After staring at each other for far too long, Felina let out a long sigh.
"Where is he?" she asked flatly.
Aaron looked at her.
"He said going out for a walk was a good idea."
Felina raised an eyebrow.
"There's no way he's out for a walk. Isn't he a wanted fugitive?"
Aaron shrugged.
"I don't know. Before he left, that's all he said, telling the three of us to wait."
Felina's original reason for coming here was simply to remove the lingering effects of Zuhen Mudelk's "Long Sleep."
She knew she couldn't simply say that, or rather, she knew Aaron would never agree immediately.
She recalled the time Aaron had reversed Zuhen's perception before returning both Zuhen and Tell to their normal selves after they had been banished into a shadow with no clear end.
The side effects were severe. The previous year, he had gone through that process twice in succession, within a short period.
It had involved Aaron Kwok and the winged creature born from Niva Herana, a core member of the underworld organization known as the "Black Cage."
"I see," Felina said, her expression unchanged.
The atmosphere turned awkward again. The air in the living room felt heavy, but the tension eased when Aaron rose from his seat.
This time, the invisible needles of that pale blue aura did not hold him back.
"It would be rude not to serve anything when we have a guest," Aaron said somewhat indifferently. "Besides, Actitus will be here soon."
Felina's eyes widened.
"When will he arrive?"
He froze in place. Keeping his gaze fixed on the staircase, he answered without turning around, "Tonight."
After saying that, Aaron continued walking toward the kitchen on the left.
At first, he intended to make coffee, but in the end, he prepared both coffee and tea, telling Felina to choose whichever she preferred.
When he returned to the living room, he carried a teapot with an intricate pattern and two cups, one of them filled with hot coffee.
Before taking a sip, he inhaled the rising steam and said, "Go ahead, take your pick."
When he returned to the living room, he carried a tray holding an intricately patterned teapot and two cups, one of them filled with hot coffee.
Before taking a sip, he inhaled the rising steam and said, "Please, have whatever you'd like."
The teapot had two separate compartments, with one compartment sealing off the spout used for pouring either tea or coffee.
It was mass-produced in the capital city of Sanerva and had spread to other cities throughout Havanuheta, including Semilir.
The inn provided it along with other daily necessities, of course.
Felina nodded, closed one of the spouts, and poured coffee into the empty cup.
White steam rose as she leveled the coffee with a gentle blow, cooling it before taking a sip.
She then set the cup down, wiped her mouth, and asked, "So, is there another reason why he didn't take you along?"
Aaron, still holding his coffee cup, widened his eyes slightly as he replied, "The letter said it was too risky to bring the three of us along."
Felina folded her arms, her sharp gaze fixed on Aaron.
"So... why didn't he take the three of you with him?" she asked seriously.
"I don't know. I really don't know," Aaron replied, giving a slight shrug.
Their casual conversation continued for several more minutes before one of them grew bored and brought up something they had experienced themselves.
Felina was the first to speak.
"A high-ranking Receiver performed an advancement ritual in Minehold," she said, glancing around.
Aaron understood what she meant.
"There have been a few here as well," he replied truthfully. "Did you used to live in Minehold?" he asked, reflecting on how small the world really was, considering he himself had once spent days, even weeks, living there.
"Yes, in the Menotalle District," Felina answered calmly.
'That's quite far from Karuoo, though I suspected they were active there.'
Aaron nodded as he pondered inwardly.
He quickly decided to get straight to the point.
"So, how many people died because of the advancement ritual involving the 'Black Death' ability?"
Felina remained silent for quite some time. Then, glancing around once more, she swallowed and spoke softly.
"The 'Puppeteer' and 'Black Death' abilities operate differently, even though both belong to the same ritual category. They sow chaos and bring horrific endings to regions with populations exceeding ten million souls."
Aaron tried to dig deeper.
"How do you know that?"
Felina hesitated, because the information was closely tied to both of their lives.
However, since Aaron insisted on restoring Zuhen to his original condition, she had no choice.
"...Six years ago. Mr. Zuhen and I opposed a secret order called 'The Blazing Dawn,' and we obtained that information from one of its members," Felina answered confidently.
'The Blazing Dawn' Order? Six years ago... could it have been that incident?
Back then, Aaron had paid little attention to the growing tensions between the factions because he had been focused on escaping the Soas Repena Order.
"They were hiding Exorcist Receivers and hunting Hollows?" Aaron asked, seeking confirmation.
Felina nodded and snapped her fingers.
"Exactly. That's why the order targeted Mr. Zuhen and wanted his head."
After a brief pause, Felina remembered something else that was equally important and added,
"Speaking of fugitives, is the information about Zavi Actitus's death true?" she asked, her gaze as sharp as a razor.
Aaron's eyes widened.
"How do you know about that?" he asked, his lips trembling as he carefully placed his cup on the table.
Fortunately, he had brought along the documents containing information about the incident, as well as the newspaper he had received while searching for Mine Rasuha's residence through Munien's connections.
Aaron knew absolutely nothing about it because Hana and Mine often went out while he remained confined to his room, occasionally spending time exercising in the inn's courtyard during the evenings.
'Damn it, do those two know the truth and chose to hide it from me?'
Although Zavi Actitus's reported death on Saturday, March 31 had caused an uproar among the factions and throughout the underworld, one name had become the talk of the city.
James Moriarty.
Aaron carefully read every paragraph describing Zavi's death and the deaths of several others on the same day, swallowing hard as he realized there was truth in it.
'Then... regarding the telegram that arrived this morning, who sent it?'
Aaron found himself confused by the situation. He looked at Felina, who returned his gaze with complete indifference.
The document containing the rumors of Zavi's death lay before him as Felina slid it across the table.
Keeping his eyes on it while holding his breath, Aaron lifted his head and asked, "Where did you get this document?"
Felina answered without hesitation, "From someone."
"I see," Aaron said, stroking his chin.
....
Semilir City, Syata, Cander Street.
The group from the previous gathering at Coordinate 15, led by Fererra Ammense, had split into two teams.
Four people now walked along Cander Street, driven by a shared goal to find something.
Notably, the two women in the group, Zeta Audervin and Aurora Chevalya, remained skeptical of the newspaper reports concerning the fatal incident at the end of March.
They stood by the roadside in a resting area shaded by two trees whose leaves were being scattered by strong winds, covering the road with a layer of leaves, some of them already brown.
The other two, Arvrenda Guelhram and Zaharon Kavatusce, glanced at the women, who looked drained as they read the newspaper.
Crime continued to rise, and the number of deaths kept increasing. Meanwhile, the government made no response, as though it considered the situation insignificant.
Ordinary citizens could do nothing except struggle to preserve their sanity amid the cruelty of the world they lived in.
That was certainly true for the four of them after the tragic events that had completely changed the course of their lives.
Losing the families and homes they had known since birth was suffocating and emotionally devastating.
Day after day, they endured, determined to find a new purpose in life and uncover the mysteries of a world known only to a select few.
"About what you said back at the tent... I really did follow you," Zaharon said with quiet melancholy, though he did not regret his decision.
Arvrenda adjusted his glasses.
"Yeah. The others wanted to search somewhere else, but this place is close to the city center."
Leaning against a lamppost a few meters away, the two of them were still struggling to fully process the news.
But after turning the page, they found a list of recorded fatalities between the 31st and the current date, the 5th.
Flauwes Rowald.
Tavana Yavonia.
Ronald Steven.
Robert Downey.
Amelia Earhart.
Joseph Yeen.
Vincentius Yamoleian.
Rumine Restourves.
Zavi Actitus.
Lorenzo Tores.
And below them stretched a long list of ninety-one names.
Zavi Actitus's name was buried in the middle of the lengthy list, so neither of them noticed it at first.
As they read through the names one by one with heavy hearts...
Zeta, the first to recognize a familiar name, shuddered.
Her body went limp, and her fingers trembled, causing the newspaper to shake in her hands.
Noticing this, Aurora immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Hearing that, the other two stopped their conversation and walked steadily toward them.
Arvrenda adjusted his glasses as he arrived.
"What's wrong, Zeta? Did you see something?"
Zeta slowly turned toward them with a horrifying smile.
"He... Zavi Actitus... has been killed," she said, unsure of what expression she should even wear.
Arvrenda's eyes widened for a brief moment before he pulled the newspaper toward himself.
He read the left-hand column, his index finger rapidly tracing line after line.
Zaharon watched Arvrenda's quick movements with curiosity.
Aurora could barely speak, her mind completely frozen.
Then Arvrenda pointed at a name written in Talazze Vana.
'So he's dead... but what about him?'
He lowered the newspaper, noticing the profound sorrow on Aurora's face.
'Damn it, could she...?'
"Wait," Arvrenda said, as though he had just realized something he had previously overlooked regarding the death.
The other three instinctively turned toward him.
Arvrenda lowered the newspaper and held it normally.
"Who... who is this James Moriarty?" he asked.
"James Moriarty?" Zaharon repeated.
"Who is that man?" Zeta asked curiously.
"I'm not sure, but they say he's a criminal, and..."
"And what?" Zeta's curiosity intensified as she rose from her seat.
Arvrenda sighed before continuing, "He killed Zavi Actitus."
As night fell, they decided to return to the apartment they had rented through Fererra Ammense's connections.
They turned onto the main road and walked several dozen meters before turning toward the apartment building.
The streets were fairly crowded, which was only natural given the apartment's strategic location.
Even though it was already late at night, people carrying suitcases continued passing them from the opposite direction along the same sidewalk.
"I never imagined Zavi would be killed by a major criminal, someone being hunted by the Tenano Security Department," Zeta said, her voice carrying both amazement and irritation.
From time to time, she glanced at Aurora, who dragged her feet across the stone pavement.
There was no response from her, even as they approached the intersection a few meters ahead.
The three of them moved farther to the left as a group of people approached from the opposite direction.
Zeta glanced over her shoulder and whispered, "Be careful. A group of passengers from the station is coming through."
Aurora snapped out of her thoughts and stepped farther to the left as the group passed by.
"Tonight feels different, doesn't it?" a man wearing a bowler hat said to his companion.
"No. It feels exactly the same," the woman replied.
They caught fragments of the conversation as the four of them rounded the corner. Yet the voice sounded strangely familiar to Aurora, prompting her to stop and take a step back.
'Is it just my imagination?'