could use some help."

Silence.

Then…

KAN… KAN… KAN… KAN… KAN…

Quivering lips. "H-H-Hi."

Luke looked to the side and down to see a small girl was at his side with thick glasses, straight bangs, and twin ponytails. Her Poko sweater was cute in some circles and a faint blush rocked her cheeks. An expression passed through Luke's face. So she's the one hiding something. "Hi." He looked back at the glass case. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Luke."

"I-I know." She fidgeted as her eyes went up to him then away. "You're actually o-o-one of my favorite Mages…"

⌜DEUTZIA FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Name: Kasane Randolf

Age: 16

Occupation: part-time librarian

Likes: reading webtoons Dislikes: socializing

Special Note: Kasane might be an introvert, but she loves Poko just as much as Luna!⌟

Luke smiled, bashful. "I'm not really that much. I'm sorry to disappoint."

"No way! You're seriously so cool!" Kasane blurted as more red expunged onto her cheeks. She toyed with her sweater. "I'm not that much for fighting, so it's nice to see a Mage who takes their studies seriously. And you get to study under the Mystogan Fernandes. You're seriously really…"—she swallowed—"really cool…"

Luke's nostrils flared. Lust. Interest. More red glinted in his eyes as the roots of his hair darkened. Interesting.

He kept up his shy smile and said, "Thank you. I never think people notice me since my family is a lot more over-the-top than me." He rubbed his neck as though embarrassed. "Sorry. No one's ever called me 'cool' outside my little sister. Pretty lame, huh?"

"Mm-mm." Kasane shook her head as she fingered her sweater. "It's not. I don't think I'm ever called 'cool' either except by my mom, so I totally get how you feel. It's…not easy being cool when you're really into reading and studying."

"No, it isn't." Luke's voice had taken a light tone like a snake in the grass, careful with its sighted prey. "But I'm glad about who I am. I don't really like parties or going out. There are always too many people and I never know what to say. So I usually go and hide somewhere."

"M-M-Me too!" Kasane said. "It's so awkward, right? Except I'm lame and don't get invited out to a lot of places." She looked down at the ground. "T-To be honest, my friend and I used to hang out a lot together. Well…until he dropped out at least."

"I'm so sorry," Luke sympathized. "That must've been hard when he dropped out." He shifted, and his hand brushed hers. "Is your friend okay?"

Kasane focused on how close their hands were. "I don't know," she confessed. "We stopped talking last year and I haven't seen him since. We did Quiz Bowl Team together, though, and it was, um, a lot of fun."

"It does sound fun." A smile with fang. "I'm a little jealous. I've always wanted to do quiz bowl, but other things got in the way, so I never got the chance. You guys must've had a lot of fun. It must've been great."

Kasane nodded as more red touched her face. "It was," she whispered. "I'm still on the team, but it's not the same anymore." She glanced at Luke's profile and admired it. He's really handsome… She fidgeted. And he's in my school… This is like a dream come true…

"I'm sure your friend made it fun for you," Luke presumed. "If it's okay…could I ask what happened to your friend?"

"O-Oh, um…" Kasane fidgeted some more. "Um… Well…"

"It's okay if it's private."

Kasane felt gentle fingers on her chin and her head tilted upwards. Her stare collided with hypnotic swirls of amber and red.

"It can be our little secret," Luke whispered. "Is it okay? If we have a secret?"

A daze came over Kasane like when you were in the zone while working that everything around you was blocked off and you could only focus on one thing.

"I could tell you a secret too," Luke offered. The pinks of his hair darkened as black grew from his roots and spread down his locks. "We can exchange secrets, so it's fair between us. Would that be okay, miss?"

Kasane hummed her confirmation. He's really…pretty… Her eyes glossed over.

"What happened to your friend, miss?" Luke asked, timbre airy and spellbinding.

The words rolled out of Kasane's lips without her even questioning it. "Last year, he told me he was going up to the cabin with those people who died. But then, after spring half-term, he texted me he quit school and left."

"Did he now?" Luke's fingers traipsed down to the pulse on her neck. "Was your friend a friend to the victims?"

"Not really, Kasane answered. "That Sandy girl was nice to us and my friend really liked her. And all her friends were nice to us too. My friend always talked about how he hung out with them, but he never invited me with them."

"I would've invited you, miss." The words strung together in such a mesmerizing tone thick with charm that you could not dismiss. "Miss, did your friend have any issues? Did he sweat often?"

"Yes, he sweated a lot," Kasane dazedly replied. "He brought wipes with him all of the time, but no one wanted to talk to him because he was always sweaty and people said he smelled bad."

"Was he a diabetic?"

"Yes."

Luke tilted up his chin with a sweet smile. "Miss, can you show me who was your friend?"

"Yes." Kasane looked at the glass case and pointed. "There. That's my friend."

Luke took a look at the photo she had pointed at. He saw the quiz bowl team, a small group of bashful people who looked proud of their accomplishments. He saw Kasane, who shot the camera a shy smile. But he saw a large fellow next to her at the end of the photo. He smiled brightly to show his braces and looked pudgy in the stomach with some obvious underarm stains, but he looked happy to be there.

This is our suspect. Luke's eyes darkened. We have a lead. He turned to Kasane with an easy smile. "Thank you, miss. You've been very helpful to me." He dropped his hand as a cold look wound up on his face and his eyes flashed red. "Leave. And don't speak to anyone about this."

"Okay." Kasane drifted away like she was caught in a daydream.

Luke turned back to the glass case as satisfaction rolled inside him. That was easier than I thought. He rolled his head. This power is a lot more useful than I thought. His eyes swirled with madness as a crooked grin dragged across his face. What else can I do?

A shadowed hand landed on his shoulder.

The shock was enough that honeyed ambers blew back into Luke's eyes and his hair snapped back to pink. A fogginess overcame his head, and he tried to blink it away. "C-Cullen?" He fixed his glasses as the Shadower stood at his side. "Oh. Thanks for being back-up."

He tried to keep back his fear. I could feel it. It was that darkness again. It was like this madness inside me. It crept out. I have to keep in control. I can't hurt another person. I won't. A deep inhale. A deep exhale. But Gale's right. Something good came out of being out of control.

Luke focused on the picture. We've found our prime suspect.

°•°•°•°

The assembly in the main gymnasium was blacked out with many students wearing black in some way, shape, or form. The staff and faculty had worn black as well to this event. The marching band had filled their stands and were playing Dancing in the Sky with the trombones and baritones taking over for the melody. A small stage with a microphone and stand had been set up, and projections would be shot on either side of the gymnasium for all to hear.

As Samantha got up to the podium at the end of Dancing in the Sky, Gale and Luke slipped into the gym before the doors could close and stuck close to the side of the stands. Luke wanted a good look, but Gale was content leaning against the stands.

Principal Vasquez addressed: "Good afternoon to all students, staff, and faculty of Deutzia Falls. Standing before you today as most of you wear black is an emotional moment for me and I'm sure for all of you. For today, we are here in honor of five students of this very school who have unfortunately passed away as of the previous weekend. We are here today in honor of Cassandra Rohrbough."

The screens projected a collage photo of a strong girl who wore her dirty blonde hair in a high ponytail most of the time with vibrant green eyes and freckles that came out in the sun.

"We are here today in honor of Daniel Fryberg."

The next collage featured a barrel-chested young man with shoulder-length ratty hair and a cheesy smile on his face.

"We are here today in honor of Duke McCannon."

Another collage was projected of a tanned senior with pearly whites, pierced ears, and wavy locks.

"We are here today in honor of Nai Xiao."

The next college was a Zhōnguánese-Fioren young man with crescent eyes, short hair, and a cut at the corner of one eyebrow.

"And we are here in honor of Sandrine Roster."

The collage of Sandy was of a quaint, brown-skinned girl with a button nose, large eyes, and thick lashes.

Principal Vasquez continued: "Each and every one of these students was loyal, dedicated, and true until the very end. They represented this high school with their compassion, their care, and their kindness, and we are privileged to have called them students of Deutzia Falls High School."

She shifted her stance. "Today, friends of our fallen students have gathered to share stories and words of wisdom they learned from them. Today, we will sit and reflect on the impact these five students had in our lives. And today, we will grieve for their loss and hope that they find happiness beyond here. At the end of the eulogies, our local priest has come to perform a ceremony. We invite you to stay, but we do not force you to and you may return to your next class."

She held out an arm. "Let us invite our first speakers…"

Gale murmured to Luke, "I can't believe an entire school is holding a wake."

"We were told repeatedly they were popular," Luke reasoned.

"Yeah, but this is fucking ridiculous." Gale settled in for a long event. He jerked his head at Luke. "Has Genius message back about the suspect and information?"

"Not yet. He should soon." Luke scratched his arm and watched the first speakers, who all came from the cross-country team. He scanned the chairs on the side before closing in on Gale and whispering, "Look over there, on the right. Those are the parents."

Gale craned his head to see five sets of parents doused in black as they wore heart pins. "Are you sure we should do a group interview?"

"Positive," Luke affirmed. "It'll be better to have them collectively together, especially with their grief. It's unorthodox, but I think we'll get better results this way."

Gale heaved a sigh with his whole chest and shoulders. "Welp, we'll do with it."

He leaned his head against one of the bars. The air is thick with sadness. Makes my mouth feel heavy. He exhaled out of his nose. I don't know how we're supposed to connect the dots between the murder and a year ago, but there has to be a connection we're missing. The girl told Luke her friend bragged about hanging out with the victims, but that friend hasn't been mentioned once in all the interviews. And he drops out of school after going with them to the cabin. If he was the murderer, was this revenge-killing? The girl said her friend liked Sandy and she was dating Nai. Was this a crime of passion? But why plot an entire year for a murder? Was he trying to get himself out of the public eye to commit it so no one ever saw it coming?

He threaded his hands through his hair. Damn. I feel like shit's about to be more complicated than we wanted.

°•°•°•°

The restaurant had a lunch rush, believe it or not. Granted, the lunch rush consisted of elderly folks and business people who adored the homey feelings and were regulars to the waitresses who knew they had borrowed time. A three-year-old was giving lip to his mother as he did not want to eat his carrots. A late waitress scurried in while the manager looked on the cusp of firing her if they were not already short-staffed.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Barbara's Restaurant

Deutzia Falls

Fiore, Ishgar

1:41 PM EST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale and Luke settled at the counter again for their lunch with two plates each. Gale had settled for a mid-day beer for lunch and ordered a cocktail for Luke over his protests tea was fine. Now he was stuck precariously sipping his drink and halfway done with his water.

"Is it a good idea to be drinking in the middle of the day?" Luke shot his barely touched cocktail a look of disapproval. "We still have more questioning and it would be bad if they smelled alcohol on us."

"I'll pop in some gum," Gale said flatly. "Luke, how many drinks do you think it actually takes for us to get tipsy, let alone drunk?"

Luke opened his mouth, but then he thought about the answer. "You and Igneel make impossible arguments," he mumbled.

"No. We make good arguments."

"Agree to disagree." Luke inhaled more of his lunch when he saw his Compact had lit up. He abandoned his plate and attend to the email. "It's from Genius. He has information about the friend." He opened the email and scanned the contents. "He confirmed what the girl said. The student is Henry Marvelo. Had he had stayed in school, he would be a junior right now. He lived with his mom in a rundown trailer park."

"Anything on the mom?"

"She's been out of work for a year," Luke remarked as he read the file. "And she's been on government assistance since then. Henry hasn't enrolled in another school and it's listed he's unemployed."

"Doesn't eradicate under-the-table work," Gale murmured. "Anything else? Medical records? Anything?"

"No medical records since he never went to a doctor," Luke sighed, disappointed. "And the public pictures of him outside the quiz bowl are limited. But he's not in any photo with the five students." His brow furrowed. "Hold on… It does look like he was taken into the ED when he was a kid, but he was released. The clinical notes state nothing much outside that he came in for an accident."

Gale thoughtfully chewed on his food and swallowed. "It can't hurt to stop by the trailer park. This is pretty much the only lead anyone on this case has." He eyed a contemplative Luke. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking it's strange that there aren't even vaccination records, but the mother doesn't belong to a religious denomination," Luke said. "And the compulsory school age is seventeen. Legally, he couldn't have been out of school for a year unless there was a medical reason, which doesn't exist here. He could've applied for a work permit, of course, to be exempt from the CSA if he could have proof of financial trouble, which his family has, but he's registered as unemployed. His address isn't the same as his mother's and says he lives with a guardian."

Gale had to agree with everything said. "You think we have a case of a runaway? Broken up family? CPS?"

"Maybe," Luke murmured, unconvinced.

"We'll visit the mom at the trailer park after we do the parent interview and see what we can find out through there," Gale assured. "I told you the case doesn't smell right, and this could be why. But we still have to connect everything back to a year ago."

"Hey, I found something in the clinical notes," Luke said. "It looks like there was a consultation to children's psychiatry listed here with a Com-number. But it doesn't say much after that." He frowned in thought. "The girl said Henry was always saying he was friends with the victims. You could take that as he mistook their niceness for something else or…"—he looked at Gale—"you could take that as he was delusional."

Gale offered him a cautious look. "That's a big buzzword to throw around."

"I know. But the consultation order in the clinical notes had me think of it," Luke reasoned. He sighed. "But, then again, delusional disorder isn't anything that happens to someone our age. It's rare. But it could be a motive to revenge killing."

"It could," Gale slightly agreed, "but we'd have to prove that which will be difficult enough to do without a psychological evaluation. Even with him as a suspect, we still don't know how this all ties in with the weird behavior from the victims this past year." He nudged a downtrodden Luke. "Hey. A lead is a lead, and a theory is a theory. We'll figure out how this connects." He pointed his fork at the sophomore picture of Henry Marvel. "Starting with the victims and ending with their killer."

"Right." Luke studied the picture before he decided on drinking his water. "The killer…"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The neighborhood was one of those developments with the nice houses that came from money and they looked nice and felt like, but corners had been cut unless you were there for the duration of the construction. You would come here for Hallow's Eve and most of the "cool" parties ended up in this development.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Hunter's Lake

Deutzia Falls

Fiore, Ishgar

3:00 PM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luke and Gale were inside a large house that housed a sugar glider, a ball python, and a chunky cat that tried to growl at Gale, but he quickly ran away when Gale slit his eyes and growled back. Luke was none too impressed at the entire affair while Gale preened like a child.

Talk about abuse of power.

The parents had all gathered in the living room while Gale and Luke sat in pulled-over chairs with the Lacrima Recorder on the coffee table. Somber introductions had been made before Gale and Luke were ready to get down to business.

As always, Luke led the conversation. "We both understand this is a difficult time for you, and we apologize for making this even more difficult. But every answer helps give your children justice in a wrongful death. We'll be asking you questions that might seem a little strange or without relevance, but right now, just like you, we're desperately trying to connect the dots on this case with every scrap of information, no matter how far-fetched or small. Hopefully, by the time my partner and I leave here today, we'll be closer to catching the killer and allowing the victims to rest in peace."

Luke gestured to the Lacrima Recorder. "We're taping this entire conversation for our own benefit, but we want to clarify that while you hired us as MPIs, we don't have the jurisdiction to hold you under oath. You're free to talk as little or as much as you please, but we ask that you be honest with us. If it's something you feel like you can't share with the group, we're both comfortable for a discrete interview." His eyes softened. "But no one is here to judge you. I think we're all here just for the sake of justice."

Luke pressed ⟪ Record ⟫. "I'll start with some easy questions." He turned to a skinny black woman with short dreadlocks and an oversized cardigan. "Miss Diane Roster, a lot of students and staff had a lot of positive things to say about your daughter, Sandrine. She was very kind and bright. Do you think you could tell us more about her and her personality? Any relationships?"

"Certainly," Diane sniffed. "My Sandrine was always raised to be kind to everyone she meets, even when if they aren't smiling because she never knows what they're going through. I'm happy everyone else saw her as kind as well."

⌜DEUTZIA FALLS

Name: Diane Roster

Age: 55

Occupation: Accountant

Likes: loaded potato soup Dislikes: loud chewing

Special Note: Diana is a strict budgeter, but even she liked to indulge in fun trips with her daughter!⌟

Tears gathered in Diane's eyes and mothers on both sides of her held onto her in support. "She was always so bright and bubbly. There wasn't a day that went by she wasn't doing something."

"What of her relationship with Nai?" Gale questioned. "Was it a positive one?"

"Of course it was." Diana reached over to pat the thigh of an older Zhōnguánese woman and they shared a sad smile. "We both thought Sandrine and Nai were too young to date when they started dating last year, but they were both so happy that we couldn't help but be happy for them."

Luke asked to all the parents. "Were all your children receptive when Sandrine and Nai started dating?"

"Duke never had an issue with it," one father piped up. He had a little bit of a belly from age, but it was nothing concerning. With his lording height and gentle eyes, he seemed like the kind of man who would never let you down. "At least he never said he did."

⌜DEUTZIA FALLS

Name: Zachariah McCannon

Age: 47

Occupation: Marketing Director

Likes: Wednesday night bible study Dislikes: pencil sharpeners

Special Note: Zachariah is a fantastic golfer—but he does tend to have some tricks up his sleeve!⌟

A mother with thick curly hair and droopy eyes fretted, "Why? Is this something we should be worrying about? Should we have been noticing something going on?"

⌜DEUTZIA FALLS

Name: Molly Rohrbrough

Age: 50

Occupation: Stay-at-home-mom

Likes: flats Dislikes: SUVs

Special Note: Molly might be a SAHM, but she's active in the community and runs a cooking club at the community center!⌟

Luke shook his head. "No. On the contrary, there were no negative things said about any of your children," he assured. "But we all know that family might know things in a different lighting than people outside of family. Sometimes, you might know more and other times, you might know the same as everyone else. I'm happy Sandrine and Nai had a good relationship."

"I wish they hadn't felt the need to hide it from us for so long." The Zhōnguánese woman had said this in a sorrowful tone with gauges in her ear and a few tight wrinkles here and there.

⌜DEUTZIA FALLS

Name: Xiao Ling

Age: 58

Occupation: pottery teacher

Likes: scallops Dislikes: long hair

Special Note: Ling used to play violin competitively until she found her passion in pottery!⌟

"Nai told me they had been dating for a few months until he came forward and told us," Ling said as she held her husband's hand. "I guess he was afraid to tell us. Neither one of us cared who he dated, and we had known Sandrine for a long time."

"Speaking as a teenager, talking to my parents about my relationships is never easy, even though my parents have always been supportive," Gale said. "When did Nai tell you? And when did Sandrine say anything?"

Ling replied, "Nai told us when he let us know he was going on that trip last year."

"To the cabin?" Luke supplied.

Ling nodded. "Yes, it was around that time."

"I think Sandrine told me around that time too," Diane confirmed.

Luke and Gale exchanged a glance. So it was a year ago, just like everything else.

Gale questioned, "Speaking of a year ago and that trip, your kids have been going up to that cabin often within the past year, right? Is there any reason they'd been going to the cabin often? Any problems at home or otherwise?"

"Daniel always told me that they fell in love with the place and liked to spend their weekends there." Mister Fryberg had proclaimed this. He was a stout man with a stout face and thick fingers.

⌜DEUTZIA FALLS

Name: Michael Fryberg

Age: 49

Occupation: Accountant

Likes: rocking chairs Dislikes: puddles

Special Note: Michael always likes to boast he was an elite point guard back in high school!⌟

Molly added, "But then again, there wasn't a day that went by that the kids weren't somewhere or other, remember? They were always in and out of the house. Cassie barely stayed here for a night."

Luke latched onto that. "What do you mean?"

"I think we can all say our kids were pretty much out most of the time," Molly said with nods from the other parents. "They were always active and doing something. I know I personally didn't mind since Cassie normally texted me where she was and where she was sleeping over, but I can't speak for everyone."

"Daniel was the same way," Michael added. "Honestly, I was happy he was out of the house more. Not a day went by when I was a kid that I wasn't outside or sleeping over someone's house."

As the other parents murmured in agreement, Luke asked, "Could you give us some examples of where your children would have gone normally?"

"Duke would tell me if they were going out to eat," Zachariah remembered. He glanced at the other parents. "They normally slept over at teammates' houses, didn't they? Or at least, that's what I'm remembering."

Diane nodded. "Yes, that's what Sandrine said. She was normally off spending the night at a teammate's house." She looked at both boys. "What's this about? I thought we were here to discuss their murder. Why are we talking about things that happened over the year?"

"Do you have a lead?" Ling jumped in, desperately hopeful. "The inspectors didn't ask us these questions."

"Can we ask what the inspectors did ask you?" Luke questioned. "I'm going to assume they asked you about your children's actions leading up to their murder, anything that might have contradicted their normal behavior, if you noticed anyone strange around them…" When he got nods and murmurs of agreement, he sent a glance at Gale. After an approving nod, Luke took the plunge. "Did any of your children meet anyone that they normally wouldn't speak to? Or maybe they had a negative reputation?"

While most of the parents offered their negatives, Diane hesitantly spoke up. "Well, hold on now… Sandrine mentioned there was a young man at the school." Her brow furrowed in confused remembrance. "It was so long ago, though…"

"Please continue," Luke encouraged. "Did she say anything bad about the young man?"

"Oh, no, she didn't," Diane assured. "I can barely remember the conversation. Honestly, it was so far back. Something about him being a little lonely in school. I guess he wasn't popular and only had one friend, but she thought he was nice." She waved her hand. "But that was normal for Sandrine. She always saw the best in everyone." Her eyes fell into worry. "Does that help? Did he murder them?"

"We're trying to come at every angle, ma'am," Gale told her soothingly. "We don't want to give false hope or false allegations towards any person since committing someone as a murderer follows a person around. We're trying to make sure we have every fact available to us so we can catch the right person the first time around. Any conversation, no matter how small, is important from the last year."

All the parents looked deep in thought as they mulled over prior conversations with their children.

Molly cleared her throat. "I think…Cassie might've mentioned the boy Sandy had spoken about," she said, uncomfortable and a tad guilty. "But I'm not that sure. She mentioned a few times about a boy a grade younger that followed their group around at times, but she said he was just a harmless sophomore."

"Did she ever point him out to you?" Luke asked.

Molly shook her head. "No. I think I might've asked her about it, but—"

"I remember something," Diane blurted, shocked by herself. "Molly, I'm so sorry to cut you off—"

"No, please, tell us," Molly insisted with her attention piqued.

Diane's eyes fluttered as she revived the lost memory. "Ling, I think you were there with me. This was at one of the cookouts." She explained to Gale and Luke, "We're neighbors, so we'd have cookouts in our backyards together." She turned to Ling. "Remember when Sandrine was talking about how she got a bouquet and she thought they were from Nai?"

"That's right!" Ling gasped. "I remember that now! But Nai hadn't sent her flowers, so we said she had a secret admirer or something."

Diane turned to Gale and Luke. "Did the person who sent her flowers kill them? Is that what this is about?"

"We're still unsure if this was a crime of passion or a revenge killing," Gale told them all. "But as we said, every little bit helps with us solving this case. Right now, you are giving us valuable information."

"Why didn't those inspectors ask us these questions?" Zachariah demanded to know, enraged. "Dammit. They've been feeding us bullshit that they'll call us when they find something, but it's been two days. We're about to put our children in the ground. What the Hell have they been doing?"

Luke stepped in, "It was a good idea to hire your own investigation, but I'm sure the CID has been pulling in every resource to catch the murderer. However, the CID doesn't have the abilities we have. In a normal circumstance, I'm sure they would have found the murderer on-sight. But we both believe that the reason they can't catch the murderer"—a deep breath—"is because that a Curse could have been involved."

Gale tried to mask his astonishment Luke had said such words.

The bold statement sickened the parents. "A Curse?"

Luke nodded, eyes dark. "Yes. The lack of explanation to the murder and evidence we have gathered sway to the cause of death being a Curse. But because your city is Spiritless with no registered Wizards in the area, the CID discounted the use of Ether and for a Curse to be the culprit is rare in Fiore. Wizards might use Black Magic, but Curses are lines in the sand most don't cross. It makes sense that the CID wouldn't have come to the same conclusion that we have. But rest assured, if there is someone using a Curse at large, we will catch them."

A glint of red dropped in his eyes.

"Please know that we will do everything to make sure your children can rest." Luke clenched his hands. "And the murderer will be given a punishment that perfectly fits his crimes."

°•°•°•°

Gale and Luke stepped out onto the stone porch with the Lacrima Recorder and Diane Roster escorting them out. Mister Hollifield had turned on the SUV and waited patiently for both to come to the car.

Diane offered both Wizards a watery smile. "Thank you," she rasped. "Thank you for finding out what happened to our children." A tear shed and she patted it away with her clumped-up tissue. "You both are Angels."

"We're only doing our job, ma'am," Luke told her, humbled. "Every person, alive or deceased, should have a chance to rest in peace and justice served."

Gale clenched a hand into a fist when Luna's hazy memory filled his head, but he withheld his anger.

"Thank you," Diane sniffled. "And please be careful with all this madness going around. I know it might be different for Wizards, but you both are around the same age as our kids. Be careful. And know all of us will answer in a heartbeat if you need anything."

Luke smiled. "Thank you, Miss Roster. We'll be careful. And hopefully, when we meet again, we can give you and Sandrine the peace you deserve." He offered a polite night. "Good day, Miss Roster." He and Gale fled down the steps and sidewalk to get back into the car and strap in.

Gale looked over at Luke. "A Curse, huh?"

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized. "I was too quick to dismiss your theory. But I think you might be right."

"How so?"

"The parents confirmed that none of their children had diabetes or hyperhidrosis," Luke said. "We can assume that the murderer at least had hyperhidrosis with the prescription antiperspirant. But Henry Marvelo looks to be more and more of the suspect. I know that the evidence relies on one witness stating her friend was sweaty. It doesn't help that his medical history shows no prescriptions or orders for tests, so it loosens the theory."

"It's still hard to justify him committing the murder as a revenge killing," Gale mentioned. "From what it sounded like, he had a thing for Sandrine and he might've been behind the flowers, but then Sandrine and Nai started dating. It could hold that Henry was furious about the relationship and killed Nai and Sandrine, but it doesn't make sense why he would kill the entire group. And we still don't understand the reason the victims spent so much time at the cabin."

"We have that the girl said Henry went with them on spring half-term, but the parents never confirmed that he did," Luke recalled. "That was around the time Sandrine and Nai entered a relationship."

"He would have murdered them then," Gale offered his opinion while Luke was in thought. "I'm thinking back to the Snow Ball with what happened between Blondie and me. I was so furious and angry that I didn't act rationally." He sighed when Luke's eyes widened. "But then again, I realized I was in the wrong and then therapy came in—"

"Gale," Luke interrupted. "You're the answer."

Gale's face screwed up. "Excuse me?"

"No, no, you're not the answer, but—!" Luke shook his head. "Think about this. It sounds crazy, but your situation with Lu reminded me of something. Can you tell me exactly what happened that made you angry at Luna?"

A jab of guilt and shame hit Gale, but he admitted with loose honesty, "I thought that she was using me and just playing around."

"And when you got upset, you attacked her," Luke carried on. "Did you attack anyone else?"

"Yeah…" Gale hated the memories. "I ended up trying to attack anyone else who was around me."

"And before the Snow Ball, when we went to Yule Ball, you came to surprise Lu, right? And then you confessed to her?"

Gale grimaced. "Thanks, bro, for making me fucking hate myself even more."

"Well, you're going to hate yourself a little more." Luke adjusted in his seat to turn to Gale. "What if something like that did happen last year? If Henry had deluded himself into thinking he was friends with the victim, those delusions could've slipped into him thinking Sandrine liked him romantically. And considering Nai and Sandrine hid their relationship, he might've been blind to what was going on or he could've deluded himself he could've won her over like you—"

"Okay, calm down, that was a cheap fucking shot," Gale grunted.

Luke ignored him, too excited. "So maybe when he found out that the group was going to the cabin, he told the girl he got invited, but he planned to surprise Sandrine and confess to her. But when he saw Sandrine and Nai, he might've snapped and attacked. Maybe the victims at the time chased him out, but he was afraid that they'd retaliate, so he dropped out of school and moved."

Gale let the theory sit and had to slowly nod. "Okay. So he attacks, he gets scared, he moves away—that has some merit. But that still doesn't explain the murder now and the connection between the Curse or the behavior."

"I'm trying to piece it together," Luke said. "It makes sense that the victims could cluster together to make sure that Henry wouldn't attack again, but there weren't any records from Henry's bank records of him traveling back to this town. That's not to say he didn't, but there aren't any bank statements."

"He could've used a false name." Something registered in Gale. "He could have used a whole new identity to get back to the town which wouldn't raise any suspicion. He could've changed. That could explain why the victims allowed him inside the house. They wouldn't have recognized their previous attacker if he didn't look like himself." He cursed. "But what about the behavior? The Shadow Cat? The Curse?"

Luke sat back, frowning. "We really need to question the mother and figure out more about Henry." He looked out the window. "We're missing…something. And I can tell we're close to it." He chewed on his thumbnail. What are we missing? Why would my powers slip out of control? Why would a Shadow Cat come here a year ago? Something about this isn't right.

"You really think I'm like that guy?"

Luke looked over to catch Gale's pained expression, and he softened. "No, I don't," he murmured.

"But I…attacked Blondie. I attacked my own guild mates," Gale rasped. "Blondie had someone already and here I come, trying to still chase after her." He shook his head despairingly. "Maybe I was deluding myself back then too."

"I know Lu loved you back, Gale," Luke said, timbre delicate. "That's one difference. Your feelings were reciprocated. Things just didn't turn out the way you anticipated."

"But I still pulled a lot of shit I shouldn't have," Gale reasoned, tone laden with remorse. "What makes me any different from this guy?"

"That's easy. Our possible murderer changed for the worst after he did something horrible." Luke's eyes fell to the window. "But you're trying to change for the better."

°•°•°•°

Trailer parks often got a bad reputation for being the place "poor people" lived or people who were uncouth. But that was not true. The quality of the trailer park and the effort of the managers could bring in outstanding tenants and enviable homes. The trailers were not necessarily of high caliber, but they were levels above trailer parks in worse areas. The trailers could use cleaning and a few upgrades, but it pleased the people who lived there they could control the small strips of land with gardens or a patio with a grill.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Deutzia Falls Mobile Home Park

Deutzia Falls

Fiore, Ishgar

5:50 PM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luke and Gale sent Mister Hollifield on his way to get dinner for himself when he dropped them off at the entrance. Luke's Compact had the address and pin on ⟪ Maps ⟫ and they had to follow it to the letter.

"Are you sure Mister Hollifield couldn't take us to the home?" Luke asked as they walked.

Gale shook his head, gloves in his pocket. "We don't want to startle anyone or give them any time to run. I'm sure the CID is doing enough of that. We have to be discrete in this. Even though we're just speaking to the mother, you never know her involvement. She could be covering up for her son." Rubies darkened. "It's hard to know what's going on in a parent's head when it comes to their child."

Luke nodded. "All right. We should take a left and we should be there. It looked the house has one entrance in total, so we shouldn't need to surround it." He paused. "What happens if the mother isn't there? Should we try the other listed address?"

"We will if this doesn't check out," Gale said. His eyes fell onto the trailer Luke was leading them to. It looked barren of decorations, but that was not too odd. A deep sniff from his nose had him on edge and the Wild flicked its tail. I don't like this. It feels like a trap.

"Nnngh…!"

Gale stopped to catch Luke when he stumbled. "Luke? Stay with me. Are you okay?"

"Ah…!" Luke gritted his teeth, pained. "My…powers…" He cracked open his eyes to look at the trailer. "Something…doesn't…feel…right…" He tried to push back the groan that wanted to come out when a hard squeeze hurt his heart.

Shit. Another power trip. Gale narrowed his eyes at the mobile home. Some dark shit must be in the home. He kept his ears pricked. I can't hear any movement coming from the trailer or heavy breathing. He sniffed again. But I can smell something rotten.

He murmured lowly to Luke, "Can you make it or do you need to stay outside?"

"Stay outside," Luke rasped. "But…I'll be back-up." He shook his head. "I don't w-w-want to lose control—"

"You won't," Gale soothed as he helped Luke stand. "I've got you." The Wild hissed as rubies gleamed. "Let's catch a murderer." He acted as Luke's crutch as he half-assisted half-dragged him closer to the trailer. He had to thank a deity that Luke was able to keep quiet and not expose them and made sure when he set Luke against one of the poles; that each movement of his was delicate and calculated.

He turned to the door—

"Miaow…"

Gale whipped his head to see Lord Black the Shadow Cat was sitting near the trailer park. Did the cat sense something was off and trekked all the way out here? Guess this means we're in the right direction. He looked at the door again with a quiet breath. Do or die.

Magic pulsed from his body as vines wrapped around his arms and diamonds clung to his knuckles. Slow steps danced up the porch until he got to the screen door. He tried to open it, but it was locked.

CLICK!

Gale glanced back to see Luke had stretched his hand and offered him a faint nod. Gale nodded back. The screen door squeaked open, much to his wince, but he could do nothing about it. He held it back as he reached for the door and opened it—

The strong scent of musk, dirt, and shit stuffed up his nose, and a few flies escaped at first sight. Whatever reaction he had must have been enough when an air bubble masked his nose and lower face. He could feel the threads of Luke's Magic and tucked it for later that he would thank him. Another calculated few steps inside with the screen door closing slowly behind him. He kept the main door open. It was stupid to close it.

This place is a wreck, Gale commented.

Someone had styled the inside of the trailer park after older decades with a couch that was littered in crumbs and an LV that had seen better days. The kitchen and living room interconnected, so he got the scope of the mess on the counters. It was not that food was on the counters. No, not that. But upon further inspection, photographs had littered the counters. Sandrine had taken up a majority of the photos from various angles, and a few had obvious ejaculation stains on them. The other photos had fall five victims, but Henry had cut himself into them.

Dozens of pictures of one of the victims and a few of all of them. I doubt the mom would have kept them. So Marvelo faked on his records that he moved and kept close to home. I knew it. If he was a stalker, he wouldn't risk leaving the object of his possession. Gale moved with his steps being led with the soles of his feet rather than heel-toe to make each movement silent. It was obvious he jacked off to a few of these pictures. It doesn't confirm or deny that if the condoms in the trash were his. Could've just been the victims having fun.

Gale drifted into the living room, but there was nothing of interest out of posted photos. This is some really creepy shit. He stopped in the hallway. A few doors were there. Flies buzzed around as he made his way. He passed a closed door, but the next was the bathroom. Thanks to the air bubble, he could peek inside without fearing any scents, but he bit back his gag when he saw the mess of a toilet. Christ. Someone had explosive diarrhea and hasn't fixed their toilet. He checked around and looked at the counter.

His eyes honed on the kit and the bottles. Diabetic supplies. He picked up one of the sprays and looked at the label. Drysol. Luke said this was prescription antiperspirant. And you can smell BO. He set it down when he saw body spray. A citric body spray. This must've been the air freshener scent we were all smelling. I can smell the lemon just from picking it up.

He picked up the last two bottles. Thorazine and Lexapro. Lexapro is an antidepressant. Mom used to take them after the funeral when she did therapy. But I've never heard of Thorazine. He set the bottles down and scouted.

Everything is warm, meaning someone lives here and has been here recently. But I still can't hear any heartbeats or breathing. No one is inside. He tensed. Then why does it feel like I'm not alone?

CREEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAK….

Gale froze.

KAN…

Rubies glinted with emeralds as he slowly unraveled the vines like a snake uncoiling itself.

KAN…

His muscles bunched as his fists clenched.

KAN…

A body had come into the frame.

BUUN… BUUN…

She looked petite with the nose of a fawn and deep auburn eyes and wavy hair that was losing its curl. But her bare feet had cracked up scores of dirt that could be seen under her toenails. The nightdress looked new and washed with her robe, but dirty drenched her hands. Flies buzzed around her head as she stared at Gale.

BUUN… BUUN…

Gale showed no fear even when his heart was racing. "Are you Miss Marvelo?" he rumbled. "I'm here to speak to you about your son."

She stared at him. "My son isn't here." Her whisper came out like a dangerous hiss. "He's staying with his father. You need to leave. You're trespassing."

"You know I can't do that," Gale said as his vines poised like snakes ready to attack. "You and I both know that your son is here, Miss Marvelo. And I need to ask you and him a few questions."

She stepped into the bathroom as her head slowly cocked like a doll's head would. "You need to leave," she insisted in a whisper. "You aren't allowed in here. This is my home and I don't want to be disturbed." She took another step. "I will have to ask you to leave, please."

Gale curled his teeth to show fang. "And I told you." He felt parts of his skin break to pave the way for scales. His human eyes went reptilian in a swirl of ruby and jade. "I can't do that."

Before Gale could spring, Miss Marvelo sprung first as she spat out a haze of flies and black shadows. The downpour blinded Gale for a moment and shock slowed him down when she rushed for to punch him. His jaw took the hit, but he was not prepared when her hands raked his body. He punched back, but she got him and twisted his wrist. Sharp nails shredded one glove, and he grunted when skin was pulled. His vines whipped to noose her arms and legs and slam her back into the hallway. For a moment, he worried the force would have hurt her, but when the flies and shadows cleared, he saw that the angle of her body was unnatural…and she was okay with it. Her mouth made an ungodly clicking sound that did not sound human when she used the vines to her advantage and fists them. Veins of black saturated the vines and spiraled down until they hit Gale.

"Ah…!" Gale faltered when the weight of darkness combated the Wild. Wretched and bleak and full of sickness, his stomach lurched. That same darkness rang a distant memory of the Boundary Forest when such a presence had sickened him to the point of nausea. The Wild built of scales across his body to try and break away from the darkness as he growled his pain, but he refused to let her go. But his resilience did him no favors when the darkness pressed into him and had him gag and stagger to a knee—

"Let him go!"

Miss Marvelo stopped her actions like a rag doll and fell limp.

Gale coughed and hacked as the darkness drilled into him loosened and fell away.

"Gale, you can let her go," came a strained command. "I have her…under control, but I can't keep this up for long—Nnngh!"

The vines dispelled and so did his diamond knuckles as Gale tried to catch his breath. His stomach was queasy and body a bit weak—the Wild shook its head from the lingering effect of the darkness—but he clamored to his feet.

"Come," came rough order. "Come with me."

Miss Marvel obediently turned and walked down the hall.

Gale panted as he climbed out of the bathroom and followed her down the hall. He witnessed Luke with his teeth gritted as a bit of black streaked his hair. One eye had turned demonic with black eating at the white and his iris a seething red while his other eye was a human honeyed amber. The Shadow Cat hissed at Miss Marvelo while Cullen served as Luke's crutch.

"What the fuck is happening?" Gale rasped.

Luke ignored him as he stared at Miss Marvel. His voice deepened when he asked in a hoarse language that left nothing to kindness, "Tell me your name."

"I'm Elizabeth Marvelo," she introduced in a dazed tone.

Luke leaned heavily onto Cullen, but he asked her in that tongue, "Are you dead or alive?"

Elizabeth dropped the words, "I'm dead."

Gale was taken back. "Holy shit." She's dead? The puzzles made the picture. Then that means she's—

"Who revived you?" Luke demanded to know. "How did you die?"

Elizabeth gave the information with no second thought. "I died February twenty-second XXXX. My son killed me after he told me a secret. He stabbed my heart and left me to die. Then, he revived me."

Pain etched on Luke's face as the darkness tried to override him, but he snapped back to keep it under his control like his father had taught him. "Did he use Necromancy? Is he a Necromancer?"

"Yes," Elizabeth confirmed. "Henry is a Necromancer."

Gale's eyebrows rose. "Holy shit."

Luke could not tolerate it when he gagged, and Cullen caught him before he fell. Gale sprang into action to help and crowded around Luke in worry. "Are you okay?" he fretted. "What do you need?"

"Get…away…from me," Luke pushed out. The streaks of black expanded to drown out his pink hair. "I-I-I can't…control…" His voice exchanged from a deep snarl, but he tried to shake it off as he clung to the Shadower. "Get away from me!" he pleaded in a whimper. "Go! Now!"

Gale refused to go. "Luke—"

"Don't come near me!" In sheer desperation, Luke shot out his hand to shove Gale away. "Run away before I hurt you!"

Gale caught his hand—

• — • — •

The scents of Death and dread were thick.

The snarls and clicks and gasps and rasps fed the air until claws ripped throats and powerful jaws pulled out veins. It was hard to say what or where he was in, but jagged rock dug into his bare feet and the tang of someone else's blood washed his mouth. A silence laid in the air outside for his deep pants. His legs were brushed against bodies that would no longer fight him and claw him. No heartbeats. No pulses. Nothing.

"Excellent work, Etherious." A crisp smile with teeth. "Let's try this again one more time and go a little quicker. I need better results than that to report to Invel before I can return to Her Highness."

A darkness spouted into the air. Like umbilical cords, the darkness latched onto the bodies that had laid in piles and piles around him. The darkness fueled their veins and breathed life into them when they had no more life to give. Eyes rolled and those clicks and rasps took up the air again. Knobby hands touched his skin in their wayward mission to bring him down and make him suffer the same way, but his instincts were too strong. His claws dug up one head attached to a moving body and he—

• — • — •

BLEH!

Gale snapped out of it when Luke retched onto the floor through snivels and tears and the air bubble popped. Luke rasped, "Make it stop… Make it stop… C-C-Can't…stay in c-c-control…"

"We've got you, buddy." Gale did not care when he stole Luke from Cullen and carried him in a firefighter's carry. He did not care about the deceased Elizabeth Marvelo who stood alive in her home. He booked it out of the trailer with Cullen and the Shadow Cat in tow and wrestled for his Compact. A jittery thumb managed to unlock it and bring up Mister Hollifield's contact to call.

"Are you finished, sir?"

"Yes, we're done here," Gale breathed. "Can you meet us at the entrance?"

"I'll be there in under thirty seconds, sir."

"Thanks, Hollifield." Gale ended the call and started his fast walk. "Oh my god, what the fuck is happening?" he whispered to himself. "A Necromancer. He's a Necromancer. He killed his mom. What the Hell is happening?" Even with all his sound logic, he had too many thoughts in his head to place them in the proper order.

A dead mom come to life. Jesus Christ, the kid was a Necromancer this whole time. And that memory. That voice. That was the voice from Blondie's memory. What the Hell is going on?

By the time Gale reached the entrance to the trailer park, Mister Hollifield was there with the door opened. He saw Gale and hardened. "Are we needing to go to a hospital, sir?"

"No." Gale was gentle in setting Luke across the backseat to lie down and saw that the Cullen slipped back into Luke's shadow. Lord Black the Shadow Cat decided to hop into the car and nestle down against Luke's stomach. "Get us back to the hotel ASAP." He went to the passenger's side and got in.

Mister Hollifield nodded. "Understood, sir." And he closed the door.

Gale took a moment to breathe. What the fuck? What the fuck? I knew we were dealing with a Curse but a Necromancer? He rubbed down his face with his eyes wide and lungs burning. The aftershock caught up with him when his left leg jittered uncontrollably. God, this case is a friggen mess. I don't even know where we are supposed to start with this. He glanced back at Luke. But he comes first.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

And then…

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Dinner finished and trashed, Gale had taken over the desk with his PAL. He had changed out for a tank top and some shorts. One had was gloved, but he had to bandage the other hand from the wounds he received from the deceased Elizabeth Marvelo. He guzzled down some water as he surfed the LacriNet for anything in regard to Necromancy while he had Genius's encrypted email report pulled up.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

— • — • — • —

Hotel Seed

North Bluemink

Fiore, Ishgar

9:45 PM FST

— • — • — • —

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Luke came out of the bathroom in a comfortable shirt and sweats as he toweled off his hair. He went straight for his glasses to put them on.

Gale looked back at him. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah." Luke adjusted his glasses and drifted closer to Gale. Eyes low, he murmured, "I—"

"If you're about to apologize, I'll save you some words and tell you it's fine," Gale interjected. "What you did today was badass. You dead-stopped a practical zombie from trying to murder me in cold blood or whatever she was trying to do."

"Infect you." Luke settled into the accent chair near the desk the hotel room provided. He kept toweling his hair. "She was trying to infect you with part of the Curse that keeps her body alive. But since Necromancy works on the deceased, the Curse would have formed into a fatal infection."

Gale slowly brought his water bottle to his lips. "Remind me to buy you a drink the next time we go to a bar." He took a few gulps of his water. "So, the kid is a Necromancer." He shook his head in disbelief. "Fuck. That's some powerful stuff. That means he's a Warlock."

"I don't understand how I didn't sense he was a Warlock," Luke mumbled. "I should've felt something."

Gale hummed in thought. "That would depend on if Henry was in the area, I'd take it." He turned back to his PAL. "But then again, the Demon he's contracted to might've found a way to hide his abilities."

"Maybe…" Luke let it go for the meantime. "What are you looking at?"

"I was doing some research on Necromancy," Gale confessed. "But Genius' data cultivation report came back." He jerked his head for Luke to join him. "I guess your hunch was onto something. He found a few words across the board that didn't match the victims' regular social media presence." He glanced up at Luke. "What are you thinking now?"

Luke scanned the report. "I'm thinking now that we confirmed Henry is a Necromancer, that he didn't just attack the victims last year. He had killed them. But in his panic to cover his tracks, he used Necromancy to keep them alive. But for some reason, something must have happened this time for him to get caught." He went back to sit on the accent chair. "I don't understand why his mom died."

"Remember when she told you Henry told her a secret?" Gale brought up. "I'm going to assume that he told her he killed the victims."

"But why would he tell her?"

"From Genius' report on the kid, he was close to his mom. He might've thought she was a safe person to confess to," Gale reasoned. "Considering how he looked as a child and how lonely he was, his mom might've been his biggest support system. He killed the victims, panicked, went home, broke down, and he told her. I'm guessing, though, that Miss Marvelo didn't take it well and must've wanted to go to the authorities. Boom. He kills her as a loose end. She suddenly becomes unemployed, but he takes over her virtual life to make everything seamless."

"It makes sense he dropped out of school. To use Necromancy on six people and run their virtual lives and physical lives is a full-time endeavor," Luke said.

"I'm not sure if you noticed the inside of the house, but he had dozens of photos of Sandrine," Gale noted. "I think your delusional disorder theory was right. Guy was a certified nutcase. Oh, I did find that prescription and some Seroquel and a medication call Thorazine?"

"That's an antipsychotic," Luke informed. "It treats DD. His medical records never stated he saw a psychiatrist, but that's not to say he didn't get them some other way…" He saw Gale had frozen. "What?"

"No, it's just…" Gale blinked wide at Luke. "I don't think the name 'Henry Marvelo' was on any of those prescription bottles."

That stunned Luke. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Gale frowned. "But things are hazy. I'd have to double-check." That brought up a new worry. "What will happen to his mom in the meantime?"

"Nothing. She'll remain in the house. But she won't tell him anything. A Warlock's abilities can't compare to a Demon's ability." Luke sighed. "We'll have to go back to that trailer, though, for more evidence. It might be the key to finding out about Henry."

Gale peered at Luke in concern. "Will you be able to handle it?"

"I don't think I have a choice," Luke replied, miserably honest. "That trailer is a huge lead to uncovering this murder. And those victims deserve to rest." Honeyed ambers saddened. "Elizabeth deserves to rest too. It's weird. When I controlled her…I could feel her emotions. She's grieving for her son, but…she's desperate to die and move on.

"She's been forced to live this life for over a year." Gale swiveled back to his screen. "From the forums and weird Writit things I'm reading, reviving a body via Necromancy is some messy stuff. But it's a trade. The soul attached to the person—or spirit or whatever— has to want a second chance to live for it to persevere against what should have happened in the first place. Someone unwilling makes it harder to keep up the Curse." He squinted. "Says here that people think that those unwilling and forced back to life will try to commit suicide to get what they want. Wow. That's fucking depressing. But eh, I can understand that."

Silence.

"Gale. That's it."

Gale frowned. "What's it?"

Luke shot up to pace. "An unwilling person revived by Necromancy will try to do whatever it takes to die again. Those victims. When Henry killed them and revived them—what if none of them were willing? That meant Henry was trying his hardest to keep a tight control on their bodies to stop them from killing themselves for an entire year. But what if up until last month up, his control on them was slipping. They were fighting back to die against his wishes. He'd have no choice but to try and hide them. He couldn't let them roam around when they were trying to commit suicide.

"But what if the victims were finally able to break free? What if while he was hiding them, they realized that if they wanted to die, they had to do something crazy like try to kill him? They tried to kill themselves, but it wouldn't work. So instead, they planned something to try and make sure they could rest in peace. What if one of them tried to fight him while the others arranged a plan to get attention? They had to do something crazy in order to stay dead."

"Something crazy like suddenly putting on the power and forcing Misses Benson out of her home," Gale realized. "That's why there wasn't a sign of struggle and why the blood didn't add up. One of them must've tried to fight him off while the others arranged everything. And with all the snow melting, they didn't leave any tracks."

"You said that the bodies had stab marks, right?" Luke asked. "I'm guessing Henry had killed them that way. But the reason the wounds stayed fresh was because of his Necromancy. He doesn't have solid control over it to continuously refreshen the bodies, especially when the bodies aren't willing to be revived. And since they're revived through Necromancy and already corpses, they wouldn't bleed or breathe."

Gale snapped his fingers. "And that spray. That lemon spray. Lemon tanks most scents. Henry must've been using that lemon spray to mask all his sweat and any scent trails of a Curse. We walked in and our noses were almost destroyed. A Spiritless would smell the decay with a Curse like that, but they couldn't with that spray."

Luke sat back in his chair. "We still can't explain some things like why the owner didn't reach out about his power going out in the cabin or why the power out was in the first place."

"But we can say with certainty those condoms were Henry's, and he was a necrophiliac," Gale said with clear disgust. "I'm going to take a guess and say he was having sex with Sandrine's corpse as a sick sense of living out his fantasy." He rubbed his nose with both of his hands as he groaned. "I mean, good on him for using a condom while fucking a corpse, but Jesus, this goes even darker than I thought."

Luke sat forward as he sorted his thoughts. "We definitely need to go back to the trailer to figure out what Henry was been doing. If he's been out of school, but he's been staying in this town, then he made sure to blend in with the crowd. My guess is he became a Warlock when he fell in love with Sandrine and he wanted to use his new powers to impress her. That's why he was able to revive them so quickly. He must be using his power to hide in plain sight."

"Was he there last night?" Gale asked. "In the woods?"

Luke shook his head. "No. I think that was his mom. The scents are the same. I think she came in his place to tie up any loose ends. But she must've sensed me. My power was enough to stop her from following his orders. But still. It's worrying there's a Warlock on the loose and he's been hiding from me." How could he hide from me? I thought my powers would get triggered if a Curse or Black Magic was close by.

His ears twitched.

Gale and Luke straightened.

"Do you hear that?" Gale whispered.

"Yeah." Luke shot him a wide-eyed look. "Those are sirens from a firetruck."

Gale's stomach dropped. "You don't think…"

"He's tying up loose ends. He knows we're onto him." Luke stood up. "He sensed me while I was out of control. That was enough for him. He knew I would figure out what he was. And now he's trying to make sure he kills every loose end."

"But potentially burning down his entire trailer would raise more suspicions, wouldn't it?" Gale questioned.

Luke shook his head. "Not if he's using Cursed Fire. Not even the Fire Force can put out a Cursed Fire without a Warlock or a Demon present. That Cursed Fire would be able to burn down everything and leave no traces while making sure none of the other mobile homes got burnt." He buried his head in his hands. "We hit a dead-end."

"Fuck!" Gale threw his water bottle at the wall before he leaned back in the chair to cover his eyes with the butts of his wrists. "What the Hell are we supposed to do now?" he growled. "We're no better than those idiotic inspectors! Dammit!" He punched the desk.

The blare of the sirens came in strong then faded away.

VRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…

Gale picked up his Compact without looking at the caller. "This is Gale."

"Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid I called the wrong number."

Gale moved his hand from his face to straighten up in his confusion. "DeMarcus? What are you calling me for? Unless you're about to tell me the CID cracked the case and found the murder…"

"Um, no, not exactly…"

°•°•°•°

The classic red and blue sirens flared from the vehicles of the first responders, but the sirens had been turned off. Caution tape had blocked off the entire house—a plain cream house with black shudders and a fence for their hyperactive dog. CID investigators and technicians were scrubbed and gloved as they came in and out of the house with baggies of evidence to take back to headquarters. A set of parents huddled in their pajamas had broken down together on the porch of the house while an officer had finished taking statements and offered his condolences.

CLACK-CLACK!

Howard was in his CID jacket with his camera around his neck as he watched responders wheel out a cart with a closed body bag. He closed his eyes and turned away from the scene. "There's been another murder just a few hours ago. I'm on the scene right now. Looks like this one was a messy break-in. Glass everywhere. Parents had gone over to a neighbor's house when they heard the glass break and they came back to their daughter dead."

"Who died?"

"Another student of Deutzia Falls. A junior this time," Howard named. He turned back to watch the responders load the body into the ambulance. "A miss Kasane Randolf has been murdered."

---

— • — • — • —

sugu ni aitai noni aenai

kimi ni sotto chikazuite yuku

honto no koto kikutte kowai keredo

tashikame ni yuku yo

•

aitai noni aenai

hibi mo zutto kimi no tame ni waratta no

"arigatou" tte saigo datta tte

kaomisete baby

— • — • — • —

---

Voices of Characters in Order of Appearance

— • — • — • —

Gale Redfox – Greg Cipes

Luke Dragneel – Alan Lee

Samantha Vasquez –

Kasane Randolf –

Diane Roster –

Zachariah McCannon –

Molly Rohrbough –

Xiao Ling –

Michael Fryberg –

Elizabeth Marvelo –

Hemlock –

Mister Hollifield – Simon Pegg

Howard DeMarcus –

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Additional Voices

Opening Narrator – Mary McGlynn

Recap Narrator – Melissa Fahn

Description Narrator – Mary McGlynn

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⌜OPENING SONG

⟪ HANDS ⟫

BLUE ENCOUNT

Lyrics by

Junichi Tanabe ⌟

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⌜ENDING SONG

⟪ Long-Distance Train ⟫

Aoi Yamazaki

Lyrics by

Aoi Yamazaki⌟

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Next time, on Fairy Adventure

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Episode 099

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WEB OF DECEIT

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TIME IS RUNNING OUT, INSPECTOR…