A man standing on the roof grinned at what he saw. He was out for a night walk when he heard a rustling from the darkness, then he saw those silhouettes coming out and pulling their victims into the endless darkness. Some of them struggled but alas, they were still unable to free themselves from those slimy black hands.
"What a sight to behold," he laughed with his eyes glinting blood from where he was spectating. He did not expect that these kinds of things also exist in this world.
After the silhouettes disappeared together with their victims, he also left and floated in the sky while humming to himself. It was truly a pleasant night for someone like him who had been working overtime. He suddenly remembered something after a while, memories from the past came like a flash which only ignited a laugh from him.
"If those things exist here, then those beings will surely be here too! If that's the case then it will be good for me. The more bodies I leave on my path, the more thrilling this world will be, and what's the best corpse to leave behind my trail, heroes!" Maniacal laugh echoed through the night as he muttered those words to the wind.
The next day came and as they went out for another exploration of the festival, they could already hear the whispers from the streets. The somewhat joyous occasion turned somewhat bleak despite the smiles from people's faces. Some of them were wary and at the same time tense but to those people who had not noticed this change still continued with their lives.
"Eh, what happened?" Nina asked after looking around. She felt it, the thick stench of unease in the air. Even though the shops were already open and there were even more people than yesterday, the atmosphere was still a bit wrong.
Astrophos suddenly appeared behind them, "Apparently several people disappeared last night. There are already reports being filed at the outpost regarding this incident."
"You are really fast, how come you know what's happening?" Nina looked back with a mocking grin on her face.
Astrophos became annoyed at the woman's look but chose to ignore her. "I went out last night because I felt an ominous presence but found nothing unusual. I then went to the outpost early this morning to see if something happened and indeed there was."
His gaze then landed at Cygnus who was looking at them in silence. When he felt that the man was looking at him, he gave the other a smile that almost turned his eyes into slits. The mage shivered and immediately avoided his gaze.
"Anyway, I'll walk around alone for now. Let's just see each other at the inn." After that, the mage left them. Cygnus has no desire to follow the other's initiative. Instead, they took this chance to freely roam around.
When they got tired, they returned only to see some people waiting for them. Lieutenant Lisbon was together with three other people while they sat down. They were whispering to each other and when Cygnus coughed the murmurs also stopped.
"Lieutenant, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were busy?" Cygnus approached them with a smile on his face.
Lisbon could only laugh as he stood up to greet the man. "Yes, well, we are indeed busy that's why I am here. Something suddenly came up but we don't have enough manpower to handle it, since we've sent some of the soldiers on a mission." He gave the master a big smile in hopes that he would not be intimidated by his next words.
Cygnus could already tell what the other wanted to say. Aftering hearing it from Astrophos and seeing them waiting for them, it was clear that they'll be involved in this case.
"May I know the reason then?" The master asked even though he already knew what's about to come.
"I know you've already heard about the incident that happened last night. We suspect that the culprit might be a magic user and because the major is a little bit busy, he cannot do an investigation. So, on behalf of him, I request that you do the investigation instead," Lisbon was still smiling while he said those words. It would be a shame if the man would refuse.
"Are you sure about that lieutenant? I am not a mage and I am not a soldier. I don't even have any experience in doing that kind of work. If you want someone to do it, Grand Mage Astrophos will be more suitable." Cygnus shook his head to reject the offer. He did not want to be involved in anything related to whatever incident that happened last night.
Lisbon's gaze shifted to the Grand Mage that was with them. Astrophos gave a subtle nod before he moved forward to speak what was in his mind. "I'll accept the job. Whatever or whoever is behind the disappearances, I will do my best to capture them," he then shifted to the side and looked at Cygnus, "of course Sir Rigel will also help me with the job."
Cygnus was about to voice out his dissatisfaction but Lisbon was faster than him. "That's great!" The lieutenant exclaimed then he pulled the three soldiers who accompanied him and introduced them to Astrophos.
The master lost the chance to speak as the conversation slowly and smoothly moved to other matters. He could do nothing but to listen to them and the circumstances of the incident. They were also told to start that night and see if they can catch a glimpse of the crime.
"I've already instructed them to listen to you or to Sir Rigel so if they show any untoward behaviors, please report to me immediately," the lieutenant reminded. He then pointed at the three soldiers with him and gave them a warning look.
"Alright, you don't have to worry about them that much. I'm sure that they will eventually listen to us." Astrophos gave Cygnus a sideways glance before returning his gaze to the three soldiers who were stiffly standing on the side.
Two of them were men while the other was a woman. It was rare to see any woman joining the military even though there were special cases like the Captain Cazal. To be able to enter and participate in battles were already enough to gain a reputation but she was able to enter Major Ginehart's unit. This only meant that the woman was quite skilled.
"I'll be looking forward to the result of your investigation then Grand Mage, Sir Rigel," he spoke while shifting his gaze to the both of them.
"We will report to you tomorrow whatever we find tonight." Astrophos nodded his head as they bid the lieutenant goodbye. The Grand Mage then stood in front of the three soldiers who remained stiff even after their commander left.
"You should relax, we won't be able to finish a thing if you are like that," Astrophos tried to persuade them but nothing happened. They were still standing like they were statues and did not even give the Grand Mage any response.
"They must hate the fact that a mage will be ordering them around," Cygnus commented as he sat on an empty seat. "I heard that the army is not on good terms with the magic tower."
