Time heals all things.
But if a wound is not treated properly, it will leave a scar.
It is our job to carefully stitch up the wound so it will heal properly.
That was what my former professor told the class.
I am not sure what I can truly do to help Lucy, but at the very least she should no longer stay here.
She looked at my outstretched hand, moving her own hand forward also. However, just before she touched my hand she stopped.
"No... I can't..."
She brought her arm back.
"Thank you for your offer Amon, but this is my responsibility and I will deal with it on my own."
I looked at her, not showing any emotion.
"I understand."
[Are you really going to just walk away?]
'I won't pity her. If this is her decision so be it.'
I got up from my chair and walked towards the door.
"At the very least, let me pay you for your time."
From my pocket, I took out my wallet and tossed a gold coin in her direction.
"This is too much, let me give you change--"
"Think of it as an advance payment, after all I will be needing to see you next monday afternoon also."
With a smile I walked out the room, closing the door behind me.
Once outside, I quickly exited the Red Grand Hall before any other woman could come and pester me.
'Putting aside Lucy's predicament, her kidnapping could just be due to her being unlucky, but why can't I shake off this weird feeling that it is no coincidence.'
To be honest, there hasn't been much legends or stories about ghosts at all in this town. So how did not only Graham, but the cultist, get information on how to summon such supernatural creatures?
It makes no sense. This town is located in the outskirts of the country, far from the superstitions in the main capital.
There must be a connection between all these events tying together the how and why.
Though from my conversation, one thing did strike me as weird.
'Why am I so unafraid about these stuff?'
It is true that I find comfort in seeking out the truth of this matter, but that still doesn't explain the fact that I am so composed about it.
Even if a mentally strong person encounters such a situation I doubt that they can walk it off, especially after four days...
For my case, I even lost my memories. Yes, I was afraid then, but it was for a completely different reason. I feared losing myself.
Now, with my memories complete, I don't feel scared at all.
While I walked down the street I continued to ponder why this was the case.
'Not natural... something is happening to me and it is definitely subconsciously affecting me.'
Maybe I should take a step back from all these supernatural stuff.
If I did that, would I be able to see what is affecting me?
No. It will take too long and there is no guarantee.
Right now is the best time to be investigating these stuff because of Graham's ritual. There must be some clues linking how he knew to perform that ritual and the other people who also suffered from such incidents.
I must pry deeper into this mess.
That is the only way I can find out the truth.
"Cake! Get our one and only famous chocolate mousse cake here!"
To my left was a huge bakery, with customers lining up all the way to outside the building.
'This is Hot Cross Street... did I really wander that far?'
On display was an assortment of fresh pastries ranging from savoury to sweet treats.
I stared at them, salivating a little.
'I haven't had lunch yet... Also isn't this Graham's favourite shop.'
My stomach was rumbling and it was still noon. I will still have time to visit Victor and make it back home for dinner even if I wait in the long queue...
'Why not!'
I stepped into the long line which almost wrapped around the edge of the building, patiently waiting for my turn to taste the delicious looking treats.
After half an hour, I was finally seated in the corner of the shop.
Just as I sat down, a young male waiter came up to me and showed me the menu.
"Hello sir, what would you like to order?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. What would you recommend?"
"The chocolate mousse cake of course! It is too die for."
'Chocolate mousse cake... For some reason I feel disgusted just by the thought of that...'
"No thanks. I will have a sausage bun, a bagel and a cup of black coffee."
I handed back the menu to the waiter, who had an awkward look on his face.
"Oh, ok then. I will get it to you as soon as possible."
'Why do I feel like I have been here before?'
I could not place my finger on it, but I have a weird sense of déjà vu ever since I sat down.
'Never mind, I still have to figure out the reason why I am so eager to dive deeper into the supernatural.'
I pushed aside the other thoughts and tried to find reason as to why this was happening.
It could be that I am still in a prolonged state of shock, where I still haven't fully processed the gravity of my situation, leading me to feel detached to my surroundings and thus my lack of fear.
Maybe Carrow did something to me that helps alleviate fear, like when he used that barrier. I remember I was scared then but his abilities helped me clear my mind and were even soothing.
No, that's stupid. If that was the case why wouldn't he just use it on Lucy, Henry, or the rest?
Right... it was after the death of Graham's remnant that I fully did not feel fear and wanted to step into this world.
'Hah. Maybe Graham blessed me upon his death or something. After all, anything could happen.'
This once again goes to show how little I knew. If I could even find a lead on what the 'road to enlightenment' was or 'visionaries', maybe I would know the answer to this question.
But for now I am stuck playing detective against the supernatural, unable to find any truly useful information.
Let's say that the cause of this was not from that day but instead another... it would be the day I lost and regained my memories.
'Now what did I do that day?'
I woke up in a sloppy hospital, then went home for a bit. After that I followed my notebook which led me to Graham's house, which at the time I did not know had his dead body inside... Then what did I do?
That seemed to stump me for a bit, as I rubbed my temples in an attempt to recall what happened.
Oh right! I visited Headmaster Silas to ask him about Graham.
I went to the university and almost got thrown out by that big security guard.
'No no that is not the main point...'
I talked to Silas and he showed me the letter Graham wrote to him, and when I left it was already late into the evening.
Wait, even if my timing is off I am sure that I left my house around one in the afternoon. Factoring the time it took me to visit Graham's house and to reach the university, at most it is two hours even if I took many detours and did not know the way.
So how did I spend three hours in Silas's office just to read a letter that did not even contain any useful information?
'Something is not right--'
"Here sir, your sausage bun, bagel and coffee."
"Oh, thank you. Wait let me pay you now."
I reached into my pocket and took out two silver coins and six copper coins, handing it to the young waiter.
"I hope you enjoy the meal."
With a smile, he quickly got back to work to attend to the large number of customers.
'Maybe I should have tipped him, he seems overworked.'
I turned my attention back towards the food on the table. It was freshly baked, evident from the smoke still coming out from the bun and bagel.
I first took a sip of my coffee. It tasted average, nothing special but not bad.
Next, I blew onto my bun a little to cool it down before taking a small bite of it. The moment I bit into it, I felt the flaky bun crack apart, releasing a rich aroma throughout my mouth. Once my teeth bit down on the sausage, savoury juices burst out from within, instantly coating my tongue.
'So delicious!'
Though it was still quite hot, I enjoyed the bite of bun to its fullest, slowly chewing it.
I then placed the bun back onto my plate, letting it cool down more. This led me to turning my attention to the bagel next to me.
I slowly picked up the sour cream filled bagel with both hands and bit right into it. The combination of salty and sour perfectly melded together, giving it a balanced bite.
'Ah I am glad I came here...'
'Wait! What was I thinking about earlier?'