Was this where I died?
Like this?
I miscalculated, shit!
"Well.." The man's voice was distorted. "Quite a performance. Stage 1 Killing a Stage 4. A Shadow Covenant operant no less."
He raised his hands and gave a slow applaud.
"I'm impressed, Detective, truly."
Step
They moved forward into the light.
The hood shifted slightly revealing a lock of auburn hair.
No! No! Not now!
Not when I had so many leads!
"I have a message." The figure said in a serene voice. "From my employer. They've been.. watching you with great interest."
"W-who are you?" I said, trying to steady my voice.
"Someone who sees the truth." The figures hand moved, something glinted in the light.
A familiar pair of bronze lenses.
The Veridian Lens!
"This artifact here." He tapped the Lens. "Is more valuable than you could ever know. More dangerous than you can imagine. Don't go digging your nose into things you can't handle, detective."
"Why are you showing yourself?!" I shouted, feeling my emotions well.
"The Collector wants you to know." The figure tilted his head. "The Ten Wonders, they're no random crimes."
I raised my eyebrow.
"They're all connected, one way or another."
"Who is The Collector?" Melissa asked.
"You'll learn more, if you survive that is." The figure stepped back, obscuring himself in the shadows.
"These crimes will someday seem like playground squabbles to you detective. Godspeed!"
"Wait!" Before I could finish the man vanished as quickly as he came.
I ran over to the veranda where he stood I climbed, my entire body ached.
"Detective! Slow down, you'll kill yourself!"
I didn't care anymore!
This feeling of incompetence! Of being a puppet in a play!
Fuck this shit!
Where the man stood there was now a photograph.
I picked it up with trembling hands, not from fear, but from anger.
In the corner of the photograph was a message.
"The truth is worse than you think."
"FUCK!"
"Detective!" Melissa's hand clamped over my mouth. "Shut up! Do you want everyone in this damn district to know where we are?!"
I wrenched her hand away from my mouth. My entire body was shaking.
"He was right there!" I spat. "He was right fucking there and I couldn't do anything!"
Melissa spoke in a calm voice. "You have no essence, you have no weapon, and you're a damn Stage 1! What were you gonna do, tackle the guy?!"
"I don't know! Something!" I slammed my fist against the wall. Pain shot through my knuckles. I didn't care. "Three investigators went missing on this case. We nearly died twice in one night. And that bastard just stands there, waving the goddamn Lens in my face like it's a joke!"
Melissa grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her.
"Listen to me. You're alive. I'm alive. That's what matters right now."
"Is it?" I shook her off, turning away. "We're no closer to solving this. The Lens is gone. The Collector has it. We're being hunted by Gerard, the Syndicate, the Shadow Covenant, and apparently some mysterious organization that's collecting artifacts and murdering people for fun!"
I looked at the photograph in my hand. The message mocking me.
"The truth is worse than you think."
"I'm just a puppet," I said quietly. "Dancing on strings while they watch. Stage 1. Pathless until yesterday. What the hell was I thinking? That I could actually solve this? That I could protect anyone?"
The anger drained away, leaving only exhaustion.
"I couldn't even save Yuto."
The words came out before I could stop them.
Melissa was quiet for a moment.
"Who's Yuto?"
I closed my eyes. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"No one. Forget I said anything."
"Detective—"
"I said forget it!"
Silence hung between us.
Melissa sighed and sat down on a nearby crate, her own exhaustion catching up to her.
"You know what I think?" she said finally. "I think you're scared."
I laughed bitterly. "Of course I'm scared. I'm being hunted by people who can kill me with a thought."
"No. Not of them." She looked at me. "You're scared of being useless."
What is she talk-
"You were born with a bright mind, wanted to make yourself useful to the world. You want to exist for others. You want to save everyone."
"That's not–"
"You think you can do it. And I'm sure you'll go on to save countless lives. But you can't do it all. Not right now, at least."
Her expression softened. "So save yourself before you go saving anyone else. Can't protect anyone if you're dead." She shrugged.
"My father's the same way," she continued. "Spent fifteen years building an artifact to protect our family. Poured everything into it. And when it was stolen? He completely broke down. Felt like he'd failed us. Like he was worthless."
She stood up, walked over to me.
"But you know what? He did matter. Because he tried. Because he cared enough to try, even when the odds were impossible." She gestured around. "You've been a Stage 1 for less than a day. Look at what you've accomplished."
"We've hired three high ranking investigators, but none have come as close to solving this case as you have."
"But you are alive." She held my gaze. "That auburn-haired bastard could've killed us just now. Stage 6 versus exhausted Stage 1 and Stage 4? We had no chance. But he didn't. You want to know why?"
I didn't answer.
"Because you matter, Hiroto. Because The Collector sees you as something more than a puppet. As a threat. As someone worth watching." She tapped the photograph in my hand. "Why else would they bother with this? Why warn you if you're irrelevant?"
I looked at the photo. At the message.
The truth is worse than you think.
She was right. Giving me this was calculated. Not mockery but information. A breadcrumb. Maybe even… respect?
"So what do I do?" I asked quietly. "I'm out of Essence. Out of weapons. Out of options. The Lens is gone. The case is—"
"Not over," Melissa interrupted. "The Lens is gone, yes. But your job wasn't to keep it, rather it was to find it. And you did. You know who has it now. You know about The Collector."
"This might get us killed."
"Probably will." She actually smiled. "But that's detective work in Arinia, isn't it? Following leads into danger, hoping you're smart enough to survive?"
I can't let my anger keep taking the better of me.
But I also can't keep being weak.
I pulled out my notebook, forcing my detective brain to take over from my emotions.
"Let's assess what we actually know."