26 Start of the investigation

We were sitting, observing the scenery on the balcony of Chloe's room taking our breakfast. She was wearing a simple one-piece dress and as my jeans were ripped off by her last night, she gave me the simple black pant that I wear now. As I was eating my eggs she was giving me a rundown on the series of murders.

''It started a few months ago, random murders with no particular pattern, the clan wasn't alerted until it started to get frequent and the number of casualties rose. At first, they thought it was the work of a deranged human being but after the result examination of the corpses came in they started to smell something fishy.

The victims didn't have any death-inducing traumas, just some defensive wounds which occurred as they tried to struggle against their aggressor. It was then that they contacted my father and he sent me here.

So to have an idea of what I was up against I snuck up in one of the police facilities with a hired mage to search for traces of supernatural foul play. The integrity of the bodies hadn't been compromised, everything was in order, without even a hair missing, which was weird as sups only attack humans for sustenance, so we went deeper but came up with zilch. As I didn't find any proof or trace to help me deduce the agendas of this group, I decided to try and catch them in the act.

I deployed vampires all over the city, principally in the dark corners or deserted alleys. And it worked, I managed to reach a crime scene as it was happening and stopped the culprits it was a lycan and a mage. After a short flight, I beat them into submission but before I could ask what was their agenda, the Lycan distracted me by sacrificing himself allowing the mage escaped. Also unfortunately it wasn't the only place hit in the city.

It was then that I knew this case was bigger than I previously thought and that the members of this group are not only diversified but they are a tight unit. The proof is in the fact that they're ready to sacrifice themselves for one another, well that or they're completely brainwashed.

I feel as if I am missing an important clue but I can't get my finger on it, that's why I needed you to come here I thought that maybe you would be able to find what I was missing. The casualties are now as high as hundreds''

''I see, I will do anything I can to help you, where do we start?'' I asked after digesting the information she gave me.

''Well, I could start by showing you the bodies than the crime scenes.''

''Alright, it's a plan.''

After our breakfast we dressed up and get out of the room, I could feel as we walked in the dark corridors I could feel numerous presence in the house. I even saw shadows passing by in the corner of my eyes. As she noticed my perusing of the place Chloe spoke

''Yeah I know it's not exactly homely here, it's mostly because most of the inhabitants of this house are vampires who lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, you could stay they are old-school vampires.''

''Yeah you don't say, but it was exactly the original idea I was having on a house inhabited by night creatures.''

''Well not all vampires live reclusively in a spooky house, in fact, most vampires living in human society are quite modern they live with their time''

She led me to the basement where the corpses of a few victims were stored in plastic bags. The place was cold thanks to a spell cast by a mage, a row of corpses were left in plastic bags forming a gross picture. We went to one of the bodies.

''This one is one of the first victims, she died in a local park. She was found on a bench, as there were no obvious wounds on her they didn't notice she had been attacked.'' she opened the plastic bag and a woman's corpse appeared before my eyes.

She looked to have been in her thirties. If it was before I wouldn't have been this calm in front of those several bodies. but since my first death, I faced change after change, until I wasn't remotely anything like I used to be. I've killed a lot of sups since without batting an eye.

Anyways I shook those thoughts and focused on the corpses in front of me. I searched the traces of foul play. The formless willpower gathered in my eyes making them glow. My eyes seemed to pass through the body and reached inside. As I went deeper and deeper everything was turning darker and darker until I reached a place where there was a big gulf as if something had been ripped off leaving only an abyssal hole instead. This hole gave me a feeling of extreme wrongness.

I came back to myself and looked at Chloe who had been waiting for me patiently.

''I found something, I don't know how to explain or interpret it though'' I said as I proceed to report to her what I saw.

She went silent after I finished talking. Then asked

''Can you check the other bodies and see if it's the same everywhere?''

''Yeah of course no problem''

And so I did and every single one of them possessed the same hole in them.

''As expected they all have it whatever reason they are attacking those people it has something to do with this gulf,'' she stated sternly.

A phone rang and broke the tense atmosphere, it was Chloe's she picked up. I only heard her side of the conversation.

''hello''

''I see don't engage just continue watching them I'll be there.'' she hung up, looked at me, and said:

''My men are tailing a suspicious bunch of individuals, let's go''

We entered a garage filled to the brim with opulent cars spanning various periods, some so old they could be called antiques. Choosing a stunning blue sports car, we zoomed off into the traffic.

Thanks to Chloe's exceptional driving skills, we arrived at our destination in record time. It was an industrial area teeming with storage buildings and production lines. We parked the car and headed towards two individuals dressed in black lurking in an alleyway. As we approached, they bowed to Chloe and began to speak.

''The suspects are a mage, a werewolf, a vampire, and an unknown shifter, and they're heading towards this building,'' they said, gesturing towards one of the production buildings. A group of people had congregated at the entrance, just a few meters away from us.

''Great job. Stay on standby and call for backup if necessary,'' Chloe instructed the pair before signaling for me to follow her.

As we neared the building, we got a better look at the group of suspects. The mage was tall and skinny, clad in a long black coat and jeans. The werewolf wore blue jeans and a t-shirt, displaying his robust build and formidable physique. The vampire looked like a gothic teenager with tattoos and piercings, and the shifter was a massive, hairless creature. They didn't even bother trying to be subtle as they forced their way into the building. I glanced at Chloe, knowing that we were thinking the same thing - they were our targets. But I couldn't help wondering why they were attacking a place with so many people. Their usual modus operandi was to attack isolated individuals, so this brazen action was out of character.

We followed them inside and saw numerous employees working on machines. The suspects walked towards them, and one employee noticed the abnormality of their presence. He approached them, trying to ask about their identities.

Before he could speak, the vampire darted forward and grabbed him by the throat. He then touched his forehead with a medallion, and there was a bright flash of light. Something appeared to be forced out of the man and absorbed by the medallion. The man's eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground lifeless. Before the rest of the workers could process what had just happened, the mage waved his hands in their direction, and a blue wave rippled towards them. They were frozen in place and couldn't move.

Chloe and I observed the scene, knowing that these guys were powerful and that they were taking something from their victims and storing it in the medallion, particularly the mage. As we prepared to intervene, I felt a sense of danger. Chloe must have felt it too because she pushed me out of the way, and a massive fist crashed to the ground where we had just stood, leaving a spiderweb-like crack. It was the shifter. How could someone so big and bulky move so fast and quietly?

''We have some guests!'' he bellowed to the others, who turned to face us from the noise.

''Get rid of them!'' the mage ordered the group sternly.

''No problem,'' the vampire replied before racing towards me, licking his lips with a crazed look in his eyes.