The walk to Regiran's shop felt.. Different.
Not because the city had changed– they were the same neon lit corridors of the Vermillion district– but because I had changed.
People took notice.
Two Stage 2 guards who would've sneered at me yesterday now nodded as I walked by. Not friendly, but acknowledging. Like I wasn't human scum.
This is what having a Path means, I'm finally human in their eyes.
I wasn't too sure how to feel about that.
Although I was finally seen as human, now I was probably being seen as a threat.
As I was enjoying my stroll a Stage 2 child walked up and laughed at my Stage 1 marking.
"HAHA! This uncle can't even reach stage 2!"
Damn this fucked up hierarchy..
I would surely remember his face.
Don't come begging the great Hiroto to take your case in the future!
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Regiran's shop appeared ahead. The signature "Regiran's Artificery" in faded letters above a narrow storefront.
Something was wrong.
The door was ajar.
But I recall Regiran saying he always kept his door closed. He was terrified of looters, of people messing with evidence.
I stopped about twenty meters away focusing my Keen Eye to scan the entrance.
The door had been forced open. I could see fresh scratches on the lock mechanism and hinges, barely visible. Someone had picked it, or used magic.
Someone's definitely inside.
My hand hovered my revolver, cold sweat trickled down my neck.
Could be a looter. Could be Regiran. Or it could be someone trying to tie loose ends.
I approached slowly, moving within the shadows.
As I got closer, I heard movement inside. Light, quick.
Someone was searching for something, and in a hurry.
I pressed my back against the wall and glanced inside.
Although the store was extremely dark, Keen Eye and Attention to Detail allowed me to see clearly.
A figure moved through the shop– young, female, most likely early twenties. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was dressed in dark tactical clothing.
Was she trying to label herself as a cat burglar with that outfit?
And on her left wrist, I honed in.
A large III was tattooed onto her wrist.
The symbol was surrounded by what appeared to be an intricate looking bow and arrow design.
She could probably kill me with ease.
But more importantly who is this girl?
I watched for a few more moments. She moved with a certain familiarity.. She knew the shop layout.
Melissa Hardren? Had to be.
I made a decision.
I stepped through the doorway hand grasping the revolver, not too conspicuously.
"Hands up, where I can see them," My voice steady, despite my racing heart.
She spun around, her hand already on a weapon– a compact crossbow, it shone with magical glare.
We stared at each other.
She was young, maybe 23 or 24.
Sharp eyes that immediately scanned my tattoo. My revolver. My stance.
"Who are you?" Her voice demanded. It was controlled. "And why are you at my father's store?"
Father?
Not a former employer?
But father?
That makes sense why she's not on any public records, it's an alias.
Most likely for protection. To keep her disconnected from her family. Keeps both sides safe.
"Your.. father?" I pointed my gun down but held it steady. "Melissa Hardren, right?"
She narrowed her eyes on me. "How do you know my name?"
"I connected a few dots. But he also said you were his apprentice. Never mentioned having another daughter."
"I lied." She definitely didn't lower her weapon though. "I never went to the Ivory Tower. I've been in the city, watching. Protecting our family because someone's been targeting us."
"I'm Hiroto Takatana," I spoke slowly. "I'm a detective. Your father hired me to find the Veridian Lens."
"A detective?" She scoffed. "You just awakened your path recently. I can see the fresh mark. Stage 1? And you really expect to find the Veridian lens. The same case that made 3 other high rankers disappear?"
She was right. The mark was fresh. I was new, and comparably weak.
She studied me for a moment then lowered her crossbow.
"Fine. You want to help? Prove it. Show me that you're not just another dumbass who's gonna make things harder for me."
"How do you want me to do that, Melissa?"
She gestured around the shop. "You said you're a detective? Then observe and tell me what happened here. Tell me something the other investigators missed, not something obvious."
A test.
I holstered my revolver and studied the shop with my enhanced vision.
The place was a mess. The floor had been swept recently, poorly, leaving faint boot prints in the dust. Five different sets. I narrowed in on the ones who seemed to be crouching, tiptoeing, etc.
"Three people have searched the store since the theft," I said. "One was probably you. One was larger, probably one of the investigators. The third set is fresh. Within the last day or two."
Melissa's expression shifted slightly.
I continued walking slowly through the shop. My eyes picking up details.
"The display case where the lens was kept, the glass was swept away, but there's a pattern of its shattering. Not from impact, but from vibration. Someone used sonic frequencies to break it without making a noise.
I crouched down near the case, by some small imperceptible markings. "And here, faint scorch marks on the floor where the safe was. The safe was moved multiple times. Once before the theft, once after."
"Why move it before?" She asked, testing me.
"To access something underneath. Or.. to mess with the security wards." I stood up. "Your father's security system was installed by three different people, according to the different handwriting on the papers. The wards don't line up, there are gaps. Someone who was experienced would be able to easily exploit it."
By this point I could tell I had her attention.
I walked to the back room door. "The lock here was picked from the inside, not outside. Whoever stole the lens was most likely already in the building before the store was closed."
"How could you tell?"
I pointed to the lock mechanism. "The scratches on the pins face inward. If someone picked it from the outside, they'd face outwards."
She was quiet for a moment.
"Acceptable."
"Thanks?"
Then my eye twitched noticing something huge.
I crouched down dusting off an area near the base of the display case.
Carved into the wooden base of the display cased, almost invisible read:
THORNE FAMILY SINS - WE SEE ALL
I paused cold sweat running on my neck.
"This was recent.. Probably about two days ago." I said quietly.
"Yeah.. One moment it was clean and the next the message appeared." Melissa said solemnly.
"That's impossible unless.."
"Unless someone came back. Two days ago. While I was watching." Her voice was tight. "I saw a figure enter the shop. Probably around stage 5, based on the aura. They didn't search. They stared at the camera for five minutes, then disappeared.
"And then the message appeared."
That's within Timekeeper's Eye range.
"I might be able to help," I said. "I have an ability. I can see the past."
Melissa's eyes widened slightly. "A time related path?"
"Eh.. Not really."
She scoffed but didn't press me.
"I'll begin now. Please stand back, I have a 7 day cooldown and don't really want to wait another week."
She stepped back, her crossbow ready but not aimed.
I summoned the Premier Detective System, the golden symbols floating in front of me.
Melissa had no reaction.
I guess others can't see it.
I then clicked on Evidence Window's memory recording button.
Then with a breath I muttered.
"Timekeeper's eye."