Although he had only seen it once, in Kruger's eyes it was a guise no one could forget. His body was tall and lean, lacking any scent.
His ashen pale skin was oddly dry and almost rigid; however, with sharp eyebrows and soft facial features complementing his shaggy brown hair, the man had a scholarly air about him.
Even now, that impression still rang true, yet in its current state, his body was like an old house that had its main support wall compromised, cracking on the surface with the slightest touch of the priest's hand around the gaping chest hole.
Ignoring this, Kruger closed the man's eyes and turned to face Damon. He slowly said with a calm tone, "This man is thirty-one-year-old Zaheer Constantine. A reclusive Grade II Specter and early graduate of Shuang Academy. He had a record of roughly fifty case completions within a month while he was active in the field. One day, he decided to retire without a reason, and none of us had seen him since."
"I know specters can retire, but is it that easy?" Damn voiced his skepticism. If that were true, wouldn't that imply no one needed to walk this path until death?
"According to the rules of the Academy, his record played a major role in getting him acquitted of desertion, but he was barred from ever using any dimensional gates."
"Sounds like you knew him well," said Vincent as he retrieved a roll of gauze from his inventory.
While Kruger had been conducting the inspection, he had taken the liberty to pace around the room, occasionally perusing a nearby table or opening books to find nothing of notability.
"At the time, he was undeniably my senior," Kruger replied honestly."We had collaborated during a sudden beast tide; however, he was deployed to defend a different region immediately after. As such, there were not enough interactions between us to define his character."
"But you have doubts he would actually have done anything to Cecil…" Damon muttered under his breath.
"His features coincide with my memory, but spiritual energy has changed," Kruger nodded. "We will need to head to the cathedral to confirm his identity as the conjurer through spirit projection summoning.
"Why can't we just summon Zaheer's spirit here?" Henry grumbled, standing in the doorway. He gestured at the corpse and added, "Isn't that your specialty?"
"Believers of Destined Death can't be summoned outside of the Shepherd's domain," Kruger explained, his tone patient despite the circumstances. "Our souls are bound to that realm upon separation from the flesh. However, a house of worship is considered an extension of said domain. Once we are within the cathedral's walls, it may be possible."
Without waiting for further questions, Kruger placed his left hand above the head of the corpse and suddenly clenched.
A gust of red mist quickly surrounded the body as it was absorbed by the ring worn on his index finger, and it disappeared. Finished with that, Kruger shifted his attention to the doorway, "Henry, could you retrieve that felled Raven and bring it to me?"
"Huh? Um..Alright." Hesitating for a second, Henry then turned and walked back into the hall after receiving a look from his brothers.
As Damon watched Henry leave, he approached Vincent, who was struggling to wrap his torso before the last of Kruger's energy faded."Don't you need to disinfect that wound first?"
"Hmm?" Vincent tilted his head curiously, gripping the thin, stretched fabric with his bared molar. As if it had taken him a second to understand what Damon had said, his brows deepened into a frown. He then hurriedly shook his head with an odd expression, yet refused to release the cloth clenched tightly between his teeth.
At moments like this, Vincent didn't seem like a professional Specter but rather a silly buffoon. Then again, the irony of seeing his older brother as childish after he himself had been acting childish moments ago wasn't lost on him.
'No its different.. I was just shaken by those voices, that's all!'Damon shook his head, clearing his mind. He quietly took the gauze from his brother's hand and continued wrapping cotton fabric.
Despite a couple of loose loops he made along the way, his hands moved with the confidence of an experienced medical practitioner, passing over the chest, back, and forth as he focused on the shoulder stump. Following that, he used the spiral method to wrap around the neck before lastly securing the tension with three 2-inch metal pins from his inventory.
Just then, Henry walked back into the room with his hand held in front of him. His internal disgust for the still-warm creature within his grasp was practically written on his face.
Yet what surprised Damon was that he brought it to the priest without any complaints
Kruger received the bird with his right hand, closing his silvery eyes and pushing his spiritual energy into the corpse.
Instinctively, Damon and Henry's stomachs turned.
The severed flesh at the raven's shoulder began to wriggle, seemingly with life. The remaining tissue expanded outward in a grotesque display of unnatural growth. Within seconds, feathers started sprouting, bones extending and weaving into place until a new wing had formed, identical to the one Damon had severed.
After that, the Raven's eyelids snapped open.
But staring back at them was not the black pupils they had seen previously. A clear, vivid crimson consumed each pupil, burning with an intelligence that had nothing to do with the mundane bird it had been.
Seeing his reflection in those perceptive red eyes, Henry took a deep breath as he struggled calm his thoughts.'This is it! Necromancy!. One of the most overpowered abilities any transmigrator or reincarnator could have!'
He watched, transfixed, as Kruger opened the window. The undead raven hopped onto the sill, turned its crimson gaze back at them once, and then launched into the evening sky.
"I have instructed it to inform Lady Lorelei of our need for retrieval," Kruger said, watching the bird disappear. "I also granted permission to implore the Arcane tool 1006 that will confirm the current whereabouts of both Josephine and if Cecil Watson's body has floated further down the lake."
"For now, we shall remain here and replenish our energies."
Phew..Upon hearing this, the trio of siblings sighed in relief. They each then took a seat on the ground, and with their backs pressed against the wall, they planned to sink into meditation.
"You mentioned that I got the Death affinity because my Life affinity was weakened. If it's restored, will I lose the Death affinity?"Damon inquired, staring at the priest. He was still rather concerned about what was currently happening inside his body.
Instead of answering immediately, Kruger held his gaze for a moment and asked, "Do you wish to become a believer of Destined Death?"
Hearing this, Damon could only fall silent. While he didn't have any negative opinions towards the man's faith, he still wasn't sure that following the hand of a being he could not see would be the right choice to make.
Having sensed this, Kruger flashed a rare smile and said, "You don't need to decide now. The Death affinity shall remain with you even after your life affinity has been restored."
At heart, he wished to spread the teachings of his faith. However, he also felt that having received said blessing should not constrain one to a course they did not choose.
"Thank you," Damon replied with a suppressed tone before closing his eyes. He slowly relaxed his body and mind, allowing his spiritual energy to begin recovery.
*******
Elsewhere on Sanguine Street
The single chapel branching off the main cathedral was quiet, lit by the warm glow of diamond-shaped light crystal above and the last rays of sunset filtering through stained glass.
Beneath the lights, Lorelei sat across from Mr. Watson at a small wooden table, a bottle of plum fruit brandy and two glasses between them.
Occasionally, several robed clergymen passed by, casting curious glances at the unusual pairing, yet seemingly no one sought to disturb them.
Mr. Watson shifted uncomfortably as he found this odd. He took a long drink, then eyed her curiously as she raised her own glass to her lips.
"I thought drinking was forbidden for followers of the Olympian faith. My wife insisted it was."He muttered.
An enamoring smile formed at Lorelei's lips as she responded with a teasing tone."That is simply a lie told by some women of faith to deter their partners and children from indulging. It would be strange for the Goddess to forbid the consumption of drinks made with holy fluids when all life requires them for sustenance."
She then swirled the liquid in her glass and added gaily, "And besides, this is a part of my mother's culture. In times of grief, we believe the enjoyment of totenbrot and drinks may soothe the wounded heart."
"But there isn't any bre—"
Tap!.. Tap!.. Tap!..
Before Mr. Watson could finish his sentence, their attention was drawn to the sound of knocks at the window glass.
A raven sat on the sill, its beak tapping insistently against the glass. Its eyes burned crimson in the fading light.