WARNING: This fanfic contains elements of psychological and body horror, along with implicit and explicit violence, animal death, and other dark themes that may upset some readers. Please read with caution.
Ten years passed since Epel and his fellow first-years graduated from Night Raven College. Six years since he reunited with his old friends to celebrate the start of their post-grad adult lives. Three years since he lost contact with his old friend Deuce Spade.
No one knows what happened to Deuce. He had left his hometown years ago, but kept in touch with his mother everyday as he always did, until one day when he didn't. Epel got his contact information on their last day in high school and kept in touch as often as his busy farm life schedule would allow. Even when the frequency of their messages dropped on holidays, he could rest easy knowing that, once things subsided, Deuce would call or text back. When weeks passed without so much as a "Sorry, I got busy," worry started to sink in.
Epel called Ms. Spade at the first opportunity. "He hasn't called since Halloween," she responded. As she went on to tell him, Deuce claimed to have made a breakthrough in a major case, one far more dangerous than issuing speeding tickets to Magicyclists. A case involving the suspected usage of forbidden magic, possibly connected to a greater conspiracy of a cult seeking to use Phantoms for more devious means. While Epel found the conspiracy to be exaggerated at best, he nonetheless feared the likelihood that a bout of rogue magic would do harm to his friend—if it hadn't already.
Unfortunately the rest of the magical enforcement unit were less sympathetic. Deuce—a rookie cop bound to traffic management and the occasional pet tracking—jumped onto the case without seeking the approval of his higher-ups, and his breach of duty led him to his own demise. Despite being a fellow officer, they treated his disappearance as an open-and-shut case and went on to give his mother the worst news.
Three years ago, the police declared his former schoolmate dead. Two years ago, his grandmother, Marja, passed away, leaving him alone in this dying town. Last year, he considered selling the farm, only to change his mind.
This year, on the anniversary of Deuce's disappearance, a strange package shows up on his doorstep.