The Sight Beyond The Haze

Chapter 34: Investigating the Missing

The room was not dusty.

That thought was the very first one that entered my mind upon closing the door behind me. I was surpised to see that it was so well kept. Maybe I should try to compliment Cocytus for keeping the surrounding clean, but, then again, his head might explode or he might be creeped out like what he certainly felt earlier.

He never did anticipated that I was actually capable of human emotion, and, for that, I wanted to smack his face straight to his nose.

My bed and Bianca's were all properly folded, not a crease or the slightest crumple on them. There was even some flowers on the side table that was in between the space of my table and Bianca's.

As expected, my side of the drawers and the walk-in closet have both been emptied already since Cocytus has already moved them to the house we were all staying at. Bianca's side of the drawers and the closet though were still holding her clothes and stuff.

It almost seemed like she never left at all. It seemed like she either just went out or was just late getting here.

Both of my eyebrows furrowed as I went through all of her things, finding a clue to where she went. I have a suspicion that her being missing like this was somehow connected to those disappearances of the other students.

She might be one of the earliest students that has gone missing to be honest.

From the door outside the walk-in closet I was currently in, I heard a faint knock that has been muffled due to the walls in between. I stuck my head out of the walk-in closet's door.

I have a visitor?

I summoned a substantial amount of magical energy and pulled it tight in my one functioning hand, prepared in the case that the one who was knocking might be trouble. I called out to the one who was knocking on my door loudly.

"Who is it!" I shouted at it.

My feet were cautiously moving to approach the door. I was close to it when I heard the reply from the person who was knocking.

"It is I, my lady," a feminine voice said, dangerously close to the very person I do not want to see or even hear. "May I talk to you?" she asked politely.

And I now looked like an impolite spoiled brat who would not even see any of my subordinates because I was having the biggest tantrum. With a relieved sigh, extinguishing my hands of magical energy, I opened the door. I was still overly attentive whether it was actually Haziel Imbert who was knocking on my door or not.

"What is it?" I asked her as soon as I opened the door. It was quite a rude greeting to her, I had to admit that, but I was still angry and I could not keep my mind from hoping that she would then reveal that it was actually a counterfeit. An imitation of the true Haziel Imbert's face and that this person was actually the one I longed to see.

Of course no such event happened.

Even if the world was magical, the impossible was still the impossiblebafter all. How unfair and, most of all, cruel the world must be to have given me something to hope for.

"We have been waiting for your recovery," she said to me. Though our families both hold a seat on the Thirteen Noble Seat, my family's name and its rank were still both higher than hers.

It was like the queen and the royal family first, blessed with mandate to rule over the magical land of Dalcanoraz. Then it was an equal footing between the Elsinore (the formal name of the Elliot clan) and the Alrerk (the formal name of the Alaric clan) clans that both run and rule over the prominent factions and branches of government of the Dalcanoraz, giving jobs and helping thousands of mages and warriors. Then it was the other eleven families remaining on their respective eats.

Since that was all Deo would let me learn back then, I do not know the specifics and any more details about the politics inside the land of magic. Deo said I have learned enough to get by, get their names right and show proper respects and I should survive purely by that.

"No need to get your hands filthy regarding those with so much greed. Such is the nature of the politics."

"I understand that our last interaction was not as agreeable," I said with caution. After all, I would never be too sure who would be on my side as someone who wanted to protect me or someone who just wanted to exploit me. "How are all of you faring?"

"We have been waiting for you," Haziel said with a slight bow of her head. "I hope your recovery has been pleasant."

"Yes." I nodded along. "The Amitiels have been helping me."

"About what has transpired between my team and the Nobles," she said as though she was walking on thin ice and it would not be too hard to deduce that she was indeed walking on thin ice. "One of my subordinates may have offended you grievously. I would like to apologize on his behalf, my lady—"

But I cut her off even before she could finish her sentence.

"I have been healing excellently," I said indifferently. "All things have happened and done, there is nothing that could be done now. The disappearances of the students of this academy, why is no one trying to help the Amitiel family resolve this?" I demanded.

Haziel bowed her head, looking confused based on how her green eyes looked.

"You have no plans resolving it?" I demanded yet again. "How, pray tell, will you lead an entire network of a government without any initiative?"

Haziel did not refute my anger and scolding. She just went on to bend her head like that.

"What is your reason?" I asked her then, after venting my anger on those few words.

"I don't generally believe a reason," Haziel instead told me, "so I avoid giving one, but if my lady asks me, then the reason is because we have become too preoccupied with fending off Haefen members trying to get to the Middle Ground."

I hesitated, though my face was ever neutral.

I was not sure if I should tell them about the Deities or if they even knew about them accompanying me. There was nothing to worry about those people sent by the Haefen organizations. If Deo was busy, it was certain that he was also doing his best to keep this place safe.

"You do not have to do that," I told her. "You are only wasting away the time and effort of everyone. What you need to do is to return every missing students."

From my pocket, I took out a piece of paper and gave it to her. That might have been irrelevant or maybe it was not, but I thought it was still something connected to this case.

It was a handwritten note by Tansy, one of Bianca's close friends. In the note's contents, it stated were that Tansy was quite suspicious of one person. She has been suspecting the disappearances of her classmates and schoolmates as not a random phenomenon but a part of a plan of someone else. She concluded that there might be a serial killer in the midst of the students, easily blending in without being too obvious about it and having the capability to get in and out of any of the academy's infrastructures and building without drawing too much attention to themselves.

As I was suspecting, Tansy wrote that she concluded the culprit or the kidnapper was a member of the faculty or staff of the academy.

I have not delved into this case deeply enough to draw the same conclusions, but on many points of the letter, there were many of what Tansy said that actually made logical sense.

The letter was stuck on the side of the door, unseen by many or even by the cleaners that Cocytus probably assigned to cleaned this and maintained this room. It could be that Deo's protective seal that was still intact on this particular room prevented any person from entering the room with ill intentions. Being a Deity, I imagine that the power he imbued on his seal was enough to do its job even with its creator being so faraway from it.

"Find this girl," I ordered Haziel with an air of impertinence, "she might have known something in the very first place and could be useful on solving the students' disappearances. And also stop bothering yourselves about the Haefen. Going around trying to make yourselves in equal footing of the Haefen orginzation. So do not bother, I can manage it by myself. Besides that, the Blessing is still intact over the academy and it should hold for the mean time."

Haziel Imbert looked like she wanted to protest to me, I even thought she would not honor my command with how stubborn she looked at me. In the end though, she just nodded her head.

"This might be sound rude, Lady Alaric... Elliot." The last word was uttered with great hesitation, drawing it long and with emphasis. "But which side are you really on?" There was a certain kind of tone on her voice which revealed her strong and fierce attitude. It was not wrong, of course, but then I found it too aggressive. Excessive, I should say.

My eyes turned sharp towards her, at her words.

How impudent, asking me that kind of question. Haziel Imbert's eyes were unwavering though, I imagined that she wanted the answer to her question. I guess she does not know, or even used, to be boss around by someone who was the same age around her but was higher of rank than her.

She did not back down from my stare however, instead she even just met mine head on.

"I'm on my own's side," I finally responded to her rather coldly.

On my experience, even my mother would exploit me for the power of the influence I might have in the near future. My uncle was after the same influence I would bear and placed on my hands. Most of the people I have met were either killing me or after my power with the exceptions of the Deities and Cocytus Amitiel (even I was not too certain about him)

No one was ever by my side until I met those people, and now that I got some of my memories back to me, at least I can get to say that I am on my own's side now. Unlike before that I was completely oblivious it was so pathetic.

"The Eirini has always been protecting you—" Haziel Imbert protested, but then I felt as though I was being gently scolded by her.

"The Eirini has always been prepared to exploit my power," I cut her off. I found it so difficult now that I ever get to associate her with Deo who was gently cold. This girl was nothing like him at all. "Since I was a kid, I have been a puppet to Erina Alaric. Is it wrong to take my own self into consideration now that I am able?"

Haziel Imbert only looked at me, there was a hidden resentment on her eyes that she could not completely buried on her chest. I knew she might be angry or pissed now, but I honestly could not care less.

"You may have found out half of the truth," Haziel Imbert stated, already dropping all the honorifics and the politenes of a proper subordinate. "But do you think that's all there is to it? What about the lives lost trying to hide you from anyone who wanted to destroy you?"

"Lives lost," I repeated after her. "What you have partaken on in this whole ordeal, do you not think that I have already lost my life in the very place being deprived of the life that was taken away from me since I was still a kid for the grappling of power of those people?"

I took a deep breath. I wanted to take into my consideration that Deo has always liked wearing her face the most, so I only stop myself from this verbal repartee.

"Just do not bother with Haefen any longer," I settled myself on. I walked around her, heading for the already opened door which she was partially in. "I will deal with them. This I tell you as the heir of the Eirini. If you do not acknowledge me as such then I would not force you or any member of your group to do so. But if you do, then go and bring back these students."

It was then that I finally walked away from her.

After that, there was nothing I can do but to just go back to Leigh, Eris, and Cocytus. When I arrived, Eris invited me over to the drawing room where she was always hanging out in for some tea and biscuits. Not really having any appetite, I only reached for a piece or two of the sweet delicacies and gulped down the tea she poured for me.

"I saw what you did," she told me casually, "and as usual I cannot see the person who abducted those students. But I think the young Dalcanorian children here would be alright. It was not an outright showcase of your support to them, but at least they could now relax just a bit with their load work being lighter by an inch."

"But you said you cannot see the kidnapper," I said, repeating her words from her previous sentence. Eris nodded along to the first part of my sentence. "I am a little worried that I might be putting them all in further danger by making them pursue this case."

"They need that in their life, Seraphin," Eris only consoled me gently. "A little practical examination with lives at stake. Why don't you join them?"

I nodded, agreeing. In all honesty and I have to admit it to myself that I am still lacking in practice and experience. It was not to say that I was taking those lives at stake for granted, but it would be great to rely on myself for the first time in my life.

There has always been Deo who held both of my hands when I was taking my first steps inside the magical side of the world. Now that Deo was busy doing some other things, Eris and Leigh has been supporting and helping quite excessively. Though I was determined and powerful by nature, I think that I still needed the same experience of those like Zachriel, Hermes, and Haziel.

"Solving this with them would be nice if I could just trust them," I muttered, playing with a biscuit that has already turned into crumbs on my hands. I scoffed at myself in disgust, reaching for a clean napkin by my side. "What do you think? Would they betray me in the future?"

Eris looked at me sadly. There was a little, or maybe more, pity on those eyes.

"Trust is a very complex thing," she said to me, also reaching for her cup of tea, "but you don't need trust to get along with people. Maybe it's your grudge against Lord Zachriel Legrand that's making your mind discriminatory against all of them."

"They knew me, Eris," I told her. My gaze went past her face, putting me in a daze. "Haziel, Hermes, Caspian. They all knew me when I came here to study, when Deo put me here to recuperate from my mind. This, I will ask you and you must answer me honestly, Eris. Does Deo have any underlying motive on why he favored me? Why did you?"

"And you're not going to ask about Leigh?" she asked me with raised eyebrow. "He's one of us, as you know."

"He is also my great-uncle," I countered at her. I put my napkin on the side of my saucer and my tea. "I asked you a question, simple and easily understood. Will you answer me and not divert the topic at hand?"

"Yes," Eris answered me. "Your Fate, I have gleaned on your very bright fate. The brightest. But there would be things that better left unsaid to you or to anyone. The future is a fickle thing, constantly moving that even sometimes, often actually, I can't keep up with its progression."

"Everything will be revealed on its own time," a voice behind me suddenly said, but my hand has accumulated enough power to blast someone out of my way.

My hand directed to the person who just talked, my legs instinctively standing and turning my body backwards to see the person. Within a second, the blast has already taken off my hand. Leigh only absorbed it on his body, his shoulder was almost torn off and his perfectly immaculate three-piece suit was also torn into shreds.

"My gratitude though for not being accused of any underlying motives."

"You should not sneak up on me like that if you do not want to be completely obliterated," I scolded him, my chest was breathing hard. Up and low, my hearbeat goes, not calming down even though the action has been done.

Leigh shrugged his shoulder, his undamaged arm held his other arm closely to its own. As soon as he started pouring power on his wound that I created. I winced internally, managing to looked at the wound and the pouring blood down to his arms. It nearly fell and stained the carpet, but Leigh was already catching it with his hand.

He looked at me with slitted eyes.

I straightened my back.

"This is only a small wound, but if Deities lost their bodies, our very being would dispersed until we can create another body that wiuld suit us. And if Eris and my dear Deo have hidden motives, it was for your brighter future. Not anything that could harm you."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, I looked down at my shoes, worn since it was the one that I have been using since I first got in this school. "I have been too reckless, Great Uncle."

"Seraphin, you must know that it was cringey to call him like that," Eris intervene, teasing hint on her tone. "Please stop!" She then chuckled when we both turned our eyes at Leigh and saw him looking at us with grim.

"That's really mean," he said, but he quickly changed his demeanor. "It's only a small matter to me, to most of the Deities actually with the exception of the Seer, but what if it was an ordinary mortal without any power to deflect that? Be more responsible, Seraphin."

I nodded again.

"I will be, Leigh," I said solemnly, sobered with the fact that I could have killed some person if it was not Leigh who entered. "I'm sorry."

"I will get dressed, but dinner is ready in half an hour," Leigh informed Eris and me. "Be sure to get down so we could all eat together."

He then went outside of the door, his shoulder was slowly healing, and closed from where he came from with a gentle thud.

We normally do dinner at the formal dining room, but there was no formality or whatsoever on how we conduct our meal. Eris was very much like our aunt though she was only around age and not like the other Deities with the power of immortality. Leigh, however, was also one of the grown ups. He was Cocytus' guardian and that made us cousins by recognition, I guess.

The food was superb as usual and only Leigh was allowed to drink the wine while he let us and Eris, who was actually two years older than both Cocytus and me, have wine mixed in with water. Even with this kind of serenity, I could not help but feel the foreboding sense of things.

Outside of the window, the first snow fell and also the reappearance of Deo's golden light butterflies.