As soon as Timekeeper's Eye was activated I was surrounded by a myriad of lights.
Hues of blue and green floated in and out of existence, as if the world's essence was being extrapolated.
After the lights faded I was left with a colorless world.
Almost as if the color was sucked out, I was left with a black and white image of the Regiran's store.
Translucent figures zipping by recreating the last 24 hours. It felt as if I was watching a replay at 500x speed.
I saw Melissa's echo searching the shop yesterday.
I saw Regiran's echo staring at the empty display case wondering where everything went wrong.
Then I saw them.
Two days ago.
A figure materialized in a blur in the middle of the shop.
He literally fucking teleported?! What kind of cheat?
The figure was tall, wearing a dark hooded cloak that obscured their features. But the aura was unmistakable— Stage 5 minimum. The air around them demanded attention.
I watched as they walked slowly to the display case.
They stood there and touched the wooden base, with a glowing hand.
Words appeared, carved by magic directly into the wood:
THORNE FAMILY SINS - THE LENS SEES ALL
Then the figure turned.
For a moment, the hood shifted.
I saw hair. Auburn hair catching the faint light from the street.
Like his.
No. That was impossible. Yuto was gone.
This was nothing but a mere imposter tarnishing my brother's image.
The figure vanished, teleporting away as suddenly as they'd appeared.
The vision continued. I continued watching to see if there was anything else.
Nothing.
I released the ability.
Reality snapped back. Colors flowed into the world. The echoes vanished.
I stumbled slightly, catching myself on a table. The ability was draining, not extremely but enough to feel the cost.
Melissa grabbed my arm, she was strong, "What did you see?" She demanded.
I took a breath before recollecting. "Someone with teleportation or spatial magic. Stage 5 minimum. I came here two days ago, carved a message, then left. They were here for like 2 minutes."
"Did you see their face?"
"No.. They wore a hood. But– I hesitated. "They had auburn hair. I saw it for just a second when his hood shifted."
Ever since his death Auburn hair has.. Given me some kind of PTSD.
A certain rage welled inside me. Someone with auburn hair tarnishing his image.
Right.. I always had problems with managing my anger. Breathe, Hiroto.
Melissa's expression darkened. "Auburn hair. That's not helpful. Half of the population could have auburn hair."
"I know. But I recorded it. I can review the memory later to see if I missed something." I pulled up the Premier Detective System interface and confirmed the memory had been saved to the Evidence Window.
Good. I could analyze it later.
I turned my gaze to Melissa. "Okay, I need more information. What's the deal with you and your father?"
She went quiet for a moment.
She answered. "Fine. You've earned some answers. But not here."
She gestured to the door. "There's a safe house three blocks from here. We can talk there. And I'll tell you everything about my father, the Lens, and why the Thorne family is involved."
Do I trust her enough to go to a secluded location?
She moved toward the door and gave me a coy look. "Are you coming or not, Detective?"
I considered.
This could be a trap. She could be working with the enemy. She could be leading me somewhere to finish me off.
But she also could've killed me the moment I walked in.
Besides I need more information about the truth, this is my only lead.
"Lead the way," I said.
Her lips turned up imperceptibly, except my Attention to Detail picked it up.
As we walked through the Vermillion District's narrow alleys, Melissa spoke without looking back at me.
"My father didn't want me to be involved. He sent me to the Ivory Tower. I came back demanding answers. He told me what the Lens could really do."
"What can it really do?" I asked.
"More than he told you. More than anyone knows." She glanced back at me. "The Veridian Lens doesn't show lies, Detective. It shows hidden truths. Buried secrets."
So not only does it tell apart lies. It can dig into someone's consciousness.
"And the Thorne family's connection?"
"My mother is Elena Thorne. Councilman Gerard Thorne's younger sister." She stopped at a nondescript door, checking the street before unlocking it. "My father married into the family eighteen years ago. The Thornes… They disowned her for it."
She pushed the door open. "Come on. I'll tell you the rest inside. Including why my uncle wants the Lens destroyed."
He wants the Lens.. Destroyed? Does he have something that would be exposed by the Veridian Lens?
I stepped through the doorway into a small, sparse apartment. I could feel the magical hums of the security wards– professional grade.
Melissa closed and locked the door behind us, then activated additional wards with a gesture. The air shimmered as the barriers locked in.
"No one below Stage 9 can listen in on us. Were secure." She breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to face me fully.
"So, Detective. Let's talk about why the Veridian Lens was never really about detecting lies. And why my uncle, Councilman Gerard Thorne, will kill anyone who learns what it's capable of."
Wait? Will he kill me too?
Why do I always get involved in shit like this?