'Complaints about what?'
After recalling the earlier complaints regarding the two artifacts, his pupils widened.
'Wait, now that I think about it, her behavior is exactly like...'
As he lifted his head to gaze at the beautiful night sky, a fragment of memory surfaced.
He turned toward Celvira, who was standing in the doorway.
'No way... they really do know what I'm thinking.'
Knock...
Click...
The sound of knocking and steady footsteps still echoed vividly in his mind. Zavi took a step back as a chilling sensation crept up from his feet, rapidly spreading throughout his entire body.
Words in the Talazze Lirei language formed from a thin mist, floating two meters behind Celvira.
"...Do you miss me?"
Zavi stepped past the words formed from the mist and hurried inside as the strange phenomenon became increasingly persistent.
The moment he reached the living room, Celvira turned on the light, and a horrifying sight greeted him. She suddenly vanished, leaving only the gruesome scene of crimson blood before him.
"No... That's impossible." Zavi's lips trembled as the words escaped his mouth, while a burning sensation spread through his chest.
He saw thirteen familiar people lying piled together in the living room. Fresh crimson blood still flowed from their heads and other parts of their bodies.
Their chests had been torn open, exposing their lungs, yet their hearts still beat faintly despite the fact that they had already lost their lives.
Zavi stared at the corpses without blinking until a pale hand emerged from the left side of his chest. He slowly lowered his gaze to see his own heart, still beating.
Tick... Tick... Tick...
The pocket watch inside the tailcoat pocket in the upstairs bedroom continued ticking as time passed.
"Ugh..."
Blood poured from his mouth as his heart was crushed by the pale hand squeezing it, causing Zavi to collapse instantly onto the floor.
"...You? What... Ughh..."
His throat felt as though it were on fire; every word was like sharp thorns tearing through it.
Then a calm, familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"Moriarty, Moriarty, Moriarty... why are you screaming at this hour of the morning?"
"Hah...?"
His mind and consciousness still struggling to process what had happened, Zavi stared blankly at the people standing before him.
He couldn't tell whether it had been a dream or reality. He had experienced this sensation before, a very long time ago, even before the fall of Eaurealis Castle.
'What the hell is happening to me? It's happening again. Yeah, I'm going insane, damn it.'
His thoughts spiraled into chaos as Zavi tried to make sense of everything at once amid the madness consuming him.
He wanted to call it a dream, yet it had felt so real. He wanted to call it reality, yet his pounding heart and every sensation had been real as well. The longer he thought about it, the more Zavi felt as though he were standing in a world of endless ignorance.
He pressed a hand against his chest, then looked at them and said quietly, "Did my screaming wake you all up?"
Reflecting on Zavi's strange behavior lately, Evelina answered softly, "Yeah. They woke up first, then Luis and the others woke you up... Moriarty."
Hearing that explanation, Zavi realized he was lying on his bed as his hand brushed across the rough yet soft mattress beneath him.
'So I really am on a bed. Was that a dream? Or was it reality inside that strange dream again? Damn, it gives me goosebumps, you know?'
Celvira was nowhere to be found in the room, or even in the modest house where he was staying, as Zavi confirmed himself after asking them about her.
But it was true. He had seen their corpses with his own eyes, and he had seen his own heart beating while a pale hand crushed it before he suddenly found himself back on his bed.
Zavi swallowed with difficulty before wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
"...I'm going to wash my face."
After saying that, Zavi walked past Luis, Evelina, Nuken, Wildan, Owen, and Geron with slow, unsteady steps.
They exchanged confused glances before deciding to return to their beds in the lounge and the spacious room directly in front of it.
In the bathroom on the ground floor, Zavi stared at his own reflection, holding back his tears as he realized that thing had awakened within him once again.
'Damn it, should I just ask that woman?'
The thought suddenly surfaced, prompting him to strike his own temple.
Thud!
A pained groan escaped as Zavi calmly massaged his temple.
After washing his face, he hurried back to his room and crossed paths with the others.
The four of them smiled, then headed back downstairs and promptly went to sleep.
The clock read 3:49 a.m. It would be a waste to go back to sleep. That was what they were all thinking at the moment.
For some reason, once he got there, he wasn't particularly surprised that the others hadn't woken up, even though the scream had sounded like someone possessed, or someone being haunted by a demon.
In the upstairs bedroom.
Zavi stopped abruptly when he realized Evelina was still standing in the same place, waiting for him to return.
"...You've been acting strangely lately. Has something happened to you?" Evelina asked, her expression resembling that of a loving mother caring for her child.
Zavi shook his head indifferently.
He walked into the room, passed Evelina, and sat down on his bed.
After calming himself for a moment, and growing uneasy under her gaze, Zavi finally sighed and said, "About that... forget it. I've just been talking nonsense lately."
Although she didn't understand the meaning of his scream, Evelina tried to make sure for herself.
"About that... uh, forget it."
Setting the thought aside, she fell silent for a few seconds before continuing,
"Oh? Why don't you visit the 'Corsturetion the Corps' Club on Jikusuma Main Street?"
Zavi frowned.
"What kind of club is that?"
'He just arrived here. It's only natural that he doesn't know about it.'
Evelina nodded and replied, "It's a club that offers services to cleanse wounded souls and deal with other occult-related matters. By the way, it's been quite busy lately because of a dispute involving two opposing groups, the sports club and the arts club."
"What does that have to do with an occult club?"
Evelina hesitated for a moment before answering, "There's a supernatural entity disturbing their minds, locking away their hearts, making them quick to anger, easily stressed, and even causing them to repeatedly hit their own heads."
That was exactly what Zavi had been experiencing. Hearing Evelina say it confirmed that Aaron truly was influencing him as his companion on this journey.
However, seeing Aaron's condition deteriorating more and more, Zavi didn't want to force him to go to the auction just to serve his own agenda.
Moreover, considering everything Aaron had done for him, Zavi was reluctant to ask for more help when Aaron's own request had yet to be fulfilled.
"...I don't like small talk."
Evelina chuckled to herself.
"So James Moriarty isn't the type who enjoys casual conversation after all?"
Zavi suddenly remembered the tense conversation from the first night they had met.
"Has the news that James Moriarty is a criminal spread to Semilir, or more precisely, to Kuranda?"
Zavi hoped the news had spread according to plan. He wanted to lure "Jack the Ripper" out, assuming that figure matched the image he had in mind.
Her luxurious red dress trailed behind her as she stepped to the left, sat down on a mahogany chair, and crossed her legs.
"Semilir City, yes. But Kuranda? I don't know," Evelina answered firmly and clearly.
Zavi had already expected that.
"Thank you for this conversation," Zavi said as he relaxed his muscles.
Evelina rose from her seat when she heard the soft "thump" from the bed in front of her.
"Sleep well. Don't scream again, and tomorrow I'm dragging you to that club."
A mischievous laugh lingered as Evelina closed the door from the outside, leaving behind her ill intentions in Zavi's room.
Lying on the bed with his arms spread out, Zavi shivered for a moment at the thought of it.
As for the abilities of the two artifacts, the blue-glowing star and crescent moon, Zavi half understood them based on their previous activation.
'Light came out of the artifacts? It's like I'm trapped in my childhood again. My guess is that the two artifacts activate whenever they're within a radius of five meters or more. They can neutralize any effect and heal anything?'
The sudden, jerky movements, along with the arrival of four additional people, further convinced Zavi that the two artifacts possessed powers that complemented one another.
'Simply put, based on my intuition, A, B, C, D, E, and F represent thin threads, while G represents me. Whenever they're within range, the two artifacts trigger a reaction, either cold or heat, which can transform into healing, liberation, or neutralization.'
That theory was reinforced when he felt his body become lighter, allowing him to run again after being thrown down from a great height.
Even so, he still couldn't understand why his body had suddenly stiffened like a statue, or what those thin threads were.
That was because Zavi was unaware of the existence of the Puppeteer somewhere out there, a figure who was strengthening spiritual energy to accelerate the ritual and absorption process involved in the binding and control of his second-stage ability, Marionette.
'I'd better get some sleep and pray that Goddess Yarandrela protects lost souls like mine.'
He placed both hands on his chest before finally drifting off to sleep, lying on his side facing the window.
Not long afterward, he received the Goddess's blessing and a sense of peace in answer to his prayer. Zavi Actitus was finally able to sleep again after the unending string of misfortunes that had befallen him.
....
April 1, Tuesday, 7:00 am.
Zavi woke from his sleep, having had no nightmares at all.
The moment he realized that, he became convinced that the Goddess had protected him while he slept.
'Thank you for your blessing...'
As soon as he stepped out of his room, Evelina, dressed in her luxurious red gown, was standing by the wall to his right.
Zavi's expression remained indifferent at the sight of her, although inwardly he was startled.
"Why are you here?" he asked. "How long have you been standing there?"
Evelina looked at him with a chuckle.
"Hmm, about fifteen minutes," she replied with a smile.
Seeing Zavi's confusion, she quickly added,
"Come on... I'll take you there. Besides, I still don't know where you're planning to go afterward."
In truth, Zavi had no desire to visit an occult-related club, but after being pressured repeatedly by Evelina, he reluctantly agreed.
The others were still asleep, except for Aris, Geron, and Zojan, who had gone out early that morning to look for something and spend the money they had.
Zavi and Evelina stepped out of the house and walked side by side along the sidewalk, looking exactly like a real couple.