—What kind of communicators did they use? —asked my master.

They were dynamic. Briseida had hers in one of her pockets and tried to offer it, but my master just gave it a very brief glance.

—Static communicators require the user's energy to work. In that case, your daughter wouldn't be able to use hers if she were weak. Dynamics, on the other hand, self-energize. That means your daughter is perfectly capable of answering, but she chooses not to because something is preventing her.

—Do you think she's being forced?

—It's a possibility —said my master—, but let's not jump to conclusions. I'm just trying to narrow down the possible scenarios for this problem. Tell me, how much did you oppose her relationship with the boy?

—I made it clear to my daughter that I wouldn't accept her relationship unless he decided to make it public, but I didn't resort to any threats. It was a sensible response on my part; I don't think it was enough to make them run away.

—Good —said my master—. What happened from that moment until you decided to come see me?

—We contacted the school, some acquaintances in the city, and some friends who were around recently. No one knew anything about Irene. The transport handlers only told us she disappeared before they left. We were desperate, as you can imagine. By then, we knew that Baron Boldrus had a favor to claim from L'Asmodeus, as he often boasted. It couldn't be a coincidence that you were living so close to Elker. That's why I decided to beg the baron to grant me his favor in front of you.

—I suppose it wasn't for free —said my master in a low tone.

Baron Boldrus was a distant relative on her mother's side. Briseida went on to tell us a bit about the adversities her disadvantaged family had gone through, culminating in that man, almost as if trying to apologize for his terrible reputation, although she didn't seem very convinced. I didn't believe there was an excuse for such an individual, and I always cursed the day fate forced us to owe him something. Briseida had to grant him million-dollar contracts for heavy cargo vessels in exchange for the baron granting his favor to my master. She also said it was an extremely generous gesture on his part because he wouldn't have traded with anyone else. I have to admit I believe her, in fact. And I can imagine Baron Boldrus thinking in his twisted mind that his actions were benevolent. It saddened me to think about what Briseida had lost, but there was no doubt that her daughter was more important.

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Three days ago, she received that mysterious call from her daughter bidding farewell. She spent almost the entire night persuading the baron to grant his favor to my master and left Durkmon that morning. She had arrived in Elker in the afternoon and, although she admitted she wanted to see my master as soon as possible, she couldn't resist the urge to search for her daughter herself. Unfortunately, her efforts yielded no results. For testimonial information, she only mentioned being concerned about losing contact with her daughter, but no one knew anything relevant about the situation – neither her classmates, nor her teachers, nor her neighbors. She also tried asking about Caisam everywhere, but got no satisfactory answers. She felt that people were very reserved about the young man and treated her coldly when she tried to inquire, as if she were disturbing a matter that should be handled discreetly.

My master listened attentively until silence once again filled our room. He waited a few seconds for the mother to compose her emotions, then proceeded to calm her with his words, trying to impart his serenity. Everything seemed to indicate that it was a matter devoid of dangers. Irene had called her mother insistently to say goodbye, indicating that her disappearance had been premeditated. My master would act immediately to investigate Irene's dormitory and other places of interest to find clues about her whereabouts, but he didn't foresee any mortal danger lurking, and it was most likely an escape with Caisam, her lover. To our surprise, that statement disturbed the mother more than reasonably expected. This left a slight expression of surprise on my master, as if he already sensed the revelation that would taint the problem with a more sinister shade.

Briseida admitted to hoping that the nature of her problem was more trivial, as if it were the escape of lovers or something similar, but that afternoon she realized it could be a much more serious situation. First, she reiterated that young Caisam had been decisive with both Irene and them about the love he felt for the girl. She swore to the point where there could be no doubt about it, and she also tried to prove it as if her life depended on it, but nothing satisfied her as much as the gift he gave them at the end of the holidays when he visited. It was an extremely special object that demonstrated his goodwill. Briseida had brought it hoping to prove something, thinking she could get more information with that object, although in the end, she didn't have the courage to use it as if it were a bargaining chip. She leaned forward in her seat, reached into the side of her nolet, and pulled out a white crown flower, carefully encapsulated in a transparent cylinder with a wooden base, glowing dimly with a fading light. Then she admitted that the flower had started to pale suddenly that afternoon.

The air in the room became dense when that unique object settled on the table before our eyes. My master jumped from his seat the moment he noticed the faint flicker of that flower, and his normally serene voice tensed slightly as he spoke.

—I will need that Link to locate Caisam —he said as he moved with vigor—. It's a concerning situation, I must admit, but I urge you to stay here while we conduct our investigation. My pupil and I will act more swiftly if we go alone, and time is vital under these circumstances. In that corner over there, we have our communicators, and in that door there is a guest room. Please stay there. I'll inform you as soon as we have updates.