“Is this how you saw us?!”
Stepping across a vast grassy and hilly valley, the individual tucked their arms inward, scoping the environment around them. Suddenly, the sandy dust roared, struggling for anyone to find clear visuals. Several seconds passed by before it subsided.
At the center was a large cylindrical building with a sandstone brown dome overlaying at the top. Its arms extended in four acute angles. At each end was a cubicle.
Yet… no one was present.
Upon inspecting the one on the right, the individual took a step inside. It was a jagged square perimeter with a myriad of scratches torn against the wine-red chair. A white desk layering a horizontal wooden plate supported the monitor and the keyboard weighed on it.
Click.
A shrilling pinging noise hijacked the wanderer’s head, covering their ears and running out of the cage before being buried in the sand. As the person stood up, four other visitors enclosed the host. One well-dressed man with a daunting expression. One with a mechanical suit with a black glass visor and a rifle in hand. One in all green robes with a wooden staff and an emerald orb levitating at the top. One with multiple graphic screens floating around his body.
Well, you’re the IT expert so fix it! I don’t know anything…”
“Why don’t we do this instead…”
“I’mma be real, the stuff you like…
“Everyone annoys me about IT and that’s ALL they see of me. Wanting to show something I like? Nope, get brushed off like leaves on your shoulder. Maybe they’re right…”
“It can’t be…” the wanderer pushed away from the four and sprinted toward the blinding dunes. “It’s not real! They’re not real!”
The wanderer tripped on a concealed piece of granite and immersed in the chiseling sands. Struggling to stand the visitor reverted to lifting their body with their arms.
"Why am I here? What do people think of me?"
“AH!” Michael jumped from his bed, crystallized beads swarming his forehead. His back absorbed the white fabric and latched it to his moist skin. “Whew…whew…whew…haugh. What was that?”
He threw himself back on his soft resting furniture, staring at the bronze ceiling. “I put it all behind me. They’re not real anymore.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 10th - 2:27pm
Allyson sat on the sky-blue couch attached to the wall close to her room. With a square pillow resting on her lap to protect the roaring heat coughing out of her HP laptop, she was reviewing PowerPoint slides for her class lectures.
HMMMMMM!!
A 301 number rang through. She originally wanted to let her phone rumble continuously. However, she instantaneously pressed the green call icon and swiped right. "Hello?"
“Good afternoon, this is Claydon Foglesmann from the University of Maryland Police Auxiliary. May I speak with Allyson Kim please?”
“Yeah, this is Allyson.”
“Great! So I wanted to call and inform you that after reviewing your application and interview, we are pleased to offer you a position as a Student Police Aide.”
Her jaw left an elongated oval gap while her brows rose. “Yes! I accept the position and thank you for giving me this opportunity!”
“I’m glad to hear it! Welcome to the Police Auxiliary! You will receive an email shortly detailing your orientation. The dress code is business attire. We look forward to having you on board.”
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome and you have a great rest of your day!”
“Same to you as well,” Allyson hung up the call before punching the air above her.
Julia entered the apartment witnessing her roommate’s cheer with a confused smile. “Uh… you alright?”
“Huh? Oh, you saw that? Shit…” Allyson brought her arms down to the keyboard. “I got a job!”
“Nice! Where at?”
“The police auxiliary here.”
“Didn’t you like get in trouble with them?” The artist left a playful quirk on her lips.
“I wouldn't get in trouble if I was let go,” she gently tapped the left side of her head with her left index finger.
“Sure let’s go with that,” Julia’s face continued beaming. “Funny that you say that because I also managed to get a job.”
“Hell yeah! Where you gonna work?”
“At the concessions at the campus, so I’ll work at games and events.”
“Lit! Best to the both of us!”
October 10th - 6:22pm
On the second floor of the Pocomoke building, Detective Vargas entered from the right and found the large square area of the Police Auxiliary Department. He saw a man sitting at the desk behind the lockers. “Jansen, need a minute of your time.”
“Yeah, what do you need?” He swirled his chair until he stood face-to-face with the officer.
“I need the logs for September 29th. I need to check who worked around that time.”
“Do you need all of the SPA logs?”
“Yeah, that’d make it easier for me,” Jansen slowly nodded and checked the cabinet beneath his desk. He found a manilla folder for that date and all the logs on that night.
“I have them copied already, but let me know if you need anything else.”
Detective Vargas returned to his office and skimmed through all the paper logs. He immediately set aside four as the locations those SPAs notated were campus buildings.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SPA: Brooks 2137 and Collins 2130
Vehicle: 953
Activity Log
2245 - Campus Dr, Route 193, Stadium Dr, Route 193. Paint Branch, Campus Dr, Route 1, Regents Dr - 2300
2300 - 2300 gates - 2305
2305 - Campus Dr, Preinkert - 2308
2308 - SA: Escort 2079 from Pocomoke to Cole - 2318
2318 - Lot Z, Alumni Drive, ValleyDr, Stadium Dr, Paint Branch Dr, Campus Dr - 2333
2333 - Preinkert, MLG, Lot U1, Preinkert, Campus, Union Dr, Fieldhouse - 2348
2348 - Regents Garage, Regents Dr, Paint Branch, 193, Stadium Drive - 0003
0003 - SA: Escort Terp House students from Route 1 and Knox to campus - 0045
0045 - Return to Aux to go 10-7 - 0100
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SPA: Prentiss 2073
Vehicle: 954
Activity Log
2245 - Mowatt Lane, Campus Dr, 193, West Gate - 2256
2256 - SA: Escort VIP student from Cornerstone to 3 Houses in President Lane - 2317
2317 - SA: Assist 2064 at West Gate - 2329
2329 - Stadium Dr, Valley, La Plata, Stadium, Paint Branch, 193, Route 1, North Gate - 2344 - Route 1, Knox Rd, Guilford, Route 1, South Gate - 2359
2359 - Regents, Chapel, Regents - 0003
0003 - SA: Escorts from Cornerstone, Terp House, Bentley’s to campus - 0052
0052 - 10-25 to Aux to go 10-7 - 0100
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 10th - 6:55pm
SPA 2073 arrived at the Police Auxiliary. As the tall student prepared to sign in, Detective Vargas walked up to her. “Hey 2073, could you meet me in my office? Just need to ask a few questions.”
“Oh, sure!” Prentiss happily agreed. Her mind rattled around preparing for what sort of questions she was going to get asked. Detective Vargas’s stoic face sent anxious alerts to the tall woman.
“I’m investigating Cree’s death and based on her last known location, she was at Cornerstone. Based on SOC cameras and this log,” he presented the paper she was documenting that shift. “You were the last person to see her. I want to know if you noticed anything odd about Cree before and after the escort.”
“Oh!” Prentiss pressed her chest with her soothing hands. “Umm… before the escort, she’s just like your regular drunk college student. When I dropped her off at the 3 House, I made sure she went inside. After that, I left and continued to help West Gate relieve himself.”
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary at the 3 House?”
“Hmm, no, I just saw four cars in their private lot,” her report caused Vargas’s brows to jump up.
“Wait four cars? They should only have 3. Do you recall what the cars looked like?” Prentiss simply weaved her head left and then head several times. “Damn… doesn’t help that there are no cameras there since they are very adamant about that. Urgh, ok thanks 2073 for your help. You can head back to the Auxiliary.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 11th - 2:02pm
Michael logged off from his desktop, meticulously slotting his notebooks and folders in different locations on his backpack. He reviewed his workstation to ensure that his personal belongings were in his possession. As he approached the exit door, the technician stopped at the front reception desk where a conversation took place.
"I'm heading out for today," he raised his left hand to the receptionist and his boss.
"See ya!"
"Oh, Michael, I was finishing up here. Do you have a moment? We can speak outside," to which he agreed. They walked up the stairs and stepped out of the ESJ building, facing the main road.
"Sorry for this sudden request, Michael, but uh, have you made some progress with Scott's request?"
"A little," Michael's shoulders floated up a tad bit. "There was a rule in her mailbox that listed specific threatening words and automatically sent them to her junk folder. Card key logs don't show much. I wasn't able to see any patterns as there were too many students coming in and out of buildings."
"Right," his supervisor nodded. "I appreciate your work and effort in keeping them satisfied, though a bit too much in my opinion."
"I get that he wants to find out what happened to her, but he should at the very least be mindful of what he says to us."
"To be fair, she was his friend. I'm not sure what he said to you that day but it didn't sit right with me."
"Yeah," the memory flashed his vision before rapidly blinking for a brief second.
"Just let me know if something comes up or if you need anything from me. Oh and before I let you go," his boss pulled up his phone and tapped on the screen 5 times. "Let's keep this project between us as I would rather not have other people involved with Scott's dilemma. Let's connect using the Terp app."
"Sure," Michael launched the TerpConnect software and navigated to the request section. Ten seconds ticked by. "I don't see a request."
"Ah, sorry, my phone's been acting up lately,” he tapped the screen once, swiped to the left, and tapped again. “Need a new phone eventually. Lemme try again," The request was transmitted to Michael's phone successfully.
"OK, I see it. Thanks!"
"Thanks, Michael. Just shoot me a message if you need anything from me."
"At the moment, there isn't anything. I'll let you know if something comes up."
October 11th - 3:03pm
Allyson, Julia, and Jansen met in front of the Van Munching building. Entering inside the premises, they followed the hallway to the right, all the way to the end until they reached a wooden door on the right end. From there, they met with Marie, Michael, and Mr. Richter.
"Alright everyone, thanks for showing up," The Investigators blocked viewing from the outside, closed the doorway, and kept the classroom bright as if the lecture was still ongoing. They lined up at the desk where the monitor stood.
"Is everyone ready?" Marie asked to which everyone had already been prepared.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Class desks, window sills, walls, floor, and ceiling were converted into digital pixels. Soon each squared bit lost its original color before disappearing into a shadowed void behind them. All that remained was a sea of black blankets.
Before one single blink, a fairly large ember sphere materialized at the center of the perimeter. Surrounding it were three desktop screens with the ember icon. Two tables were holding two laptops. At the back contained a vast glassed barricade withholding nothing inside.
The color of the sphere at the perimeter center was magenta pink.
"Welcome to our HQ."
As Allyson, Julia, and Jansen toured around, Michael walked left to the desk closest to the group. Mr. Richter approached the three desktop monitors on the right. Marie went to the back. The other three were mesmerized by the mysterious glowing object in the middle.
"What's this?" Allyson inquired.
"We theorized that it acts as a medium to traverse onto someone's inner Soul."
Allyson slyly swallowed as her body suddenly felt stiff. Her teeth sunk against her lower lip.
"Have you guys used it?" Julia followed up.
"A few times," Michael answered while adding a property on a particular file on the laptop. The artist simply nodded.
"What are you guys doing right now?" Jansen asked.
"The app had a pink color during the blackout. I was able to obtain the coordinates to its destination. We'll be heading there, alright," the professor proclaimed before swiping the screen down.
"It would be dangerous, no?"
"Our chances for everyone returning safely is very probable. We will be able to send 4 of you guys there."
"Wait, not all of us?"
"One person needs to stay back here. The reason is that someone can return us here if anything goes wrong."
“Did you guys not go together?” Allyson furrowed her eyes, feeling her stomach contort.
“... … …”
“Let’s just say that we learned the hard way,” Michael turned to the group with somber gazes. Marie’s thunderous punches on the punching bag became clamorous.
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“Oh,” the lady lightning hung her shoulders low. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright,” the teacher’s expression was stiff yet his blue eyes lost a shard of life for a brief stint. “Our probabilities are greater this time with more people.”
"Since Jansen doesn't have a Soul Channel, we want you to stay back whereas the rest of us can go," Marie's right leg bent forward while her left leg was behind her shoulders. She repeatedly struck alternating punches at a lighter pace.
"I'm cool with that, just don't start a fight while you're there," he playfully smirked.
"Maybe I can start one here," she pinned a calming but daunting stare. "Anyways, you guys ready?"
Allyson, Julia, Marie, and Mr. Richter stood around the rouge screen.
Traversing to a new destination: The Castle of Moha
All four bodies materialized into separate flames of Violet, Cyber Yellow, Scarlet Red, and Emerald Green. The four souls converged on top of the large magenta sphere before disappearing and traversing into an unknown plane overseeing a network of intersecting channels. At the center was a gargantuan crater where all the paths converged. The surreal glimpse lasted a second before being virtualized into a grassy hilly area.
“Everyone here?” Marie looked at her entire surroundings. Her mind was at ease when everyone was accounted for. “Good, good. And wait, where did you two get your Soul Channels?”
“Oh, uh, we… just have it,” Allyson shrugged her shoulders, bulging her eyes to the size of the moon.
“Yeah, after Allyson got hers and when we went back to my world, the sword just appeared,” Julia clarified.
“Interesting,” Mr. Richter’s brows danced as he closed his eyes and softly held his phone. The device deconstructed into miniature thin shards before enclosing his entire physical body. The metallic structure was layered with an iron coating including a mask. “Whatever method was done must have been permanent.”
Marie broke the chain on her right fist generating the Scarlet Gauntlets on her arms. “Doesn’t matter since we got some good firepower,” she noticed the steep incline behind the group. “Let’s see if there’s anything beyond there.”
On the other side of the hill was a deep, vastly square-shaped ditch filled with murky liquid. At the center was a large fortified castle forged with beige-colored stone. At the front were two cylindrical towers standing with a thin gap in the middle. A long straight path was constructed from its entrance to the four standing on top of an incline. After following the pathway, the entryway belled a hollow hum. Upon walking inside, everything shone with powerful sparks that compelled the Investigators to shadow their eyes.
Moha Castle - Area 1
“Everything is too quiet,” Marie deduced as she brought her gauntlets close to her upper body.
“Reminds me of your place, Julia,” her roommate hummed in agreement.
"Generally, we would expect some defense mechanism, but no one's coming," The professor rolled his eyes at different angles for his visor to assess the environment.
Once the lights subsided, an elegant chandelier hung above them. Mauve carpet in a vertical line. Twisted stands supporting the gilded ceiling separating into thirds.
Clank!
"What the fuck was that?!" Allyson held the Jingum horizontally with both hands and stood in front of Julia.
"The stairs up front, let's go!" Mr. Richter and Marie charged in the direction of the peculiar noise while the roommates followed suit.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Do you need to have one person here?” Jansen asked, squinting his doubtful eyes.
“Mmm hmm,” Michael rocked his head forward once whilst pinning his eyes on what appeared to be a floor print of an area. “Hmm, what’s this?”
The weaponless man extended his neck and twisted his head so he was slightly behind his friend while watching the screen. Four variant colored dots were moving down to an elongated rectangular room. “So… Do you usually volunteer to stay back?”
“Not always. Sometimes I go with Mr. Richter and Marie stays here.”
“Do you and Marie ever investigate together?”
“No, because Mr. Richter wouldn’t be able to gather data.”
“Why does it have to be him?”
“As far as I know, that’s his Soul Channel.”
Jansen puckered his lips inward and scaled his head left. “By the way, how did you and Marie come across this?”
“One moment, Jansen,” Michael pinched three fingers when contacting the screen before spreading them out. The monitor zoomed onto a particular room.
A Rose Taupe round object was approaching from behind the four colored dots.
“What’s that?”
Moha Castle - Area 2
Sky blue marbled walls and ceilings were supported by vivid yellow cylindrical stands. A long magenta carpet layered in the middle guides to the next destination. As they were trailing on the carpet, Julia shifted her head left, noticing an abnormally wide lengthy window.
“Guys, look!” The artist strayed away from the group and approached the glass. The other three were just behind her. Over on the other side of the area, several students sat at their desks scribbling with their pens. Their faces were seen from the side. Julia blew through her nose at an alarming rate. She clawed her hands and pulled against the window. “... … …”
“Are you okay?” Allyson turned to her roommate.
“That’s my art group, why are they here?”
“How can we head over there?”
“Take a step back,” Allyson, Julia, and Mr. Richter took several steps back while Marie pressed her knuckles inward. She pulled her right fist, parallel to her shoulders. With the swift release, Crack!! The center of the impact lost every single shard, leaving a massive gap. “Let’s a-go!”
Julia was the first to barge through the room. She grabbed and pulled the person’s left shoulder, rotating the chair until she saw a clear vision of her friend. “Will! What are- UAAAAGHHH!!!” The artist zapped back several steps while her temple was on high alert.
Allyson’s new source of adrenaline outran everyone in front of her. “Julia!” Once she slid and stopped next to her friend, she angled her Jingum downward, the tip just hovering on the person’s face. But the face had no human facial features. Allyson’s brows shrunk inward. “What the actual fuck? Guys… this guy has no face.”
“Yeah…” Marie shrugged her shoulders while shuddering. “She also doesn’t have a face either.”
Mr. Richter scoped the desk on the far right. A sheet of paper was set aside with the drawing tablet. The teacher noticed that commission requests overloaded the desk. There was one section that bewildered the professor. The employee’s name was written as Subject 342. “Everyone, check the papers! Do you all see any names?”
“Mine says Subject 356.”
“Will’s Subject 411.”
The muted air overshadowed the area. Marie and Mr. Richter grimaced at what they were perceiving. Allyson nearly shattered her teeth while lowering the voltage on her Electro Vision. Julia turned her back against her roommate and raised her head to the skies.
“Is this how you saw us?! How many more ‘aspired’ people are like this to you?! I did all of this work and for what? Treating me as a number?! Well… fuck you, Cree! Fuck you for ruining me!”
Not a single Investigator moved their lips. Marie averted her eyes to the bottom right corner. Mr. Richter lowered his head and shut his eyes. Allyson simply gazed at her roommate with her heart echoing throughout her temple. Julia's eyes filled with dark malice. Feeling disgusted by the room, the artist pounded her legs to the exit.
"Hey, Julia… you ok?" Her roommate's tone was filled with worry but too tranquil for it to be audible.
"Let's just finish whatever you guys need to do," she followed the path to clanking noise, steam radiating from her body.
No one spoke a single word until they reached a vast, tenebrous rectangular room. More extensive than a classroom. More circumference than a bedroom. More lengthy than a hallway. Portraits surrounded the four walls depicting Cree as an angel saving the weak, being a part of the UMD community, wearing an elegant dress, and granting opportunities to all students around Van Munching who were cheering for her.
Julia's malevolence multiplied at an exponential rate. "All of this… It's all false."
"I had a hunch that Cree wasn't the person people make her out to be, but I never expected to be like this," the fighter took a single step before she fell to her knees.
"Marie!" He yelled before collapsing on his back.
The roommates stumbled before crashing their front bodies on the concrete ground. Soon the room was weaving left and right. The magnitude lasted for only 10 seconds before everything subsided.
"Everyone ok? What the hell was that?" Allyson grabbed Julia's arms.
"We're good here," Mr. Richter lifted his student. "What was that about?"
Rattle…rattle…rattle…
"Behind us!" Marie stood side-by-side, raising her right fist forward along with her right leg, with Allyson. She positioned herself in a southpaw stance.
A figure approached from the hallway, a distorted face with the left side melted down. Chains surrounded its body, a long-range rifle on its left arm with a magenta bracket on its right arm. Despite the face being elongated, the artist lost her breath. "Is that… Cree?"
"What the hell happened to her? I thought she was dead?" The swordfighter sidestepped so she was in front of the artiste.
Mr. Richter tapped the side of his visor and let his system assess. However, the analysis was still in progress. "No time for us to talk, let's keep it a distance. Don't aggravate it."
Although the ladies complied with the teacher, the demented figure pointed its gun at Julia.
Bang!
A veil of emerald barriers enveloped the team.
"I don't think we can do anything except fight," Marie cracked her knuckles while perking up a fiery grin. "In that case, let's rock!"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cree, The Mogha Reaper
Julia began articulating on her tablet. Mr. Richter unleashed another circular barrier on all of his teammates. Allyson steadied her Jingum. Marie leaped forward and delivered a downward swing cut.
Cree snapped her right hand. A student appeared from thin air. Marie failed to retract in time and struck the puppet. The decoy dissolved in an instant.
"Shit…" The rifle was on the cusp of her forehead. The gate into the heavens nearly opened. Sudden strands of violet bolts engendered the left arm to shoot the ceiling. Marie curled her left arm and raised it from the bottom before breaking the unrested enemy's chin. As the enemy stumbled backward, Allyson swooped in from Marie's right side and flung her Jingum in an upward concave motion.
Slash!
Its upper body displayed a diagonal elongated tear. The swordfighter raised her Jingum above before slamming down. However, Cree spun her right hand in the tiniest circular motion. Another student appeared. Allyson popped her eyes out but it was too late.
Slash!
Another student dissipated into thin air.
She leaped back while angling her sword diagonally down. "Damn… that's too fucked up."
The demented foe cocked her rifle and blasted a bullet to the ceiling. Three more students were conjured up in front of her. The decoys all had unsettling grins.
"Cree… gave me… opportunities. I… need to be… grateful for her."
"She's… only being harsh to me to… better myself. Her leadership… helped absolve my ambitions!”
“I… can’t leave… no matter what. I… just need to finish… until I’m ready for my opportunity after college.”
“Grrrgh,” Julia swirled her eyes in a circular rotation and marked her signature, materializing three scythes above her. “I’m sick of this bitch already,” she selected two of her drawn weapons by clicking the button on the Creation Pen, twirling and directing them at two student puppets.
Slice! Slice!
Both puppets decomposed into shadow particles. Allyson fired a small string of lightning, paralyzing the third puppet in place. Marie sprinted before delivering a cross-right hook with her left gauntlet.
“Analysis complete! Let’s hurry!”
The artist graciously selected the final scythe, her devilish grin festering all over her face. She flicked her wrist and the curved steel blade spun forward. As Cree locked the rifle on the incoming projectile, static strings struck the opposite hand. Marie furtively snuck behind the enemy, hopped vertically as high as she could, and unleashed a skull-shattering diagonal blow with her left gauntlet. Cree stumbled several steps forward before the screaming steel pierced through.
The head was dislodged from its deformed body. Both separate physical parts began to dissolve into small magenta spheres before gliding through the ceiling.
“Julia, um, you ok?” Allyson directed a concerned look.
“She’s all this talk with her stupid prestigious persona, but look at her. Pathetic…” The artist walked past everyone, permeating the silent raging aura.
Click!
A flight of stairs shaped like a spring coil emerged from above and onto the center of the large area. The artist halted her steps but never turned back. “Are you guys coming?”
“We are.”
“From what I can tell,” Mr. Richter scrolled through the blueprint of the castle before nodding. “We’re near the top of the castle.”
“...”
The Investigators found themselves standing in front of two large golden doors with diamonds layered around them. The knobs were crystallized with platinum. Once inside, they were surrounded by stacks of cash wrapped in cubes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“That was a close one,” Jansen swiped the salted waters on his forehead.
“I was this close to bringing them back here,” Michael pinched his index and thumb before unloading his back on his virtual gaming chair until it was parallel. “I underestimated Allyson and Julia. Their Soul Channels are strong.”
“Believe me, they were why we escaped back then.”
“Hey, Jansen,” he directed his head to the voice. “Can you keep this between us?”
He left a gaping hole on his lips for less than a second. “After you and uncle did for me, always.”
“Thanks,” Michael released a quick blow of air through his nose. “Allyson talked to me last Saturday.”
“Huh, did something happen?”
The technician recalled the events. Jansen blankly stared at the floor as his fists revealed veins. “He gets on my nerves.”
“Yeah, he’s getting more impatient the more we delay, but somehow Allyson made me feel at ease.”
“Julia felt the same when she was in your spot.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m glad she listened to what I had to say.”
“Allyson vibes with everyone,” his face brightened up as if the sun rose from the west. “I wonder if they know…”
“Yeah, she’s now part of our group,” Michael rose back up, sitting erect. “Jansen, I require one sacrifice for this knowledge I want to know.”
“It depends on if it’s worth it.”
“How did you and Allyson meet?”
“Oh, pff, I bumped into her during the new student orientation, talked for a bit, and we exchanged our info on that Terp app.”
“Ah ok. It must be some sort of lucky coincidence. If that didn’t happen, none of this would have happened.”
“Yeah… strange how life comes at us like that.”
MMM! MMM!
“What’s that?”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Moha Castle - Throne
Over twenty trophy cases were evenly distributed in the spacious lounge. All of the walls had inscriptions. Not a single spec of space was out of place. At the very end presented a rose pink chair. The seat was unoccupied.
"Everything looks so pretty," Marie stood in awe. "All of the money and accolades, it's insane."
Julia was the first to step inside. Everyone soon followed. However, as they closed in, the cathedra began to blur in its entirety. The first thing they noticed was that the gilded walls became shadow-colored walls. Stacks of cash had lines of dry crimson liquid smeared everywhere. The inscriptions around the throne changed. The over twenty display cases were replaced by myriad stone slabs. More tombs were present than the accolades.
“... … …” Every Investigator’s body was struck with unsettling paralysis. Shivering chills kicked into overdrive. The air felt drier by the second.
Marie managed to take a step and walked to the left side, kneeled, and dusted off a tomb.
Employee: Leo Yoon (Subject 100)
Service: 2015-2017
Status: Deceased (2020)
Cause of death: Fired from service, blacklisted, went missing, and committed suicide
“Guys… this is…are these people really…” The bridge between her brows shrunk.
Employee: Daniel Witten (Subject 33)
Service: 2001-2004
Status: Deceased (2011)
Cause of death: Fired from service due to insubordination, blacklisted, and committed suicide
“Here’s one from the 2000s,” rigid cords popped on Allyson’s right hand.
Employee: Jasmine Harke (Subject 13)
Service: 1997-2000
Status: Deceased (2017)
Cause of death: Fired from service for damaging reputation, blacklisted, starvation
“This one goes back to the 1990s,” Mr. Richter shut his eyes and stood. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Julia fell to her knees near the Throne chair with her arms rumbling. Her temple had not faltered but froze in place. “N-no… no… no…”
Employee: Julia Svihia (Subject 418)
Service: 2020 - 2022
Status: Alive (Planned death)
Cause of death: Fired from service, blacklisted, overdosage (ETA unknown)
She pulled back until she was in a sitting position. Shoes planted parallel to the ground, she reeled them close to her temple and buried her face between her legs. Allyson hurried and kneeled next to her roommate. The swordswoman opened her left palm, transferring all of her static pulses to it. She curled her fingers into a fist and slowly laid to her side. “Let’s leave. We’ve seen enough.”
“Agreed,” Mr. Richter scoped the entire area with his visor before tapping the side of his helmet. “Let’s return to HQ and document all that we found.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The sizeable magenta sphere illuminated pastel pink before darkening back to its original state. Jansen curtained his eyes while Michael continued to stare at the desktop screen. At the top of the ember was a small circular portal that segmented the four Investigators in each line and materialized in front of the enormous ember.
“Hey, welcome back,” the man with no Soul Channel walked up to the four. “What did you guys see over there?”
The professor immediately stepped to the left, approaching the three desktop monitors. He had no mechanical suit covering him, only the mobile device in hand. On the desk stand, a gray small square contraption with two glass lights on the right side. Resting his phone on the scanner, the monitor displayed rows of information. He gently tapped the monitor next to it and a holographic light beamed over to the pink sphere. The image illuminated was the Castle of Moha.
“That castle…” Jansen muttered quietly while maintaining stern eyes.
“Alright,” Mr. Richter nabbed a small clicker from the desk slider. “Jansen and Michael, this castle appears to be Cree’s Soul. Initially, we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary,” Click. The workshop of Julia’s artist group with their blank faces appeared. “But after seeing this…there’s something else to it.”
Julia averted her gaze. Allyson’s heart pounded like a drummer striking the drums. Marie crossed her arms yet continued to bask in the hologram.
Click. The next graphic was the deformed manifestation of Cree.
“Huh… is that?” Michael intently focused on the image. The teacher hummed in agreement. “I thought she was dead.”
“We don’t know. I’ll need to assess the information later.”
“Wasn’t a hard fight,” the artist scoffed, frowning at the mere appearance of her former employer. “She ruined me, ruined too many people’s lives. I… hate her.”
Marie’s forehead formed multiple wrinkles while her eyes stretched outward.
Allyson pouted a shadow quirk of a smirk. “Atta girl.”
Julia’s frown danced into a grin. The flames in her eyes were put out by her roommate’s soothing waters. “Mmm hmmm… AHAHAHAHA!!” She flicked her head up and her chest puffed for each cackle. “It feels good to finally say that all this time.”
“I bet! Those kinds of people can never be forgiven after all they’ve done to you.”
“Yeah, especially people who have too much power.”
“Wow, Jules, I didn’t realize you kept that in for so long,” the lady with fisticuffs interlocked her arms while raising her curved brows.
“I kept it inside for too long. Sorry for acting like that,” she scratched the back of her head.
“Don’t be,” Jansen smiled warmly. “We would rather hear what you truly feel than say some comforting lie.”
“I guess you got a point. I appreciate it.”
“Alright,” Mr. Richter showed one last image: the eerie graveyard throne room. “While you kids discuss morals on forgiveness, I need you guys to see this.”
Jansen grimaced at the gravestones.
Michael shook his head while shutting his nervous eyes. “What do those gravestones mean?”
“Each one was once an employee, who then died. As for the deaths, I don’t understand it either. It’s all too much to take in right now. But one thing is clear,” everyone all turned to the professor. “Cree’s death took place here.”
“Wait really?” Marie dropped her crossed arms, crunching the bridge between her brows.
“How can you be sure?” Jansen questioned.
“He’s right…” Allyson felt sharp stings around her body.
“What made you say that?” Julia wondered.
“The room where we fought Cree. That room was on the TV that night.”