[Jevan Perspective]
The amount of foolishness I had committed in the past few days made realize just how dangerous this mask truly was. If not for that strange healing ability I possessed, I would have died not once, not twice, not even three tis, but at least more than ten. I rose from the bed, leaving the mask thrown on the pillow, but as soon as I stood, I collided with the masked woman standing right in front of .
When did she enter? And how? I kept staring at her silently for a mont, not knowing how to deal with her now.
Ever since I first saw her, many mories began to seep into . Fighting alongside Valeria and Raven against Valentine Crow? In what seed like a laboratory. Then other scenes a battle in a destroyed village, another battle against the sa person, that researcher. What was he doing there? Only God knows.
In both scenes, she was there with . And that made realize she must have been close to the original Jevan. Does that make her trustworthy? Yes, but only if I weren’t in Jevan’s body right now. Anyway, where were you when that white haired lunatic killed ? Annoying that you appear now suddenly, after all those troubles ended.
Those mories also made realize Raven knew the masked Jevan as well. I just hope he didn’t sacrifice his life to repay so favor or anything like that. Whatever the case, the past is past. I need to focus on the present I already have enough problems.
I gestured at her, exhausted:
"Could you leave the room for a while? I need so ti alone."
Her eyes narrowed behind the mask before she shook her head in refusal. I kept trying, arguing if it could be called that, since only one of us was speaking, while the other simply shook her head. At last, she finally agreed to leave. I drew in a deep breath, exhaled, and sat back down on the bed.
First, I now had to record every note about the Authority of Miracles, since the original Jevan had left no information about it. Second, I needed to find a solution to the problem of the mask and its side effects. My mind was clear thanks to the wish, but I knew now I would pay the price sohow and that in itself was an even bigger problem.
I didn’t want to wear the mask again, but two problems stopped from avoiding it: first, the spirits that had reappeared, and Raghu who drifted around the room; and second, my identity tied to the mask. I couldn’t reveal my ordinary self to Verona now.
While I was drowning in thought, Raghu approached and sat beside , then said:
"I know you can see now."
"What do you want now?"
"I don’t want anything."
"Then why talk to ?"
"I’m bored. You’d feel the sa if you were in my place."
"Try talking to the other spirits instead of annoying ."
"I tried that, but the problem is they don’t talk the way you think."
"So how do you communicate with them?"
"Through telepathy. Simple signals are enough. But most of them aren’t bound only by the doctor’s power they’re also bound by their desires."
"And what about you? Don’t you have desires?"
"I do. But I’m dead. What use are dreams and ambitions to the dead?"
I leaned my face on my fist and said:
"So it seems you’ve accepted your death?"
"You could say it’s the result of my own actions. I deserved it."
"But your two companions don’t seem to have accepted it."
He shook his head regretfully:
"We knew our dreams were impossible. The difference was that I gave up early, while they kept clinging to hope."
"That’s unexpected. I didn’t imagine you as that kind of person."
"What kind of person did you think I was?"
"The foolish kind."
"You’re mocking a dead man now? That’s rude, you know?"
"It’s not mockery. Fools are also the kindest people."
"I’ll take that as a complint."
I looked at the small candle that had started to lt on the table and said:
"What made you work with a human trafficker? You don’t seem like that kind of person."
His expression shifted:
"A childhood dream among a group of friends in a small village."
He vanished the mont he said that, leaving behind the other spirits floating in the air around . Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the deep red that had enveloped the spirit of the freckled girl with the straw hat begin to fade, replaced by faint blue light.
***
At the Public Investigation Office
Inside the general director’s office, the air was thick with the scent of oil and old paper. Lamps hung on the walls spread a steady glow that lit the room completely, while Stefan sat behind his wide desk. In front of him stood Cornelius Wright, holding a stack of docunts.
Cornelius said:
"Sir, the general director..."
Stefan cut him off sternly:
"Stop this nonsense. Do you know the punishnt for accusing an inspector without evidence?"
Cornelius’s grip tightened:
"But I have evidence."
"And what evidence is that?"
Cornelius placed a brown file on the desk in front of Stefan:
"I can get it. There’s still a witness alive."
Stefan opened the file, flipped through its papers quickly, then placed it back on the desk. He looked at Cornelius and said:
"All you have is a na. Just an ordinary mber of the Bloody Fang. No official record, no important missions. How do you expect this to prove Inspector Graves cooperated with the Bloody Fang in searching for Valentine Crow?"
"He’s very close to the two mbers who caused that battle with the researcher..."
Stefan interrupted:
"And that proves nothing. Being close to them doesn’t an he knows anything. And even if he did, do you think he’s still alive without his gang to protect him? And if he is alive, do you think you’ll find him in the Lower District?"
"I could if I had authorization."
Stefan sighed:
"You want to waste the office’s resources chasing a witness who might be dead? And even if he’s alive, he might not know anything?"
"I have a hunch..."
"I’m sorry, but I refuse. This case is secondary. There are more important matters that need the office’s focus."
"But sir, if we allow him to move freely, the consequences will be severe. The imperial forces will use this as a pretext to pressure us even more, and the office’s reputation before the people will suffer."
"Since you have no material evidence so far, only analyses and assumptions, and all the witnesses are already dead, how do you expect to approve? That would be a violation of the law and an insult to the dignity of the Investigation Office. I let you interrogate him, but nothing beyond that will happen."
Cornelius left quickly after this exchange, clutching the papers nervously. After he left, Stefan picked up Jevan’s file, opened it again, and stared at the sketched picture on the paper. Then he closed it and placed it in his desk drawer.
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