I want to thank Fenrir of the Shadows, AccessBlade, and Wavebreeze for reviewing last chapter. Just to address some points you guys raised, I've tried my best to look for grammatical errors in this chapter. If I missed any, please feel free to inform me so I can make the right adjustments. As for pacing, I'm employing the strategy of "hiding details in plain sight" where even the most minute or trivial detail may come in play later on. The pacing will be a little slower because of that, but I assure you that it will pick up in the near future. There will also be a witness named Jack Azmenak, an OC belonging to Wavebreeze that will be making a cameo appearance here. And on that note, let's get started.
Namco owns Tales of Symphonia. AccessBlade owns Cameryn Lachance. Fenrir of the Shadows owns Azul Kharlan. Legend of Zelda 4 Life owns Oni Sheikah. I own Cabalina Ashton and Robert Ross.
Police cars lined the campsite while officers and forensics members scattered about, either interviewing campers or gathering evidence. It was sheer pandemonium as scouts in their sleepwear spoke with uniformed individuals all the while trying to hold back yawns and rubbing their eyes. And in the middle of all this, a lanky elf with auburn hair that periodically draped over one eye observed with his trainee, a blond half-elf with blue loop earrings. "First week on the job and you get a live crime scene," Azul commented, "Let's get started, shall we?"
"So when we're assigned night shift for this week, this is what happens? They call us when there's an unusual crime, and we show up?" Oni asked, pulling on his dark brown jacket. The two officers slowly stepped through the bushes and towards the crime scene. It took several officers and forensics members to lift the sign off of the deceased, a middle-aged man by the name of John Walker. The sign, now cracked and threatening to splinter, lied harmlessly before them as the forensics team poured their equipment over it like a surgeon's table.
Azul nodded. "Apparently, police received a call from a farmer that lived nearby who heard a huge cracking sound. One might think it may be thunder, given the weather, but he found it sounding unusual. When he investigated, there was a dead body," Azul described.
Oni rubbed his face, trying to make sense of it all. Meanwhile, Azul slipped off to the side, speaking to the original caller. The caller was a human, at best eighteen years old with short blond hair. He had surprisingly tan skin, which Azul figured was the result of years of working outdoors. He also had on a black jacket and light grey cargo pants, and his feet were in dark work boots as well. "Do you live around here?" the elf asked.
The young man nodded. "My name is Jack Azmenak, and my family owns the farm just down the hill from where the so-called campfire area was," Jack stated, pointing at the now abandoned amphitheatre, "I was out in the barn finishing some cleanup when I heard the noise. Since our farm's fence was right against the foot of the hill, I decided to come up here."
Azul scratched his chin. "What makes you think it's not lightning or thunder?" he asked, gesturing to the skies. While there had yet to be a steady downpour, there were slight showers and drizzles here and there. With the breeze howling from the coast and through the woods, it was sending shivers up many officers' limbs.
Jack shook his head with a smile. "Lightning and thunder usually doesn't sound like that. Even if it's far away, the sound should be louder and crisper. I've worked on my parents' farm all my life, so I know what that sounded like," Jack explained, rubbing his arms up and down as another gust of wind shot through the hillside, "That one sounded more like a thud or thump, with a very low pitch. Besides, what type of thunder groans before sounding off?"
Before Azul could inquire more, a hand gripping his shoulder caused the elf to turn. His eyes caught the sight of a familiar sight, a shorter brunette woman from his unit. "We have some strange evidence being picked up in the woods," Cabalina pointed out, "From what the forensics people gathered, the chains that bolted down the sign seemed to have been cut. They found this fine metal powder recovered from the soil, so something fishy was going on."
"I see," Azul replied to his colleague with a sombre and glum tone. Originally, Azul was the only one on night shift, with Oni tagging along because Azul was in charge of training the rookie. But Cabalina was called up as well, just to provide backup to deal with the vast number of scouts that treaded through this area. Surely even one of them realized something was wrong with the sign, right? "So what did the kids say, and what about their troop leaders?"
"None of the troop leaders saw anything unusual about the sign, although there were a few kids who tripped and fell when they marched through the wooden floorboards," Cabalina continued, pointing to the walkway leading to the amphitheatre, "The most senior troop leader said he nearly came to an argument with the deceased after the deceased complained of certain visitors staying at the camp delaying his work. Perhaps we should check into that?"
Azul cocked an eyebrow. Perhaps these visitors had something to do with the situation? "Let's check it out. Oni, let's go," Azul called, waving his hand at the blond half-elf who was busy discussing with some other officers. As trainee returned to trainer, Azul turned to the young man he spoke with earlier. "Jack, is it alright if you come inside while we continue?" he asked.
The foursome slowly made their way to the main lodge, with Oni reporting some findings to Azul while adding in ideas of his own. "You know I'm a novice mage, right? Well, what if the suspect who cut the chain was an elf or half-elf, and used a spell to slice the chain link instead? It's totally possible, don't you think?" Oni suggested, turning to the elf directly on his right.
"But to slice through the chain that cleanly may imply there will be no residue, right? I'm not a spell caster, so I don't know, but won't a mana spell completely sever the chain link?" Azul countered, "And what possible spells may be cast that makes such a clean cut?"
"Well, several novice spells do have cutting tendencies," Oni explained, listing off a set that he was familiar with, "Aqua Edge creates these sharp water disks that sail through the air. Wind Blade creates a ball of air that slices at the target. Stone Blast, if done with rocks that are sharper, can cut through metal. And don't forget Icicle too, as the ice can be quite pointy. The question is, did anyone cast a spell at any point in time that ended up slicing the chains?"
"Actually, according to a couple of scout leaders, there was a spell casting demonstration, courtesy of one of the visitors," Cabalina reported, "I didn't get too many details from this, but a couple of campers said the spell caster was only a pre-teen. And if I didn't hear wrong, they said the spell caster shot spells out of his belly button? What kind of mage would cast like that?" Cabalina slowed her steps, scratching her now creased forehead.
Suddenly, Azul paused and started chuckling. The two officers and one witness glanced at the elf that now had his face covered with his right hand while chortling uncontrollably. "Uh, Officer, are you alright?" Jack asked, poking the tall figure to his left. From the far left of the formation, Cabalina craned her neck to see what was wrong with Azul, while Oni gaped at the composure of the usually calm and collected elf. What could possibly make Azul react like this?
It took a few more seconds before Azul lifted his head, his left hand waving to the group indicating that he was alright. "It's okay, I'm fine," he assured. His right hand was near his lips, trying hard not to hiccup. "It's just that, after what Cabalina told me, I realize there is only one person in the entire world that could have been the spell caster. And yes, I happen to know him."
The foursome stepped up the wooden entrance of the lodge, with Azul holding the door open while he let the other three in first. "Oni, you said you were interested in learning to cast spells, right? The individual that Cabalina just mentioned is the very person I want to introduce you to," Azul described, turning his eyes to the dining area which now served as an interrogation room of sorts, "And believe it or not, he's sitting right there."
The others followed Azul through a row of tables before getting to one closer to the corner, where a silver-haired figure dressed in a blue fleece vest over a lighter blue shirt just finished his interview with an officer. When the man in uniform stepped away from the table, the boy lifted his head. "Hey, Officer Kharlan!" he greeted, waving his hand at the elf.
"Hello, Genis," Azul returned the salutation, taking a seat before the young half-elf, "I want you to meet some people." He turned to introduce Cabalina, Jack, and Oni, all of whom stared at the energetic boy that Azul knew so well. "Genis and I happen to know each other through one of the most famous elves and spell casters in the world, the Heimdall elder named Ricardo. It's also interesting to note that when we first met, it was also during an investigation."
"That was six months ago, but I'm a better caster now," Genis responded, watching the group that sat before him, "But seriously, did somebody actually die out there? Did that sign really crush a person to death?" the silver-haired boy asked, his voice growing fearful.
Azul nodded sombrely. "I'm afraid so, Genis," he responded, "That's why we're coming around asking everyone if they noticed anything weird with the sign. Speaking of which, where are your friends and family? You didn't come alone, did you?"
"Lloyd, Colette, and Raine are being interviewed by other officers right now," Genis replied, a muffled rustling sound echoing from the fabric of his open-fingered gloves, courtesy of his hands nervously rubbing each other, "I never thought a weekend camping trip would end up like this. And before we got here, I was still making fun of Lloyd for getting us lost, and that we'd be eaten by bears had the boy scouts not taken us in," Genis concluded with a slight shake of the head and shiver of the body, his eyes dipping lower and away from Azul's glance.
"Well, we have some questions to ask you," Azul began, pulling out his notebook. From around him, Oni, Cabalina, and Jack observed Azul's questioning of his young friend. "I heard from some other witnesses that you've been doing a spell casting demonstration of sorts during campfire. Can you tell me what you did?"
"Well, when we were introduced to the scouts, they asked us to tell them a bit about ourselves. Raine had to go off on an embarrassing rant about appreciating history, as usual, but I told them about my casting abilities," Genis recalled, his face slightly scrunched up in stress, "I told them I knew how to manipulate mana, and then they asked for a demonstration."
Azul nodded, scribbling furiously on his page while Cabalina received a new set of notes from another interviewing officer. She handed a set to Azul while scanning through her set of notes. "How many spells did you end up casting, Genis?" the brunette asked, her eyes alternating between her pages and the half-elf boy.
"Two, both using my belly button," Genis responded, managing only a weak half-smile despite talking about his favourite body part, "I started off by showing them types of mana by making each just appear out of my hand. Fire, ice, electricity, I had each just hovering around my palm," Genis emphasized the act by holding out his two hands, pretending to hold onto a bowl or plate, "I showed them my custom-made belly shot after, using a burning flint and a wet piece of wood. It created Fireball and Aqua Edge, but neither spell traveled more than a few feet."
"The distance between the campfire and the sign is way more than a few feet, and according to most other witnesses, their accounts are consistent with what you said," Azul analyzed the testimonies handed to him by Cabalina while finishing his writing, "Unless a hundred sets of eyes all saw the wrong thing, I say that eliminates Genis Sage as a suspect."
"What if there's another spell caster in the crowd, and maybe they just left after they did their act?" Oni chimed in, eyes alternating between Cabalina's notes and Azul's notes, "Given they were doing renovations here, there's bound to be suppliers going back and forth, right?"
Before Azul or Cabalina could even search, Jack spoke up. "The road outside my house is the only route that connects to the highway. If either my family or anyone from the scouts' camp wishes to get out, that's the route they use," he described, "I actually did hear the sound of a vehicle driving through that road just minutes before the thud. I was in the barn at that time, so I couldn't see any details, but I saw just enough of it."
Suddenly, three police officers and one belly button fanatic turned to face the young rancher, who cupped his chin with one hand while closing his eyes in a bid to recall all details. "I lifted my head just in time to see the shadow of the vehicle pass through. I couldn't see what type of car it was or what colour, but I'm certain that it was heading to the highway," Jack explained, the dim lights above him seemingly becoming more focused on the teen, "I just went back to finish cleaning up, stepped out of the barn, and heard the thud. That was when I climbed over the fence, up the hill, and into the campfire area, and saw the dead body."
The officers glanced nervously at each other. Was there an unknown party who visited the camp, only to sneak off in the darkness of the night? What in the world was going on here?
"Mr. Jacob Horace, is it? Please come in," Presea greeted the gruff man entering the interrogation room. The large man lumbered into the small chamber like a bear, with a demeanour to match as well. Dressed in a dark T-shirt and multi-pocketed vest, the man nodded to Presea, emitting barely a grunt as he approached the table.
Presea cocked her head at the last second, realizing that Jacob had a distinct limp as he pulled the chair out from the desk. Quickly making a note of this, Presea slowly eased herself down across from Jacob, against the backdrop of the cream-coloured walls. "You are the usual renovation supplier for the deceased, Mr. John Walker, is that correct? Can you please tell me the nature of your work with him?" she asked.
Jacob grunted. "I was his supplier alright, and highlight the word 'was' for me," he began, his gruff voice echoing off the walls, making the room seem even smaller than before, "I have a warehouse with materials, and I supplied him with those goods to let him do his campsite maintenance. Usually he just picks up the stuff and pays me, but sometimes I may drop by his campsite to help out. But after what happened, I'm never cooperating with him again!" he spat.
Presea nodded with interest, realizing there was a potential lead here. Urging Jacob on, she got him to reveal what happened that led to the dissolving of their partnership. "I was busy the past month or so, so I didn't always have time to be at the warehouse. It was my wife who would do the books for me over there while I was gone," Jacob continued, dipping his head and allowing his shaggy hair to shade part of one eye, "One night about two weeks ago, I finished my renovation work with another client early, and went back to the warehouse to tidy up a bit. Lo and behold, there was Walker making passes at my wife! The nerve that guy has!" Jacob snapped, slapping his hand on the table, rattling the desk lamp and the television monitor.
Presea lifted her head, making sure the two items weren't damaged. Despite having an emotionally charged and tense suspect, the pink-haired officer was a sea of calm, so typical of her in her nearly four years of service in the Iselia Police Department. Pointing at Jacob's leg, she asked, "Is that injury a result of your work, or something else?"
Jacob smirked sarcastically. "This is a result of me confronting Walker, who got the nerve to tell me that he's been making passes at my wife for weeks already. I told him to stay away from her, and before you know it, he grabbed some plywood and smashed it against my legs," the renovation supplier described, pretending to swing an imaginary baseball bat, "I had to get checked up at the hospital because of that, and the doctors told me I might have to miss a good few weeks of work, at least until the bruising heals. All thanks to that wife-stealer, I say!"
Presea nodded emotionlessly, trying to test Jacob by releasing as little as possible with her most important question. Feeling the dim lights above her zero in on them, Presea took a deep breath and slowly proceeded with her query. "Are you aware of the campsite that the deceased worked in? Have you been there recently, especially near the amphitheatre?"
Jacob chuckled and shook his head. "Officer, which part of my current body's condition shows you I'm capable of taking a hike at a scouts' camp? I'm having enough trouble moving up the front steps of the police station," Jacob exclaimed, gesturing his arms wildly at the door, "I did get even with Walker though. I found out his wife's cellphone number, and told her of the transgression happening behind her back. As for what happened between them, I shudder to think about that. Besides, now that I cut the contract, he has no choice but to find another supplier. Hit his home and his wallet at once, so isn't that a dandy?"
Presea finished her notes and placed her pen down. "Mr. Horace, I suggest you be a bit more careful with your words. We believe there may be foul play involved in the death, and your prior history with him indicates you may have the motive to kill Mr. Walker. If you go around mouthing off like this, I can assure you that you will be near, if not at, the top of our suspect list." The Ozette native slowly closed her notebook while glaring at the large, gruff man.
In a complete reversal, Jacob changed his tune. "I assure you, Officer, I did not go to the campsite at all. In fact, ever since I cut my contract with him, I've been at home most of the time healing. Blame my nature of 'speak first, ask questions later' for my snarky remarks, but don't accuse me of being a murderer!" Jacob pleaded, trying to eke out a weak smile.
The petite officer didn't even have to stare down the renovation supplier. She watched the man literally shrink before her, nearly curling into a ball while she tapped her fingernails on the desk. After an intense few seconds of hearing the ventilation fan do a number on Jacob, the good side of Presea's mind took over. "We'll let you go for now, but if we have further questions we will contact you," Presea stated monotonously, stepping away from the table and to the door.
Jacob could only dip his head, nearly kowtowing at Presea. The large man scurried out of the interrogation room, the bright lights of the station never feeling so good. Jacob lumbered down the stairs, leaving Presea watching and smirking. Those who knew Presea would never describe her as a sadist, but her quiet nature and unique way of communication made it impossible for strangers to guess what she was thinking. She told just enough to let one jump to conclusions on their own, but never enough to show her full hand. So, when she unleashed some of her knowledge, there was a good chance someone would be blindsided.
Organizing her notes one more time, Presea marched back into the unit to hand them over to Cameryn. Somehow, in her mind, Jacob could not have been the killer. "He could barely walk, let alone climb through bushes just to cut a chain," she murmured to herself, "If a bunch of boy scouts, with their outdoors experience and hiking boots, could trip over that decaying wooden walkway near the sign, how well could a guy with a limp fare?"
"Well, we've only been gone for a weekend, and already the website's forum is piling up," Lloyd commented as he scrolled through the webpage. It was truly comforting for the spiky-haired teen to be in contact with something familiar again, after what happened at the scouts' camp they were staying in. Lloyd partially blamed himself for that mess, given it was his poor directions that got them lost, leading the group to stumble into the scouts camp. But now, there wasn't much more he could do, except giving his testimony to the police, who ended up putting the case under his father's jurisdiction. "Wonder why they assigned Dad to the case?" he asked Colette, letting his girlfriend lean over his shoulder and glancing into her set of blue eyes.
Colette shrugged. "Maybe they think he's the only one who can figure out why a sign that's been up for so long suddenly fell over and knocked someone dead?" she responded, an innocent look on her face, "Anyway, what's new with the website?"
"Ah, yes," Lloyd turned back to the computer and pointed his mouse at the forum, "Apparently, quite a few fans have already finished reading the novel, and are now commenting on the sequence of events. The one they talked about the most is the elaborate but discrete trail of clues that my dad wrote into the story, making the detective really have to think in order to get to the culprit." Lloyd clicked on a couple of posts, all the while writing responses of his own. "Of course, as the admin, I have to remind a few people not to give away too many spoilers due to some readers not having finished the book yet, but overall the posts are pretty acceptable."
Colette's eyes continued scanning the rows of topics after Lloyd clicked back to the main screen. She couldn't believe how many subjects the posters seemed interested in. "Here's a cool one," she pointed at one near the middle of the page, "Is the writer intentionally trying to write himself into the story?" From a past conversation with Lloyd, she recalled him saying that Gil did include bits of his own experiences into the book, so what did the fans think?
Lloyd clicked on the link and showed Colette the page, both teens reading the content of the posts carefully and absorbing the fans' words. "Dad did say this book was written for Mom, so I'm sure there were some references to the times they had together before she passed on," Lloyd paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, trying to gather the memories he still had of his mother. Lloyd sat stoic on his chair, wiping his chin while furrowing his eyebrows, with only the soft hum of the computer being heard in the room. "It's been so long since she was with us, so to memorialize her like that, I can imagine what Dad must be thinking."
Colette wrapped her arms around Lloyd, giving him a kiss on the cheek as she rubbed her face against his. Thinking back throughout history, and how their namesakes helped unite the world, Colette realized how much their current lives resembled the journey the Reunification group took. Did they have their own Reunification group right here, given how they seemed to have parallel lives? "Your mother was an admirer of the Reunification Group, and I know your father tried to honour that, so maybe he did write in a connection," Colette pointed out, "That, and the following years in the new world with Emil Castagnier and Marta Lualdi."
Lloyd nodded his head thoughtfully as he skimmed through a few more lines. The couple was so absorbed in their analysis that they didn't even hear the garage door humming close, or another door slamming shut, or even a pair of feet trotting up the stairs. "What's so fascinating that you two lovebirds had to cuddle up that tight to see?" A familiar voice called from Lloyd's bedroom door, jolting the two teens out of their trances.
Lloyd and Colette turned around to see the goateed face of Gilbert Irving sticking through the door. Gazing at the teens, Gil's lips curled up into a small smile. "Going through the website again, Lloyd? What did the fans say about me this time?" Gil asked.
"Hey Dad, glad you can make it," Lloyd greeted, waving Gil into the room," Colette and I were just wondering the same thing as the fans. How much were you actually trying to write yourself into the book? Also, how many historical references are there in the characters?"
Gil chuckled. "The million dollar question, isn't it? Everybody wants to know how much of the detective is based off of me and how many sequences are based off of historical events that Anna had interest in." Leaning against the doorframe, Gil scratched the beard part of his goatee, showing a mischievous twinkle in his eye before he answered, "The historical events are all based on the Reunification Journey, and themes that both Anna and I would have drawn from that. You may notice not just the detective, but the killer in the story, aren't exactly your prototypical hero and villain. Many things they do often border between good and evil, and if you compare them right, you will realize they actually have very few differences."
"I actually noticed something like that," Lloyd commented, clicking on another link. Colette immediately scurried behind him again while Gil slowly stepped into the room. Their eyes were on the next discussion board as Lloyd read out the contents. "We have one thread here that had some people wondering if the murderer intended to kill out of malice or if there was some psychological factor that caused the murderer to think that way. When they compared the similar backgrounds between the murderer and the detective, they realized both have a set of very close ideals, but just went about achieving them in different ways," Lloyd described.
Gil smiled. "That's exactly what happened in the Reunification Group, where they took on the one who separated the world. Both Lloyd Irving the hero and Mithos the fallen hero were idealists who believed in a better world, but sought to achieve it differently. Mithos believed the only way to succeed was to make everyone the same, but Lloyd believed it was better to allow for differences to be settled peacefully. In fact, the same thing nearly happened a short two years after Reunification, when the one known as Ratatosk tried to eradicate mankind," Gil explained.
"Oh yeah, I remember that," Colette recalled, thinking back to her project with Lloyd and Chocolat six months ago, "I know that was after the Chosen system was abolished and that the Church of Martel was disbanded not long after that. I heard something along the lines of the next hero, Emil Castagnier, somehow being merged with Ratatosk? The details are a little fuzzy for me after that, so I may have to study a bit harder when I get home," Colette trailed off.
Gil smiled and nodded. "Actually, that wasn't too far off. Ratatosk was upset that humans and half-elves were destroying the world, and wanted to send his monsters to wreak havoc on humanity. Emil Castagnier was the identity that Ratatosk took after he was defeated in his realm, using the body of the one Ratatosk supposedly killed. And it was during the time in our world that Ratatosk realized that kindness was not a weakness, something that he took with him when he returned to his realm," Gil lectured.
The two teens intently listened to Gil emphasize the message in his novel. "I was trying to create an environment where good and evil are really two sides of the same coin. Who would have thought that the first hero would ultimately create a world of lifeless beings? Who would have thought the guardian of the original Giant Kharlan Tree would send his monsters on the world? And who would have thought the saviours of the world started off as a country bumpkin and a spineless wimp? The fact is perception is not the real thing. Good and evil are never absolute, and results always matter. Had their certain events worked out or were widely accepted by people, many villains would be considered heroes," Gil concluded with a flourish.
Suddenly, Lloyd's eyes grew huge. By referring to that much history, Gil was pretty much trying to refer to himself. For his ten years as an undercover cop, Gil treaded the fine line between dark and light, constantly slipping back and forth along the way. He was a hero, albeit one who used methods regular folks deemed villainous, such as deception and manipulation, to get his way. But in the end, he did what he set out to do, and that was to defend the world and protected Lloyd and his friends. "So that's how you did it, right?" Lloyd stated with a smile, "You wrote yourself in through events of the past."
Gil smiled back. "That's for us to know and for the fans to find out. Just make sure not to give away any spoilers along the way, alright?" Gil requested. Turning around, he made for the door and headed for the stairs. "I'm preparing dinner now, so if you're free, come give me a hand. And Colette, you can stay for dinner if you wish. I'll give Frank a call and tell him you'll go home later…" Gil's voice trailed off as he headed for the kitchen.
"Sure, thank you!" Colette called, accepting the offer before reading the posts with Lloyd one more time. "So Lloyd, are you going to add some hints as to what your father intended to write to the fans, or will you keep them guessing?"
Lloyd smiled. "I think I'll keep them guessing," he replied, grabbing onto Colette's right hand with his left, "After all, all readers are entitled to their own interpretations, and I have no problem if they read it a bit differently. Besides, whatever the interpretation is, I'm glad you're here to discuss that with me." With that, the teens leaned in, their lips locking in a loving kiss.
It would be a few more seconds before the two sets of lips unlocked, with Colette bounding off downstairs to see if she could help Gil. "I'll be down in a second, so don't start without me," Lloyd stated, scrolling through the remaining posts. Reaching the more recent ones, he saw a couple that interested him. "Strange, these guys seem to think the killer in the book committed murders out of retribution. They believe the killer started killing because the world was unjust to him, taking away his past life and turning him into a murderer? Never heard that interpretation before," Lloyd commented under his breath.
Reading the posts once more, he shut down the internet and his computer, waiting for the whirring to end before racing down to help Gil and Colette in the kitchen. Whatever the readers were trying to say, it wasn't something that the spiky-haired teen was about to forget soon.
"There you are, Raine," a dark-haired young woman wearing a purple vest and dark track pants greeted the silver-haired female half-elf, leaning past the door of the Brunel archaeology lab. Usually, at around mid-March, Raine only expected undergraduate students to visit her, most of them coming in to get help or hints for exams coming up in a month. And with her thesis to be presented shortly after that, Raine herself was also on the verge of reaching a milestone.
"Oh, Sheena," Raine called out, turning around to meet the Mizuho native, "I haven't seen you around since our vacation last summer." Shortly after fending off the Cruxis attacks from Derris Kharlan, Sheena joined Raine and others on a vacation to Altamira. Unfortunately, it got her involved in a murder investigation where she was a prime suspect, leading to Gil having to rescue her while employing some unorthodox investigation techniques. After being saved from that ordeal, Sheena returned to Palmacosta, where she continued her graduate research work under fellow Mizuho native Dr. Mark Owen, a close friend of Frank Brunel's.
"Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Sheena replied, slipping into a chair close to Raine's cluttered corner. Artefacts, papers, and other miscellaneous objects littered the area. This large room suddenly looked very cramped, with the pile forming a wall of sorts, limiting Sheena's access to just the front. The Raine she knew didn't seem to be the messy type, so why the change? "Did a hurricane just blow through here?" Sheena observed.
Raine chuckled. "No, Frank and I just haven't had a chance to put the artefacts and other stuff back into the archives," she explained, "I was told there are renovations on our floor of the building, replacing some old pipes and other utilities. I didn't want to move these priceless and precious pieces in and out of the room while all that equipment was being moved, so I'm keeping them here until the renovation subsides."
Sheena nodded, her eyes picking out strange or unusual pieces along the way. Just like Raine, Sheena was one thesis presentation away from finishing a Master's Degree, except her project was more related to summoning rather than history. It didn't hurt that the Reunification group's summoner, a young lady going by the same name as Sheena, was also from Mizuho, making this a topic that hit much closer to her heart. "So what plans do you have after getting your Master's?" Sheena asked her half-elf friend and colleague, "Plan to do a PhD?"
Raine shrugged. "I've thought about it, and it's certainly possible. I enjoy the work, and if I get a PhD then it means I'm more likely to get a professorship. Why not do something that lets me do two things I'm passionate about, research and teaching, at the same time? Being able to seek that much knowledge, and disseminate it to all for future use, I can't think of a single goal more worth fighting for than that!" Raine exclaimed, her eyes nearly lighting up.
Sheena chuckled. That was more like the Raine she knew, the passion and iron will to change the world through knowledge seeping through her face. "I'm still undecided at the moment, so I'll just get my Master's first, and then we'll go from there," Sheena replied, slowly getting up off her seat, "I actually have to see a certain Professor Albane first, as I'm here in Iselia to attend his conference. I saw the map on the building's foyer that stated his lab was in the same hallway as yours, so that's why I can pop my head in here." Sheena tried to negotiate herself out from the quagmire, the mountains of materials making her take each step carefully.
"Actually, he's just down the hall from me. Do you want me to lead you?" Raine offered, following the dark-haired young woman as they headed out the door. Raine and Sheena took a left turn from the Brunel lab, going down the wide hallway that was being redone. From their positions, Raine and Sheena had the smell of rusty metals mixed with fresh paint penetrated into their noses. They could see electrical wiring sticking out of various holes drilled by the renovators, the metallic ends flicking at them like a snake's tongue while awaiting replacement. They had a feeling that this inconvenience was going to last longer than originally planned.
"You can't be serious, right?" Raine and Sheena paused just as they were about to enter the next lab. Even from outside the door, the two could hear a young man's voice arguing with an older man's. "How can you take that attitude towards this matter? Aren't you going to defend me here at all?" the younger voice demanded.
Raine and Sheena poked their heads into the lab to see a blond young man waving a set of papers frantically, his shirt flapping up and down with every move. "I'm being accused of academic dishonesty here, so can you at least cut me some slack?" he shouted.
The older man, a mahogany-haired individual wearing a light green dress shirt tucked neatly into his dark dress pants, merely shook his head. "I warned you about this before, Andy," he stated diplomatically, "Your research has been careless and you barely picked up anything from conferences given by guest speakers. Added to the numerous complaints I got from the students who had you as a TA, I'm surprised this didn't occur sooner!"
Andy, the younger man, threw up his arms in complete shock. "Look, Professor, I think I'm entitled to run the lab portion of our course my way, alright? And so I've missed a couple of conferences, but is that really going to matter? You can't always have me pride myself as a research-first grad student, you know!" Andy pointed out, shoving his hands onto his hips.
But Professor Albane was not to be denied. Known for his devotion to academic honesty, the middle-aged man pulled a perfect reversal on his junior. "Let's look at the letter from the academic committee, shall we?" he stated, pulling the sheet in question from Andy's hands, "It is addressed to you, and it clearly stated that for your research proposals and drafts, you've been doing nothing more than copy and paste. You never cited your sources, and pretty much plagiarized old research, some of which I did, onto your papers. Care to explain that to me?"
Andy's mouth stuttered as Albane continued his onslaught. "Let's hear some complaints from the students too," he added, picking up some sheets from a side table, "I have students saying that you were always off-topic during lab time, speaking about a variety of issues not related to the course. One student even claimed there was one lab period where you spent two out of three hours whining about your stress and shooting him condescending looks every time he tried to ask you a question. Why don't you explain that to me?" Albane challenged.
The blond TA scratched his head, causing the room to fall completely silent. He shot daggers into the professor, who only crossed his arms and stared emotionlessly back at the young man. Notwithstanding the scraping sounds of the renovator down the hall removing old paint off the walls, an eerie silence descended onto the archaeology lab.
Sheena decided to break the silence by gently clearing her throat, getting both Andy and Albane to shoot their glances her way. Albane's look softened upon recognizing the visitor immediately. "You're Sheena, right? You're Mark Owen's grad student, here to attend my conference?" he asked, "I'm sorry for that situation earlier. I didn't see you come in."
"Uh, if I came at a bad time, then maybe we can wait until tomorrow before we talk about our research," Sheena offered, eyeing the tense graduate student. Andy's arms, shoulder, and even abdomen were still clenched, the latter was courtesy of the red Loni-Kyle shirt he had on that showed his stomach to Sheena. "Do you want me to come back another time?"
"Oh, that's fine," Albane responded, waving Raine and Sheena deeper into the lab. They approached an office at the far end, where Albane usually worked, and saw that it was quite a mess as well, like Frank's office. "You're not going to get much of a chance to talk, with both the conference going on tomorrow and the renovation people going in and out. Besides, what happened earlier is nothing you should worry about. It's no big deal."
"No big deal? My reputation is destroyed, and you dare say no big deal?" Andy sputtered from behind them, "I'm facing a possible suspension, if not downright expulsion here, Sir!"
"You think my reputation isn't ruined because of this?" Albane retorted, craning his neck around Raine and Sheena to glare back at his graduate student, "But regardless of what's going on, it's your job to discuss with the academic committee as to what happened. If you can hand me a copy of your progress during the years with me, then maybe I can better make a case for you in front of them. Otherwise, get ready to pack your bags and leave."
Andy said nothing, merely kicking a nearby cabinet in frustration before he stormed out. The half-elf could only shake her head to see her colleague in this position. While she didn't know Andy well, she heard stories from professors and fellow graduate students that Andy had a poor record in the faculty, both as a researcher and a TA. A few times the blond TA blurted out negative stuff behind people's backs that led to insulting or embarrassing situations, especially in a world as small as the academia in archaeology and history. Even so, never in her life did Raine imagine Andy commit the cardinal sin of plagiarism.
Turning back to Albane, she immersed herself in the interesting topics volleyed between the professor and Sheena. Albane was an expert in ancient weapons, including those involving mana. This fit well with Sheena's topic of summoning, which could be considered an attack of sorts. As Raine tried to pay attention, she couldn't help but notice a strange flickering from the corner of her eye. She turned her head around, trying to locate the strange phenomenon. "Is there a broken light in here or something?" Raine wondered aloud.
Luckily, Albane heard her from inside his office, and showed Raine the problem. "The light in my fish tank seems to be acting up recently." He pointed a finger at a long rectangular container of tropical fish. Indeed, the light above the water flashed a couple of times, making the fish swim around awkwardly. "I've been trying to fix this for about a week now, but no luck. I've just been too busy with research, preparing for this conference, and attending my son's fencing match. You've heard about my son, right Raine? He's a freshman here this year?"
Raine nodded. "He's on the fencing team, right? I heard something about him advancing to regional championship round already. Is that true?" she asked.
Albane nodded and smiled. "I'm so proud of that boy. I never knew my research into past weapons and fighting styles would end up like this. Can you imagine him telling me when he was little that the only reason he got into fencing was because he wanted to be just like those swordsmen I study all the time? That's unbelievable!" Albane commented, shaking his head, "Anyway, he's got a match next week, so he's practicing late every day this week. Hopefully I can get the conference out of the way so my wife and I can both go see him."
Raine and Sheena both smiled back at Albane, admiring how devoted he was not just to his work, but to his family. "Anyway, let's keep talking about our topics," Sheena suggested, "But still, don't you think you should get that light fixed soon?"
Albane glanced at the fish tank once more. "Other than me, Andy is the only other person who would be here, so it's not like there are people observing my fish all the time," he replied, "I say it's not a main priority for me, especially with what's going on with Andy. If the committee doesn't agree with Andy's reasoning, I may soon have to find another research assistant."
"So what do the forensics reports say about the sign?" Captain Noishe asked the team, who gathered in their unit conference room. In human form, the Protozoan's final evolutionary stage, Noishe was a tall human, standing slightly taller than six feet. He had a strange mix of light and dark green hair, with darker strands on the centre while lighter ones appear on the sides. Wearing a light blue dress shirt tucked into dark dress pants, Noishe had the business casual look rather than the more formal clothing or uniforms worn by his counterparts in other units.
"The metallic powder found on the ground has the same chemical properties as the chains holding up the sign, meaning they were indeed one and the same," Cabalina reported, reading out the details from the report before her, "Our initial thoughts are confirmed, and that this chain was tampered with, leading to the sign falling and crushing the deceased."
Noishe nodded. Rubbing his mouth nervously, he turned to Azul, who had records of the eyewitness accounts. "I assume Cameryn typed those up for you, yes? What's the main theme from what the scouts and visitors saw?" He asked.
Azul cleared his throat and searched through the notes before him. "All eye witnesses confirm that there was nothing suspicious with the sign prior to them leaving. According to the most senior troop leader, he was the last one to leave the area, after seeing some of the children trip over an old wooden walkway," Azul described, his eyes scanning each line carefully as to not miss any details, "I think a period of time passed between when the campfire was emptied and when the sign fell on the deceased. Maybe the chain was severed at that time?"
Noishe cupped his chin. "This isn't really getting us anywhere. The evidence is only pointing to everything that we know already happened. There isn't anything there that states anything new or puts us on a new path," he mumbled. Turning to Presea, he asked for reports on potential suspects. "You interviewed the original renovation supplier and some people close to the deceased, right? Did you find anything new from there?"
Presea took a deep breath before answering. "All suspects either have an alibi during the time of death, or they simply aren't fit for going out to the wilderness to cut the chain. The one with the greatest motive, the former renovation supplier, had his legs bruised by Walker in a fight. He wouldn't be in any position to do any hiking in the hills, let alone climb into the shrubs to cut a chain," Presea explained in a calm, monotone voice, "I think, with the way things are going, we won't be arresting any of these people."
Noishe bit his lower lip, stumped by another dead end from the suspect list. Just when he was about to move on, the newest member of the team spoke up. "I recall from the people at the campsite that there was a visitor of sorts to that camp that drove off in the middle of the night," Oni suggested, "Recalling the testimony of the farmer's son Jack Azmenak, he heard a car drive through the road outside his barn. Does the camp have a visitor's log of some sort, so we can check who this mystery person is?"
A strange silence washed over the team, wondering if they truly missed out on something important. Given maintenance had to be done, there should have been deliveries made. But the renovation supplier Walker used to rely on cut the contract afterwards, leaving him to scramble to find another option. Was there another renovation supplier around that campsite? Did this new supplier appear during the time of death? Or perhaps this new supplier had something to do with the death, and slipped away while everyone went back to their cabins?
Just then, the only person who hadn't spoken raised an issue. "We have to look at one of the most obvious factors around," Gil pointed out, "We have to know what the deceased did during the time he worked there, from when the contract between him and Horace was cancelled, to when he was killed. Since we've pretty much shown all the other alternatives to be impossible, this is the only lead we have for now. Whoever that was there with Walker before he died, that has got to be the most likely killer."
Noishe tilted his gaze over to the man sitting in the front seat directly at his left. Knowing Gil since before his undercover days, Noishe was aware that this was a staff sergeant who was never short of ideas, sometimes resorting to unorthodox methods just to solve crimes. But right now, even Gil was starting to sound defeated. "Does everyone agree to this then? Should we focus our efforts on the campsite once more, and check their visitors?" Noishe asked.
"Once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Gil stared determinedly at his team before continuing, "A famous fictional detective once said that in a book that's about a hundred years old. While I'm not duplicating his techniques in this case, I'm asking us to adopt his mindset. Even if a potential lead is improbable, we should still check it out. And that's why we have to return to the campsite ASAP."
Noishe nodded. "I think based on what we have here, there isn't much more we can do but check out who's been around that campsite and what they did there. So let's get moving, everyone!" Noishe concluded with a clap of his hands.
As the officers filed out of the conference room, Gil approached Noishe. "I have an idea, but because I'm not sure of its merits, I want to talk to you about it before suggesting it to the team." He pulled out a set of notes to Noishe, who glanced at the writing with interest. It was quite messy and unorganized, something out of character for the former mole who kept pinpoint precision notes during his time undercover. "I've been looking at the way this incident occurred, from the way the deceased was killed, to the way the chains were cut. Everything here indicates the culprit, whoever he or she is, seems very familiar with the surroundings."
Noishe watched Gil show him the gathered information. "The killer must have had a knowledge of metallurgy, must have had access to tools that can cut the chain off that cleanly, must have had enough physical ability to climb into the bushes on both sides where the chain was bolted down, and must have observed the deceased enough to know of his responsibilities to the camp," Gil listed off each factor clearly, "We're looking at a probable case of premeditated murder, one that has been thought out by a very intelligent individual."
Noishe was completely silent, not knowing which part of the messy notes in Gil's hands to believe. Noishe had been through a lot in his many years, seeing the world torn apart and put together, only to fall into more chaos with Sylvarant and Tethe'alla fighting for power. Each time, he was observant enough to see mistakes being made by each group's leaders, even when they were on the winning side. But for this case, it almost felt like the culprit was so careful that he or she took every measure to avoid mistakes. "So what do you suggest right now?" Noishe asked, "Should we tell the team about this idea at all? Surely you don't believe this person can outsmart all six of us, do you?"
Gil bit his lower lip, emitting a wave-like sigh from his nostrils. "I wish I can say that the culprit can't outsmart us, but that would be a huge lie," he muttered, "I can try to lead the team in the right direction, but this investigation will be very taxing. It would take all of us to put our heads together if we want to get to the bottom of this."
And in case you're wondering, there is a Tales of Phantasia reference in this chapter. Many people consider TOP as being on the same timeline as TOS (several thousand years into the future), but since my story is AU, it means TOP events never happened. Cress Albane and his buddies will exist in this universe but as regular folks, although I haven't decided if Cress should make an actual appearance in this story. Give me your feedback on what you want to happen with that, thank you!