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Chapter 23: Open Case.

The tension was palpable after Allen declared he had in mind who was behind the whole incident. The train car was filled with the wreckage of their past battle with the specter and smashed detectors were scattered across the ground. The others wondered what was found in that mess that confirmed Allen’s suspicions.

Katelyn was worried while Connor tapped his heavy boot on the ground in annoyance and Tierney had a gloved hand to her chin in thought. Nera was the only one to walk up to him.

“Are you sure about this?” Nera asked with a low tone.

“Roger, but some people here might not like what I have to say,” Allen responded bluntly with his head angled off to the side. He looked at his bandaged hands and noticed they were still slightly stained with ethereal miasma from touching the Specter’s picture. All of them had gotten a chance to examine the picture, even Katelyn.

“Well then, get on with it then.” Connor urged. “Just which one of us do you think is a lying backstabber?”

“Alright, first off..” Allen walked over to one of the damaged walls and pressed his hand against it. “We didn’t think it could be any of the troupe members because there wasn’t a way to get back from the underwater theater to the Verre Chatuea in time for the second attack, but we just found out that there’s a secret Gateway there connecting to the Luminaire District.”

“So, you’re using that evidence to say it was one of the troupe?” Tierney spoke up. “Even so, it doesn’t limit the number down that much. We have around forty members.”

“Yeah, but the way that Specter has been showing up right in front of Katelyn to attack us means that the perp has full knowledge of our movements.” Nera brought that fact to everyone’s attention.”If someone could keep in touch from the surface that means the train operators would have called for an S.O.S. or someone would’ve sent help already.”

“That means…” Katelyn began but trailed off hesitantly.

“The culprit is likely not just one of the troupe but one of us here. Someone who used that Gateway to go back and forth from the Verre Chateau. Someone who arrived back at the Chateau through the underworld when the train came back in the middle of the day.” Allen postulated.

“Why would they not just return in time to catch the train to avoid suspicion?” Tierney asked curiously.

Nera raised a finger after some thought. “..Maybe they didn’t have the time to come back to the underwater theater and taking the other way would’ve taken so long it would’ve raised even more suspicion.”

Tierney’s brow furrowed. “Hold on, wouldn’t that make Evelyn the prime suspect then? She didn’t strike me as the type to do such a thing but her vocal Mystic Trait would allow her to slip away at a moment’s notice easily.”

“Nah....” Allen instantly rebutted as he ran his fingers along the wall until reaching something embedded into its side. “She brought more people into the mix which could’ve easily messed up her planning and even told us about the extra Gateway we didn’t know about. Plus, she wasn’t the only one we know came back through the underworld.”

Allen grasped the slender object his hand had approached and pulled out the wooden arrow. “Tierney, you also fit that description.”

Tierney’s mouth hung agape with her two fellows also stunned by the implied accusation. Nera, meanwhile, simply looked on with curiosity. She pensively stood to the side with her arms crossed.

“Huh?! What made you come to that conclusion?!” Tierney yelled harshly before quickly cooling down. “Oh, I get it. You’re trying to frame me to get some quick cash.”

“Hey, I don’t need to frame you to make quick cash,” Allen argued, not realizing that he was admitting this was indeed for money even if his accusation turned out to be sound. “The evidence just points to you. I’ll tell everyone here what I mean and they can decide for themselves.”

Tierney clicked her teeth. “I knew not to trust an outsider like you. You’re just a wolf weaving sheep’s clothing. Let's meet up with Evelyn, Kate.” She grabbed Katelyn by the hand but felt resistance as she tried to walk away.

“Hey, Tier. You know I know there’s no way you would do anything to hurt me…but let’s just hear what he has to say. It could lead us to the real culprit.” Katelyn urged with pleading eyes. Tierney looked over to Connor who awkwardly averted her gaze. He was the one who told Allen that she had returned from the Underworld and his guilt was shown clear.

“Fine, have it your way.” Tierney sighed.

“I’ll make this simple then.” Allen began with the arrow raised to his face. The end where the arrowhead should have been had multiple tangled roots sprouting from it instead. “This arrow left the same mark on this wall as the one we find at the scene of the second attack in theattack the Chateau. Isn’t that right, Nera?”

Nera gave the spot he pointed out a closer inspection. “Bingo, even beneath the surface, those roots would’ve left the same tiny, winding tunnels you detected.”

Tierney clicked her teeth again. “I’ve been at the Chateau for years. It was probably just left over from arrow practice for a show we did.”

“But you’re the musical director. It doesn’t seem like you’d be acting in too many plays yourself.” Allen readily counted. “Speaking of which, you’re also the one that keeps the Teardrop tuned, but you didn’t say anything about whether its condition was unusual or not when we wondered if the spirit Fossegrim was attacking.”

The half-elf’s face became rigid as she pleaded her case. “All that’s just conjecture in hindsight. A few small coincidences hastily thrown together. For all you know, that Gateway’s security is too tight to get past and someone planted that arrow to place the blame on me. Do you think I’m the only ‘elf’ with a bow like this one?” She held her right hand to reveal her wooden bracelet once more.

“No, I don’t.” Allen calmly replied. “You’re right that even with all of that, it still would be hard to accuse you. Your hands don’t even have a trace of miasma on them.”

“See? I know you’re trying to help, but I think it’s clear now that there’s no way Tierney’s behind all this. She’s the one who taught me how to play the violin from the very start. I know with all my heart that she’s on my side!” Katelyn declared with her hand over her chest. However, when she moved her hand again, she noticed an inky wisp trail from her fingertips. A lasting residual of the miasma from the picture the Specter was sealed in.

“Miasma…this is what it looks like. I remember it from the first attack, just being grazed left a mark on my clothes that lasted for half an hour.” Katelyn recalled hoarsely.

“...It stains whatever it touches, and you don’t need to sense magical energy to see it in a dream realm,” Nera added while raising her own miasma-stained hand. “We all touched the Specter’s picture only a few minutes ago, but it looks like Tierney’s the only one who it hasn’t left a mark on.”

TIerney’s expression turned anxious and worried as she looked to Katelyn for support. Meanwhile, Katelyn froze. She did not know what to say to overturn the situation or if she even should.

Allen nodded. “Exactly, if one had to constantly handle Spectral objects like a sealing picture or a tool to control it, they’d make sure they wouldn’t leave any sign they were doing so. However, this is like hiding anti-venom on you after a snake bites someone. It makes it clear who brought the danger in the first place.”

With Allen’s damning statement, Connor hurried over to Tierney and grabbed her arm with a shaky hand. “C’mon, Tier Just explain why he’s bluffing and we can all get back to figuring out who’s really to blame here. There’s gotta be some other explanation, right?”

Tierney’s scrunched temple was not the beacon of hope he was looking for. Katelyn stood in between the two while clutching her violin.

“I wouldn’t get too close to her if I were you,” Nera warned before directing her words to Tierney. “Piercings, if you’re not the monster tamer, you’ll reveal what’s in your pockets. If we don’t find anything, you’ll be in the clear for now. It’s a pretty generous offer.”

‘I guess we’ve had the same theory for a while.’ Allen thought to himself.

“It’s the truth. We think the Concealers are controlling Specters through some sort of magic tool. We don’t find anything like that, I guess I’m wrong.” The young man said with a hint of sympathy. Seeing how much Katelyn and Connor trusted in their friend made him want to be incorrect as well.

Tierney gulped then seemed to relax and gently took Connor’s hand off her wrist. “That’ll be okay then. Connor, Katelyn, I’m sorry for worrying you two so much. I would never betray the Verre Chateau. It’s the place where everyone’s working to obtain their dreams afterall..”

Katelyn breathed a sigh of relief. “All this has been so draining, once they see there’s nothing to worry about from you, it’ll be alright.”

‘She’s going along with it? Was I wrong about her?’ Looking over Connor’s shoulder, Allen’s brow furrowed as he failed to see through the sincere emotion on Tierney’s face. The novice detective wondered if he let the half-elf’s words deriding him as an outsider get to him, blinding him to the real trail he should have been following all along.

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Connor agreed. “If we wait here long enough, help will arrive regardless. Right,Ti-”

A sharp twang split the air and Nera caught a projectile that was hurtling toward Allen’s chest. His shock was audible while at the same time Connor yelled out and slumped to the ground, clutching his torso. A narrow hole had been torn straight through his body.

“...Sorry Connor, I let the opportunity you afforded me go to waste.” Tierney lamented with the outstretched arm that bore the mystical bow Gusisnautar, still in its wristband form. An instant later, it morphed into a majestic longbow that was half as tall as Tierney herself. “I’ll make up for it with my next shots.”

Four arrows emerged from the part of the bow still wrapped around her wrist and swiftly notched them on her bowstring. Katelyn covered her mouth with her hands in a futile attempt to keep her composure. “No, no..how could you?”

The young woman fell to her knees as she could do nothing but watch as Connor bled profusely from his grievous wound while another one of her longest friends, the one who inflicted such harm, was standing above them both so callously. “You monster...to think I believed you when you said you wanted to chase our dreams together. All this time…you’re despicable.”

Nothing changed outwardly in Tierney’s countenance as she readied her next attack. “You’re just a mole making a mountain, Kate. I didn’t lie about what I said before. My dream was simply never the same as yours to begin with.”

“Hmph, Allen was right on the money after all!” Nera ripped free from the tangle of roots that sprouted from the arrow she caught in her bare hand then snapped on her metal gauntlets before rushing at Tierney. “Magical Blitz Haymaker!”

The four arrows were let loose. Three targeted Nera while one hurtled toward Allen. He quickly ducked under the one sent at him while Nera weaved passed the volley and went for a straightforward punch. With steely eyes that were nothing like the wavering face from before, Tierney fired several more arrows at point-blank range.

Nera leaped in the air to avoid them and came down with a titanic kick. Tierney attempted pulling away but found her foot stamped under Nera’s heel. An arrow was released toward the spot, not paying any mind whether her own appendage would be pierced.

A split-second later, the stake hit unoccupied space on the floor. The violet-eyed pugilist was forced to release her opponent and Tierney nimbly dashed away while never letting her gaze leave Nera.

“Bowyer Craft - Page 8, Neo Spirit Bow Gusisnautar.” Tierney’s chant caused an ethereal silver Sigil to appear over her bow that transformed its shape. It now possessed a mechanical, almost cybernetic, appearance.

“What’s that extra fancy bow for? You think it’ll stop you from getting your ass handed to you?” Nera taunted as she danced across the cramped car like it was a wide-open field.

“They’re both going at a completely different than everyone else’s.” A cold sweat appeared on Allen’s temple as he racked his mind trying to figure out where he could fit in during this fierce clash. “I guess this is the least I can do.”

Thinking back to his training at Knight Arms, he covered his entire body with Extract. The magical energy was as static as a solid set of armor. Allen had prepared himself to act as a shield if the moment called for it.

While Nera bounded off the walls, Tierney raced across the floor while keeping her bow constantly aimed at Nera. When the acrobat dived in for an attack, Tierney’s nimble footwork and a steady barrage of arrows kept her from closing in enough to land a hit. Changing her approach, Nera crouched down to swipe the half-elf’s feet from under her but Tierney was the one to leap in the air this time.

“Initialize: South Run: Bergrisi Command: Augment.” That bizarre sequence of inputs called out by Tierney caused dark blue circuits to extend from her bow and briefly cover her body before fading. She then manifested and fired a brightly glowing arrow of the same color adorned with rings along its shaft.

It headed not for Nera but for Connor. Allen raced to make it in time and pushed Connor clear of the arrow right as it impacted the ground. The dark blue circuits spread from the arrow and caused the floor to rise up to the ceiling.

Groaning from the crash, Allen made sure Connor was still conscious. “Crap, she seriously has it in for you.”

“Not good! We need to get over there! ” Nera shouted as she tried to make it over to Tierney and Katelyn but the wall rose too fast and she was blocked off from the other side of the car. Her kick slammed against the makeshift wall with a heavy thud.

“Damn it! Now what do we do? Katelyn’s with her on the other side.” Nera stated worriedly. “We need to get over there as soon as possible.”

“You’re right, but that’s easier said than doneto done. You’d need a wrecking ball to get through all that metal.” Allen’s response was crushingly disheartening. Their combined might was not enough to muster that kind of force.

“Don’t worry.” Tierney’s muffled voice came through the wall. “I don’t have any intention of hurting Kate. She’s probably the safest person on this train at my side. Who you should be worrying about is Nathan. I left my calling card with him.”

Allen’s mind flashed back to Tierney helping Nathan up after they were attacked by the Fossegrim and the sealing picture found in one of the detectors. It clicked for him. “You…you were holding on to a Craft Card to summon and contain the Specter anytime you wanted to.”

“That’s correct,” Tierney admitted coldly. “Perhaps, you’re not as incompetent as I took you for. With just a few scant crumbs, you pieced together everything. It’s impressive for an outsider.”

Even from behind the patchwork wall, Allen could envision Tierney’s indifferent eyes. That was the true face she had been hiding for years. Somehow, she was able to betray those she trusted and knew for years effortlessly. From the few moments he spent with them, they felt like a close-knit group that helped and supported each other despite glaring differences. Giving up something so nonchalantly that he had lost in the past was not a grievance Allen could let stand.

“What are you even saying?! I don’t know anything. Not a single thing!” Allen yelled.”I don’t know you, but your fellow troupe members did and you still decided to endanger them. The only thing I know is that you’re a traitor but what could be worth throwing away those years you all spent together?”

A light chuckle was barely audible from behind the barrier. “Now that cat has broken the bag, there’s no reason for me to act nicely anymore. I’m leaving with Kate, and I’ll leave the rest to their own fate.”

“Tier, you have to stop this now! You can’t seriousl-” Katelyn’s words were blotted out by something and footsteps began receding from the metal blockade.

“I’m going after them,” Allen announced resolutely and walked forward until Nera’s hand stopped him.

“You don’t really think that I’m going to let you fight that psycho elf on your own, do you?” The young woman chastised with a stern tone. Allen was going to snap back with a brash comment but noticed the concern beaming from her violet irises. His expression softened and he thought the situation.

“...Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan and you need to go help the others. That, and a new trick up my sleeves courtesy of the director.” Allen espoused.

“Is this one of your ‘just thought of it now’ plans?” Nera lampshaded. A meek grin from her partner caused her narrow shoulders to slump in exasperation. “Fine, let me hear it at least.”

After telling her the details, she reluctantly agreed to let him go on ahead while she helped stabilize Connor’s condition and support the others with Nathan. She hoisted the Kelpie onto her back.

“I’ll be back as soon as we did with that fish-guy. The specter one I mean.” Nera promised before leaving. “...And Allen, be careful of that bow. She’s good at hiding stuff.” With that, she left and Allen was alone in the empty car.

***

‘Crap! I’m going to run out of air! Why did I think this was a good plan?’

Allen’s was crawling on the side of the train in the direction of the caboose. Interestingly, despite being surrounded by water on all sides, he barely felt any resistance or pressure. It was akin to moving through open air, so he wondered if this was due to the train’s technological advancements or the Mirage’s unusual conditions. Either way, it had been under a minute since he broke out from the train through shattering a window, and he was already out of breath.

Eventually, with not enough time to make it back to the window he exited from or the strength to break into the train’s interior, Allen ran out of air and opened his mouth.

“Oh no, I’m going to drown..” He wheezed out loud paradoxically. “Huh, I can breathe in water now. Well, that settles it. This must be due to the Mirage. Fortunately, this makes things more convenient for me.”

Just then, a blast resounded from several cars back and Allen hurried to arrive there in time.

***

Tierney looked up at the skylight she had blown a hole in with her bow. “That’s good. That should make it easy for them to come to retrieve us. I’d rather have been able to make it to the underwater theater normally but that might not be an option anymore.”

“Oh, ‘them’. Are you referring to the people who know who you actually are?’ Katelyn snidely remarked from her position in a train car seat with her arms bound by roots and the Mermaid’s Tear on her lap.

“It makes sense why’d you act that way Kate, but I wish you could understand that I’m doing this for you.” Tierney brushed a tear from Katelyn’s red eyes who jerked away from her hand.

“I still don’t get it.” Katelyn uttered. “You’re the one who taught me about music, who helped me control the violin’s power. Was it all just a ruse? Have you ever told me the truth?”

Tierney stared on somberly. “At the start, I was just sent by the Concealers to keep tabs on a Common who was able to use the Uncrowned Monarch’s peculiar artifact. As a half-elf, I was a natural pick for dealing with a spiritual invocation tool. Even at the beginning, it’s always been my job to protect magicless people from those of the underworld who would put them in harm’s way.”

Katelyn raised her head and asked bitterly, “You mean people like you?”

“Yes, especially people like me.” The half-elf responded frankly, catching Katelyn off guard. Before she could say anything else though, someone came crashing down from up high. A dark-haired young man in a black and red jacket with bandages wrapped around his arms and hands.

“Alright, time for round two. Let’s see how you like it when you’re the one who’s getting blindsided.” Allen declared with a confident smirk. Despite them all being submerged under the water, they could all talk and move through the liquid as naturally as air.

“So, you made it to me.” Tierney’s bow had been kept at the ready and was sprouting several more arrows to notch in its bowstring. “The chickens must’ve been counting their eggs too early when I complimented you before. To think you would show up not only alone but also unarmed.”

“Don’t worry about me. I didn’t come without stocking up.” Allen proclaimed while his right hand hovered over his pouch of specter stones and his left hand revealed a deck case under his jacket, newly fastened to his waist.

“Wait, is that…?” Tierney’s brow furrowed.

“Yeah, it’s exactly what you think. You’re not the only one with a trump card or two.” Allen replied, before initiating the magic tool given to him by Nathan. “Open Case.”