Disappointment

The book in his hand was dusty. The pages had turned brown from age. Valentine didn't bother blowing the dust off it and just opened the book right away, skimming over the information. He didn't have much time left to read in detail. Besides, Graham could also see what he was seeing and his memory was enhanced by his Deity.

Luuk also used their limited time there wisely. He started looking through the books available there and picked up one with the title 'Fantastic Supernatural Creatures and Where to Find Them'. He also began skimming the content of the book to try to remember as much as he could.

Valentine finished skimming through the whole book less than three minutes later and put it back quickly without caring about tidiness. He quickly picked up another book next to it with the title 'Some Secret Abilities'. He very quickly went through all the pages and put it down before their five minutes were up.

"Let's get out of here now," said Valentine urgently.

Luuk put down the book and swiftly went to the small gap to exit the tiny chamber, followed by Valentine closely behind. Just within seconds after they got out, the gap suddenly closed on its own and disappeared completely. In its place was now the tall bookshelf that had returned to its normal size; the compressed books also returned to normal.

"Did you get anything important from the book?" asked Luuk, "I got some pretty interesting information," he added proudly.

"Yes. Let's go upstairs first," suggested Valentine.

He walked towards the big staircase and the two of them went upstairs all the way to the third floor, where it was the quietest. There were sofas and chairs placed in one corner that was designated as a reading spot. Currently, there was no one else besides them on that floor because most of the people stayed on the first floor.

Valentine fixed his robe and then sat on a soft brown sofa in the corner while Luuk took the one opposite it, separated by a small table. He put his briefcase down on the floor while Luuk put his backpack next to him; it acted as a kind of armrest for Luuk. Before starting their discussion, Valentine chanted.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Secrets, hereby declare the sounds coming from this spot a secret!"

A thin yellowish mist began descending upon the area that Valentine had designated. The thin mist floated in the air before slowly dissipating. From outside, the sounds of their conversation wouldn't be heard now.

"What did you find out?" asked Valentine. He hadn't paid attention to the book that the young man was reading.

"I only managed to get so much from the book. It's about super-secret supernatural creatures and their locations," replied Luuk.

Valentine's interest was piqued.

"There was a mention of the creature called a Kraken in the book. Apparently, it is a giant octopus-like monster living deep in the ocean. It likes to destroy passing ships and eat the humans onboard. It was last sighted in North Anuyi Sea more than fifty years ago."

Valentine leaned back on the sofa and crossed his arms. The earthy and subtle floral smell of the library's perfume made it easier to concentrate.

"North Anuyi Sea... that's the one separating us in the Central Continent with the Western Continent. That means the ocean is more dangerous than we thought, G," muttered Valentine.

Luuk heard Valentine's muttering but didn't pay it any mind; he just continued reporting his findings.

"It is said the Kraken is ginormous. It can sink a cruise ship in mere seconds, and a naval ship under five minutes. Besides that, every dead thing near the Kraken will be resurrected as 'Spawns'. They are like the original body-coral hybrid."

"That sounds very dangerous. Remind me not to travel by ship," responded Valentine. Since he couldn't swim, he was not a fan of sea trips in the first place.

"There is also a creature called Lamia. It is a woman and snake hybrid that lives near the coast of Rijssen according to the book. Lamias are very strong and they have the ability to control the wind and water. Their upper torso is also that of a very beautiful woman, so a Lamia can charm men easily with their supernatural power as well,"

"Besides those two, there is also one near Sloten called Níðhöggr that lives under a giant tree on top of the mountains. However, nothing else is known about it. How the writer got to know about its existence is beyond me," said Luuk.

"A giant tree on top of the mountains? I've never heard anything about it," replied Valentine, and then looked over his shoulder, "G, maybe you can try to divine it,"

"The next and last creatures that I managed to read about is called Moon Rabbits. It is believed that they live on the moon. The author said that Moon Rabbits have all sorts of herbs that are usually consumed by the Deities. I'm guessing the herbs have extraordinary effects unlike those found on Earth. But how do we get to the moon in the first place?"

"Beats me. Maybe when technology has advanced enough. Or a stronger Contractbound might be able to do it," replied Valentine.

Luuk had finished with reporting his findings and now it was Valentine's turn. Since his memory was not as good as Graham's, he could only remember the most important parts of the books.

"I'll tell you about Dodenherdenking first. It turns out it's really a part of a Deity's power, and it's only happening in the Republic because that Deity has left an artifact somewhere in the country. There is no mention of the Deity's name in the book but the artifact is called the Heart of Adramelech. Although it's called a heart, it's not an actual heart. Its location is kept a secret, so I'm assuming the government has a hold of it,"

"The artifact has the ability to bring back the dead for a duration, that we already know it's until the sun sets. The number of the dead it can call forth is limited and the dead cannot interact with the living under any circumstances. That means the artifact is not that useful actually. After being used, it will take a whole year for it to recharge before being available again," explained Valentine.

"So that's why it only happens once a year. That means the government created this holiday on purpose and unleashed the artifact's power for a reason. Is it just so that the dead can be reunited with their families on this day?" asked Luuk curiously.

"There must be another reason that we don't know about. No governments love their people that much," said Valentine skeptically.

"True. What might it be? Does the book mention anything else about the artifact?" asked Luuk.

"Not really. Since its existence is also kept a secret, there is not much known about it. Even the writer could only get limited information about the artifact. There must be another effect that the people behind today desire. It's not our place to know for now," replied Valentine.

Luuk rested his arm on his backpack and leaned to the side leisurely.

"What about the other book you read?"

"It's only a vague description of secret abilities. If Contractbounds fulfill a certain condition, their Deity might grant them an ability that others with the same Deity do not have. It doesn't give more detailed information, however." explained Valentine shortly, and then added,

"All the books that we read didn't actually give us a great deal of information. I'm guessing the actual crucial books were the ones taken out or destroyed by someone."

"So are we done here then?" asked Luuk.

"Yes. We can't open the chamber again until tomorrow anyway. Let's go to the bazaar now," replied Valentine.

The two men picked up their own belongings and swiftly left the library. They put on their masks again once they were out, and then continued their way towards Oosteinde.

...

"Why today of all days?" complained a short woman with a sunny voice.

In the crowded street of Kerkstraat, there were several Police motor carriages parked near a small one-story house. There was also a curious crowd of people gathering outside the house to see what was happening but was stopped by the on-site officers.

"No entry beyond this point!" said the officer sternly at the people gathering outside.

Inside the house, there were three officers that looked like they were in charge of the current scene. One of them was tall and there was a scar running across his face standing quietly, observing the space in front of him. Next to him was a shorter woman with hazel eyes that exuded friendliness. The last one was an older man who also looked very friendly.

"Stop complaining, Oranje. Criminals don't care what day it is," said Groen.

"Just when I thought the serial killing has stopped. We have to deal with the Pale Society and the serial killer. This is frustrating!" complained Oranje some more.

"That's just our duty," replied Groen.

Rood was still observing the crime scene in front of him. There was a body of a woman with a horrified expression on her face. Her hands tried to cover her eyes but stopped midair. She seemed to have died feeling an inexplicable horror. There was no visible wound on her body nor were there any bloodstains.

"This is the fifth and we haven't caught any suspect," said Rood. He clenched his fist in anger and his voice hid his contained rage.

"But we are one step closer to finding the killer," said Groen, calming his partner down.

Rood didn't reply right away. He took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles.

"You're right. Let's focus on this victim first," said Rood finally.

The two of them walked closer to the dead body that was lying on the sofa in the living room and observed her closer. There was nothing out of ordinary regarding the body besides the horrified expression, so they didn't get anything new out of it.

"Oranje, can you ask the people around about this person?" said Groen to her.

"Alright," she replied.

Oranje then went out of the house and disappeared from their sight.

"Does she have no family members?" said Groen while looking around.

The victim seemed to be a single woman living alone in the house. There was no photo of her being with someone and there was no sign of another person living there.

"Most of all the other victims also live alone. They must be easier targets to kill..." replied Rood.

"Does this place match the one in your theory," asked Groen.

Rood looked at him in the eye and replied.

"Yes. This confirms my theory further. We should be able to predict where the next killing might happen if we know more about our killer."

"But we still don't know what kind of sigil the killer is trying to create, though. It will be hard to predict where they will kill next," responded Groen.

"Yes. But we are closer nonetheless. Just keep my theory between us. I'm still unsure who the mole is in our rank, so trust no one for now." said Rood.

Shortly after, Oranje came back with a small notebook in her hand. She walked quickly towards the other two Sergeants and panted. She seemed to have run around the place.

"I'm ready to report my findings," she said while breathing heavily.

"Go ahead," said Groen.

"Our victim is Mila de Jong, 24 years old. She is an employee at Geld Bank and lives here alone. She comes from Rijssen, so her family members are all there. She rarely brings guests home according to the neighbors. The last time they saw her with someone was when her family came to visit last month."

"So another loner type. Besides Levi Baenen, all of our victims are single and live alone," concluded Groen.

"Thanks, Oranje. Let's wrap things up here and continue our investigation," said Rood.

The three Police Sergeants continued working despite the noises of chattering coming from outside.