Anomaly discovered

"Incredible. Extracting memories from individuals is extremely difficult. For a fifteen-year-old to achieve it," said Larissa, who had watched the entire memory extraction process.

She was familiar with this advanced blue aura technique. It was rarely seen in action, as its primary use was to present evidence against an individual or a group of individuals.

She was also astonished when she learned that Luke possessed a blue aura. The boy had hidden it very well. For some reason, she felt proud that Luke also had Sophie's aura.

"Luke is not a normal fifteen-year-old," Wednesday said. Larissa looked at her in surprise. It was very rare for this girl to compliment anyone. She decided not to comment on it.

Wednesday wondered how Larissa would react if Luke told her that he possessed three auras.

'She probably wouldn't believe him until she saw it with her own eyes... Anyway, she won't know for now. Only I know,' Wednesday thought.

"Will you, now present all the evidence to the Outcast Police agents?" Larissa asked, approaching Luke as he carefully stored the vials.

"Yes. They'll be able to catch the Hyde, and that will put an end to the murders and Crackstone's resurrection ritual. Proving the Spellmans' guilt will take more time, right?" said Luke, and Larissa nodded.

"First, you need to file a report with the agents, providing details and useful documentation to support the claim. Since you have memory extracts, the process will be much faster, but they still need to evaluate the evidence. I'm not exactly sure how long it might take, but it won't be a process of just a few days or a week," Larissa explained, sharing what she knew about the outcast justice system.

'It's more bureaucratic than I imagined,' Luke thought, grimacing. Though it seemed much faster than the American normie judicial system. He wasn't very knowledgeable on the subject.

"What will you do with Marilyn?" Luke asked.

"For now, she'll stay in the old Nevermore cells. They used to be for uncontrollable Hydes many years ago," Larissa replied without any compassion.

"I need to go retrieve the Book of Shadows from Marilyn's—or rather Laurel's—office," Wednesday remarked. She wanted to recover her family's legacy, especially if it was a witchcraft book with dark spells.

"Absolutely not. A teenager with such a dangerous book in her hands? I'll return it to your parents when possible. I'll contact them," Larissa said, refusing without hesitation.

Wednesday clicked her tongue lightly and said nothing more. She knew that psychic books of dark magic were controversial. Although it was her family's, it was right for her parents to have it, not her, as she was still a minor and in an educational institution.

...

In the middle of the forest, a house in terrible condition could be seen. Combined with the darkness of the night and the sounds of nature, it created an unsettling atmosphere. The little light that came through the broken windows barely illuminated the interior. Only a single, dim torch was placed inside the house, casting long shadows.

This was the original cult house, where Crackstone had incinerated many innocent outcasts: adults, children, and the elderly—people of all ages.

The main room was large and had a high ceiling, but it was ruined by years of neglect. Several hooded figures were scattered across the room, standing apart from each other as if they barely wanted to converse.

"When is that stupid normie going to kill the last two people? I'm tired of waiting," said one hooded figure in a shrill, whining tone. Luke would recognize that voice anywhere. It was Sabrina Spellman.

"No matter how fast the Hyde acts and gets what's needed for the ritual, we'll still have to wait. Didn't you understand the ritual?" asked another hooded figure, leaning against a wooden wall. His tone was mocking, treating Sabrina like an idiot. The only person who would dare speak to her that way was her older brother, Sebastian.

"Of course, I understood the ritual! I'm just sick of being stuck in this dump and this shitty town," Sabrina replied, frustrated. She should be at the Academy of Dark Arts, a luxurious school reserved only for those of her high class.

There, she would be the most popular of all, with many followers ready to kiss her feet. She would be living her best years at school. Instead, she had been stuck for months in this crumbling house, monitoring a normie who controlled a half-breed Hyde to kill Luke Poe, a boy she hated. Ever since she was tasked with dealing with him, her life had been a nightmare.

"I told Father you weren't ready for this mission. He spoiled you too much. I could've killed him, and we wouldn't be here with all this mess," said Sebastian, his tone laced with hidden resentment.

It would have been an honor for him to end the centuries-old grudge his family held against the Poes. Yet, the task had been given to his stupid younger sister, just because she possessed two auras. This left him with no chance to be the next leader of the Spellmans.

"Shut up! You're just jealous because Father and the others chose me. I'm superior to you," said Sabrina, as flames emerged from her palms, ready to explode at any moment.

"Superior? You? Your two auras were useless against Luke Poe. They'll be even more worthless against me," Sebastian snapped, stepping away from the wall and glaring at Sabrina with hatred.

Flames appeared in Sebastian's hands as well, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Amaranth watched the sibling rivalry with a smile. She wondered which sibling was stronger, thinking that Sebastian would win, as Sabrina had changed a lot in recent times.

Since Sabrina's defeat by Luke, she has become much easier to provoke and is constantly short-tempered. This made it easier to face someone angry all the time. She possessed a red aura of emotional manipulation, but ironically, couldn't control her own emotions. Being defeated for the first time in her life by Luke had affected her greatly.

"Silence, both of you," said a hooded figure sitting cross-legged. His voice was raspy. It was Atlas, the Gorgon. However, Sabrina and Sebastian ignored him and were about to fight.

"The normie has been captured. We must act immediately," Atlas commented, managing to stop the siblings, who looked at him in surprise.

"What happened?" Amaranth asked, equally surprised. She hadn't expected this normie, who had gone unnoticed for so many years without any issues, to be caught at such a critical moment.

"The seal I placed on the normie sent a signal. She's unconscious. Before that, she was briefly tortured. She's at Nevermore, so they must have captured her," Atlas briefly explained, shaking his head. He couldn't trust a stupid creature like a normie.

As a long-time follower of the Spellman family, Atlas had acquired dark magic spells. One of them was a seal he placed on Marilyn to monitor her without her knowledge. Since she was a normie, it had been very easy to put the seal on her.

'This can't be!' Sabrina thought. If that normie is captured, the Hyde won't attack Luke to kill him, and Crackstone won't be resurrected to attack Nevermore and target Luke in the process.

"What do we do? If she was caught at Nevermore, that means the principal is aware… If she's handed over to the outcast police, they'll be able to read her memories," said Sebastian. The most dangerous memory was Marilyn's conversation with them, where Atlas told her to kill Luke and gave her the enhancing drug.

"They won't have time. The normie will die in a few hours," Atlas said. The seal wasn't just for monitoring someone. When the seal was released, a lethal poison would spread through the bearer's body. For good reason, the seal was considered witchcraft.

"I see. Did the mission fail? Should we retreat?" asked Sebastian. It would be a huge waste of time, but continuing could put them in a dangerous position. After all, the outcast police were in Jericho, and they were helping revive a demonic normie. If they were caught, the excuse of the personal grudge between the Spellmans and the Poes wouldn't matter, since they were endangering all outcasts at Nevermore.

"We will continue. We will resurrect Crackstone. We know the method," Atlas said decisively. Their mission was clear: kill Luke Poe no matter what.

No one knew their identities, and as long as they remained hidden, the Spellman family couldn't be blamed—or so Atlas thought.

'Why does Father want to kill Luke Poe at all costs?' Sebastian thought, confused and surprised by Atlas's decision. He understood the family grudge, but attacking Nevermore was risky, especially if they were discovered. His stupid sister had almost been exposed last year.

When Luke's father was at Nevermore, they never tried to attack him while he stayed at the school. He didn't understand why they wanted to kill Luke now instead of waiting a few years until he left Nevermore when it would be much easier to go after him.

"Let's go. We need to get to where Deacon is," Atlas said, leaving the house. As usual, Deacon was keeping watch over Tyler, even though it was late at night.

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