With a short spell incantation from Lindani, two symbols flickered before them, fading away as two steel doors adorned with intricate gold patterns of bones were revealed.

  Seeing this, Lorelei decided to cast her own protection spell, allowing a barrier dome to form around the detective. She turned to him as they watched Lindani push both doors open and said, "Remain within four feet of me while we're inside."

  "Thank you, Lady Deaconess!"Beamed the detective.

  The height of alertness both specters exuded left the detective fairly tensed; however, he willed himself to follow through. When taking different cases alone, he often felt threatened by the unknown, but he could not afford to retreat, having come this far.

  "Just Lady Lorelei is fine." Confirming the detective stepped closer, Lorelei turned around and followed the bald monk, keeping a two-meter distance.

  The crypt was much larger than they had anticipated, seemingly spanning around half of the underground area beneath the cathedral nave.

  The quiet passage was lit by crystal lamps placed above, casting a yellowish light that illuminated the stone wall strategically filled with rows of deposit boxes, reminiscent of a secured vault or a deceased king's forgotten treasury.'

  Lorelei felt they had been walking for about 2 minutes before the monk suddenly came to a stop.

  '1006 should be inside..?' Her eyes immediately swept over the numbered label attached to the box in front as the monk Lindani reached into a section of his robe.

  Retrieving a grey skull-shaped brooch, he then pressed it up against the box for five seconds. Soon, the sound of locks being released followed, and the man took a step back.

  "Is it not ready?" Detective Rǔchuān whispered with confusion.

  The moment his words fell, the box nestled within the wall shot outward with a small burst of steam.

  As their eyes widened, seeing the ordinary-looking metal case hosted inside, the monk grabbed the grey handle and lifted it out.

  " The Arcane tool 1006, or as some call it, The Creeping Flesh Finder. Once the case has been opened and the user gazes at its true appearance, they have exactly thirty seconds to resonate with it and get the location of the desired target before it takes a fingernail from them." Lindani gave a detailed introduction

  He then pushed the empty box back towards the wall and said as he stepped past them, "Let's return. We will need to leave the crypt to activate the tool."

  "Alright," Lorelei nodded. "Could you then kindly arrange for a carriage to be sent to 23 Winchester Street, Sr Kruger is waiting to return."

  Compared to the walk to retrieve the tool, the return felt like a breeze as they moved at a jogging pace, quickly nearing the entrance.

  However, as the doors came into view, Detective Rǔchuān suddenly felt his legs buckle as though something had struck the back of his knees.

  'Was that an Arcane tool's effect..!?'

  Lorelei quickly reached out to catch him, but before she could grasp his arm, he extended his hand out, bracing himself against the wall.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "You there! Remove your hand quickly!" The monk yelled, looking back.

  At that moment, Lorelei saw the rest of the detective's body being yanked towards the wall. His face paled as his limited spiritual energy rushed towards a box numbered 999, inches away from his head.

  Sensing the man's dread while he tried to pull himself away, she reacted instantly, increasing the density of the barrier surrounding him. She then grabbed both of his hands, directly reinforcing his body as she separated him from the box.

  Free at last, detective Rǔchuān relaxed his body in Lorelei's arms as she prepared to cast a healing spell.

  Yet before she could, the monk took hold of her hand and said coldly. "You can not cast any Life spells within this space. The result could be catastrophic! Take him outside!"

  Having no desire to linger, Lorelei supported the detective as they continued their walk to the exit. After passing through, she quickly lowered the man to the cold ground and started chanting.

  "Ela do Voda e Ziva" ["Goddess of Water and Life,"]

  "Ja evoqo ty s miren." ["I summon you with peace."]

  "Dona da korpus ty grava sanas" ["Grant the body your strong healing"]

  "Seele spiret, lumis vivos" ["Soul breathes, light lives."]

  With each sentence, detective Rǔchuān's countenance brightened as his breathing began to stabilize; nonetheless, Lorelei continued to pour spiritual energy into his veins until she was satisfied. For half a second, he enjoyed the scent of the summer sea before jolting to his senses as she pulled her hands back.

  A few minutes later, the monk resealed the passage and departed to arrange a carriage only after reiterating the tool's risk. As he spoke, he seemed to ignore the detective completely.

  Maybe he had been upset by the man's mistake? Lorelei wasn't entirely certain, as she occasionally struggled to read the internal moods of Desterian men.

  "You should be perfectly fine now, but let me know if you feel any discomfort," She smiled at the detective.

  *******

  Back at Winchester Street, Damon felt something brush the edge of his consciousness, stirring him from his meditative state.

  "Oh, Damon."

  It was a familiar voice whispering his name with amusement.

  When his eyes finally opened, he realized he was seated upon a wooden chair. His wrists were bound behind his back with coarse rope, the fibers digging lightly into his skin whenever he shifted.

  Yet Damon quickly noticed something was off about this sensation.

  'This isn't my real b—'

  Suddenly, before he could gather his thoughts, Damon felt a hand yank his white hair, forcing his head to tilt back.

  Immediately, his vision snapped upward, and he locked eyes with Cecil, smiling down at him.

  The woman wore the same gentle features he remembered, yet the smile stretching across her lips was far too wide, revealing teeth in a crooked, predatory grin. In her hand rested the modified violin bow with its blade gleaming beneath the moonlight streaming through the broken dome roof above.

  "You said you would keep your promise, right?' She asked sweetly. "So why are you already here??"

  Taking a deep breath, Damon didn't answer immediately.

  Instead, he began to shift his eyes around the environment, quickly taking notice of the black and white, checkered tiles on the ground, stained with dark, dried blood as his mind scrambled to deduce what was happening.

  Cecil watched him carefully with narrowed eyes and said, "Want to know what happens to bad boys who break their promises?" She then leaned in closer, as if trying to establish a sense of dominance, and slowly whispered her next words into his ear with the cadence of a sultry maiden, "They get punished."

  After those words left her lips, the blade of the bow slipped beneath his jaw.

  But Damon only let out a long, weary sigh. "Can we stop this game, Master?"

  Hearing this, Cecil's form froze for a fraction of a second before dissolving like mist caught in sunlight, and in her place, Master Tomoe appeared.

  Tsk!

  Her expression twisted for a moment as she folded her arms and clicked her teeth in annoyance. "That Cecil girl was right. You can be such a bore sometimes."

  "Why am I here?" asked Damon, shifting his arms to loosen his restraints. "And how did you pull me into... whatever this is?"

  "Your little dance with death created a new variable in our connection," Master Tomoe explained, pacing around the chair. The checkered tiles seemed to shift beneath her feet with every soundless step.

  "Being able to pull you into a simplified version of my domain is one of the two perks I received. As for the other. Heh.. I think I'll keep that to myself for now. In exchange, I will grant you three questions. Ask anything, and I will answer, no lies nor evasions." She laughed for a moment, then stopped, turning to face him directly.

  ["Choose carefully, my rising sun. You may never have an opportunity like this again."] She added