Annie left happily, looking completely unsuspecting—after all, she was just a child.
The old guard stood at the cemetery gate for a long time, watching the direction Annie had gone, and it took him quite a while to suddenly snap back to reality. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached into the pocket of his chest, from which he took out a vial of potion and poured it into his mouth.
He felt much better.
"This is far too sinister... I must report to the Cathedral immediately... God of Death above... this is far too sinister..."
Muttering to himself, the old man turned and walked quickly towards the direction of the guardhouse. After entering and closing the door behind him, he walked straight to the bed and an old, seemingly ordinary desk next to it—upon opening a cover on the desk, intricate pipes, valves, buttons, and levers were revealed underneath.
Several metal capsule compartments lay quietly next to the pipes in the grid beside them.