The night, black as ink, weighed heavily on Rome. In front of the police station, an oil lamp shone, casting some light on the cobblestone path and the wooden entrance. Besides the light at the entrance, only one other light shone in the station. A black wrought-iron lantern sat between Dante and Seraphina.

"This is... terrible! How many times have we had this conversation?" worried Seraphina. Dante waved his hand dismissively. "Probably the first time. I wouldn't be surprised if only my memories were erased." Seraphina nodded, that calmed her a little. Dante stood up from his chair and began to pace nervously around the room with his hands behind his back, twiddling his thumbs, deep in thought.

"We must find a way to protect ourselves from it," commented Dante. "My father… he probably knows the most about the Eldricka out of all the Munds in Rome," said Seraphina.

The detective and the Mundian stood in front of the Sapienza University on Piazzale Aldo Moro Street. "My father is a professor," Seraphina explained briefly, "at this late hour, he's most likely to be here. He's obsessed with his research."

"What does he teach?"

"Medicine and anatomy," Seraphina replied, "he's very well-known."

The university was simply splendid. Behind the beautifully decorated stone fence stood proud palm trees as tall as the building behind them. Numerous frescoes and paintings adorned the façade of this magnificent institution. The university's capacity exceeded several tens of thousands of students who attended classes with hundreds of professors. Munds rarely took jobs in education. In their culture, only the chief was worthy of the title "teacher." 'Seraphina's father must be very progressive… like her,' thought Dante.

The sky was perfectly clear, and the moon, along with the stars, illuminated the mosaic path on which the duo walked. They followed it to the main entrance where Seraphina turned left: "The lecturers' offices are this way, a little further from the classrooms." Dante followed her silently.

Seraphina stopped in front of a window and knocked. After a few seconds, the window opened, and a friendly-looking round head peeked out into the fresh air: "Oh, if it isn't my daughter! What brings you here?" The Mund did not see Dante, who was standing a few steps aside from Seraphina.

"Let me in, and I'll tell you. I have a few questions for you. I brought a… friend if that's okay," Seraphina mustered all her willpower and swallowed her pride to call the scruffy detective a 'friend.' The Mund raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

Dante, Seraphina, and her father sat at the table in a spacious office. The space was very messy with books and papers scattered everywhere. An oil lamp illuminated the mahogany wooden table. They had interrupted the professor in some writing.

"So? What questions do you have for me that are so urgent you disturb me at this hour?" asked the professor.

Dante started first: "A Mund killed another Mund." The professor frowned. "The victim is Frejo, a Mund who commands lightning, one of the six pioneers who were the first Munds to set foot in Europe twenty years ago. He and his family were brutally murdered the night before last." The professor sat with a stone-faced expression. Since he said nothing, Dante continued talking. Seraphina remained silent, letting Dante explain: "The perpetrator is a tall Mundian wizard who has some way of altering others' memories. Also, I believe he was one of the pioneers." The professor's face remained unchanged; Dante couldn't read his emotions. "My memories have been tampered with multiple times. Is there any way to protect myself from that?"

The professor finally moved. He nodded and silently stood up from his chair. He approached a cabinet and took out two necklaces. On the silver chain hung a perfectly black stone engraved with a tree symbol. He gave one necklace to Dante and the other to Seraphina. He smiled at them as they put them around their necks. It was the professor's turn to explain:

"These are necklaces I made for myself and Seraphina. The wizard you're looking for is powerful but also incredibly weak. That wizard possesses Eldricka… or it possesses him… These necklaces will protect you from the psychological and spiritual influences of that vile magic. They won't protect you from physical harm, though, so be careful."

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The professor leaned towards Dante and grabbed his wrist: "Promise me you'll protect Seraphina. Promise me you'll catch my teacher."

Dante, somewhat confused, said "I promise" without much thought. Only then did he notice that a rope was wrapped around both his and the professor's wrists, which glowed momentarily and evaporated after Dante's promise. "You are now bound to your word. If you don't fulfill it, you will die," the professor said curtly. Dante opened his mouth to protest, but the professor was quicker. He snapped his fingers, and two bolts of lightning struck Seraphina and Dante, teleporting them four streets away.

"What the FUCK just happened?" Dante shouted at Seraphina. She was kneeling on the pavement, crying. Dante looked at her, bewildered. When he approached, she silently handed him an envelope that had teleported with them. On the envelope, written in elegant script, were the words: "The Testament of Professor Rusuf," and below that, in much smaller print, "In case of Event A." 'RUSUF?', Dante thought panic-stricken. 'The Rusuf? The Rusuf whose journal started this whole farce? HER FATHER IS RUSUF? He must have been using a fake name until now.'

In a daze, Dante opened the envelope and took out a folded piece of paper. He opened it and began to read. Four streets away, Professor Rusuf was changing into his formal attire. 'If I'm going out, I'm going out in style,' he thought. He was polishing his shoes when he felt a strong gust of wind. The wind was so strong that it flung open the windows, which now banged against the wall. The tall, dark figure of Ater appeared behind Rusuf.

"If you are reading this, there's a good chance I am already dead," Dante muttered to himself as he read.

Rusuf laughed. "You have to admit, I've hidden well until now." Ater stepped towards the professor without a word.

"This testament is valid only if 'Event A' has occurred, specifically if my old teacher has finally found me. My killer, the perpetrator, is a Mund named Ater Arbor."

Ater Arbor took another step. He was now standing right above Rusuf. Professor Rusuf stood up and turned to Ater. "You look terrible…" he commented. The Doctor removed his hood and bandages. His blind eyes… were gone? Instead, empty eye sockets gaped, still oozing blood as usual. His mouth was toothless, his cheeks sunken and slashed… He looked as if someone had stretched skin over a dead skull. Rusuf was horrified.

"My former teacher, Ater, is the only living practitioner of magic called Eldricka. You can find documents about Eldricka and my personal research in my office under the third floorboard on the left side of the northern part of the room," Dante could hardly believe his eyes. The murder was happening as he read this!

"You followed that detective, didn't you? Ha, my daughter and the cop led you right to my doorstep," Rusuf commented. He wasn't really talking to Ater, not exactly. He wasn't sure if Ater was still there. Arbor just grinned at him.

"I won't fill my testament with information about Eldricka; there's enough about it in those documents. I leave everything I own to my daughter, Seraphina. Also, I want her to receive the following message: Sell everything you inherited from me and flee back to the continent to your grandparents. If 'Event A' has occurred, you don't want to be on the same part of the world as the Dark Doctor.

Signed: Pr. Rusuf"

Ater raised his hand. From his throat came a sound like nails on a chalkboard. Rusuf welcomed the strike of purple energy that pierced straight through his chest with a smile. He placed a lot of hope in Dante, a complete stranger, but he had little choice. As long as Seraphina was safe, everything would be alright… Rusuf fell to the floor at Arbor's feet.

"You killed him," thought Ater.

"No, you did," hissed Ater.

"You made me kill him," Ater scolded.

"You gave me no choice," Ater commented.

"He knew too much," Ater justified.

"And the detective?" Ater wondered.

"The detective is useful," Ater concluded.

"Without the detective, I would never have found Rusuf," added Ater.

"Following him was a good decision," Ater praised himself.

Dante read the testament aloud once more. Seraphina kept crying. He sat down next to her on the cold cobblestones and put his arm around her shoulders. Dante had never met his father, but he understood her pain. He looked up at the sky and smiled. Rusuf knew Ater was coming, which is why he so easily gave him the necklace he had made for himself. 'Is it possible I was so stupid? I allowed Ater to follow me all along…'

'I have to be more careful,' Dante thought as Seraphina trembled under his arm. 'I have to understand Ater… Tomorrow, I'll go get the documents under that floorboard. I need more information…' He remembered the 'binding' Rusuf had tricked him into. Would he really die if he didn't keep his promise? He had no doubt… the Mundian professor wouldn't make empty threats. 'Promise me you'll protect Seraphina. Promise me you'll catch my teacher,' the professor had said. Dante glanced at the Mundian girl who was crying.

"Ah, unlucky you, stuck with me," Dante said to the night sky.