Peleria

Without giving a chance for Aiden to pop up with his doubt, Hellen answered for him, already knowing what he would ask.

"It's crucial to know a pattern in killing. It helps us recognize who did the specter spare. You are smart enough to realize what that entails."

Aiden halted, with his mouth open as he wanted to express his doubt. He quickly thought about the implications as what left his open mouth now was his understanding rather than doubt. 

"We'll get more information through the people who the specter spared. They are an inconsistency in the pattern of killing. Sometimes finding the inconsistency is easier than finding the pattern. Patterns can be derived if we spot an inconsistency."

While Valeria was impressed, Hellen had a look on her face which said she expected it. Lucas had already tuned out what they were saying as his eyelids drooped occasionally, feeling extremely drowsy.

"C'mon. Let's go. We'll have some lunch, then visit another site." Valeria announced loudly, snapping Lucas out of his drowsiness.

*****

The roads of the town were mostly empty, but the sidewalk had plenty of people. Aiden could see many people going about their days peacefully. 

The government had excellently planned the fragmentation of the population. Where there used to be numerous cities, divided by vast empty lands, in countries bordered by other countries, now only four of them exist. Arastel, Damar, Modegan and Peleria. Bluris town came under the Peleria country. 

Numerous towns now occupied the vast lands of the country, spaced at a nearly uniform distance. Placed strategically between them were cities, where the population was higher than towns and a higher level of civilization thrived. They served as a base for communication and management of nearby towns. 

Although the fragmentation of population was designed in a way that a town or city would be as self sustainable as possible. It was far from that in certain matters, like things which could only be produced in a factory. Such things were transported to all towns monthly to replenish their stock.

Speaking of factories, after the Great Smog, the production had met a great setback. Prices of some things had fluctuated considerably, leading to a severe imbalance in the market. A cigarette might cost 40 to 50 times more than the lighter, a pencil might cost 20 times more than the pen and so on.

"We're here." Valeria announced as Lucas stepped on the brakes. After he was done parking the car, the four of them made their way towards one of the few restaurants of the town. Rosanne's Cuisine.

Nestled within the center of the town, it was the highest end restaurant of Bluris. Surrounded by lush, manicured gardens and illuminated by eco-friendly lanterns, the serene vibes it radiated calmed down the anxiety in the group's mind. 

The interior of Rosanne's Cuisine featured a large, floor-to-ceiling window on the right that offered a panoramic view of the town's central park. The décor was minimalist, with polished wooden floors, and sleek marble countertops.

Soft, ambient lighting created a warm, inviting atmosphere, further reducing the tension in Aiden's heart. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel weird but couldn't point out what it was. He furrowed his brows but eventually relented under the peaceful environment. 

What could even go wrong here?

"A chicken burger. Put green and black olives, more lettuce, less cheese."

Aiden ordered as soon as he sat down. Lucas followed up with a succulent grass-fed beef filet with truffle-infused mashed potatoes, instructing the waitress to make it sweet, while Hellen and Valeria decided to share a Pizza. 

"Damn, I was getting really hungry." Lucas leaned back into his seat while rubbing his stomach, earning him an accusatory glance from Aiden. The latter had seen how many packets he devoured, and he was still hungry?

"So? Where are you from?" Hellen asked Valeria. She had checked with the officials and confirmed there was no one of such post in the town. 

Chuckling slightly, Valeria answered, "From the Broris city. I was ordered to travel here to assist a Bureau team with a possible specter case in the town. I was really confused these days as there was no such team in the town. I thought they were late so I focused on gathering clues ahead of time." With fear evident in her tone, she continued, "Who knew they would be dead."

Aiden noticed her hands shaking subtly while she continued talking, "I already feel like leaving the town. But if the Bureau comes to know what I did, any chances of my climbing the ladder would be as good as zero."

Hellen offered no words of consolation as she silently listened to her. She lightly scoffed after she finished speaking and replied, "You think after climbing the political ladder high enough there would be no one above you? Heh. There will always be someone who'll order you to do tasks you don't want to."

"What's wrong with that? I get to exercise my authority over those below me. It's only natural that someone uses their power over me. It's but a minor inconvenience in front of the immense power you'll hold in your hands." 

Aiden, sitting diagonally opposite to her, was the only one who noticed sparks of insanity in her eyes as Hellen couldn't notice it sitting beside her and Lucas was in a world of his own.

They spend the time idle talking, surrendering to the serene atmosphere of the restaurant rather than worry about the heavier matters. It was roughly 30 minutes later that Lucas and the rest got their order, while Aiden, whose burger was delivered earlier, had already been finished.

When everyone was done, Lucas insisted on paying. His argument was that he earned the most, being a registered super under the Bureau, so it was only obvious that he must pay. On the side note, no one had even opposed Lucas from the beginning.

With their stomachs full, they exited the restaurant, worry creeping back into their mind as soon as they laid their eyes upon the town. It felt like the restaurant was truly in another world, cutting them off from their reality and transporting them to a realm of peacefulness.

It was complete silence in the car as Lucas drove them to the third site of murder guided by Valeria. 

"Take a right tur—" A notification from her phone suddenly cut her off as she looked at what had popped up.

After reading through the message, she forwarded the message to the group chat and said,

"The police of the town have interrogated all the nearby residents of the victims and everyone who could have been in contact with them. They have also asked questions to the people, who, according to the pattern of the ghost, have been spared."

Aiden and Hellen read the message forwarded on the group chat with frowns on their face. Even with his sharp mind, it was difficult for Aiden to piece together the information he had received in such short notice.

While looking at the information, Aiden hesitated a bit before saying, "I think looking at the red moon and whatever is going with the shoes might still not be the only conditions. There should be more if this information needs to be sensible."

Lucas, who was driving in the front seat, shrieked in horror and slammed hard on the breaks as soon as he heard that. Panting hard, he turned around to look at Aiden with a terrified expression as he asked,

"What did you say?!"