Shadowy figure

Adira Nightshade's manor stands tall amidst the sprawling gardens and dense woods of the outskirts of the city. The towering wrought iron gates that guard the entrance to the estate creak open to reveal a long, winding driveway that leads to the grand entrance of the manor. The driveway is lined with towering oak trees, their branches stretching out to form a natural archway over the path.

As the driveway winds closer to the manor, the sprawling gardens come into view. The grounds are beautifully manicured with vibrant flowers and shrubs, an enchanting combination of color and texture. The front of the manor is draped in climbing ivy, giving it a sense of history and antiquity.

The manor itself is an impressive display of architecture. The façade of the manor is made from stone, intricately carved. The roof is a deep, rich red, tiled with interlocking shingles that glisten in the sunlight

There was a maid with a tight bun and a stern expression was waiting for us. She took us inside without saying a word, towards the mission, more like the crime scene. The head maid of the manor had found a dead body, the person they found dead was one of her loyal members. And the chancellor wants us to find out who did this, conspicuously.

We were led through the foyer into the main hall. As soon as we entered the main hall the first thing that I noticed was the subtle sense of something, it was faint, like a nagging thought, I could feel that feeling creeping closer to me. There was a faint trail of smoke that has filled the hall. It was barely visible.

I don't think anyone noticed, as the smoke circled us, not even Felix seemed to know it was happening. It was curious but there was no malice in it. It seems like it was testing us. I followed the smoke with my eyes to find a dark figure sitting on the railing watching us. There was nothing visible except for a shadow. A barely visible figure, it seems like that figure was watching us.

There was magic swirling around it, it must have been using it to make himself obscure. I don't think anyone would be able to figure out that there is someone there. It is clearly powerful and there was a clearly dangerous aura around it. It must be someone who works for Adira nightshade.

As if sensing me watching, the figures face or what should have been the face snapped towards me. I averted my eyes ever so slightly not making it obvious to its right and gazed over to the chandelier that was hanging behind the figure. Then I let my eyes wander over the black railings as if I could not see the figure standing there.

The invisible smoke gathered around me, as if the figure was getting suspicious of me, I made sure to act normal and followed the maid as she led us to the back where there are guest rooms. The smoke must be its magic, it was examining us.

The maid opened the door to one of the rooms. Felix was the first to enter, followed by onyx an elf whom I had met today for the first time, he was polite and was quiet, really quiet. He has a mysterious air about him, with eyes that seem to look inside your soul.

The bedroom was a spacious and luxurious room. As I enter the room, the first thing that catches your eye is the large, four-poster bed with its silky, cream-colored curtains that billow in the gentle breeze. In the center of the bed was the victim, his skin pale, white as he lay there dead. One would not know he was dead if not for the fact that he was not breathing, he looked like he was peacefully sleeping.

There was not much that belongs to him in this room. There were some papers on the coffee table, some of his clothes in the wardrobe. The maid said he frequents the manor once a month. He visited yesterday and was waiting for Adira nightshade to arrive so that he could tell her something important. Today the maid found him dead.

Felix and Sharon were examining the dead body with his magic. While Selina was asking the maid some questions, and onyx was scouring the manor. I went closer to the body, Sharon was hovering her hands above the body as a blue light came out of her hands, Felix turned him to the side checking for any signs of disturbance.

"it's strange, I don't feel his mana." Sharon said with a frown. It is impossible for a person to not have mana, the wizards and witches have high amount of mana while the other supernatural creatures have mana that makes them supernatural, otherwise they would be just humans.

When Felix turned the man's head to the left, I saw a black mark on his neck. "what's that?" I asked, pointing at the mark. Felix turned his head so that it would be visible to us. "It seems like some sort of a tattoo," he said.

It does look like a tattoo with three lines and a dot. But I have seen that mark before. I went to Selina to borrow the company's tablet, and with my fingerprint, I was able to open the case I was working on, the vampire case. some of the victims of the vampire had the same mark on their bodies.

I showed it to Felix and Sharon and told them about the case. "But he," Sharon said pointing at the dead body, "wasn't killed by the vampire." like it was not obvious from looking at him. His blood was not drained nor did we find any teeth marks on his body.

I felt the shadowy figure moving into the room, it came straight towards us, standing beside Sharon peering over her shoulder at the tablet. Maybe I should tell Felix about the figure. "it is worth looking into." Felix said.