Erie
AT that same time in Chest Island’s mine, Erie was conducting her own investigation into Jair with Heath at her side. But she wasn’t prepared for the population difference between Head Island and Chest Island. While it was technically considered a small island, over forty thousand people resided on the densely populated Chest Island. Pinpointing Jair’s location among the crowd was no easy feat.
“No one knows who Jair is, Heathy… Do you suppose he isn’t actually on Chest Island?” Erie whispered to him. Though she asked every miner she came across, she hadn’t learned anything about Jair.
Maybe my initial theory that Jair’s a resident of Chest Island was wrong? Erie pondered what she was doing wrong while heading down the road, when a discarded newspaper on the ground caught her eye.
“…?”
There was a picture of St. Rollins Academy, the school she had attended until the day before yesterday, taking up page three. Erie picked up the newspaper out of curiosity and read the article under the picture.
“The Supernatural Comes to St. Rollins Academy?! Lots of Blood Found and One Security Guard Missing”
On the night of March 21st, an incident took place that laid waste to the walls of an old school building in Head Island’s St. Rollins Academy. Numerous bloodstains have been discovered inside the building, along with what appears to be fragments of a broken Clay Golem in its vicinity.
Since that very day, the Academy’s security guard, Enrico Salvini (age 62) has gone missing. The Torah Church authorities are currently investigating his connection to this incident.
Erie furrowed her brow as she read the article. The bloodstains most likely belonged to Heath. The Clay Golem fragments belonged to the Adamahs. But there was one glaring, incorrect detail documented in the article.
“What are they saying…?! The security guard didn’t go missing!”
Erie was absolutely certain the security guard had been killed that night, by what was very clearly Jair’s handiwork. But the newspaper article listed the security guard as “missing.” Did Jair hide the body? Where would he have hidden it?
Something doesn’t add up here! He shouldn’t have had the time to do something with the body… I need to confirm what’s going on. Knowing what she had to do, Erie broke into a run for the Academy.
Exiting the mine, she dashed down the road leading to Head Island. On the way, she heard a voice she recognized.
“…So, Cliff, give it to me straight: do you have experience dating girls?”
“How long are you gonna keep teasing me for?! C’mon, let’s go already!”
Startled by the familiar voice, Erie spun around and spotted the boy and girl passing by her, heading for the mine, followed by a Golem draped in a raggedy cloth. The nostalgic sight of the girl’s back caught Erie’s attention.
“Lovel…?” she breathed.
For a moment, Erie thought she had come across the upperclassman she admired, but this girl looked like a delinquent. Her short miniskirt and tube top didn’t match the Lovel that Erie knew.
I suppose it’s someone else… Right now, I’m more worried about what happened at the Academy. Erie pulled herself together and resumed her dash for the Academy.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ouka
AROUND that same time, Ouka was working in his factory. He restored Dram’s severed right foreleg first. Once he finished, he had a light meal and ran his eyes over the newspaper. The article on page three jumped out at him.
“‘The Supernatural Comes to St. Rollins Academy?! Lots of Blood Found and One Security Guard Missing’…?” he read the headline aloud.
From the sound of it, something bizarre had gone down at St. Rollins Academy. The news troubled Ouka.
An incident at the Academy, with this timing? I just bet it’s got something to do with those kids.
Both the girl Spinoza asked him to find and the girl with a Fresh Golem he’d bumped into last night were students at St. Rollins Academy. It was highly likely they were connected. Following his gut, Ouka decided to pay the Academy a visit.
“I’d love to take Dram, but…probably best if I don’t.”
Dram’s Restrictor was, “can’t move for more than two hours a day.” Overusing him early on ran the risk of him not working at a dire moment.
Ironically, the harsher the Restrictor, the greater the Golem’s usability and life span became. Ouka had placed a particularly strict Restrictor on Dram because Dram was his treasured partner.
I want to save him for later, Ouka thought. He left the factory alone with the quarterstaff he had retrieved from Spinoza.
It had once been his favorite silver extendable staff. The verses of scripture engraved on it were the badge of a Rabbi. Walking around with the quarterstaff dangling from his waist made Ouka feel like he had returned to his Rabbi days.
✦ ✦ ✦
BEFORE long, the closest underground station—Heartbreak Hill Station—came into view. A steam train slid into the platform as soon as Ouka entered the station. He boarded the train and sighed.
There was only one train route on this island—the line linking this station to the northern Torah Church Station. Passengers had no choice but to disembark at Torah Church Station if they wanted to catch a train to Head Island.
“Oh man, I am not keen on passin’ through the Church.”
There was someone at the Church Ouka didn’t want to come across at all costs.
I sure hope I don’t run into her by accident.
The steam train arrived at Torah Church Station as he prayed to God hoping not to bump into anyone. Ouka disembarked at the platform and quickly surveyed the station.
…Great, I don’t see her, he confirmed as he stealthily made his way to the exit. Right as he stepped outside, a voice called out to him.
“Why are you here, Ouka?”
Cringing, Ouka slowly turned around. A Rabba stood inside the Church’s front gardens, near the station exit. They were seeing each other for the first time in ages, and she was already glowering at him with the utmost disgust from behind her glasses.
Torah Chief Kiriko Strife—Ouka’s former coworker and the woman he’d hoped to never see again.
“Kiriko…”
“Did you not hear me? I just asked you why a non-Rabbi such as yourself sees it fit to step foot on Church grounds,” she restated, briskly striding over to him.
Ouka flashed a daring smile. “My business ain’t with the Church. I’ve got somethin’ to check on at St. Rollins Academy, per Spinoza’s request.”
“You have business at the Academy? I don’t know what Torah Lord Spinoza said to you, but our Church is in no need of your assistance. Only we Rabbi are capable of executing justice on this archipelago.”
“I see you’re still stiff-necked as ever, Kiriko,” Ouka said with a wry grin. Intense pain abruptly shot through his shin—Kiriko had kicked him with the tip of her boot. “YEOW! What’d you do that for?!”
“Please don’t utter my name with such familiarity, Illegal Golem Artificer scum.”
“Huh. You know ‘bout that too?”
“Of course I do. I am merely postponing your arrest until the Torah Lord stops protecting you… In any case, I can hardly believe you stooped so low that you became a criminal after quitting the Church. I’m sure even Alita would be disappointed if he saw you now.”
“…!” Ouka bit his tongue at the sound of that familiar name. Averting his eyes from her, he responded, “…Y’know, I just came to despise the Church, is all. Thought my skills would be of better service elsewhere.”
“And you decided that the best service your skills could provide would be as an Illegal Golem Artificer? I can’t even begin to comprehend your life choices.” Kiriko loudly exhaled and turned on her heel to leave. “You may very well despise the Church, but it is you who I despise. The next time you show me that ugly face of yours, I shall beat you until you can no longer stand.”
Ouka watched her go. Once alone, he shrugged and headed off toward his destination.