《The Korpse Child》


 Prologue - The World Above

    The night was quiet in Raiden City, and it was late, not many cars drove by the Red Ring Park, and even fewer walked by. All except a pair of drunken bros, chasing each other in the park, with no eyes to watch or judge them as one of them pokes the other before running in the other direction. ¡°Tag! You¡¯re it! Man, you are SO slow¡± said the one running away, hiccuping and giggling like a little girl as the other pouts, chasing after him. ¡°Shut up, dude! I¡¯m as fast as...uh¡­a fast guy! Like¡­Usain Bolt!¡±


    ¡°More like U¡­insane, for thinking that¡­Bolt¡­yeah!¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s just rude, dude¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh¡±


    ¡°The fuck do you mean nuh uh, GET OVER HERE!¡±


    They kept chasing each other around, one clearly faster than the other, before a bolt of lightning shot out of the big lake that sat in the center of the park, startling both of them as the lake sparked, whatever small life that may have been in the lake killed in the process as they float up to the surface, and with them, a womanly figure as she stood on the water itself.


    ¡°And I thought I said no funny business, Ethan!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do funny business, Mark! My business is very adult and proper!¡±


    And as the two bicker among themselves, the figure walked on the water towards the two, her cold, golden amber eyes stared at the two as she proceeded to identify them as she got closer. Red, curly hair as bright as a fresh apple,


    One of them finally looks over, noticing the fact that she was walking on water as he gets Ethan¡¯s attention. ¡°Well, Jesus H. Christ is pretty funny business, I am not going to lie to you¡±


    ¡°Mark. Jesus is dead¡­well, I think so anyways, maybe it¡¯s the, uh, fucking¡­um¡­what was the apocalypse called again?¡±


    ¡°Rapture?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Rapture, maybe it¡¯s happening now, and YOU are gonna, uh, stay down here cause you complain like a baby!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m NOT a baby, Ethan! Watch!¡± Mark turns over to look at the woman, who still approaches closer and closer, shouting towards her. ¡°Hey! Jesus or Follower of Jesus, you¡­look¡­poopy, hah!¡± The woman stood still as Mark turned back to Ethan. ¡°See, not a ba-¡± and he was cut off when his whole body disappeared right there, leaving a black mist that smells like¡­oil.


    This immediately sobers up Ethan as the realization sets in, he would immediately try to run away, screaming, but tripped and fell face first onto the grass as he sits up and looks back, the woman slowly approaches him, a maniacal smile for cold, yellow eyes as she squats down to meet him eye to eye as she tilts her head. ¡°Execution repeated. Asking question 45: ¡®Have you seen a Lake Child around here?¡¯, expecting an answer or permission to explain. Answer.¡± the woman asks, her voice was a bit deep in pitch, and quite a bit seductive like.


    ¡°L-Lake Child? I haven¡¯t seen a child at all a-around here, w-what do they look like?¡± Ethan said, his voice shivering and nervous, afraid for his life at this very moment.


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    ¡°Permission granted, explaining context 29: Small child of feminine nature. Long, beautiful white hair you would see only in legends. Smells of sweet perfume and candy shop sweets. Bright, blue eyes that give the sky a run for their Cogs. Unmissable. Context given. Answer the question.¡± the woman explained, she was very, very robotic in nature, her voice, her speech pattern, her mind, like a robot, and yet she looks as human as the next person.


    ¡°T-Then no, I haven¡¯t seen a child l-like that at all! P-Please leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°Requesting permissions of higher ups¡­¡± her eyes dim down a little before returning as she raises one hand, the ¡®flesh¡¯ melts off as it reforms into a very, very sharp blade.


    ¡°Permission denied. Reasonings are as follows: Brain Fluid and Tissues are required for repairs and The Living Failure. Please await assured destruction.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait! No, no, NO, STOP, PLE-¡±


    And so his head falls from his body onto the floor, a cut as clean as her skin as she stood up, grabbing the head, holding onto it for a few seconds before it vanishes into a black mist as well as she returns to the lake. ¡°Objective complete, returning to the tower.¡±


    And as she walks onto the water, she sinks down into the lake like nothing had happened, letters and numbers stained behind her perfect white jacket. T.L.A 4. Bacteria.


    And the man¡¯s headless korpse finally fell down onto grass, painting it red, as the previous black mist dissipated into itself. A murder scene without clues. Almost perfect.


    Except for one witness.


    -


    ¡°And here we are, outside the scene of the crime, a man was found murdered, his lifeless korpse left without his head. Police are withholding information about the murder but this marks another mysterious murder without a cause, is the safety of Raiden City on the edge of a knife? We don¡¯t know, but we will keep you updated on any progress of the crime.¡±


    The news channel has always filled in people on the latest ¡®Mystery Murder¡¯, but none of them ever got answers, but that¡¯s because none of them had answers. And none of them had him.


    The TV goes on as a man prepares himself, having just been woken up by his mother, who, after some time, finally got him recommended to help with an investigation over one of these Mystery Murders as he gets his bag out. ¡°Always remember your G.P.B~!¡± he sang to himself as he grabbed hold of his licenced pistol, smart phone, and badge. ¡°Your trusty Gun, your useful Phone, your helpful Badge, dada~¡± he kept going as he grabbed a lint roller, rolling it over some parts of his clothes, mostly the black jeans and undershirt before putting on the white jacket. ¡°Look your finest, steady your eyes~¡± he gestures a finger gun towards a picture of 3 cats and 2 people. Him and his mother. He does a little ¡®pew¡¯ sound as his finger gun goes off. ¡°Remember the rest, remember the best~¡± he smiled as he closed his bag, which already had been packed with everything else he might need.


    ¡°Kade! Gear! Wonder! That¡¯s my name! Detective Man!...Or was it Boy?...Maybe Lady? Wait no, I¡¯m not a lady, that¡¯s mother¡¯s song¡­I¡¯d make a damn good lady, anyways~¡± he chuckles to himself as he turns the TV off, taking a deep breath as he scruffs up his curly black hair. ¡°Focus, Kade! This is your debut case! No more crimes, or lost & found, or cat saving! It¡¯s a real, actual murder, and they need someone good for this!¡± he hypes himself up but let''s just one more little song out.


    ¡°Detective Kade, on the case~!¡±


    And so he leaves his room¡­office¡­bedroom place. A peculiar workplace hybrid. Kade goes down the hallway, passing by many labeled rooms as he gets to the elevator, pressing a button as it opens up. As he gets in and begins to descend down, the sound of voices whisper outside, but he ignores it, like he always had, as he steps off once the elevator stopped descending and opening up.


    ¡°Consider me lucky, Lizzy. This boy¡¯s making it big now~¡± he said to the receptionist at the front desk. She looks up to him with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching then, Kade. And do be careful out there, for your mother¡± she said as he nodded, exiting the building excitedly as he went to a small parking lot near the building, getting into his car and putting his keys into the ignition, starting it up as he began driving to the sight of the crime:


    Red Ring Park.

 Chapter 1 - Red Noise

    It was bloody red, alright. Police marked the whole park closed, a lot of units as per before, but no progress. A lot of people were around, discussing among each other, some few with what officers wouldn¡¯t mind indulging in the simple fact that¡­they haven¡¯t found anything yet for 2 hours besides blood, a body, and litter. Kade stops his car by an available spot on the side of the road, shutting the car off as he is exiting it, closing the door behind before checking himself out in the side view mirror, making sure he looks as good as he set himself up to be in his room, and of course, he was always looking as good as he set himself up to be. That¡¯s all the confidence he needed. He took a deep breath before beginning to walk over to the entrance, already pulling out his badge as he got there. A police officer stops him, but he simply shows his badge as they nod, letting him through as he goes over the tape line, entering the park as more whispers go on around him, but he simply ignores them. People must be talking about how good and youthful he looks, for sure!..But no one was.


    Kade arrives at a different set of police tapes, blue this time, meaning the scene of the crime. And he sees them already. People in full white contamination suits and white disposable face masks investigate the scene, a headless korpse covered up by a large white cloth as a more menacing looking officer walks up to him by the side. ¡°Now who¡¯s this wonder boy on the scene of the crime but the boy of one Celeste Steel Vuur. Kade Wonder, is it?¡± he asked. He was a tall man, much taller than Kade, with brown skin and long white dreadlocks. Whether they were dyed or stressed, Kade couldn¡¯t tell, as he does a small bow. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, but who am I meeting before me anyways?¡± he asks as the man chuckles.


    ¡°Chief of Police, Imamu Dempster, your mother has quite the reputation with what she¡¯s done, and I can only hope you¡¯ll be able to do the same. Her suggestions are facts, you¡¯ve been doing only minor and insignificant crimes, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, but fear not, I have a keen eye for all of these things and will not disappoint my mother¡¯s legacy~¡± he said with such confidence as Imamu nodded with a smile. "Then here''s your first task already, Wonder Boy. The hell happened here?" he asked, a tone more serious as Kade shrugs, looking at what he could see from where he stood. "Besides a park full of officers, a tall menacing man and a headless korpse¡­not much yet" he said, hands in pockets as he began to wander around the park for anything, Imamu following for the time being. "So. Anything about our korpse?"


    "Korpses"


    "There were more?"


    "From what we heard of what family members, co-workers, and the such we could ask¡­all of them had said the same thing." Imamu calls over one of the officers as he asks for something, being handed over a bottle of alcohol in a plastic bag. "They went out drinking. Two buddies, knew each other since middle school. Ethan Blackheart, and Mark Whitelace. Ethan was a bartender at Blue Rules in Blue Ring Avenue, and Mark was a nurse in one of the hospitals of Pouring Lead Avenue. No suspects or witnesses though. Not a single lead either. Just 1 korpse and a bunch of drunkenly littered bottles. Even what few cameras that might have seen even glimpses of the park in other buildings have nothing. A few seconds of the men chasing each other as if seeming to play tag, and then nothingness, before it comes back to what we see now. What is strange as well is that people nearby have all been saying the same thing. That it was storming badly last night, but you know better about that, don''t you?" he said as Kade nodded, sighing.


    "Of course¡­I was up last night, dinner with my mom at some place, usual activity, but not a droplet of water has ever fallen from the clouds" he said as Imamu chuckled a bit. "Late night dinner as well, huh? Well, then it should mean there was no lightning to shoot down. But all of them have heard or seen the same thing. Lightning, a single bolt."


    "Now that¡­is certainly making it our 2nd Mystery Murder this month, isn''t it?"


    "Seems like someone snoops around" Imamu comments as he hands the plastic bag back to the officer.


    "And who do you think helps herself to indulge in all of them?"


    The two continue to talk, exchanging information before Imamu''s radio goes off, a serious and stern, yet soft, voice spoke through. "Chief Imamu, we need you at Frostbike Park. We found the korpse of Mark Whitelace, get here now with some of your officers. Over." she said as Imamu immediately responded. "I hear you, bringing some of my best, and a rookie, over and out" he said before putting away the radio, looking over at Kade. "Come on, my car''s faster anyway" he said as he signals to some of his officers before he began to run over to the entrance to his police car, Kade followed behind, if not just barely, as both jump over the police tapes with style (for the hell of it) before getting into the vehicle, immediately driving over to the park as others followed.


    And it didn''t take too long, it was always a bit more quiet when these Mystery Murders happen, so they got to the park as the two hop out, approaching the park, seeing some few other officers from a different branch taping off the whole park as the two approach one, showing off their badges before hopping into the park, another officer lead them through the significantly lusher park before they found themselves dumb struck by the sight. It was a korpse by the lake, it was Mark''s korpse, and everything was attached to him.


    Well. Everything but the very top of his head, his brain completely missing as Kade looks away, a little squamish. "God¡­ew¡­ugh! Why the brain! That''s my worst fear yet"


    "Then don''t lose it like him¡­by the gods, this is¡­this is the worst one yet"


    "And not the one with the missing heart? Or eyes? Or¡­fucking¡­anything?"


    "Never said any were better"


    The usual began. More police arrive at the scene, specialists come in to examine and lockdown the area as Kade was handed a pair of gloves. ¡°Look around, kid. Something must be around here, footprints, items, anything¡± he said as Kade did a small salute, putting on those clean disposable blue gloves as he began his search with the others. Minutes passed by, and then almost an hour later, the whole park almost turned upside down, especially with how much nature there already was. Kade was tired quickly already as he sat down on the grass, the other officers kept going without stopping as Kade was left to his own devices, looking up past the trees to the sun as it shone from the east. It¡¯s only been an hour or so, but this was tiring work already for him as he got back up. ¡°Come on, Kade. What would mom say if she caught me slacking? Actually, not a good question, she¡¯d slack with me, what am I saying¡± he chuckles to himself before a bright light catches his eye. Getting up, he quickly got to it, a shadow passed by quickly as he walked to the light, quickly getting his pistol out. ¡°Hey! Police! Stop right there!¡± he shouted as professionally as he could. The shadow kept zipping by, impossibly fast too, as Kade tried to keep his eyes on it, but soon he would get dizzy as he trips onto his ass. ¡°Shei?e¡­¡± he got back up but the shadow was gone. Though the light was there as he walked over, keeping his pistol ready as he finally spotted what was shining it.


    ¡°What¡­is this doing here?¡±


    It was a security camera, and a strange looking one at that. Looks like it was ripped off a wall forcefully, blood wets the lens as he picks it up, putting his pistol away into his pocket. ¡°I should really get those holsters. But¡­the hell?¡± He examines it at first. Gears protruded from slits on it as the lens blinked slowly, a bright light coming from a small hole on the front.


    ¡°Imamu!¡±


    He shouted out before now just spotting something else that was occupied with the security camera. An old looking cassette tape, similarly coated, but with oil.


    He can hear the large officer approaching as he picks it up, looking back to try and spot the chief of police, only to find something else¡­where was he now? Old, rotting trees, barely standing sticks of bushes, and a black, starless night sky above him, with broken buildings and a large tower not so far.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± he couldn¡¯t even give out a quip to keep himself composed as scraping metal and gears scream in the air. He turns around again, no camera or tape in hand, just a weird ¡®gun¡¯ and a red letter as he instinctively aims it towards¡­something. It was a hulking mass of metal and flesh, a machine that should not exist, a creature that should not live. Yet it does. It lives. It breathes. It is speaking his name, his life, but he could not for the life of him understand the wailing noise of tears and metal, the noise ringing in his ear like a Triangle put to his ear and BASHED by a hammer. It makes noise but it should not be making it in the first place. And god. The eyes. So many eyes, each and every one of them of a different color and size, and they are staring at Kade with a longing he would never comprehend as he drops the letter and gun, backing away, his composure getting shorter and shorter as it slowly approaches him. The tower rings. Ding. Ding. Ding. DING. It keeps calling for him, his name, why does it know his name!


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    And then it went dark.


    -


    Her office bedroom was quiet. It was the same as her son, but there were more themes of space travel and steampunk, a personal choice of hers. A much bigger bed, and a much cleaner room. 3 cats slept on her bed as she worked away at her desk, the sound of a digital clock making an artificial ticking noise. She couldn¡¯t bother getting a real one, it¡¯d be too hard to clean, and a chore in general, and she has enough chores as is. She sighs as she places her pen down, putting the written paper away into a document before putting it away into a filing cabinet and getting up, looking over at a lone mirror, a long cloth sat beside it on a chair as she walked over to it, looking at herself. She was the same as Kade, or more like, Kade was the same as her. A red undershirt covered by a white fancy dress jacket. White dress pants to fit along with it, a red bowtie, and the same curly hair as his, but red as she sighed. Before then, she got a phone call as she looked at herself again. A melancholic face, no smile, or frown, just nothing as she takes a deep breath, like she was preparing herself, before a large, maniacal smile comes across her face. And then she answers.


    ¡°Yes, hello, this is Celestial Steel Vuur of Steel Rooks¡¯ Agency, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to~?¡± she asks, a sweet and gentle voice, mixed with doses of pure eccentricness and joy as someone spoke back. ¡°Yes, hello, I¡¯m sure you already know who I am but I know you have a tendency to forget names, my friend. Imamu here, your¡­uh¡­son fell unconscious suddenly. He is completely fine, though, do not worry, but¡­are you sure he is fit for this kind of thing?¡± he said as Celeste sighs.


    ¡°Just take a look at him and TELL me he doesn¡¯t fit the part best? Besides, he has been waiting for this opportunity forever now! All he¡¯s done were missing person cases and petty crimes, and he has solved every one of them, dear. He¡­does have those unconscious moments a lot though, but never too dangerous. Just don¡¯t put him on the frontline and he¡¯ll be fine, just give him an hour to wake up¡­so, did he find anything? Especially about¡­anything strange?¡± she asks, a serious tone leaks through her voice.


    ¡°He did, ma¡¯am. A camera and tape, both of dated technology, give my lab boys a bit and they¡¯ll decipher them and hand them over to your agency once we get ourselves a copy of both¡±


    ¡°Oh, excellent! My boy is already finding evidence, so good of him~¡± she said excitedly as she can hear a chuckle on the other end. ¡°You¡¯ve always been proud of him, you know? You tell me everytime we work together about how amazing your son is, you doting mother" he said jokingly as Celeste let out a laugh. ¡°Oh shush. If you could drive my son here, that would be appreciated, hope your boys are fast, time is of the essence~¡± she said.


    ¡°Hah, but of course, ma¡¯am. Alright, I¡¯ll be on the way then, I¡¯ll carry him to his room, if you don¡¯t mind. See you later¡± he said. ¡°See you later as well~¡± Celeste answers back as Imamu hangs up. Her smile goes away as she sits back down. ¡°Won¡¯t this be exciting for him¡­hm¡­he needed it anyways. Solving cases with those whispers is just plain cheating, where¡¯s the fun in that? Even if subconsciously¡­¡± she said to herself as she looked out an open window, seeing the cafe across the street. ¡°I should get a cup, I¡¯m tired already¡­hah, and it¡¯s only the morning, shame, maybe I¡¯ll just pretend to order for the whole office and keep it to myself¡± she giggles softly at the idea as she looks at her phone, dialing a number before calling the cafe next door, hearing a car park nearby, and then a minute later, heavy footsteps come from the hallway with the sound of a door opening.


    -


    A sudden jolt of energy as Kade sits up from his bed, heavy breathing as he immediately looks around. He was back in his office again, the digital clock next to him on the nightstand reading 10:34 as his bag on his desk, and with it his pistol and phone, as he sighs. Back in his office, huh? And from another dream¡­so many dreams, but this was the worst one yet as he clutches his head as he moves a bit to sit on the side of the bed, before hearing a soft giggle. He looked around, but only found his fluffy white cat, Hiss, who slept on his desk besides all the stuff, who meowed gently at him.


    ¡°But of course, for who else would be in my room¡­come here, kitty~!¡± he said as Hiss stood up, jumping right onto the bed as she sat down beside him. Kade would pet the white cat as he pulled out his phone, seeing a couple messages, all from a number he didn¡¯t recognize as he read them to himself gently.


    ¡°Hello, this is Imamu, your mother gave me your phone number so I¡¯ll tell you what you missed while in dreamland, wonder boy. Our lab boys are working as fast as they can to get whatever they can out of that ripped camera and tape, and you¡¯ll be the first to get it once we get ourselves a copy. And please, keep yourself safe, nearly gave me a heart attack. I¡¯d much rather not see how your mother reacts if¡­anything were to happen to you¡­¡± he nods slightly, sending a short text back.


    ¡°Ty, and ofc, sir¡± he whispered before putting his phone away, sighing as he kept patting Hiss before getting up. ¡°Nothing to do but wait, I suppose¡± he said to himself, and then¡­like the devil knew, a knock on the door was heard as Kade turned around towards it, checking himself out first in the mirror. ¡°A moment, please~!¡± he shouted as he nodded. ¡°My little fall did not dirty me, at least¡± he said to himself before walking to the door, opening it up to see what would be the first of many miracles of this case yet:


    A witness.


    A woman stood before him. Long, possibly dyed red hair tied into a ponytail, tan skin, long sleeved gray shirt with a fire bird design on it, black sweatpants, black construction boots, and bright red eyes to match. Could be contact lenses as far as he could tell, but the world was full of oddities so maybe she does simply have red eyes, but the fact of the matter is clear. This woman holds answers, answers no one else could ever find but herself¡­and him. And it all started with a simple sentence.


    ¡°I saw what happened.¡± she said, in a neutral voice, he couldn¡¯t tell her emotions so easily by face or voice, it was a bit bizarre but everyone has their secrets, he supposes as he nods.


    ¡°Come right in then, madam¡± he said with a smile, getting out the way as he lets her in before closing the door, walking to his desk and cleaning the table a tiny bit as he pulls out a chair from a corner of the room, putting it in front of the desk before sitting behind it. The woman would sit at the chair as she seemed to observe Kade a bit before continuing to speak.


    ¡°My name is not important but if you insist on pointless titles, you may refer to me as¡­Sugar. I saw exactly everything that happened that night, every detail, every person¡± she said, Kade contains his excitement as he nods, pulling out a notepad and a cute pink cat-based pen as he began to write.


    ¡°Then tell me! Time is of the essence!¡± he said, the excitement could not, in fact, be as contained as he hoped as she sighed, looking away coldly.


    ¡°Only under 1 condition¡±


    ¡°Condition? And what is that?¡±


    Sugar looks right back at him, her stare shot through his head that he swore could feel a small migraine as she continued.


    ¡°You stop investigating this case. And move on¡±


    ¡°E-Excuse me?¡± that confused Kade greatly, what is the point of coming out here as a witness but not allow him to investigate? That¡¯s kinda his whole job, his wish of his life, to solve something very big, something life changing¡­and she wants him to stop?


    ¡°I want you to stop this investigation. The police will eventually give up, and this will be another of many other mysteries. Unsolved. Dire dangers are ahead and I will not see it that a human from here be involved. That is my condition. Satiated curiosity for giving up the case.¡±


    ¡°And if I lie about stopping?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll know¡± she immediately answered as he shrugged. ¡°Then no thank you, dear~¡± he said as she sighs. A few details are already curious. The mention of the word ¡®human¡¯ is not one you hear someone say on a regular basis, if at all, in normal conversations.


    ¡°What if I tell the police if I follow true to the deal and you told me?¡± Kade continues as Sugar shakes her head.


    ¡°They won¡¯t believe you. No one would. Only you and I would know and believe, Kade¡± she said seriously, her stare still giving him a small migraine-like feeling as he sighs.


    She was really hard for him to read, but one thing was clear: She wasn¡¯t lying at all. A small skill he¡¯s picked up from his mother, discerning truths and lies, but since she has arrived, everything she had said was as pure as light. What did she know that he didn¡¯t? What did she see that is unbelievable to anyone? And¡­who is she? And how did she know his name? I mean, sure, being the son of Celeste Vuur is damning enough, but everyone always calls him Wonder Boy. He talks a lot, but never introduces himself to many. He is as much of a stranger as a stranger could get. But he ignores it, the possibilities are always there, not until he makes it big.


    ¡°Will these murders ever stop?¡± he asks as she sighs.


    ¡°Pointless questions but no, not until the threat is eliminated, now answer my deal one more time, will you give up the case if I satiate your curiosity?¡± she asks one more time as Kade stands up. ¡°Not until it¡¯s solved, I will track this case to its very core. Now if you don¡¯t have something useful to say to me, I appreciate you leaving" Kade said, a bit of seriousness like his mother, but he never liked to be serious, it always reminded him of his¡­


    Before he could finish that thought, Sugar gets up, an annoyed sigh as she turns around. ¡°Destined lives will always go forward, doesn¡¯t it¡­The Wrong Man¡­at the right time¡­but not yet the right place¡­I¡¯ve changed my mind. What I am about to tell you is the truth. I will not lie. It is only if you want to believe. But I want to ask one more time, for the sake of the rule of 3¡­are you willing to risk your life over and over again for this case? It¡¯s bigger than you had thought of it to be¡­¡± she said, looking over her shoulder as Kade immediately nods.


    ¡°I became a detective like my mother and her mother before her. It¡¯s dangerous for a kind soul like me to wander around, helping everybody. But I''ve accepted that possibility way before I even earned the title. I am as ready as the gods would want me to be, whoever they are if there are any¡± he said as she nodded, turning back around.


    ¡°Then so be it¡­I¡¯ll tell you what I saw last night¡­¡±

 Chapter 2 - A Sweet, Sweet Miracle

    And she told him everything. Of the rising figure, the cause of the thunder, the death of those two innocent men. And then she began to tell him of things yet unthought of¡­which is basically, not thought of at all from anyone but the kookiest people.


    Below the city, and the whole world, was another place. Another world, hidden away in another dimension, full of everything both human, humanoid, and, for a lack of a better word¡­Magic.


    The World Below, is what it is called. And where Kade has lived for his whole life was The World Above, or dubbed by the people below who know of this dual dimension, Heaven. For reasons beyond anyone, no one knows why the world is like this, but it is, and to The World Above, barely anyone who has lived up there knows anything about The World Below or all the magic¡­everything that goes on.


    And that is where Sugar came from. And the murderer. A figure in white clothing, with a bow tie and curly hair, colors yet unknown for it was dark for her. She took the missing man completely, while the remaining got his head torn off. But why?


    Living Machines. Monstrosities of metal and flesh that have taken over the city below Raiden City. A beautiful Timeless City reduced to rotting concrete and empty, dark sky¡­much like his dreams. He had always dreamt of this place, but it was always broken, and barely anyone in sight. Was she right? That he was destined to be there? But how did she know? Either way, now Time Loss City, as the locals below the city call it, is gone, and the remaining people hide away in artificial places and towns under the city, longing to take back their home, but few can contest against the Machines, and its masters.


    Living Angels and a Timeless Man, who control the machines and are the main ¡®big bads¡¯. And the murderer of this mystery was one of the Angels. And that is all Sugar told him that was important. Kade was¡­shocked at first. He¡¯d be laughing and howling at this nonsense but again¡­she told not a single lie to him. Was there really a whole place deep underground, as much to them that there is a place beyond the sky? He knew not what to say.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the truth, and the whole truth. How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I feel like my mother now¡­she¡¯s always believed fairy tales and myths but to think that¡­any of them are likely real or at least¡­taken inspirations from the real thing is just¡­wow¡­I¡­¡± the words leave his mouth yet none made sense as she sighs, getting up. ¡°Pack up extra clothes and the tightest form of storage. We are leaving to it¡±


    ¡°W-What? But how!¡± Kade asked, his voice raising a bit just out of pure shock of how calm she was compared to him as she looked over to him. ¡°Dimensional Travel Points, duh, that¡¯s kindergarten info. But I never told you so¡­oops. We¡¯ll be going through the lake in Red Ring Park, I¡¯ll tell you how we¡¯ll do that when we get there¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­okay???¡± Kade just¡­agrees with it as Sugar opens the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the lobby, don¡¯t take too long, I can¡¯t tell how much time we¡¯ll have left before the Angels begin patrolling again¡± she said before leaving, closing the door behind her.


    ¡°...What the fuck¡± was the only thing he could say after she leaves as he just¡­began to pack. Getting a waterproof luggage case he never got to use, too much anyways, and his mother¡¯s paranoia of planes had her get them some in the case the plane crashes into water so their stuff is okay. Weird priorities but hey, it is seeing use now so no point thinking about it too much. He places his bag inside, which hadn¡¯t been opened or changed since he got back in his office as he places his pistol inside said bag, with his phone. He then changes his clothes, which he felt was going to be dirtied so he got into something more casual that he could afford to get dirty and supposedly wet. Simple stuff really, a white t-shirt, blue jeans, water shoes (which he never got to use anyways, they barely go to the beach), random socks, and whatever else, while putting away the stuff he was wearing sloppily into the luggage case before closing the initial lid, before the actual lid. It¡¯s how it was waterproof, just layers to slow it all down. Once the luggage case was locked shut twice, he left his room with it, car keys¡­not in hand because his car is back at the park. Guess they¡¯ll be walking.


    He eventually got down to the lobby, seeing Sugar waiting for him as she got up, walking out already as Kade followed. And then¡­they walked. They walked the whole way to the park, Kade attempting to do small talk but Sugar never answered. Silent, not saying anything unnecessary, just that she kept walking, and so did he.


    -


    Black, starless sky. Broken buildings and destroyed roads. And the smell, the smell of still burning flesh, metal, and oils filled the air as she ran into an alleyway, hiding behind piles of trash bags as she held her sweetened breath. Keeping quiet from them.


    A bright blip in the sky, slowly moving through the city¡¯s dead sky, she could hear the crackle of radios from two others nearby.


    ¡°FIND HER, FIND HER, FIND HER, DAMNIT, SHE CANNOT ESCAPE¡± it shouted, a hateful high pitched voice that could kill the ears by sound alone, shifting metal echoes through as another responds. ¡°Searching for all Biological Signs, please give Gorge approximately 1 minute and 29 seconds.¡± a more proper voice spoke back, robotic but not ear hurting, its steps in counts of 4 as a humanoid figure peers into the alleyway, going down it slowly, brandishing a golden sickle for a right hand, heavy steps that could sink into the ground at any moment from shear weight as the little girl kept her breath, holding it as long as she could.


    ¡°REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER, TAILOR. SKIN AS PALE AS SAND. LONG HAIR AS WHITE AS LIGHT, SMELLS OF CANDY AND PERFUME, EYES AS BLUE AS THE OCEAN. REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEM-¡±


    ¡°SHUT IT, ROMANCE¡± the humanoid shouted back angrily, a deep voice that could break glass from the bass it produces as he shuts the radio off.


    ¡°Do we need to lose you another arm, Silvia? Please, come out, or your head is next, and I know how painful it is for you¡­¡± he said as he passes the bags of trash, and for a moment, her blue eyes loses its hue for a second before coming back as she immediately acts, rushing out fast from the bags as she runs out of the alley and aimed for the nearby park. Tailor turns around, turning his radio back on as he shouts. ¡°SHE¡¯S RUNNING TO THE LAKE. STOP HER, ALL OF YOU¡± he said as many other machines pour out from the streets. Gorge immediately growls and runs to her, and quickly, but it was ready to lunge, her eyes loses its hue for a millisecond before she pulls out a crystal, closing her eyes as she throws it onto the concrete of the road as it shatters, blinding everyone nearby but her as she opens them again and continued running, breathing heavily as the bright blip in the sky grew closer and closer, revealing a metallic bird with organic bird eyes lunging at her full speed as she pulls out a pocket watch from her pocket, her last item, as she presses a button and throws it at Romance, which stopped it in place for a few seconds before it lunged right into the ground, and as she got closer to the lake, those heavy footsteps returned, rapidly approaching behind her, and right before Tailor could get her, she jumped into the lake head first as she immediately begins to swim down. Tailor stops right at the edge of the lake as he watches her silhouette disappear into the murky brown water. A few of the lesser machine creatures tried to give chase, but died the moment their body was fully in the water, sparking the lake with electricity as Tailor would slash at a passive machine, breaking it in half cleanly out of anger as he began to scream.


    ¡°WE HAD ONE JOB, DAMMIT. ALL OF YOU ARE BEING REPURPOSED INTO SLIME FOOD¡± he shouted at the lesser machines as all the ones that were still alive immediately leave the area. Gorge, the metallic dog, and Romance, the metallic bird, join him as they watch the lake. Tailor sighs as he turns right around, the golden sickle melts away as the newly liquid metal forms into a hand. ¡°Back to work. I¡¯ll get a soldier to send the message. Pray for the bastards¡­¡± he said as Romance flew right back into the sky, Gorge followed Tailor right afterwards as the city grew quiet again, probably the busiest and worst day for them, to let a child get away.


    Pray for them.


    -


    The duo finally arrive to the park, the police were done by now, cleaned up and all that, but no one dared to visit the park as he spots his car, still safe and sound at least as he walks up to it, opening the doors as he grabs his keys from the ignition, putting it into a smaller pocket of the luggage before locking and closing the car doors as he walks back to the park gate, Sugar had already walked to the lake by herself as Kade shrugs, going to the lake as well.


    Warnings signs were placed near the lake as Sugar waited patiently for him, another bag was now in her hands, a much stranger looking one, probably was placed here in waiting already as Kade sighs. ¡°What now, sweets?¡± he asked, flirting a tiny bit as Sugar pointed to the lakes. ¡°Simple. Imagine and think to yourself the idea of traveling to another world and¡­keep swimming down. You might get a little dizzy once we are done but it is relatively safe.¡± she explains as he chuckles. ¡°Better be correct, or I¡¯m taking you to a psych ward or whatever¡± he said, mostly jokingly as he prepared himself to jump into the lake.


    ¡°I got an A+ for my swimming, you know? So don¡¯t worry about me either, heh¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, nor would care¡± Sugar replied as Kade fake gasps. ¡°You pain my heart, sweets¡± and as he said that, he looks back to the lake to notice a small figure rising up from the waters as he stops. ¡°And someone seems to have come to visit us, sweets¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Out of the water, a small girl appeared as she swam to dry land as Kade immediately rushed over to her without thought, helping her out as he opened his luggage, getting out a big towel he had stored and putting it around her. ¡°Hey, hey, are you okay there?¡± he asked worryingly, but the little girl didn¡¯t answer as she sat there shaking from the cold¡­and fear.


    Kade would check her for injuries as Sugar kept silent, watching all this go down as she could only whisper to herself.


    ¡°Why is she¡­here?¡±


    ¡°Come on, we need to get you to somewhere a bit warmer¡± he said, grabbing her up and carrying her like a princess as he rushed to his car, shouting over to Sugar. ¡°Change of plans, get my luggage, we¡¯re going back¡± he said as she nodded, closing and grabbing the luggage bag as she rushed after him.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Kade would reach his car, waiting for Sugar as she arrived. He would use a free hand to grab his car keys from the luggage bag¡¯s pocket as he unlocks the car, placing the little girl into the back as he placed his luggage into the trunk before hopping into the driver¡¯s seat, Sugar joining him in the passenger¡¯s seat as he immediately began to drive back to his office.


    And as the car leaves, a young lady watches before speaking into a strange radio device. ¡°They have left the park, I repeat, they have left the park, do as the Good Machine said¡± as two other voices respond back, ¡°Over and out.¡±


    -


    The duo finally arrive as Kade grabs hold of the girl again, lifting her up and rushing into the office building to the elevator. ¡°Hello good day yes I¡¯m doing good yes she seems okay could you make something warm to drink thank you bye¡± he said quickly without pause towards Lizzy as he decided to go for the stairs next to the elevator instead, rushing up into the hallway and into his room as he places her on his bed, going to his closet as he grabs a couple towels, going back to the little girl as he covers her with one. ¡°There¡­okay what do I do now¡­um¡­¡± he wonders to himself, although he likes the little buggers, he¡­was never good with kids as he sighs, beginning to rub the towel on her to dry her out. Sugar eventually arrives, leaning on the door frame as she watches Kade dry the girl.


    ¡°Destined paths stay destined¡­¡± she whispers to herself as Kade finally lifts the towel up to her face, seeing her¡­smiling just a tiny bit at him, his ¡®natural humor¡¯ seems to have gotten her a bit as she calmed down a bit, not making eye contact.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sure the actions of your one and only has spoken the truth to you but¡­are you¡­okay?¡± he asks her as she doesn¡¯t seem to answer at first, mumbling quietly to herself before answering. ¡°I¡¯m¡­okay, sir¡­¡± she said as Kade sighs in relief, falling onto the floor dramatically. ¡°Thank the stars, I didn¡¯t think I did a very good job at all!¡± he said, still dramatically as he hears two giggles, one was soft, the other¡­was a bit mocking as he looked over to Sugar, who couldn¡¯t help but giggle, despite how cold her face still was. ¡°Yeah, yeah, there¡¯s more where that came from, hm?¡± he said as he got right back up to his feet, looking back over to Silvia. ¡°Now mind telling me what you were doing at the bottom of the lake? Seems unreasonable for anyone unless¡­you¡­don¡¯t tell me you were telling the truth, Sweets?¡± he looks right back at Sugar, hoping she wasn¡¯t¡­but she was as she nods.


    ¡°One whole visitor¡­and the victim of our mystery, detective¡­¡± she said, walking over as she sits down next to her, patting her on the head. ¡°Brave girl, aren¡¯t you? Detective, this¡­is Silvia, no middle or last name, she is known to us as The Korpse Child, or more accurately, The Korpse Of Lake Child¡­and she is the daughter of the man behind all of this¡­¡± she said as he¡­well, what could he think now? This may be a ticket to all this as Sugar continues.


    ¡°And now we have her in our custody¡­the piece of the puzzle he cannot complete¡­for all we know, he needs 5 of these Lake Children, but if even a single one is missing¡­well¡­that¡¯s a lot of time in our hands, detective¡± she said as Kade nods, looking to over Silvia as he tilts his head. ¡°Silvia¡­is this all true?¡± he asks as she nods without a second thought, and before Kade could continue, she spoke up. ¡°I¡­t-trust you¡­sir¡­¡± she said as he nodded with a big smile. ¡°But of course. And what of more names¡­my name is Kade Wonder, detective extraordinaire, and please, do just call me Kade~¡± he said as she giggles a little bit, and then one more giggle came from the hallway as he looks over, and who else could it be¡­


    Celeste watched the 3 as she waves a bit, holding a cup of what seemed to be warm milk. ¡°Hello, hello, darlings. Tell me, Kade, who¡¯s these two cuties you¡¯ve got in your office today?¡± she asked teasingly as Kade responded just as dramatically. ¡°But of course, mother. The sour-faced lady we have here is Sugar, and the little Silver Wanderer is but only the truest Silvia¡­last name pending~¡± he said as Celeste nodded. ¡°You¡¯re growing up so fast, already¡­hello, you two, you may know me as¡­Celeste Vuur, a pleasure to meet two adorable little ladies~¡± she said as Sugar nods, standing up and putting out a hand for a handshake as Celeste accepts. ¡°You seem more reasonable than your son already,¡± Sugar said as Kade¡¯s expression changed to annoyance.


    ¡°I¡¯M RIGHT HERE YOU KN-¡±


    And Silvia got up as well, which distracted Kade, as she approached Celeste, and then she would¡­hug her so suddenly as Celeste giggled. ¡°My, my, I feel like a grandma already¡­and please, Kade is as reasonable as me, just a bit more modern reasonable compared to me¡±


    Sugar sighs as she walks out of the way down the hallway. "If you say so, ma''am¡­we''ll continue this tomorrow, Kade, you have a guest to attend to" she said, her voice echoing down the hall as she kept walking, reaching the elevator as it opens up for her almost instinctively before it closes behind her.


    Celeste would pat Silvia on the head as she looked over at Kade with her usual menacing smile, her eyes shining a little.


    "She hadn''t told a single lie, white or black, what an honest girl you''ve found~" Celeste said as Kade sighs in annoyance. "I was hoping she told a lie but¡­well, you are the very best with people¡­and now we are babysitters for a bad guy''s kid¡­why am I used to this already? This is not normal at all! What the fu-"


    "Language~"


    "Sorry, ahem¡­What the heck!" he corrects himself, laying onto the bed before immediately getting back up. "Remind me to switch my bed sheets¡­and ask Lizzy if she is up for babysitting duties, if not, can you watch her please? I''m a busy boy" he asked as Celeste nodded, kneeling down to Silvia''s height as she pats her more. "Adorable little one, I would be happy to take care of her if Lizzy can''t. After all, I took care of rowdier kids in my youth~"


    "Mooooom"


    "I speak only truth, Kade, and you know that~"


    ¡°It¡¯s such a tragedy that I¡¯ve picked up your eyes, hmph¡± he said, dramatically of course, as Silvia let''s go back to Kade, looking up to him, her eyes losing that blue hue again before returning as she nods. ¡°I¡­T-They wanted me to find you¡­They said¡­you are¡­the Wrong Man¡­¡± she said quietly as Kade tilted his head. ¡°I think you might be sleepy, my dear, we can talk later today, okay?¡± he said as she nodded, Kade wondering to himself as Silvia climbed onto his bed behind his back.


    ¡°So¡­where will she sleep? I don¡¯t know if I move or snore but I rather not surprise the little girl, so maybe¡­yours? Or should we get the inflatable mattress for myself or something? Or her? I¡¯m not good at this, mom¡± he wondered as Celeste watched Silvia close her eyes on the bed, covering herself in the big blanket as she let herself rest¡­even despite the bed being a bit wet from her swimming.


    ¡°I think our little guest has decided already, a bit unfortunate, I came here because I was given this cup by Lizzy for her¡± she points to his bed as he looks over, seeing Silvia taking a nap as he looks back at Celeste, shrugging with a nervous smile as she drank the warm milk herself ¡°Let me take care of her and you can go watch that video the police finally got¡­It¡¯s in my room, waiting for your prying eyes, Kade~¡± she said as he immediately nodded. ¡°Oh! But of course, I almost forgot that! Okay, okay, do be gentler, unlike her, she doesn¡¯t seem rowdy this time, okay? Thank you, goodbye!¡± Kade leaves the room quickly, going down the hallway as his voice echoes down. ¡°Oh! Hello, Hiss! Please be nice to our little guest!¡± he said, a meow response, as you expect of a cat, as Hiss enters his room, seeing Celeste and Silvia as she walks to them, jumping onto the bed as she looks at Celeste.


    ¡°Something exciting shall be happening for my son, Hiss¡­sooner or later, it is happening, hehe¡­¡± she said quietly as Hiss nodded, resting down next to Silvia as Celeste pats her.


    ¡°Sooner¡­or later¡­¡±


    -


    Kade was already getting things prepared, lowering the lights in the room, shooing the other two cats, Scritch and Juice, out of her room as he made sure everything was perfectly¡­quiet.


    And he began to watch the video. It begins somewhere familiar, a run down park, as a woman approaches the lake. He couldn¡¯t see her well but he could see a few details. Clean outfit, curly hair, a bow tie¡­maybe? Could be a normal tie. She looked around, the footage stuttering a bit as she was seen walking onto the water before she began to sink into it in a slow manner, and then¡­the familiar sound. Lightning strikes the lake as she disappears, and then a few minutes later, a man, Korpse #2 ¡®Mark Whitelace¡¯, swam up from the bottom of the lake as he looked around in a panic, electricity sparks around his outfit and the lake as he tried to yell for help, and someone¡­no, something, did come to his aid. Something trying to look humanoid approaches him, Mark backing away from the thing as he tries to run from it, and then immediately, the footage stutters¡­and then it comes back to normal, showing the man on the ground, dead, the top of his head missing, and whatever was inside there gone as well, the same woman now just about walking away from the lake, holding a head as other machine creatures came by, picking up the brainless Korpse, dragging it away. And then the perspective changes, now the footage is showing a different, still worn down park as the machines carrying the Korpse arrives, throwing it into the lake as it slowly sinks to the bottom, and before it could reach it, another lighting strike causes it to disappear as these creatures disappear into the shadows¡­and then the footage was over.


    ¡°Somehow, I am not too surprised¡­It has been hours and it feels like the world is as it should be¡­good lord¡­god, how is Imamu handling this? And the rest? What¡­Huh, how, when, why, who, WHO???¡± Kade was so confused as he sighs, deciding to rewatch the video, taking in details.


    First, the first park, it WAS familiar, he just had a dream moment in it, something was really up, and the second park was unfamiliar, yet¡­something bothered him. About the woman, the human pretending to be human, those¡­machine things? What were they? Not normal at all, are these Living Machines as Sugar explained to him? Was that woman and man thing a Living Angel? It seems like, the command they ask for without saying a word, it was¡­


    His train of thought was distracted by knocking on the door as he got up, immediate curiosity went to his mind, approaching the door as he opened it up, but¡­no one was there except a letter on the ground as he picked it up, opening it as he read it to himself.


    ¡°To¡­the man¡­who reads this¡­meet me at¡­¡± he squints his eyes as he talked to himself ¡°This handwriting is awful...ahem¡­¡¯meet me at Frostbite Lake¡¯ hm, okay, mysterious writers, but I¡¯m bringing a gun, hmph¡± and behind him he hears giggling, turning around to see someone grab the tablet with the video footage as he shouts. ¡°Hey!¡± They quickly take the tablet as they climb down the side of the building, running away quickly as Kade shouts. ¡°THIS IS INTERFERENCE WITH POLICE WORK, KID-¡± and they were gone already, he sees that everyone else down the road and shops have been looking over at some street performer in a yellow hoodie as he quickly got out Celeste¡¯s room, running down the hall and stairs until he got out of the building, seeing the short person in a blue hoodie, likely a kid, make off with the tablet as he gives chase. ¡°I¡¯M NOT GOOD WITH KIDS, DAMNIT¡±


    And the chase went on for a while, all the way to Frostbite Park, as the kid jumps over the police tape line effortlessly as Kade jumps over it as well, not as effortlessly, but still effectively, as he¡­lost sight of them in the forest that was the Frostbite Park. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡­I lost to a kid¡­if anyone says this to me, I¡¯ll just cry on the spot¡± he said, out of breath, as he kept looking around, not taking out his gun now knowing his mischievous trouble makers are kids as he sighs, now looking around as the same shadowy figure jumps up and around him, like the last time when he found the tape and security camera¡­who is this kid? And kids, in general¡­¡± he said to himself as the whispers returned again in his head¡­but now they were clear.


    "The path of nostalgia is¡­besides you¡­¡± he looks to his right, seeing a huge claw mark on a tree, with a letter stuck onto said tree with a dagger, the same sense of curiosity flushes over his mind. He puts on some extra gloves he had stuffed into his pocket, which wasn¡¯t too sanitary but let him have this moment, as he picks up the dagger. It was an interesting design, a dagger toothed like a shark¡¯s bite, and then he reads the letter.


    ¡°¡®Sorry about the video, but we want you to see all of it yourself! We have taken what remaining video the police had, come to The World Below, detective, we need you! Signed, The Butcher Kids¡­¡¯ what a¡­group name, huh¡­The World Below¡­there¡¯s that name again¡­I wonder if Sugar knows of them¡­¡± he pondered to himself as more giggles echoed around him. Curious people have shown up. A woman who knows of destined paths. A child of great importance to a terrible plan yet unknown. A group of kids who know more than Kade does. And dammit, he will try to be in the know. Who is Sugar? Why is Silvia so important? Who told her these destinies? And who gave these kids these instructions?


    Why is Kade ¡®The Wrong Man¡¯? When is the ¡®right'' time? Where is the ¡®right¡¯ place?


    Why is it all so familiar?

 Chapter 3 - Bizarre City

    His phone rings as Kade was busy examining the dagger back in his office, Silvia was sleeping softly in his bed still. Time had passed but it was still evening, simply just a very busy day. Kade puts down the dagger, picking up his phone as he answers.


    ¡°Kade Wonder of Steel Rooks¡¯ Agency, how may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Kade, it¡¯s Imamu, someone¡¯s st-¡±


    ¡°Stolen the video, I know sir, the tablet you had provided was also stolen. 2 rowdy kids, an athletic one and¡­well, I¡¯ve never seen the other one, but I would assume there is 3, you don¡¯t call yourself ¡®The Butcher Kids¡¯ as a duo¡­at least, like 80% of the time you wouldn¡¯t¡± he finished Imamu¡¯s sentence and adding to it as he heard a small chuckle, although the tone was still serious. ¡°But of course, detective¡­as you¡¯ve said, someone¡¯s stolen all the footage we had, including the tape and strange security camera. We didn¡¯t even view it yet, did you?¡± Imamu asks as Kade leans in his chair against the wall.


    ¡°I did, sir, and I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d believe me or the footage, it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s really damning evidence, I say¡±


    ¡°Why? What did you see?¡± Imamu asks as Kade could only find the time to chuckle.


    ¡°You will not believe this¡­but¡­¡± and so Kade began to explain what he saw, the machines, the two who commanded attention without a word, and the missing korpse, with the missing head. He didn¡¯t go further as he needed, or else he¡¯d just string Imamu up into a web of absolute craziness, and he rather keep himself on the case as its detective, because god damnit, it¡¯s too apparent he is needed somehow but he has yet to gander the why.


    And as Kade finished explaining all that he saw in the video, the little details he could find before the tablet was stolen as he could physically hear the sound of a chair leaning back on the other end, and silence for a minute before Imamu finally spoke up.


    ¡°You are every word your mother has said. What do you think of all this?¡± he asked as Kade sighed, a smile on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s insane and reality feels like it''s shifting around me¡­and I am already so normal to this, sir. It¡¯s strange but¡­I guess coming from a mother like her, you¡¯d be surprised if I didn¡¯t¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be more than surprised, Kade, I¡¯d be shocked. The son of the craziest woman in the detective world, not crazy? That would be an absurd concept! It¡¯s quite clear where you got most of your traits from, boy, and yet¡­you do still feel quite different from her¡­just something I can¡¯t put my finger on, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told that enough times to truly understand it, sir~¡± he said a bit teasingly as he can Imamu holding in a laughter. ¡°You. Are. Fearless, truly! Well, continue your work, we¡¯ll be sending a small search party for these kids, keep it up, hm?¡±


    ¡°But of course sir¡­you seem a lot better with kids than me anyways, I¡¯d be damned that a few kindergarteners is enough to take me down, me, a young grown man! Alright then, I¡¯ve got work to do then, sir, I¡¯ll make sure my time¡¯s worth your troubles¡±


    ¡°As if you haven¡¯t proven it already. Have a good day, Kade¡±


    ¡°You too, Imamu¡±


    And Imamu hung up first as Kade put his phone down, sighing, seeing a pair of eyes watch him from his bed as he smiled. ¡°Welcome back to the waking world, Silvia¡± he said, her blue eyes losing its hue for a split second as she nodded, sitting upright as Kade kept examining the dagger. He couldn¡¯t find anything of importance. No date of time, a name to belong to, just a sigil of a hammer and a stick, and the words ¡°Master¡¯s Works¡± imprinted beneath it as he shrugs, putting the dagger down before getting up, walking over to Silvia and sitting down on the bed next to her.


    ¡°How about something to eat, and we can talk about everything over that?¡± he asked her as she nodded. ¡°Cool, I think we have some frozen pizza to heat up, never did found myself good at cooking anyways¡± he said, getting right back up as he headed to the door, but before he could leave, the quick shuffling of the bed and fast approaching footsteps caught him by surprise, she was nimble, that¡¯s for sure¡­probably had to be if the enemies he may find are beyond human as he felt her hand hold onto his. ¡°But of course, a man shouldn¡¯t leave a little lady like you alone¡± he said, hearing her giggle as he walked down the hallway with her, not paying much attention to the other rooms of his co-workers as he got into the elevator, but¡­she pulled him back a bit. Like she didn¡¯t like the elevator.


    ¡°Ah, forgive me¡± he said as he went down the stairs instead. Her own steps were quiet, like she was never there, his only way of knowing she was there was her hands and, well, just looking over his shoulder to her. They got to the bottom floor as he thought to himself¡­about Silvia. What has she seen? In that dark city, why did they need her? What made her so special? And all of this talk, thinking about her, he felt Silvia let go of his hand, but he never lost the feelings of her hands on his as he looked back, seeing something too familiar to him¡­a blue yarn, stretching from the palm of his hands to hers. She seemed very entertained by it, lifting her hand up and down, seeing it follow unnaturally. He chuckled at first, and then it hit him¡­


    This blue yarn has been with him since as far as he could remember, and no one, not even his own mother, could ever see it. Despite everything, it helped him solve every case he had been on, yet every time he tries to for Celeste¡¯s cases, he never saw the yarn appear, but no one has ever seen it, not the victims of the cases, not his mother, not his friends and co-workers, no one.


    Who is this girl? Coming from beyond the lake, she is much calmer than any child he knows. How can she just¡­see this now? He¡¯s used this ¡®imaginary¡¯ trick on kids as well and they haven¡¯t. Was this not an imaginary thing?


    ¡°Silvia¡­do you see it?¡± he asked as gently as he could muster as she nodded, flailing herhand a bit more, watching the blue string react correctly. ¡°I do, m-mister¡­it¡¯s very soft¡­and w-warm¡­like your hands¡­¡±


    They kept walking to the kitchen, Kade thinking to himself ¡®Was I never going crazy?¡¯ was all he could ask himself, but he snapped back to reality when Silvia tugged on his sleeves. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ask when the pizza¡¯s done¡± he said, she nodded. They went inside the kitchen (finally) as Silvia went to sit at the table. Standard kitchen, nothing special, it was a mix of an actual kitchen and a break room as Kade went to the fridge, getting a box out from the freezer as he does all the standard procedure. Take out the pizza, remove the plastic, turn on the oven, put it in, and set up a timer on his phone before he begins to¡­wait. And took it as an opportunity.


    ¡°So¡­uh¡­god, how does the questioning process go for those of younger minds¡­so¡­can you tell me all you can, Silvia? Of what¡¯s down there? Of what you suffered?¡± Kade asked as gently as he could, now noticing the blinks of her blue eyes fading in and out before answering. ¡°Mind is¡­s-scrambled¡­memories foggy when I am outside the¡­the Clock Tower¡­¡±


    ¡°Convenient, foggy memories, is this some sort of¡­magic?¡±


    ¡°I-I guess so¡­yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­can you tell me about these¡­creatures of metal?¡±


    Her eyes dilated a bit, but she managed to calm herself down immediately as she took a deep breath before answering. ¡°I¡­can¡­¡± she said as she continued. ¡°A man pretending to be a man¡­scary¡­the Third Angel¡­Tailor¡­¡­a sailor¡¯s bird with a mouth as sharp as its talons¡­The Second Angel¡­Romance¡­a hound of steel, and of no emotions¡­The First Angel¡­Gorge¡­they hunt¡­and kill¡­and make sure I don¡¯t escape¡­and¡­um¡­yeah¡­¡±


    Kade nods, taking it into his mental notes as he furthers questioning. ¡°Can you tell me about the woman? She seems to ask the same amount of respect by appearance alone.¡±


    Silvia shakes her head. ¡°Can¡¯t remember¡­a woman¡­sorry¡­¡± Kade sighs, nodding again. ¡°Happens, I guess¡­can you tell me about The Clock Tower? I assume it''s in Time Loss City?¡±


    ¡°A big, tall tower¡­like a labyrinth of endless metal and steel, disguised by¡­red and white carpets and wallpapers¡­machines of various rankings and ages roam the halls and rooms¡­respecting him¡­my¡­dad¡­¡±


    Time passes. Kade nods, writing it all down in his mental note pad, every detail counted as she stopped.


    ¡°C-Can¡­we eat¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, Silvia, need not go further than you must, especially with a foggy head. Now then!¡± his phone goes off as he immediately turns it off, putting on oven gloves as he pulls out the hot pizza, placing the sheet pan with it on the top of the oven as Kade goes to the fridge, pulling out a carton of chocolate milk, pouring them both a cup as he places one in front of Silvia, turning around to put it away, but hearing the glass cup placed back onto the table, he turns around, seeing it empty already, Silvia starry eyed at the taste as Kade chuckled. ¡°I see you have good taste, my lady¡± he said, coming back to pour her just one more cup before actually placing the now barely empty carton back into the fridge as he grabs two plates, splitting the pizza in half with a pizza cutter as he puts one half on a plate, and the other half on the other plate, handing it in front of Silvia as he sat down on the other side with his cup as he watched Silvia just¡­tear into the pizza. ¡®Flavor seems like an unknown concept for her¡¯ Kade thought to himself with a small giggle as he ate a lot less messy, but he doesn¡¯t judge the hungry little lady and drink from his cup. Eventually both of them finish their plates and cups, Kade the same as he first ate, and Silvia¡¯s hands covered in grease, sparkly eyes still in motion as she comes back to reality, looking away shyly.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a rough life, dear, don''t worry, haha¡± Kade comforted her as he got up, grabbing both plates and cups. He couldn¡¯t talk much during it since she was¡­going wild like a dog on her half, but she deserves to. All these horrid things he hears¡­who would do this to a young child? He cleaned up the messes she may have caused and the plates before lifting her up like a wet cat¡­which she was, as he carries her up to the bathroom, placing her in front of the sink as he looks away. ¡°You¡­know how to shower, right?¡± he asks Silvia as she washes her hand.


    ¡°I-I do¡­I don¡¯t n-need to¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t lie, for since he found her and till now, she¡¯s smelled¡­really, really sweet, of perfume too, but he ignores it. ¡°You should anyway! It¡¯s a nice feeling too, at least, I find it to be a nice feeling even when I¡¯m still clean, trust me!¡± he said as Silvia giggles. ¡°O-Okay then, I will!¡±


    ¡°Excellent, I¡¯ll try to see if I have anything small for you to wear, don¡¯t start yet¡± he leaves the bathroom to his room, immediately dipping into his closet and looking for anything small or small enough really. He hears a small cough outside his room as he looks over, seeing Celeste with a set of clothes in hand. ¡°You won¡¯t find anything dear, but this little dress and shorts should fit her, always kept small clothes on me for situations with children, which¡­luckily hasn¡¯t happened yet until now I guess, haha, or I guess, not for a girl, as if that mattered, if two boys needed a change of clothes, I¡¯m¡­sure one wouldn¡¯t mind¡­probably¡­ahem~¡± she said as he nods. ¡°I¡¯ll look out for shoes and socks the next time I go shopping so she¡¯ll have to be barefoot in the building for a while¡± she continued as Kade picks up the folded pink dress and white shorts.


    ¡°I never knew you had a thing for dresses when you were a kid¡±


    ¡°Well, you simply don¡¯t know my young self~¡± she said with a gasp as Kade chuckles before continuing back to the bathroom, seeing the door closed as he knocks, Silvia would open it slightly, seeming like she was already preparing as Kade hands her the clothing, she nods and closes the door as he goes back to his room, seeing his mother walk into her room again as he sighs and stops in place. ¡°Hm¡­she¡¯s been in her room forever nowadays¡­did something happen? Grear¡¯s been missing for a week now¡­¡± he said to himself as he caught himself drifting off, shaking his head. ¡°G-Grear is fine anyways. If someone were to be missing, Grear would return on her own¡­I hope¡± he walked into his room, keeping his composure as he sat back down at the desk, picking up the dagger again to examine, wondering about the claw marks.


    ¡°How effective would a basic pistol be¡­against these types of people? The supernatural¡­No, I¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m not good with a fight but I know my words and my thoughts¡­and yet¡­¡± whispers go on in his head again, once more comprehensible as he listens to them.


    ¡®And so the fish took up the shark¡¯s teeth¡­to bite¡­¡¯


    He looked at the dagger, gripping his hand on the handle. It was a very quality dagger, he couldn¡¯t deny. The metal was sharp, clean, and seemed very hard to break or even tear, it felt so light in his hand yet it could probably cut just as effortlessly as he nodded. ¡°I¡­see now¡­¡±


    And then silence washes over the room. No one to talk to. No one to entertain for now but himself as he chuckles, keeping up a smile as he goes back into his closet, looking for something before realizing. ¡°Right, we sold off that old knife holster¡­I need to get myself a proper holster for my pistol AND new dagger before tomorrow¡­well! Best I get to it now!¡± He puts the dagger onto his desk, immediately leaving his room, and the building in general, walking down the road to a nearby pawn shop he knows and can only hope to have something like what he needs as the same young lady watched him go from the cafe, speaking into the same radio device. ¡°He has left the building, approaching the office bedroom, over and out¡± she said before getting up, whispering to herself.


    ¡°It¡¯d be a miracle to get up there with no one noticing me¡­¡±


    And so effortlessly does she walk through the front door of the agency, past Lizzy, up the stairs, passing the two offices in the way, one with a person, as she snuck into Kade¡¯s room, closing the door behind her as she sighs, taking off the hood of her red hoodie and walking to Kade¡¯s desk as she sees the dagger, speaking back into the radio. ¡°Popoto¡¯s dagger was found, attempting retrieval proc-¡± and she was interrupted by a knock on the door as she panics a bit, dropping the dagger onto the desk again. ¡°Shit, uh, um-¡±


    ¡°Mister Kade?¡± Silvia¡¯s voice called out as the young lady quickly whispered to herself before the door opened. ¡°It¡¯d be a miracle if she doesn¡¯t see me!¡± and then¡­Silvia walked into the room, looking around a bit. She had put on the pink dress and white shorts, which weren¡¯t visible for how much longer the dress was compared to her patient¡¯s gown as she closed the door behind her. ¡°Oh¡­mister must have gone somewhere¡­¡± she said to herself as she walked up to the desk, seeing the dagger as she pokes at the dagger¡¯s teeth directly, a small cut on her finger comes from it before it closes itself immediately. ¡°Wow¡­sharp thing¡­¡± she said to herself as she looked up, as if¡­someone was talking to her.


    ¡°Someone else is here? B-But I don¡¯t see anyone else?¡±


    The young lady covered her mouth as Silvia looked directly at her, but clearly past her, as she tilted her head. ¡°Over there? But¡­oh¡­okay¡­¡± and slowly, Silvia reaches a hand out to her general direction, getting closer and closer to touching her as she immediately said. ¡°IT¡¯D BE A MIRACLE IF NO ONE SAW ME RUN¡± and immediately bolts out through the window, hissing a bit when she gets into the light as she puts her hood right back on and runs down the street.


    Silvia looked confused, having only ¡®seen¡¯ the intruder for a second as she kept it in mind for now, until she heard voices¡­a strange radio device was left behind as a neutral voice spoke through. ¡°Emily, do you have the knife, we can¡¯t see your miracles either, you know? Over.¡± and then a chipper, rougher, yet still higher pitched voice came through. ¡°Yeah! Did you get my dagger! I couldn¡¯t think of something else to use to trick Mr. Detective Man and I miss it a lot already! Over!¡± and then came another voice, a tired out voice that sounded like the lady who intruded Kade¡¯s room. ¡°I, huff, I, sorry, I-I couldn¡¯t get it, this girl saw through my m-miracle, I panicked and got out! I¡¯m sorry, Popoto¡±


    ¡°Aww, but¡­my cool dagger¡­¡± the chipper voice said as Alzo sighs. ¡°We could always ask Master for a new one, Popoto, now, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know, think just wait for him now, Alzo¡­oh¡­um¡­I dropped my radio I think¡­¡±


    Silvia picks up the radio device as she presses a button before speaking into the radio. ¡°Y-You mean this radio?¡± she asked into it, hearing a trash can or two fall down and its contents spilled.


    ¡°Switch the frequency, Al-¡±


    And they were gone. Silvia didn¡¯t know how the device worked so she left it alone on the desk as she looked back outside, seeing a trio of brightly colored hoodies leave a faraway alley way towards Red Ring Park as she tilted her head.


    ¡°...Huh?¡±


    -


    Kade returns to his room, a new belt holding two holsters as he poses confidently. ¡°God bless pawn shops, now I¡¯m ready and looking fine¡± as he heard a giggle in the room, seeing Silvia sitting behind his desk as he chuckled nervously. ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t see you there BUT you look very commanding in that chair, Silvia¡± he complimented her as she nodded with a smile. Kade would grab hold of his pistol from his luggage, putting it into the right holster. And then he grabbed the shark dagger, putting it in his left holster as he jumps a bit, checking how much it holds them, and it held them good enough, maybe to be careful running about, but it¡¯ll stay where it is at least.


    Kade would then sit down at the chair in front of the desk. ¡°So, Detective Silvia, how was the hunt for the Stinky at Hideaway Shower Town?¡± he said dramatically as Silvia giggled. ¡°Shower was¡­nice¡­oh, um¡­I found¡­someone sneaking into your room, mister¡­and this¡± she would pull out the radio device she was playing around with from under the desk, putting it on top and pushing it forward towards Kade as he picks it up.


    ¡°Must¡¯ve been those kids again, hm¡­¡± he examined the device. It was very strange, looked impractical yet worked fine as he messed with a few of the buttons and dials as the radio responded in kind, but it was all static as he put it back down, Silvia grabbing onto it.


    ¡°Already a natural at this, maybe I should make you my successor when this is all over, but for now¡­well, I¡¯ve got nothing, all we can do is wait now for tomorrow, so for now¡­I need to do small chores¡± he gets right back up, going to his bed, taking the bed sheets off, throwing it into The Pile Corner as he grabs a fresh sheet, putting it onto the bed (with some difficulty) as he goes to the aforementioned Pile Corner, grabbing what few clothes were there (plus the bed sheet), grabbing a basket from his closet and throwing them into it as he puts it out in the hallway, returning to his room as the sound of a ticking clock persists in his ears.


    Wait a ticking clock? But Kade doesn''t own a clock. A moment to notice his surroundings suddenly shocks him. It was happening again, these ''dreams'' of his, now finding himself in a luxurious looking room, a large glass pane showing two long pieces of metal moving in rigid motion, one longer than the other, and the sounds¡­so many clocks, each one displaying a different time, all of them ticking in unison, creating this obnoxiously loud sound every, single, TICK!


    And among the horrible sounds was¡­humming. A deep humming, coming from above him, a secondary open floor from what he could tell as all the clocks stop in place immediately, the humming stopping with it. And then that familiar scraping noise, mixed with fleshy squishing and gargled liquid.


    "a visitor? How¡­strange¡­" the sounds of a metal chair scraping against the floor was heard. Kade turns around quietly to try and find an exit, but the door behind him is completely shut, held tightly by locks, valves, and¡­clocks?


    Kade turns back around, only to find himself suddenly seated in front of a dark man. Hair as black as the sky he sees outside, the man held a cup of tea, his right arm and hand completely replaced by some sort of cybernetic arm, but it looked old and ruined as he raises it to his mouth, his other hand lifting up a gas mask to drink before pulling it back down, the protective eye wears of the mask shattered, revealing one eye being as blue as the ocean, the other simply wasn''t there, instead it was a pure black orb in the socket, sparkling with red dots, but they weren''t dots¡­


    They were smaller eyes, as far as Kade could examine as the man put the cup down.


    "..." Kade didn''t know what to say as the man stared silently at first, like he himself was examining Kade, before he spoke.


    "You¡­It saw you¡­or at least¡­It will see you soon¡­" his voice was deep, raspy, like he had no vocal cords, but at this point, Kade would be shocked if he did as the man leaned closer to him.


    "Return her¡­return my daughter¡­or I will find her myself¡­and I will tear you apart¡­over and over¡­but there will be no regeneration for you¡­" he said, Kade kept his ground, slamming his fist onto the desk, as much as he could anyways, feeling something weigh him down so heavily.


    "I will do NO such thing, you bastard" Kade said seriously, the man could only chuckle as he raised a hand to someone behind Kade.


    "It was not a demand¡­"


    And before Kade could turn, he felt cold metal gently caress his neck.


    Snap.

 Chapter 4 & 5 - The Smell Of Perfume & Reality Shifts

    Chapter 4 - The Smell Of Perfume


    Kade suddenly jolted from his bed, heavy breathing as he heard similar, although lighter, breathing to him, seeing Silvia having jolted up from her sleep as well, she looked panicked and teary eyed as Kade tried to grab his composure. But he couldn''t. He felt the metal so clearly, the sound of the snap was loud, and even if it was painless, something ached in his neck as he felt Silvia give him a hug. She was warm, really warm, and yet her skin was at such a neutral temperature as Kade raised a hand, patting her head as he looked around. He was still at his office at least, the moon light poured through the window, night has come by now as Kade looks back over at Silvia, who simply didn''t let go. "Who are you¡­little one¡­" he asked gently as he heard her speak back¡­or at least, as far as he could tell, it was her voice, right?


    "I¡­Silvia¡­always¡­" she said, Kade looked around his room one more time, seeing something that frightened him. A pair of bright orbs stared at him from the corner as he got up immediately, trying to grab the dagger or his gun but both, along with the holsters belt, were put on the desk.


    "H-Hey! Who are you!" he asked, keeping an arm up in front of Silvia who was still in the same position, seemingly undisturbed by the presence. Slowly, the two bright orbs disappeared as Kade just¡­sat back down.


    "Silvia¡­you¡­hugged mom and now me¡­you have an undoubtedly extreme trust for me¡­but why?" he asked as he could hear her whisper out of sleepiness.


    "She told me I can¡­that if everything falls down¡­I can trust you to catch me¡­" Silvia said as Kade was going to ask who this ''she'' was, only to see a small finger point at the corner where the figure was.


    "She led me here¡­" and then¡­a small plop onto the bed, as if knocked out, with soft snoring commencing afterwards as Kade got up. He needed to do something first.


    Kade would slowly open and close the door into the hallway. It was empty, no lights were on for any of the offices, everyone else had gone home already. Everyone was too busy to come out even on break, trying to¡­


    Kade ignored the thought as he walked down the hall, only able to see thanks to the soft lights that are on for night time as he went down the stairs carefully, headed towards the kitchen as he saw the lights on, and heard soft murmuring as well. Kade would peek his head inside, seeing someone who did decide to stay¡­a familiar person. Same style of outfit as the rest yet wildly more serious, long black hair, sleeked and kept still with gel. They had a more masculine approach yet it seemed like they were neither ''styles'' as Kade would call them.


    "Ah¡­Castle¡­more work again tonight?" he asked, they turned around to him, holding a cup of coffee as they drank from it.


    "There is always more work, Kade, especially now that we have to hire a few people to help us find Grear, which means budgeting¡­tsk, what an opportune time to disappear, maybe she''s that Mystery Murder¡­ahem, jokes aside, you aren''t usually awake at these hours, something changed besides our guest your mother''s told us about?"


    "N-No, no, just a nightmare I had, nothing more" he comes in, opening the fridge to see that the barely empty chocolate milk carton¡­wasn''t there. Unlucky. Kade instead just grabs a bottle of water, drinking it right there as Castle drank his coffee.


    "1 week, 1 day, 9 hours and 23 minutes. Grear is usually not gone for longer than 3 days, 3 hours and 3 minutes¡­" Castle said as he kept taking small sips. Kade would finish the bottle in one go, heading to the sink to refill it as he sighs.


    "Everything strange is happening now, Castle¡­am I really up for this?"


    "Are you not? Thought you were the "Great Detective Kade" who''ll solve anything you put in front of him¡­is that not what you told me since the age of 9 or has an imposter replaced you?"


    But of course. Castle has been a friend of Celeste since school, and like a father to him when his real father was¡­


    He ignored that thought as well, putting the bottle of water back as he sighed.


    "I''d be upset if I was replaced by some imposter. They wouldn''t have the same sort of vigor as me!" Kade sat down, chuckling, as Castle chuckled softly along with him.


    "I''d be upset as well, I quite like your energy as is," Castle added as they finished their coffee, going to the sink to clean it immediately as Kade thought to himself¡­maybe he should take a walk in the city, keep it fresh in mind, and¡­to try something again.


    "I''m walking again, if anyone asks, tell them I went to the 24-Hour Store again for chocolate milk" Kade said, getting up once more as he walked to the door frame, hearing Castle speak up at him.


    "Be careful now, Kade. These days will prove strange now¡­" Castle gave warning as Kade simply gave a thumbs up without looking as he walked out the kitchen, going to the front desk in the lobby and grabbing a keychain with a key for the main entrance. He unlocks the door, walking out before locking the door behind him as he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, and remembering Grear.


    A tall, muscular tanned woman. Dyed short blue hair, purple eyes, and a smile that could melt The Farthest North without having to even look at it. She was a police officer before this who was put off due to some incident, and Celeste had found her, inviting her to be part of the detective agency as a personal guard, and she accepted happily. And then a blue string appeared from the palm of his hand again, leading east from the building. And he follows.


    He had always done this, every time he went for a walk, looking for her. She is in the city, and she is within the supposed range of the string, which he now believed to be genuine after interactions with Silvia. But whether she was alive or not always caught up to him. He''s found bodies before with it, and can only hope it won''t happen again.


    And he kept walking, following it until it led him to the same place. Again and again, it led him here. An empty, dark alleyway, as it goes through the wall to somewhere, but WHERE? Where does it go? He''s checked behind and inside the buildings but the string kept wrapping back around to this wall! This specific alleyway and this specific wall, and he tried everything. Knocking, hidden buttons or switches, attempts to break it without making too much noise, but nothing worked.


    He gives up again, walking away as he takes a proper walk, passing by closed shops, barely anyone else walking around now after the Mystery Murder. Same thing as always. A few cars here and there, maybe, but it was a quiet night for the city again. The whispers grew again in this head¡­were they a part of something as well? These whispers, always knowing more than him, but he could never get an answer out of them¡­


    It seemed like everything was unwrapping so fast in a single day, and it''s all¡­surface stuff. Nothing deep yet, nothing complex. Just a man alone with his thoughts after 3 AM. Hah, he chuckled to himself as he kept walking around near the block before deciding to return to the office, unlocking the doors and locking it up again after entering, passing the kitchen, the lights were off and the door was closed. Kade climbs up the stairs quietly, passing the empty office of Grear as he sees soft lights on at the end, near his mother¡¯s room. Castle¡¯s office, of course. Still working. Always working.


    And as Kade was going to open the door to his room, he heard two voices whispering to each other, and he decided to listen in.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Cars. Sounds were cars, Silvia. Cars not dangerous machines, okay?¡± it sounded just like Silvia, but the pitch was higher and the grammar a bit more limited.


    ¡°O-Okay¡­c-cars¡­not dangerous machines¡­o-okay okay¡­¡± Silvia followed along, sounding like she was crying shortly before Kade heard them whispering.


    ¡°Mhm. Still dangerous, but not hunters like Angels. Sleep important. Sleep before Kade come back. Please, thank you¡± and then¡­it felt like there was just 1 person inside as Kade softly knocks, hearing Silvia¡¯s footsteps scatter and the sound of his bed bouncing a bit before he opens the door, seeing her on the same side of the bed as he left her, closing the doors quietly behind him as he approached, climbing onto the bed as he lays down, sighing, a smile cracking in his head as a single person whispered in his head.


    ¡®Small¡­¡¯


    ¡°Small¡­¡± he whispered back audibly as he let his mind wander off again, the night washes over him again, and this time, he was getting proper sleep.


    Chapter 5 - Reality Shifts


    The day returns into the sky. Kade had already woken, shooing Silvia out of his room when she woke up to change out of his outfit from the day before (when he was going to jump into the lake) into a different pair of casual outfit, very plain one, he just needed to get it over with, he¡¯ll look his best again when they get to somewhere safe to change. But for now, this will do. Kade grabs his luggage bag once again, checking that everything he¡¯ll need for this short venture is there, putting his belt back on, holstering the dagger, but putting the pistol away into the luggage bag to save it from any water damages. Once he confirmed everything, he zips it up tight, grabs his car keys, and leaves his room, seeing an already familiar face in the hallway as he gives a thumbs up. ¡°Ready this time, sweets, for real¡± he said to her, as Sugar nodded. ¡°No more distractions now¡± she leaves by the stairs as Kade hears the pitter patter of someone¡¯s small footsteps, turning around to a sudden lunge from Silvia as they spin around a bit. ¡°B-Be careful, mister!¡± she said as Kade could only chuckle. ¡°More like whoever¡¯s down there better be careful of me, dear! But I¡¯ll do my best anyway to not worry your little silver heart¡± he said as she nodded, letting him go as she raised a hand to him. Kade kneeled to her height as she put a hand on his head, a small whisper he couldn¡¯t hear properly as she nodded.


    "I-I bless you, sir¡­¡± she said, and Kade didn¡¯t know why but¡­he felt something warm in his chest as he nodded. ¡°But of course, Silvia~¡± he gets back up, patting her on the head before he turns around, walking down the hall as he raises a hand up, waving goodbye behind him.


    ¡°Bless be the stars, Silvia¡± he said as he went down the stairs and out the building, seeing Sugar waiting by his car as he opened it up with a click of a button. Sugar gets into the passenger seat as Kade climbs into the driver¡¯s seat, putting the key into the ignition hole and turning the beauty on. And so he drives over to the park once more.


    They reach Red Ring Park, Kade parking and locking the car properly once they get out, approaching the lake as he sighs, staring into the lake as he looks back at Sugar. ¡°It¡¯s insane I am just going along with this completely now, you know? But! You are lucky I am quite a believer to believe long enough~¡±


    "Just swim, damnit¡­" Sugar sighed in annoyance as Kade stared into the lake. He sees himself in the water as he takes a deep breath, remembering himself, and remembering the phrase.


    ''I want to travel to another world..''


    And the whispers repeated along with him as he dives into the lake with the luggage bag, letting its weight guide him downwards, and slowly, as the water went from a clear blue to murky brown, he felt his whole body shift from sinking down, to rising up, and as swam upwards, he heard someone swimming with him as well as soon¡­they break the surface of the lake.


    It was the city, the same city he always dreamed of. Cold, rotten, old. He quickly swam to land, Sugar followed along as they got out, both breathing as Kade was quick to open the bag, pulling his pistol out and away into his holster before closing the bag quickly, getting back up as he turned his head all around to look at the area. An abandoned lake, similar to the one he saw before in the first dream yesterday as he felt someone grab at his arms.


    "No time to gawk, time is tight" she said. He followed her as they went down the old streets. Cars and other vehicles were strewn about the place, old machines, familiar and out of this world similarly broken, scavenged for parts, and savagely, he notes. And then the most horrifying sound for him to hear yet.


    Scraping metal, like someone was dragging themselves on the ground as Sugar raises a hand in a sort of fight stance, and as the noise gets louder, he sees what was making it.


    Some¡­mass of bolted and rusty metal, with bits and bobs here being newer, or at least, not looking salvaged, with a very realistic humanoid head, with melted plastic, and the other most terrifying part. Two human eyeballs. Its head slowly turns as the eyes slosh around in its eye holes to look at the two. And as Kade was going to pull his pistol out, Sugar swings her hands at the air in front of her, and as he felt the air behind him suddenly rush forwards, he sees the head decapitate so suddenly, cleanly as well, the metal wound on the neck looked to be burnt as well as Sugar pulls onto him again.


    "Let''s go!" and he runs after her again, he hears a loud sound coming from behind him, and he takes a quick peek to see the main attraction and objection¡­The Clock Tower.


    And as the tower rings, that single instance of metal scraping became multiple, the dark, black sky suddenly gained 5 small dots of light following. He held tight on the bag''s grip as Sugar pulled him into a corner, and right into a building, closing the door quietly and pulling him behind and down a shop desk as the scrapes got loud, and passed by, growing quieter as they left. Sugar sighed in relief as she pulled onto him again. Kade kept silent, it was all he could do in fact, and as they leave the building, they continued walking, hiding in alleyways and any sort of darkness from¡­whatever the hell was in the skies as they kept going, and going, minutes likely passed as they just kept walking, avoiding close calls with any more of those¡­Living Machines, he assumed, as they finally reach a destination. An old bank building. Entering inside, the one thing Kade noted was that there were no korpses. No skeletons. It was an empty city with absolutely no life left except grotesque machines and a man after¡­something.


    He ignored thinking further of that observation as Sugar played around with the vault door, some sort of pattern before it finally opened. Kade steps in first at her command when she does a ''get in'' sort of gesture before following along inside, closing the vault door manually before pressing another button as it locks itself automatically.


    And finally. Sighs of relief as Kade sits down.


    "Nothing had me prepared for that, Sugar¡­"


    "As if that was obvious¡­" she would wave her hand at herself and then at Kade as he felt himself getting¡­dried by wind that shouldn''t have been in this room, warm too. Kade just took this time to rest, as did Sugar, who looked up. "We''ll change in here, look away, would you?" she asks as Kade nods, looking away in response as he sat in silence, waiting, before breaking his own silence.


    "I''ve always seen all of this¡­in my dreams¡­my nightmares¡­this city¡­" he said as he heard her sigh.


    "I see¡­hm¡­beginning to warm up to you already, Kade. Still a bit more annoying than I would have liked"


    "Oi, I am still here"


    "Shut it. You can change now, I''m looking away" she said. Kade looks over, seeing her did having looked away as Kade opens the bag, taking off his clothes before putting on his much cleaner and professional looking outfit as he notes down what Sugar had. Before it was all casual, but somehow it is a bit more. Orange hoodie, black jeans, and the addition of a red scarf and yellow sunglasses on her head. Kade finishes changing, packing everything up as Sugar looks over.


    "Always so overdressed"


    "It''s agency dress code, not my choice~"


    "As if you hadn''t had a hand in it" Sugar walked past him to one of the locker cabinets as she opened the second cabinet, pressing something inside before closing the cabinet door. And as she does, a set of 4 cabinets very slowly sink into the ground, revealing an elevator behind it as she gets in.


    Kade got up, grabbing his bag again as he got in after her, and as she pressed a simple elevator button to go down, the cabinet doors rose back up to their original position as the admittingly creaky and shaking elevator began its descent down as they waited in silence.


    "So¡­where are we going anyways?"


    "Where people are, Kade, get with the times. 97% of our survivors do not live up there obviously. We all live down here, underground, in artificial towns. This is the 4th one to come. My own home town¡­Polar Growth Town. Try to watch your mouth, humans are a bit rare in this town¡­"


    "Duly noted, sweets¡­" he said a little nervous as the elevator finally stops, the doors opening, revealing to Kade the town deep underground, with a sky as blue and bright as his own in Raiden City, green plains that looked like they stretched endlessly, a clean lake passing through the middle to the other end, and in the middle of it all, a proud looking town.


    And so his investigation began now. Here. Now or never.

 Chapter 6 - The World Below

    Kade and Sugar walk into town, some few look at Kade, as he was a fresh face, as Kade kept to himself. ¡°So many¡­different kinds of people¡­this is already very surreal, sweets!¡± Kade said to her as she could only chuckle a little.


    "As I said before, Kade, this is my hometown, it¡¯s a very diverse one compared to the other towns, although it seems that you are quite new to these people, probably because it¡¯s been a while since a new human came by, most usually are found at Morning Town" she said as they pass by what Kade could tell was a Minotaur and Centaur holding hands while talking to an angel looking humanoid.


    "So like¡­what kind of people are there then?" Kade asks as they walk through a market area. "Well, we have your classic ''fictional'' things like demons and ghosts and whatever, but we have a few¡­interesting people as well¡­" she slightly points at very tall lanky man with empty eye sockets full of what appears to be stars, his unhinged maniacal smile behind the short brown hair makes Kade a little uncomfortable before the man walks away after paying for some groceries.


    "Gorgeous People, that''s the name of their race, very strange looking and unsettling, I know, but trust me, they are some of the sweetest people I know. In fact, one of the guys we''ll be seeing has a co-worker who''s a Gorgeous Person. You use that term for singular purposes. Language lesson number 1." They continue walking around as she sees a cafe. "There. Magnetic Cafe, that''s the name, quite an attractive spot for everyone. The two we are meeting are Alexander and Jafk, they are the owners of the cafe.¡±


    "Uh-huh¡­" Kade nods along as he follows her inside, waiting patiently at a small line as Kade stands behind her. "Don''t be too alarmed, alright? They are good and useful people, especially for you and your case." Sugar said to him.


    "I''ll try not to be more alarmed than I already am, hehe¡­" he said as he overhears the front lines.


    "One cup of Tempus Coffee, please, extra sugar and milk, please" a small lady asked a strange man behind the counter. His strange empty eye sockets stare into her eyes as he nods. "O-Of course, ma''am¡­" he said nervously. A much younger voice not fitting his strange, unnaturally lanky tall body and empty eye sockets that were filled with what looked like tiny stars, a Gorgeous Person as Kade has determined easily. He brushes away the long black hair from his face behind his ears as he starts to prepare the coffee.


    "You''ve been working here for 10 years, J, and you still get nervous with every customer who comes. Never change, buddy" his co-worker chuckles a bit as he prepares the order of another customer. He was careful not to spill even a single drop of anything, his muscular red hand kept it completely steady as he serves it, fixing his short black hair as he looks at his left arm, making sure the red part of his hand didn''t creep up when he wasn''t looking as he gently caresses his two horns on the top of his head.


    "I-I can''t help it¡­people make me n-nervous, Alex¡­" The shy man sheepishly said as Alex chuckled more. "And I wouldn''t mind it staying it that way, J" he gives a smile to the sheepish boy, who gave one back, if you can call an unhinged maniacal smile a small one as he goes to clean a cup.


    Once Alex was done cleaning a cup, he turned around to serve Sugar. ¡°Hello hello, what can I get y-oh! Hello, miss~¡± he said as she sighed annoyingly. ¡°Wir haben einen neuen Mitarbeiter, lass uns jetzt reden (We have a new employee, let¡¯s talk now)¡± she said in a different language as he nodded.


    ¡°Aber nat¨¹rlich! (But of course!)¡± he would pull out a small device as he spoke into it. ¡°Break time for us, Situation 2, thank you¡± he said as the kitchen door opens, a golden eyed gray skin girl walked out, while 5 identical girls also appeared behind her, although they had silver eyes, as they began to take the two¡¯s positions of work as Alex walks out from behind the counter to a hallway, turning to Sugar and Kade, gesturing them to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s go, J¡±


    The sheepish boy turns around from his station to Alex as he nods. The employees presume their work as they follow Alex down the hallway into a room, the door labeled ¡®Break Time!¡¯. And as they entered, from a table in a corner, a boy in a blue hoodie watched as he quietly spoke into a radio device. As Kade enters the room last, a grouped whisper goes off in his head again. ¡®Three colors¡­¡¯ it said, but Kade ignored it for now, simply noting it down.


    Kade follows suit inside the room before Alex closes the door. "What''s your assigned name as of right now?" Alex asks Sugar as he leans against the wall close to the door. The tall boy simply sat down with his head down as he fidgeted with his fingers. "Sugar. I''ll have you explain the situations to Kade, the human detective next to me, to both give him info and determine if he should continue his own investigation down here at least, as far as that strange machine told me¡±


    "Alright, Sugar¡­Kade, a nice name, I''m Alexander Pirt Hollow, owner of this cafe and assistant to our town''s leaders. I am half demon and angel, although it seems like both don''t like each other and neither does my body. You may call me Alex. Our shy Gorgeous Person sitting down right now is Jafk Arbx Nickeel, co-owner to the establishment, although he would''ve been the sole owner if he wasn''t so nervous when it comes to social things, despite always wanting to run a cafe. He is, as said, a Gorgeous Person, both in species and appearance" a small wink to Jafk as he simply blushes a bit. Kade nods, although Jafk still creeped him out a bit, he does a small bow to the boy. ¡°A pleasure to make acquaintances~¡±


    "Get to the point, time is against us. Literally" Sugar rushed Alexander as she went to make herself a cup of coffee at a counter.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­I¡¯m sure you are familiar with the basics already, right? Living Machines and Angels, the Timeless Man, Lake Children, all that?¡± he asked as Kade nodded. ¡°Excellent, that¡¯ll quicken things up. So, our main concern is the one Lake Child he has in his possession, the Korpse Child as some of the machines¡¯ radio mention her as¡±


    "You mean he had her. Silvia, brave girl as she is, has escaped his custody. I have her bunkered up with my mother in our detective agency in Raiden City." Kade mentions as Alex nods in relief. Another grouped whisper speaks again in his head. ''This room has poor sound cancellation, you know¡­¡¯ he tilted his head as Alex continued.


    "So she is safe for now¡­excellent, that¡¯s a lot of time on our hands now, but¡­we have to begin an assault on the clock tower soon¡­he''s taken over the city before and he is not scared to take over our towns and Heaven next. And for what? We don''t know¡­the best we can guess is at the protection of the Korpse Child, who is his daughter¡­but that''s all¡­he has a lot of machines up there patrolling every nook and cranny, killing anything on sight that is not within its hivemind database¡­"


    ¡°Protection of his daughter? I quite doubt it, sounds like it¡¯s really rough in there, but¡­who knows¡± Kade adds as he shrugs, Alex putting his hand into his pocket.


    He pulls out a photo from said pocket. It shows a train system in pristine condition, a train was in the image, its name scratched out from the side "The Timeless City was a beautiful city, you know? It was like Heaven but somehow more. Good people, good leaders, good life¡­this train, this picture, was the last one taken before the disaster. That Timeless Man came out of it with thousands of machines, things beyond our initial comprehension and further for the police force and guardians. Our leaders had to resort to The Tempus Protocol and abandon the city with as many people as they could into the underground towns. They are split among the towns but are a collective group of powerful Knowledge wielders known as 18 Seconds."


    "Knowledge wielders? If I may ask, what is that?" Kade asks curiously as Alex thinks for a moment. "Knowledge is¡­information beyond the sky, allowing those who wield it to do certain things no else could do. Like¡­I can universally translate all languages to whatever is needed perfectly, and have control over ice and fire¡­Jafk can see, hear and speak with the voices of the dead, and flood places by causing water to multiply rapidly¡­or Sugar¡­if you want to explain¡­"


    "I rather not, but if anything happens, I would advice remembering this place so you can ask Alex or Jafk when desperate enough¡­" she said while looking away.


    "Of course¡­personally, I believe everyone wields Knowledge, just it''s so weak it''s only really, well, wisdom at best¡­¡±


    ¡°Knowledge¡­¡± Kade whispered under his breath. Is that what he has? As quick as he thought of it, Alex continued speaking again.


    ¡°But of course, the train, we sidetracked a little, but it would take too long to explain, so I think it would be better if you could see it for yourself, Kade" Alex would look at the photograph before setting it aflame, sending the smoke to Kade''s direction as he began to feel woozy.


    It started to get dark around him, before he could feel¡­fresh air, breezing through him¡­hundreds of people¡­talking¡­and one more singular whisper in his head¡­


    ''Naughty, naughty¡­''


    -


    Kade opens his eyes to see himself sitting on a bench in a train station next to someone with a camera, an orange slime lady of some sort as she gets up. People of all kinds walked by, talking with one another as one of the trains leaves the station. The name ''Shooting Star'' was on the side before it was out of his sight. The air was fresh as perfume as he got up. Another train enters the station, with its name scratched out by what looked like millions of claw marks. Some of the civilians looked curiously at the newly arrived train as one of the train cart''s doors opened, but it was incredibly dark inside until a metal hand creeped out, keeping grip onto the door as it slowly showed itself. It was the Timeless Man, but he looked ruined and broken, that same gas mask he had covering his face, the eye glasses not yet broken, and before anyone could say a word or offer a hand, he simply points at Kade with his dying eyes that hid behind the gas mask before hundreds of metallic monstrosities poured out of all the carts of the train, attacking everyone on sight as the man walked forward, very slowly toward Kade. The screams of those who witnessed and those who were attacked echoed through the tunnels and rooms as alarms went off. Police force and what he could assume to be the ''guardians'' that Alex mentioned appeared at the scene, only to be outnumbered and outmatched by the metallic beasts as anyone still alive fled the scene. The place dissipates into smoke as Kade appears in the sky, watching from a chair, a table in front of him with another chair on the other side, all of them floating with him like they were on an invisible floor, although The Timeless Man kept marching towards Kade still, slow as ice in Antarctic waters. The city was breaking before a loud announcement in a cryptic language he didn''t understand spoke, presumably leading everyone to certain buildings, which began descending as any who could fight, fight with fury, making sure not a single metallic monstrosity got onto the descending buildings.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    And when the dust settles¡­the buildings were gone and locked completely as the sun began descending down on the city. What survivors there were on the surface left the city as quick as they could. The clock tower gives out its final chime, the forcefield he now sees shatters into dissipating electricity.


    The Timeless Man reaches the table, sitting down on the chair on the other side, looking towards Kade. "And on the tower of god will a man decide the fate of his people, blinded by memories and powers, trapped in a cage¡­" the man spoke. Kade was confused by the message, but continued listening silently. "A Timeless Man¡­in a city no longer governed by time¡­poetic¡­ever so poetic¡­" the man fades into smoke, as do the table and chairs, and then the city fades, leaving Kade in the complete dark once again.


    "Kade¡­" he can hear his name, echoing in a damp room. "Kade.." again, but louder.


    -


    "Kade!" he wakes up with a jolt from a chair as Sugar sighs. "Christ, Molly''s smoke photographs are effective but you shouldn''t have been out this long in it¡­it is exactly 9 minutes for this one but it''s been 13 minutes¡­" she sighs again in pure relief as Kade scratches the top of his head, yawning a bit.


    "Every turn of event keeps getting more interesting every time" he gets up from the chair as he fixes himself a bit. "So¡­hm¡­I could do this"


    "Really? Are you absolute? I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to mention how¡­messy it was at the beginning" Sugar was surprised as she tilted her head. "Of course I am absolutely sure, as my mother always said, ''Help those helpless souls or the stars will forever scream your name''...I know, she scares me a bit too, but I love her the same, now then, explain your raid plan, but only after we deal with a couple of¡­troublemakers" Kade said, pulling out his pistol from his holster towards the door as 3 small figures who were looking through the tinted glass immediately started running away. "We better deal with them first," Kade suggested as they all nod along. ¡°Go then, let¡¯s see how you deal with them¡± Alexander pulled out the small device again, speaking into it. ¡°Lisa! Stop the 3 running in the hallway, please and thank you!¡± he said as Kade put the gun away into the holster, running out the room to give chase. He sees 3 of the silver eyed girls block the way of 3 familiar youths. One in a red hoodie, another in a blue hoodie, and one more in a yellow hoodie.


    "Come on now, stupid worker, we have places to be at!" one of the younger ones said, a girl with short red hair, hiding her mouth behind a white surgical mask as she also held back the boy in blue.


    "I''ll rip you to pieces, I know you aren''t real!" the other young one said, a boy with blue hair and gills on his neck. "Now now, this isn¡¯t how we deal with being caught¡­" a yellow hooded figure said. They appear to be older than the other two with glimpses of long yellow hair. They tossed a coin behind themselves as the three employees suddenly walked to the coin, curious about it as the 3 left the cafe.


    "They''re getting away!" Kade said as he begins sprinting, jumping over the crouched employees as he gently slams open the door, giving chase to the three younglings who immediately notice, running away as well. "Get the hell back here, you have a lot to explain about your privacy-breaking selves!" he said towards them.


    "Not like you can catch us, old man!" the blue haired boy yells back as they turn around into an alleyway quickly. Kade turns the corner as well, only to find a dead end instead. "I am not¡­old¡­the hell¡­"


    Kade takes a deep breath as he examines the alleyway¡­nothing was different with it. Someone had followed him, the golden eyed gray girl he saw as she tilts her head. ¡°Predicament spotted. Attempting Spatial Research¡­¡± she said, a very robotic voice that gave away what she was. An Android. He didn¡¯t even question it as he sighed, putting his hands over the dead end.


    ¡°Think they escaped this way?¡± he asked the android, who he assumed was this ¡®Lisa¡¯ figure Alex called as she nodded.


    ¡°Paradox solved, remembering Memory 34548, playing audio¡± and her mouth stays open as audio plays through.


    ¡°Hey, ever heard of that workshop?¡± A deeper feminine voice spoke as a woman giggled, her voice a bit higher pitch. ¡°Well, despite being supposedly hidden, it seems like everyone knows it by now¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course, no rhythm in the knocking on the wall, just so long as it is 4 knocks, in a weird pattern, very easy¡±


    ¡°Haha! Of course, of course¡­¡±


    Lisa closes her mouth as she nods. ¡°Memory Complete, returning to cafe duties, good luck, sir¡± she said, doing a small bow as she turned right around, walking back to the cafe.


    "...Huh" Kade was confused but nodded. He walks up to the wall, staring for a couple of seconds before he knocks once. Then he waits for a second and knocks 2 times immediately, and then a fourth time after 3 seconds have passed. The sound of a door unlocking was heard as the wall vanished, revealing said door, opening up for him.


    "I wonder how many well known secrets I¡¯ll have to learn as well down here¡­" Kade kept a close hand near his pistol as he entered. Voices spoke from afar as he walked through what appeared to be a hallway, the colors were as strange as the situation as he got a door on the other side.


    "Master! Are we safe???" a girl''s voice spoke as another spoke back with a giggle. "Darling child, do we have anything to fear? You three were just being curious children, I say we are in no such trouble. I offer my house and wealth for you three to be free, not scared" it was a higher pitch voice as they giggled again.


    "Are you really sure, Master?" a boy''s voice spoke out now. Kade got closer to the door as he quietly opened it, peeking inside, spotting the three rascals he had seen before yesterday and a very small flying figure. A pixie.


    The girl sat on a table as the boy simply sat on the floor. Another small figure simply stood by them as the fairy nodded. "Always sure, Popoto" her eyes peek over to the door, spotting Kade as a soft smile appears on her little face. "We seem to have a customer," she said as she flew over. Kade opens the door fully, revealing himself with a small bow and smile.


    "Welcome, welcome, to Master''s Works, what''s your name, darling?" she asked. The three younglings seem to immediately hide away at the sight of him. Kade would clear his voice a bit as his hands got away from the holster, feeling at ease already.


    "Kade Gears Wonder, human detective of the Steel Rooks Agency in Rai-...in Heaven, miss, a pleasure to meet a fairy like you" he said a little charmingly as she giggled. "You fluster me, Kade. You may call me Master, yes that is my actual first name, fairy naming is a rather strange thing but rest assured I am a lot softer and kinder than most would think¡­"


    "U-Uh, is there perhaps another name you may go by?" Kade asks a little nervously as she chuckles. "Bonny, dear, now, what made you come to the shop today? Was it my rowdy children?" she asks as Kade nods. "Yes actually, they might have stolen a couple things, you know? A tablet with highly important evidence?¡± he said as gently as he could.


    "Oh have they, huh?" Bonny looks over to a large piece of machinery the three were hiding behind as she calls them out.


    "Emily? Popoto? Alzo? Come out now, stealing is a bit bad, you know?¡± The three pop their heads out one by one as they nervously step out. The red-haired girl and blue-haired boy hide behind the yellow-haired hooded figure.


    "They are just a small cute trio of youths, curious about the world here and out. I''m sure a tablet with highly important evidence is not too important¡­Anyways! How about some introductions, sir~? The little mask-wearing gremlin is Emily Nightheart, a half vampire who was abandoned. The sharp-toothed rascal is Popoto Sharpheart, a boy with shark features. His only parent died from one of the attacks in one of the towns from The Timeless Man''s machines. And the soft hooded figure they are hiding behind is Alzo Greatheart, a shapeshifter, they have no memory of their past when I found them. I took them all in one by one because they had no home, and they collectively decided on a little cute group name: The Butcher Kids, and taking on a new cuter last name, Butcherheart"


    "H-Hey, The Butcher Kids is a very menacing name, no one would dare to mess with us!" Popoto spoke up. "Yeah, we''re terrifying and messy at our crime scenes" Emily spoke afterwards.


    "The only mess we leave behind is empty ice cream boxes in Master''s kitchen¡­" Alzo softly said as Kade simply chuckles at all of this. "I see my fear is unwarranted then, forgive me for the intrusion then, Bonny.¡± he said as he did a small bow. ¡°However¡­I would need the tablet back, you know~¡¯


    ¡°But of course¡­dearies, could you please return the tablet¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh! We were told to take it back after only Kade sees it, Master!¡± Emily said to him as Bonnie giggled.


    ¡°Back again with that Good Machine I see? Well, then sorry, sir, but¡­I believe we can¡¯t~¡± Bonnie continued as she chuckled.


    ¡°It''s like everyone knows of something I don¡¯t¡­hmph, can I at least see it again? Here?¡± Kade asks as Bonnie nods, Alzo would get up, leaving the room already.


    ¡°Well¡­while Alzo goes to get it, how about a little¡­look around my workshop, hm~?¡± she suggested as he nodded. ¡°But of course, ma¡¯am¡± and not even a second of looking did something catch his eyes.


    Something familiar. Something gold.

 Chapter 7 + Different Eyes 1 - Blue Sounds & The Locked Mirror

    Chapter 7 - Blue Sounds


    After the small rush hour chaos, the cafe returned to regular speeds as some of the employees seemingly merged into the golden eyed employee. Alexander was nearby, taking a break as he chuckled towards the employee. "Sometimes I feel like you could handle the cafe very well completely on your own, Lisa"


    "Incorrect statement. Employee Code Retina Flee 34 is incapable of handling social business on her own, repeating sentence 23 of the guide book." The feminine voice was robotic but still humanoid, it was calculated and mostly devoid of emotion. "Sentence 23: Androids ar-"


    "Are unable to handle businesses that are meant to induce social wellness, such as cafes or restaurants, blah blah, I know, I''m only joking, dear" he pats her on the head as the other employees in the cafe seem pleased from the action. "How many copies are currently made?" Alexander asks her as her golden eyes scan the whole area.


    "There are currently 30 active Silver Copies of Employee Code Retina Flee 34. 15 are working at the Magnetic Cafe. 10 are watching the town''s available entrances. 5 are obtaining goods and ingredients for the cafe. Copy Efficiency is at 47%."


    "Ah, I see. Good girl, now then, guess I¡¯ll have to do my ¡®social business¡¯, as you say, dear~¡± he said as he looked out the window towards the alleyway as he shrugged. ¡°Wonder how it¡¯s going for him in the workshop¡­¡±


    -


    Kade approaches the object that caught his eye as he grabs ahold of it. It was a familiar necklace with an hourglass hanging from it. There also seems to be golden sand within.


    "Ah, I see you''ve caught the eye of an ancient artifact¡­well, a copy of it, one of many. The Hourless Glass, it was the first thing people found when they first explored The Timeless City after the attack, near Trench Line 3, the first place. The original is said to be able to stop time for quite a few seconds when the sand starts to fall down the opposite end, although it never worked again, and has been locked up in the town¡¯s vault¡­this is just some crude souvenir really, not as brilliant as the real thing" Bonny explains to Kade as he listened intensely.


    "I see¡­this just seems so familiar to me" Kade places it back down. "Well, is there anything useful for a detective like me?" he asks Bonny as she thinks for a moment. "A device for a human detective¡­I do have one in mind¡­" she goes over to a bunch of random scattered papers in a box as she looks through it, eventually pulling out a blueprint. "I had this idea of a monocle you can use to do various perspectives without filling your bags with large pesky machines. So it could zoom in and out like a magnifying glass, change lenses with the command of your voice to ones like night vision, dark light vision, temperature vision, and any other. Never went to make it because who needs some gadget when you have your Knowledge¡­until now! But this will take a day or two, so maybe come back next time¡­time¡­though I feel like you should have a bit of extra help in your little team¡­" she looks over to some of the youths with a small smirk, the blue haired Popoto was eating from a box of what seemed like cookies, while the red haired Emily looked into a small pocket mirror, a tinge of melancholy in her eyes.


    "They are excellent at spying and their Knowledge may come to use some day, you know? You should ask them nicely, as long as you make sure they stay behind in more dangerous situations"


    "I rather not put them in danger, but I''ll ask for any information they might know relating to this whole thing¡­but just one more thing, what''ll be the exact price of the device?" Kade asks. Bonny thinks for a moment before coming up with a price tag.


    "78 Silver Cogs!" she said as Kade tilted his head.


    "In Heaven''s currency¡­"


    "Oh, uh¡­I think 39 Dollars"


    "Alright, bet, I can pay Sugar later," Kade said as he nodded.


    "Excellent, then I''ll begin working immediately, you may visit anytime you need to, dear" she gives a small smile before flying off into a different room. He nods as he approaches two of the siblings, leaning a bit on a random table as he looks at Emily. He caught a glimpse of the mirror but couldn¡¯t see well enough before Emily closed it immediately upon seeing him take a peak.


    ¡°P-Please no peeking in others¡¯ reflections!¡± she said as Kade chuckled a bit nervously. ¡°Sorry, curiosity came by but¡­well¡­I¡¯m sure you heard what your guardian said¡­but hi! A pleasure to meet such a lovely lady~¡± a small bow as she giggled a bit with a blush. ¡°T-Thank you¡­um¡­well¡­¡± she thought a bit before she continued.


    "So you''re The Wrong Man the Good Machine told us about¡­" she said so casually as Kade was confused by this sentence. "The¡­title ''The Wrong Man''?"


    "Mhm! She said that a Wrong Man needs to come here and instructed us to lead you here!" she said as Kade nodded.


    "I see¡­funny, Sugar also mentioned about me being The Wrong Man, at the right time, and by now I would assume¡­the right place¡­¡± he said as she nodded. ¡°Oh! Is Sugar the woman that came down here with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, she is indeed, although not as sweet as her name suggests¡± he said as Emily giggled. Popoto would finally speak up once he was finished with his cookies. ¡°So¡­what do you want us to help you with, mister?¡± he asks as Kade thinks for a moment. ¡°Maybe something to help our little rebellion going on? Info and such?¡±


    Emily and Popoto simply think for a moment before Emily looks up to him. "We don¡¯t have anything new at the moment, no, but I can see if I can find anything in town or in the city, maybe break a robot and eavesdrop on signals" she said as Kade nodded. "That would be useful, Emily, thank you" he would pull out his phone and write down everything he heard before checking the time.


    And right on time, Alzo came back with 3 items. The strange security cam, the oiled covered tape, and the tablet, which seemed intact at least as they come over to Kade, handing it over. ¡°Only 2 times, okay? The Good Machine told us so¡­¡± they said as Kade nodded. ¡°Of course!¡±


    Kade would pick up the tablet, turning it on and scrolling through until he found the video again, sitting down onto a nearby couch in the workshop as he watched. Emily and Popoto would sit next to him to watch along as Alzo stayed by the hallway. It played like it did before, no new details but the increased gained knowledge (hah) helped to understand the situation more, with some of the first hand encounters. And then he decides to watch it a second time, ignoring the entire event and looking for other details. And finally, something, a detail he never saw.


    At the gate of the park with the lake he came through, for a few seconds, a small figure in a black dress shirt quickly passed by, and with them a Living Machine, but it didn¡¯t seem to be chasing her, and was more like leading her. And as the footage changed to the other park, the one connecting to Frostbite Park, he saw them again quickly passing by another gate, but he swore that the Living Machine following the little figure suddenly began to stare at the camera, a slight glitch he had noticed before, before it continued on with them. And then the footage was over like before.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°See? Who is this figure?¡± Kade rewinded the video and pointed at it as Popoto got closer to look at it. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s that girl, and with her The Good Machine!¡± he said, Emily nodded with him as she got closer as well to look. ¡°Mhm! I wonder what they are doing there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­getting the camera? I don¡¯t doubt your abilities but that city is dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that how we got the camera, tape, and letter?¡± Popoto exclaimed as Alzo chuckled in the background.


    ¡°You are good, detective¡­yeah, they mailed us those two¡­old devices to us with a letter, telling us specifically where and when to deliver. Popoto did it for us, might be familiar as that jumping shadow you saw, mister¡­¡± they said as Popoto nodded very proudly. ¡°Mhm! That was me! Did I do good?¡±


    ¡°Guess I can¡¯t deny how much of a speedster you were, Popo¡± Kade said with a small smile as he turned the tablet off, putting it onto a table as he laid back onto the couch. ¡°Well¡­that doesn¡¯t help me too much but I could ask or maybe at least recognize who this Good Machine and the girl is if I ever meet them..as if they won¡¯t recognize me first, hah!¡± Kade said as he got right back up. ¡°Well! I have places to be, you know! A wonderful meeting, I say, and no more stealing from me, please!¡±


    ¡°Yes, mister!¡± Emily said as Popoto nodded, Alzo could only give a small wave before they left down the hallway, probably to their room or something as Popoto grabbed the tablet, opening it up and trying to see if there was anything else on it while Emily got up as well.


    Kade walked to the door to exit, Emily following along until she stopped behind him. He goes to open the door, looking down to see the young lady as she looks up to him curiously.


    ¡°You know¡­my office is always open for visitors. Besides! It might be nice to have someone around Silvia¡¯s age¡± he said, although that looked to annoy her as she pouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid, you know! Just¡­it¡¯s complicated but I am an adult, okay!¡± she said as Kade chuckled. ¡°Ah, sorry then, miss, but¡­it¡¯ll still be nice for her to have someone who also lives down here, so visit anytime, okay?¡±


    ¡°I will, Mister Wonder!¡± she responded as he nodded with a smile, opening the door and going out into the hallway, looking back to wave goodbye to Emily as she waved back before he closes the door, leaving down the colorful hall before getting out the door, but something caught his mind again.


    Kade looked up to turn back to inspect the door again, but noticed¡­he was in The Timeless City now instead of the alley, and the door that should¡¯ve been there was not anymore. And as any calm detective would do¡­


    He panicked inside.


    To See Through Different Eyes...


    As Kade closed the door, Emily sighed as she pulled out the pocket mirror again, staring into it with sadness in her eyes. In her reflection was a very young boy who stared back at her as she sighed. Popoto then speaks up after having found some strange video on an equally strange site. ¡°Staring into the mirror again, Emi?¡± he asked her as she sighed. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± she sits down next to him, looking over to the tablet, seeing some sort of person in a tiny box playing a scary game as she sighed. ¡°Really? Again? Emi! You know it isn¡¯t good for you to stare!¡± Popoto said as Emily shrugged. ¡°I¡­know, I just¡­can¡¯t help it¡­¡± she said, her emotions were in flux again once it had gotten quiet with Kade gone as she got right up again.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m taking a nap¡± she leaves the main workshop, going down the hallway Alzo went down as she goes into a room on the left at the end of the hallway, closing the door behind her as she slides down the door, hugging her knees, deciding to look around the room again from where she was. It was her room, as it ever was, and it was very cutesy. Pinkish walls stained with red painted dots meant to be ¡®scary¡¯, a few posters of pink cats, a very large bed, a walk-in closet, a desk with a laptop-like device, and¡­a dressing mirror, covered by a long and thick black cloth, alone in the corner of her room. She would stare at it for a while, staying in the same sitting position before getting up, slowly approaching the mirror as she removes the cloth. It falls onto the floor as she would see herself fully. Well¡­not really herself. A boy her age was in the mirror, his long brown hair pushed by invisible winds as they stared at each other before she spoke up.


    ¡°It¡¯d be a miracle if I could see myself¡­¡±


    And nothing happened.


    ¡°It would be a miracle if I could just see myself one time¡­as I am¡­¡±


    And nothing happened still. Tears slowly formed under her eyes, and it formed in the boy¡¯s eyes as well.


    ¡°It¡­would be¡­a miracle¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t continue her sentence as another flux of emotions went through her. Anger, sadness, confusion, she couldn¡¯t understand why, they bounced around inside her head like light in a mirror, and yet some cruel joke is played on her, that she is forced to suffer to see the same boy in her reflections and pictures while everyone else sees her as her. But do they really? She remembers the first time she made her discovery, of herself¡­in a time of loneliness, living to fend for herself, she had spoken of her miracle. A miracle that has stayed for as long as she needed it.


    ¡°It¡¯d be a miracle if everyone thinks of me as a girl¡­is that not what you said before¡­?"


    The boy in her mirror whispered as she looked away, pain struck into her eyes as tears continued to fall on both her and the boy''s cheek. But he still stood there, looking nervously around, fidgeting with his fingers as he spoke again.


    "...I''m sorry¡­"


    Emily would look over again, looking at the boy, again, another flux of emotions, but she could not grab even just one to keep to herself as she sighed, putting a hand to the mirror''s glass, the boy would just stare at it at first before putting his hand against the glass from where he stood, they could feel each other''s warmth, but it was a warmth she despised.


    "What was your name¡­" Emily whispered as the boy shook his head. "My name was XXXXX Nightheart¡­but that isn''t your name right¡­"


    "Do you remember anything?" she asked one more time as he shook his head.


    "A concrete room¡­people in red¡­nothing else¡­"


    "I cannot deny it¡­" she said softly as she pulled her hand away, the boy copied her movement, pulling his hand away too as she grabbed the black cloth on the floor, ready to cover the mirror. But right as she was about to cover the mirror, the boy would suddenly bang on the mirror''s other side.


    "P-Please don''t leave me alone again! Please! I-I-It''s so¡­cold¡­and lonely¡­and so¡­so quiet¡­no one to h-hear me, or see me, so please¡­I beg of you¡­stay with me¡­t-talk to me¡­


    Emily would waver for a second, clutching the cloth in her hand, the boy cried harder than she cries now, staining the other side of the mirror. Scared.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you stop clinging on me, damnit!? Find someone else to fucking cling to, just leave me ALONE!¡±


    Smash


    The sound of glass spill onto the floor, her closed hand had smashed against the mirror, now finding itself on the wood on the other side as it bleeds, leaking onto the hardwood floor and soaking it in as she just falls back first onto the floor, ignoring the bleeding and pain as she sighed, wanting to wipe away the tears, but her body was aching already as she heard her bedroom door open. Yellow eyes peer into the room as the yellow hooded sibling enters inside, Alzo would then come close to Emily, sitting down next to her as they use their sleeve to clean her tears before moving the sleeve up to expose an arm and putting it in front of her mouth as she softly bites into their arm.


    ¡°...Maybe that¡¯s enough mirrors for this month, sister¡­¡± they said to her as they can feel themselves losing a bit of blood as her wounds heal themselves before she lets go as they pull the sleeve back down and get back up. A tentacle pops out from their back, picking up Emily and placing her in a different part of the room before more suckers grow on the tentacle, they would sweep up the bigger glass shards with them, dropping them into a nearby small trash can in the hallway as their left hand turns into a werewolf¡¯s hand, picking up the mirror and putting it out into the hallway as they use the tentacle again to pick up Emily, cleaning off anything that could be on her with their right hand before placing her on her bed. ¡°Take a rest. Or don¡¯t, not my choice.¡± they said before leaving her room, closing the door again as Emily was left in the silence again. She sighs as she gets right back up to her feet, wiping what remaining tears there might have been as she looked at where the mirror was. Now it really was just a dark spot in her room. She¡¯d notice a glass shard was left behind as she picks it up. It didn¡¯t reflect anything back but her room, and as she moves around, looking into the reflection of her room she can see the boy huddling to himself in the corner where the mirror was as she sighed, cracking the mirror shard in her hand as she throws it to the corner.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡± she tells herself before she has begun to leave her room, having already calmed down now. The 14th mirror this year. Maybe that¡¯s enough mirrors.

 Chapter 8 - Living, Breathing, Angry Machines

    "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Kade immediately hides behind an empty dumpster as he hears metallic voices speaking in the distance, holding his breath.


    "I need status on anything, Gorge" one of them said, a heavy, raspy voice belonging to a larger sounding being.


    "Accessing central patrol machines¡­13 are currently active and searching. 1 is missing. Machine 7 cannot be detected in Ticking Avenue. Machine 7''s signal cannot be located or disconnected, possible thief. Machine 10 near Lake Child Park has detected three living creatures half an hour ago. Machine 2 near Goring Street has detected one figure 5 minutes ago, unable to detect breathing signatures or proper temperatures. All other Machines have no reports of activity. Leaving the central patrol machine system" another spoke in a perfect, robotic tone as the heavy and raspy voice sighed.


    "Fucking shit, I''ve seen not a damn thing from the sky for a while, they must have been quick, clearly residents. My flock has reported to have spotted 2 figures, they gave chase but lost them. Useless, all of them." another said, its voice occupied by heavy clunking gears and blowing air.


    They walk past the dumpster as Kade takes a glance at them from behind. There he spots the same metallic dog who occupied the murderer of the missing man, a large metallic bird, and some sort of humanoid, the murderer of the missing man, with tattoos on the dog and humanoid¡¯s back, and the bird¡¯s left wing, reading: ''T.L.A 1 ''Gorge'''' on the dog, ''T.L.A 2 ''Romance'''' on the bird, and ''T.L.A 3 ''Tailor'''' on the humanoid.


    And suddenly, a very unfamiliar singular whisper in his head.


    ''Hide!''


    Tailor suddenly looks behind him, but Kade was quick enough to hide again thanks to the voice before he could spot him. Tailor turns his head back, continuing to walk with the other two as Kade sighs in relief.


    "Those must have been the monsters she mentioned¡­how the hell do they even work? Fuck¡­I need to get back but how?" He checks for his phone in his pocket, lucky for him, but it proved fruitless, there was no connection, and even then, who would he call? He hadn¡¯t gotten a number from anyone down here yet.


    He looks back at where the door was, but it wasn''t there anymore, just an actual empty wall in an empty, dusty, rusty old alleyway.


    "I don''t know this city enough to explore, and I only know about the bank but where was it again? Think, Kade, think¡­" he tells himself as he sighs. "Shit, I can''t think of anything." He looked up from his thinking pose behind the dumpster as he noticed a small green slime boy staring at him from on top of it as he immediately backed away in shock from the slime boy, who simply stared in silence. He had no clothing but that doesn''t really change much, seeing as he is only made up of slime that is in a humanoid shape, the only physical-looking parts were strange metallic copper balls meant to be his eyes and a small metal ball in the middle of his chest¡­and a Living Machine¡¯s head where his ¡®stomach¡¯ would be, it slowly melting in what he would assume be the slime¡¯s acidic properties.


    "Um, hey, stay away please, I am stressed enough¡­" he asked as the boy approached slowly. "You human¡­smell¡­smell of¡­smoke¡­sister''s smoke¡­" the slime boy said as he did visible sniffing motions as he nodded.


    "Excuse me? I don''t remember anyone smoking a cigarette near me¡­ah, wait a second¡­" Kade simply tilts his head before lifting his hand up for a handshake, after having gotten up.


    "Kade Gears Wonder, detective and human of Heaven, may I receive your name, young gentleman?" he asks rather respectfully as the boy would shake his hand. The boy''s hand was very sticky and wet, for obvious reasons of him being made entirely of slime, yet when he let go, no residue was left behind. Nor did it burn like the metal that was melting inside him.


    "Tulip, name is Tulip, like pretty colored flowers!" he said, his voice was a bit gurgled and soft but still relatively understandable. "Tulip¡­cute name! Now, could I ask, what are you doing out here and do you know where the old bank was again? With the way to Polar Growth Town?" Kade asks nicely as Tulip thinks for a bit.


    "Tulip was exploring, Tulip was told one human would be up here, Tulip then found you! And Tulip remember the way, Kade, follow Tulip" the slime boy began to walk without a second thought as Kade followed carefully, unsure if anything was detecting them or not, or if those unsavory characters were nearby, yet when he decided to look around him, he would notice a very, very thin membrane dome surrounded him, and seeing as there were a flock of the metal bird-like Living Machines right above them and not moving, this must be doing something to hide them from afar.


    Eventually, the two reach the abandoned bank. Entering inside, Tulip continued on behind the empty counters to one of many closed vaults, Kade following. And right as Kade tried to remember the pattern Sugar had done to open it, he would see Tulip take a good look around the area before dissolving his body down to just a puddle of slime.


    The puddle of slime began to seep under the vault door in a small crack, although the copper eyes and melting Living Machine head were left behind, being a bit too big, the metal ball core was able to follow along through the crack though. After what sounds like tinkering, the vault door began to open.


    Tulip steps out from behind before kneeling down to the ground, gently tapping the ground until he eventually finds the copper eyes, placing them back into his head as they automatically fix themselves back to where his eye sockets are in the slime head. He then picks up the slimy machine head and just¡­gulps it down as it slides back down from the top to the stomach area of the body as it continues to melt.


    Kade was no longer surprised at this point and simply nodded in silence, getting into the vault before Tulip closed it.


    Kade takes it from here, lowering the lever that opened the vault door to close it again as he went to the cabinet Sugar went to, pressing a button there as the usual cabinets lower down to reveal that elevator shaft as eventually the elevator itself finally came up. They both step onto it as Tulip presses a button, the door closes and the elevator begins to move downwards.


    "Tulip¡­what species are you?" Kade asks as respectfully as he can, simply out of curiosity and to break the ice. "Tulip is¡­Core Slimes¡­Core Slimes born from radioactive magic infused items. First item becomes heart, the core, core makes slime, slime becomes shape, item takes two more to become eyes, and then item makes shape humanoid, then Tulip is born! Tulip have iron ball core heart and copper eyes. Is radioactive so no touching, or hands be burny¡­" he said. Kade tried his best to translate the more child-like speech manner as he nodded. ¡°And I assume you¡­eat the leftovers of those machines, hm?¡± he asked as Tulip nodded happily. ¡°Metal tasty!¡±


    "How curious¡­first Gorgeous People, and now Core Slimes, such things I''ve never heard in myths or stories¡­I wonder if I could write stories with these new fascinating people!" he chuckles at that thought as he wonders.


    "So you mentioned I smelled like your sister''s smoke. Do you mean those smoke photographs? Alexander used one on me to show me the incident of Timeless City at the train station, you know who he is?"


    "Yes, Tulip knows Alex, Alex good friend of sister Molly, Alex very cool angel demon, they work together a lot" he said excitedly, like he was proud of that fact.


    "Ah, I see¡­Molly¡­well, good to know you are on our side, you gave me quite the spook back there, but are you sure it was safe to explore alone?" Kade asks as the elevator reaches close to its destination.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    "Mhm, was safe, am slime, slime do no harm, machines detect slow for slime, very slow, can¡¯t find breathing, can¡¯t find warmth, Tulip very cold, Tulip move fast and is slippery, Tulip is like ninjas in old cartoons" he explained as the elevator eventually stops, the door opening to the already familiar scene of the distant town.


    "Well, if you say so¡­I''ll be heading back to the cafe, I thank you for leading the way, young sir, unless you are willing to come along? I''m sure the others wouldn''t mind a young gentleman like you"


    "Yes, Tulip come along to see good friends. You are Tulip''s friend now, detective friend K.G.W!" he said before running off to the town.


    "K.G.W? Oh! Wait, hey, slow down, I am still stressed about the door taking me to the wrong place!" Kade gives chase, following the very speedy slime boy as he smiles a bit.


    ''I wonder how the girls are doing up there¡­'' he wondered to himself as he continued to follow, taking the time to appreciate the views this time¡­


    -


    Celeste was at her desk while Silvia slept soundly in her bed as she wrote down on documents and papers, although visibly more stressed. Silvia was terrified at first when she entered her room because of the ticking sounds, so she had to mute the digital clock as she sighed, placing the pencil down as she leaned back in her office here.


    ¡°And so the silence fills my mind with memories of silence. That empty home was such a torturous place to live in after you perished, dear¡­no more machines¡­no more sounds of gears and metal¡­just a silent woman and a crying boy. How cruel. So cruel¡­to leave me in emptiness, damnit¡­¡± she said to herself, she could feel tears go down her cheeks as she immediately wipes them away. ¡°Enough. Work, Celeste, I don¡¯t have time for this, Ria needs her reports on this¡­¡± she fixes her posture, sitting back up, picking up the pencil. And then, the sounds of the bed moving was heard as she turned the chair around to look over, her soft smile back on her face for SIlvia as she yawned.


    ¡°M-Miss?¡± Silvia asked as Celeste nodded. ¡°Yes, little one?¡±


    ¡°Why were you crying?¡±


    Celeste kept her smile as she tilted her head. ¡°Forgive me, dear? I wasn¡¯t! Who told you that?¡±


    Silvia would point up as she continued. ¡°The shiny stars¡­¡±


    Celeste would giggle as she got up from her office chair, walking over and sitting down onto the bed as she pats Silvia on the head. ¡°I think you are just tired, dear, how about you take a walk around the building? Maybe meet the other detectives here, okay~?¡± Celeste suggests as Silvia yawns one more time, nodding as she gets out from under the sheets, standing up as she hugs Celeste.


    ¡°O-Okay, miss!¡± Silvia responded as she let go, walking over to the door as she opened it slowly, stepping out into the hallway as she looked back, waving happily as Celeste waved back before the door closed. Her smile disappears as she falls onto the bed. ¡°Ugh¡­maybe a nap will do me good¡­wait¡­¡± she would look over to her digital clock, pointing a finger gun towards her as she whispered to herself.


    ¡°Dirigentes Stella¡± and out of her index finger, a small meteor launches out to the clock as it softly hits it as the clock begins to tick again as she sighed in relief. ¡°Excellent, no more silence¡­¡± she said as she lays back down properly, deciding to take a nap.


    -


    Silvia would look around the long hallway, seeing every room she passes by, each with plates of what and who''s room it is. ''Castle Ling Yu''s Office'', ''Kade Gears Wonder¡¯s Office Bedroom'', ''Grear Roth Oath''s Office'', ''Ashwin Timothy Temple''s Office'' and many more. Each one she peeked in had a different looking room, a different aesthetic and general placement.


    Castle''s office had a person inside, working diligently on a strange old typing device. Their room was black and white, with simple furniture and decoration, made for work, not for fun.


    Kade''s office was as she remembered: a colorful office mixed with a bedroom. Cat toys were littered around on the ground, and so were some papers, a mess made by said cats that have wandered in and out through the kitty hole the door had. Obviously empty, as Kade was out at the moment, exploring beyond the lake¡­she hoped he was doing fine.


    Grear''s office was less of an office and more of a gym, filled with training equipment and two vending machines mostly meant to keep things cold rather than to sell. It was darker in colors, but had a lot more personality than Castle''s office. No one was currently inside, and it seemed dusty already.


    And the last room she decided to peek in was Ashwin''s office. It was a lot more colorful and had a lot of cultural colors and furniture with the actual office supplies. A man was inside, taking a break it seems, although he was quick to notice Silvia through the glass window on the door and gave a very cheerful wave and smile, to which she responded back with a nervous wave.


    She decided to enter Ashwin''s office, he looked a lot friendlier and less busy than Castle. Silvia would knock on his door first before opening it, with a bit of struggle, entering the room and closing the door behind her.


    "Uh¡­um¡­h-hello" she greets the man shyly as he smiles, taking a sip of tea. "Ah, hello my small friend, welcome welcome! Come, take a seat" his voice was cheerful and deep, and his accent was one she never heard off, being a lot more¡­just different sounding to her at least, it even sounded a bit like music in tone. She nods, walking over to one of the few colorful seats in the office, sitting down onto what was a comfortable red bean bag.


    "Now, what brings the Silver Wanderer over into my little side home?"


    "O-Oh, I was just¡­bored and c-curious, mister¡­" she said as he chuckled softly. "As children should be, how else will they shine! Ashwin Timothy Temple at your service, my new small friend, and if I remember Celeste''s words to us¡­it was Silvia, am I correct?" he asks her as she nods.


    "Excellent, my memory serves me well¡­as many others at this fine agency, I work as a freelancer detective, doing more of the smaller cases here and there, things the others wouldn''t bother with in the first place, because they either want more excitement or just far too busy with other equally boring tasks¡­now, I am one to believe in myths and gods and all, but I have been informed that you really came from the Time Loss City?" he asks once more.


    "Y-Yes, but¡­don''t you mean The T-Timeless City?" she tried to correct him after answering as he chuckled once more. "No, my small friend, I was one of the many civilians down there who started calling it Time Loss City¡­do keep this a secret between me and Celeste and whoever else may indulge into it, but I am not¡­exactly from Raiden City. You may rest well knowing we all will serve to protect you, dear, for as long as the Steel Rooks Agency stands!¡± he said cheerfully as he looked out the window to the cafe next door.


    "How about we get something sweet to drink and talk over? The cafe is quiet today so it''ll be a quick come and go, hm? Something to help break the ice, I heard you had about half a carton of the chocolate milk to yourself, hm?¡± he teased her as she looked away a little in embarrassment as Ashwin chuckled.


    She would hesitate at first at the offer, before thinking to herself. If Celeste and Kade trust him, then so will she, and so she finally nods, agreeing to come along to the cafe as he chuckles. "Excellent, darling. Wait in the lobby for me then, and I''ll come by shortly!" he said as Silvia nodded once more, leaving the room and taking the stairs down to the lobby room. It was empty and quiet, until Lizzy walks in, noticing the little girl as she walks over. "Why, good morning, darling, you are up early. Is Celeste still in her room?¡±


    "Mhm, she is, miss¡­"


    "No need for formality, you know my name. Need only refer to me as Lizzy, okay?" she walks over to her front desk, prepping everything up as Silvia nods. ¡°O-Okay, L-Lizzy¡­¡±


    Silvia would sit down on one of the couches, waiting patiently for Ashwin. A few minutes pass, and he finally comes down from his office as he grins towards Silvia. "Shall we, Silver Wanderer?" he said, putting his hand out for her to hold onto. And she indeed does grab onto his hand, and a little tight.


    "Need no fear, just think about¡­the pleasures of life!" He said to keep her cheered up as he waves goodbye to Lizzy. Silvia nodded, giggling just a little bit as they began to walk to the cafe down the street.


    They shortly arrive, entering inside. Silvia would be ushered by Ashwin to sit down somewhere, and she does, sitting down by the windows as she waits patiently, now looking around the place properly.


    Peacefulness. It was not a feeling she recognizes so often, always running around the old, broken city, hiding among the broken pieces of¡­everything. Signs, trash, buildings, whatever could hide her scent and body. And to be at peace is¡­scary. She was so worried of her head being chopped again, or her limbs, or maybe even all her organs except the heart.


    Things thumbled in her head. Of worry. Doubt. Anxiety. Of whatever could happen in the future, what could happen now. Thoughts she did not want, but could not stop.


    Why?


    Ashwin would disturb the silence and anxious thoughts when he handed her a large glass cup of chocolate milk. And a big, friendly smile.


    And she smiles back as they begin to talk to each other.

 Chapter 9 - Infectious Smiles

    The streets were bustling with activity, people interacted with one another as Kade followed the young slime boy to the cafe. "Such a curious place, right under my nose! I would love to take my mother here for a little vacation day or two, she''d think we were dreaming!" Kade said mostly to himself but out loud for Tulip as he nodded. "Tulip agrees. Polar Growth pretty town to be in. Very fun, Tulip likes town!" he said in that same garbled but understandable voice as both smile. "Aye, would it be nice to have a break, but I have a duty now! So long as this town and my home city may be in danger, I will not see it fall¡­hm, now there¡¯s that familiar feeling again¡­" a thought that came and went as he spoke until they arrived at the cafe. "Ah, I''ve missed this place already!" he said excitedly. How quick was he to adapt to this environment like he had from the situation, a change he did not mind as they entered. It was relatively peaceful once again, the strange employees worked as they were before as Kade looked around, not seeing the group as he approached one of the hallways. One of the employees stopped him and Tulip at first, but for a split second of her eyes glowing red, she lets them through, a combination of recognizing Kade and knowing Tulip is allowed entry by his big sister. They continued on to the break room, knocking on the door as the chattering inside stopped. Alex would be the one to open the door, taking a second or two to remember Kade and Tulip as his worried expression turns into a contagiously joyful smile. "Kade! I was damn near close to getting a search party for you, damnit, where did you go after visiting the shop?" he asked as Kade simply sighs. "Door got fucked, apparently, lucky I met this little gentleman before I turned into¡­whatever those machine things eat, if they do at all" he answered, entering with Tulip as he looks around the room. The faces he was used to, and a new one. There was Sugar, Jafk, and another slime fellow similar to Tulip, but wearing some sort of pressurized suit around her body and was orange instead of green. Kade looks down to Tulip, now having noticed the machine¡¯s head had now finished dissolving.


    "And that is where he ran out to, hm?" she said, tilting her head as she sighs. "Least he knows his way around. What prompted you to go out there, Tulip?" she asked him as he approached her, giving her a big hug. "Molly! Tulip missed you already. Tulip was in the big city because star things told me to look for and help a detective, if I remember. Star things wanted Tulip to help so Tulip did!" he explained to her as she nodded. "The stars told you, hm? How reckless to put a child in danger so long as it interests the safety¡­of another star¡­Kade, am I correct?" she looked up towards as he nodded, doing a small bow. "Kade Gears Wonder, ma''am. You are Molly, I presume, the one who gave me quite a trip with a photographed picture" he answered with a small chuckle. "It is a pleasure to meet another curious person" he extended his hand out to shake hers, but she shakes her head as he defeatingly puts his hand down. "You would be correct. Molly is the name I chose when I first woke up, sir, hope to be a useful asset to our little team".


    Kade could only chuckle a bit as he nodded. ¡°Of course, and also, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need to worry about our gentleman. Ate a whole machine head, and from what I heard from some passing Living Angels, lucky to live I know, but¡­a certain someone had taken out and presumably ate patrol Machine 7¡± he said a bit teasingly as Molly sighs even more. ¡°Tulip¡­¡±


    And from there, Kade explained everything that had happened, of the trio Butcherhearts, of Master, and new things he had found out from reviewing the camera footage more. The trio will likely start helping them now, he said, before he finishes off with what he heard from the Angels, connecting the three living creatures to the Butcher Kids, and the 1 living being to Tulip, who came up to save Kade. And once he finished, Alex would nod before grabbing ahold a letter, opening it up and tossing over the written paper


    "Forgive me, I know I said we would start the operation, but¡­I believe things are getting complicated now¡­¡± Kade catches the paper, reading it quietly at first. A written report from someone. He would then begin reading out loud. "Place Of Writing: Lake Town. Writer: Penny Drag & Denny Prag. Report: As per given requests, I have asked the Mimy Clan to keep watch on the perimeter of the forest around the local town and Lake Guard while keeping an eye on Sprei Uok, a guardian of the lake presumed to be one of the Lake Children. As of late, the soldiers of the clans have reported sightings of unnatural metal beings attempting to attack and capture Sprei Uok, usually resulting in death due to the young spirit''s power. But how long he''ll be able to protect himself from them is what concerns me. A couple of your allies will be much appreciated, at least before the official time comes to raid the tower. Thank you, Penny & Denny¡­"


    The room was silent at first before Kade breathed. "A mouthful of words! Now then, who is coming along with me? I seem like an obvious choice already to learn about everything" he asks the group as Alexander and Jafk raise their hands.


    "I suspect Molly and Sugar would prefer to stay behind and watch the town, so as long as Molly can handle the cafe while we are gone, we''ll be going with you, Kade" Alexander said as Jafk nods in agreement.


    "You are rather good at guessing, Alexander" Sugar said with a small smug smile as Alexander chuckles. "My mother always told me so" he responds.


    "Hmph¡­Now then, no one has raised a voice so I say we are off¡­after I sleep, this whole thing has buggered me out already and being tired is not ideal. Sugar, accompany me to the surface, could you? Unless we know of another way up without going through the city?" Kade asks as Sugar sighed, getting down from the table as she fixes her hair.


    "Why not a shortcut, then, I trust you enough now for it¡­come" Sugar already leaves the room as Kade panics slightly. "Ah, of course, yes, okay, uh, goodbye you all, amazing to meet you Tulip and Molly, and do be careful!" He immediately grabs hold of his air-tight luggage and begins to follow Sugar''s path until they exit town and reach the elevator far from it.


    "Wait, you are telling me we didn''t have to swim? Did you make me swim, and put us in danger to test me out?" he questioned with a slight anger to his tone as Sugar shrugs.


    "Hm¡­you are a good guesser too, I suppose"


    "Shut up"


    The elevator began to go up as Sugar looked over. "Same as before, Kade, think about traveling to another world as hard as you can and we''ll be there," she said as he nodded. Both began to think hard as the next thing he knows, the material and visual difference of the rusty underground elevator changes into the more modern version as it stops. "Do remember this for later."


    "I''ll remember to think of a worse name to call you for a while for this like¡­Sour¡­also...do you think I could borrow like 78 Silver Cogs later tomorrow?


    "Sour does seem more fitting¡­"


    "Shut up again!" he said as Sugar giggled slightly. "And sure, not too much, just remember to pay back, what''s it for? The workshop?


    "Aye, a tool is being made that''ll prove quite useful for me"


    The door opens to reveal the ever familiar hallway of rooms as he sighs, the noises of the city, annoying at best before but calming now. "What of the time then?"


    "Time is different between, so for all I know¡­I do not know" she said, shrugging it off as Kade exits the elevator, but Sugar stays.


    "I''ll see you in¡­9 hours of my time, I suppose, or you won¡¯t see me, I have my own business to conduct to. Rest well, we will have work for the next time" she said, waving goodbye as the elevator closed and began its descent.


    "Hmph, see you later then, Sour" he said teasingly, watching the number above the door go down as Kade looked back towards the hallway. First stop, his mother''s room. He would walk through the hallway, taking quick peeks at each door, the only one being occupied was Castle''s office. As per usual. Castle Ling Yu, always working to the point Kade never saw them outside the building at this point, only ever at the kitchen break room, but he shrugs, doing mother''s hard work as the co-owner of the agency does that to you sometimes. He would continue towards her room before doing a soft knock, opening it slightly as he hears a gun cocking. "Oh, silly me" he would do an extra two knocks followed up by a delayed 3rd knock as he can hear her sigh. "Sorry, disturbed your sleep?" he asks as he opens the door enough to peek his head through.


    "Yes, now that we are holding Silvia under our custody, I''ve been under even more stress than usual, really utilizing our little secret knock this time¡­hello, dear, how was your adventuring down in this other world~?" Celeste asks, sitting up as Kade fully enters the room, closing the door before sitting next to her on the bed, with a large sigh followed by pure excitement.


    "By the¡­whatever the hell is above us now, I am¡­breathless! Speechless! and all those other words to express this feeling¡­everything! If there wasn''t a potentially impending doom to our city and the other cities near us, I swear I''d never leave that place!" and so he began to tell all of his findings to her as she listened and nodded. Every question she asked was answered with something or an ''I don''t know''. He told her about the species he saw, Gorgeous People, Core Slimes, the dangerous machines and the little fairy and her adopted children, the trio who caused a bit of trouble up here, and it was absolutely exciting to him, he could not hold in any single detail.


    And she simply giggled, and then laughed at the end of it all. It took a good while for her to stop as she sighs in relief of her laughter stopping. "It''s almost like you are telling me a story like when you were young, going on and on about ''wonderland'' and all that¡­but I wouldn''t doubt, not with the evidence we have to prove it is real. The more important fact is that you are quite alive and having some fun at least¡­¡±


    "Of course, If I were to die, it would be in your arms for our final, dramatic goodbye''s before the kiss of death reaches my forehead, and then¡­" Kade would gently fall onto the floor, his arm over his eyes as he let out his tongue.


    "Death."


    Celeste simply applauds tiredly as he quickly gets up. "Thank you, thank you, I''ve always had a dream for the theatrical" he said as he calmed down a bit now. "Now, question, where is our lovely Silver Wanderer?" he asks as Celeste thinks for a bit.


    "Need not worry immediately, for a start. She is in the hands of Ashwin at the cafe nearby, he told me before they went so I don''t turn every stone trying to find her if I woke up to not seeing her anywhere¡­" she said as he nodded. "Good man Ashwin, always could trust him...what of¡­¡± Kade wanted to ask her about Grear but¡­decided not to stress her even, even more as he shakes his head. ¡°N-Nevermind about that!¡± he adds as she nods with a soft smile. ¡°Well, I am¡­getting tired now from my long adventure of people, mysteries, and all that nonsense¡­best I go to sleep now, mom, good night!" he said as he left immediately.


    "Night, dear, and sweet dreams¡­" he left as quickly as he came in as she giggled once more. "Wonderland¡­he was always amazed with The Timeless City¡­good to know things are still well enough down there, I suppose¡­" she would lay back down on her bed as she grabs ahold of her pistol, taking the mag out and putting it on safety as she places them onto the desk next to her bed.


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    And so, the mind slumbers again, her consciousness leaving the waking world to return to her dreams. Of him.


    -


    "Silence¡­brings violence¡­" Silvia whispers before snapping out of it. "Huh¡­" she wonders, looking over to Ashwin. They seemed to be back in his office, and there was no longer a drink in her hand, instead she was laying down on a couch. And he seemed worried.


    "Oh, you''re awake now, friend, you passed out suddenly when we were in the cafe for¡­I think an hour? I just brought you back into the office. Are you okay?" he asks as she thinks for a moment.


    "Don''t¡­remember¡­I was¡­dreaming, I think¡­no¡­not dreaming¡­thinking¡­" was what she could mutter as he nodded. "You know¡­I never properly acknowledged your Knowledge, Silvia¡­all that I could assess is that you are quite difficult to hurt, eliminate, and hide¡­is there anything else in your head that is not obvious, anything you could indulge me in?" Ashwin asks, pulling out a notepad, scribbling details down already.


    "Anything else¡­¡±


    ''Anything else?'' a voice whispers in her head as she nods. ''Anything else, anything else¡­starry people. Me. Speak to you. That is anything else. Like others. Like brothers and sisters'' it spoke as she responded to Ashwin in the same pattern.


    "Starry people¡­like others. Like brother¡­" he says quietly as he writes it down, connecting pieces here and there together. "Just like Kade. He can hear them as well, Silvia, these ''starry people'' that whisper." he tells her as she tilts her head.


    "Kade¡­" a friendly name to her now, one she couldn¡¯t dare forget now. "Kade, Kade, Kade" she repeats to herself as Ashwin chuckles lightly. "Yes, Mr. Detective, Kade, dear, you seem quite open to him¡­but he is currently sleeping so I can''t bring him in unfortunately but mayhaps another time¡­" he scribbles again in the notebook.


    "Is that all that you know of, Silvia?"


    ''No'' the whisper responds in her head before she responds to Ashwin the same way. "No"


    ''Room in head''


    "Room¡­in¡­head, room in head" she points to her head as he nods.


    ''Room is safe, no monsters from outside can come in''


    "Room safe, monsters can''t come in"


    ''Room has a starry person. Me. When stressed, can return to Room''


    "Room has¡­someone¡­starry person who whispers¡­stress¡­return to room" she tries her best to repeat the whispers as Ashwin tries his best to translate, noting down all possibilities and circling what he is definitely confident in.


    "Well, ''starry person'', do you have a name?" Ashwin asks Silvia as she waits for an answer.


    ''Name. Don''t like names. But names are helpful¡­Pippy''


    "Pippy. It said Pippy is name¡­" she answers as he nods.


    "Well then, Pippy, can I ask what the purpose of this ''stress-free'' room is?" Ashwin would get a journal now. It was bigger and better to translate Silvia''s words when necessary. Ashwin would store the notepad into his purse as he waits for an answer, and so did Silvia.


    ''Complete Safety, nothing can hurt mind. Strategic Planning. Room has books and films of memories of the now and the past to help think. Time Slow or Brain Fast, Silvia can think of escape and solutions in one second. One second in head is 30 minutes of thinking. Useful. Silvia uses room a lot, always forgets afterwards, simply acts on a planned instinct from herself and me. Room is perfection.''


    And so¡­Silvia copied every word, every pause and sentence in its entirety to Ashwin, who, in slight amazement, writes it down in the journal. "Silvia, you are¡­very, very peculiar, you know?" he adds, adding finishing touches as he spoke one more time.


    "Is that a-"


    ''Is all''


    "Is all"


    "At least let me finish first, Pippy" he laughs softly, closing the journal as he gets up. "Now, the both of you, watch this" he said as he cups his hands, shaking it a little bit before getting it closer to her face, opening up, showing what appears to be¡­a pretty tiny horse on his hand, a single, tiny neigh comes from it as Silvia''s eyes light up.


    "Horsey!" she said as he nodded. "Yes, my friend, a horse of my own, at any time, any time I require, at any size. That''s one of my secrets I reveal to you two as a thank you gift for the information. It helps me determine precautions of safety and all, you know? But it makes me wonder if Kade has a starry person friend¡­" he said, whispering at the end as he cups his hand, opening them once again to reveal the horse has disappeared.


    "But could I ask¡­what did you mean by ''Silence brings violence'', Silvia and Pippy"


    And so Silvia waits for an answer¡­yet nothing. "Pippy¡­didn''t answer. I¡­do not know" she answered, and she was being honest. "No answer from Pippy? How strange, they seemed quite content with answering everything else, but not this strange phrase? No matter. If you are feeling tired, you can continue to sleep, Silvia, I have small businesses to do. If not, do feel free to¡­do whatever it is you do in this building" he said, smiling at her as he walked over to his desk, placing the notepad and journal down on the table, sitting down behind it as he began to re-read everything over.


    Silvia took on his words, walking out the office after giving a small wave, which she received one back, before closing the door.


    "What do¡­you think of¡­uh¡­Ashy¡­no, no, Ashwin¡­"


    ''Good man. Trustful. No more questions. Thank you"


    "O-Oh¡­okay" she nodded, and then silence in her head.


    And she began to walk. Her footsteps echoed in the familiar halls as she looked into each door now, this time beginning from Ashwin''s office. It was the same as ever, colorful like Ashwin. And then Grear''s office gym, empty, left as it was, she swore she could see dust piling up on the exercise equipment.


    Kade''s office. A lot of the paper she has seen was now properly cleaned up and placed, albeit messily, on the desk. And there was Kade, napping away on the large bed, as one of his cats seemed to have joined him with his nap.


    "Cat nap¡­" she quietly whispered before giggling, continuing her snoopy journey as she arrives at Castle''s office. Same like all the others, but empty this time, with no one at the desk.


    "Trying to catch sight of me again, hm?" a deep voice spoke from behind her as she jumped, turning around immediately to see a tall person, their suit incited more business than detective work, and so was their sleek long hair, kept very straight and together as they tilt their head.


    "Silvia. No last name, child of a sinful man, now protected in this city by a bunch of unrelated ex-citizens from below¡­Castle Ling Yu, miss, might I ask why were you looking into each office?"


    "O-Oh, uh, I¡­uh¡­" she couldn''t think of an answer, Castle was very menacing in appearance and way of speaking, they stood well over her as they tilted their head slightly. "Oh, am I making you nervous, dear? Forgive me, that was not my intention" they would place a hand on her head and do a little pat.


    "I-I was just being¡­curious¡­mister" she was able to say as Castle nodded. "Curiosity. Always apparent in children of all ages, in all situations¡­why not come in?" he would open the door as he gets in first.


    Silvia was nervous at first, her eyes wandering between the office and Celeste''s room, but with a small deep breath, she would enter his office. She can trust these people, Celeste told her so, and so did Kade¡­and Ashwin¡­and like practically everyone else in the building, sometimes it even feels like the cats do as well.


    She would close the door gently behind him, looking around, seeing details she hadn''t noticed at first. There were tons of frames with photos on a wall, small text occupied under them. Castle notices her looking around as they chuckle slightly.


    "Old photos from my days in the city, under the facade of ''sets''. Kade believes it, but I am sure you already find some of them taken in familiar locations." they would point to one, which was a picture of a much younger Castle and a girl with reddish, curly hair. They were holding a small plaque, the text on it too small to read from where the picture was taken. They stood in front of a small building.


    "Theater acting in highschool, but not really, it is more like when Celeste and I were first starting a little photography business at first, she always had a love for it, and I helped her with the boring stuff, you know?" they said, now pointing to another picture, containing a picture of them playing with a small kid. Castle was older in the picture, the small boy had curly black hair, and a large smile on his expression. Castle was silent on that one, as Silvia read the text under the frame. "Little¡­brother?" she read it out loud, the field was not familiar to her. Green grass, bright sky, and a big city in the background farther away.


    "I prefer not to explain that one, miss. Private stuff, for now" they said as she nodded. "O-Oh, okay¡­what about that one?" she points to one, another picture of Castle but from behind, someone took it for them, whether they knew then or didn''t. In front of Castle was a vast piece of land, and what appeared to be remnants of a town, being built in the moment. The text under the frame said: "First Place Winning Photoshop."


    "Hah, I remember that¡­I am an old individual, Silvia, compared to the time above ground anyways¡­when our ''artificial safety towns'' were being made for emergencies¡­I do not know whether to feel glad they are put to use, or feel¡­saddened that they are being put to use¡­" Castle explained as they started up a personal coffee machine.


    "Who took the photo?" she asked them as they made their coffee. "Kade''s father, John, was a good friend, and a great father. And then, it happened so suddenly. One of the trains Kade''s mother and father were on was rigged with magic explosives, and the moment it explodes, Celeste was free of death, suddenly outside, still clutching onto her stomach of an unborn Kade, but John? He sacrificed himself to save as many people as possible. He was powerful, he had Time Knowledge, he could stop and change the present for only¡­I think a few seconds, I don''t remember exactly, but I know It was enough to save 10 people, including his wife, but not himself, as he tried to get the explosive away from everyone. Mangled and burned beyond recognition, is how they found his body. It was quite a sad day¡­" Castle explained it all, even having finished making their coffee and already taking sips.


    And then, Pippy came along again in her head.


    ''Kade. Alive.''


    "Kade¡­alive?" she whispers under her breath as Castle tilts their head. "Did you say something, Silvia?"


    "U-Uh, no, m-mister" she said as they chuckled a little. "Oh, please, just call me Castle, dear" they would nod, putting the cup of coffee down near the desk as they sigh. "Best I work on money stuff again, you may take your leave, my curiosity, and hopefully yours, is filled. But do feel free to visit whenever, though, it gets quite quiet nowadays, mkay?" they said as Silvia nodded with a tiny smile. "Y-Yes, Castle¡­" she would bow as she turned around, the sounds of the strange click-clack machine already started to fill the room as Silvia quietly left, closing the door before sighing.


    ''Truth. Not all'' Pippy whispers as Silvia tilts her head. "What do you mean?" she asks herself out loud as she can feel the energy of a figure shaking its head. ''Person. Not give it all. Something hidden. Pippy Knew Kade since he was young.'' it said as she just shrugged. "Silvia is tired. Silvia will sleep now. Silvia says goodnight" she said, copying the voice''s speech as she can hear a small groan from it before silence.


    Silvia begins her way towards Kade''s office, wanting to sleep with him as she quietly opens the door, peeking her head in as she hears the soft, quiet snore of a tired man. After sneaking in and closing the door quietly, she would walk on the tip of her toes to his bed, removing her shoes and laying them by the bed next to his shoes before climbing in. She notices the cat was awake, but it would simply look at her before giving a small wink.


    "Everyone really meant that everyone else in this building is in the know except Kade¡­Hiss, right?" she whispers under her breath as the white cat nods, returning to slumber after leaving space for Silvia, which she gladly takes as she snuggles next to Kade. "Nighty, mister¡­and Hiss" she whispers as her eyes slowly close, the thoughts in her mind slow down as the world quiets down around her.


    Silence. Perfect silence. Once again.

 Chapter 10 + Different Eyes 2 - And When She Cried & Theros Checkmate

    Chapter 10 - And When She Cried


    The broken city groans. Deep winds pierce through the windows of broken homes and dreams, through the many machines that wander the foul streets of The Timeless City.


    She finds herself dreaming that endless dream, but is it really a dream? Or a vision?


    Near Lake Child Park, she stood on the street, alone, afraid, the very wind would pierce her skin and freeze her bones as a living machine stood in front of her.


    Humanoid. Metal. Violent. He stood there, watching her, judging her, every movement she might do would kill her on the spot. He knew that. She knew that. And yet nothing. Nothing for an entire hour, just standing still and not moving a muscle.


    And so he began to move. Slowly at first, and then rapidly, he started to run on all fours, he was no humanoid, he was an animal, a monster, a machine.


    And he plunges at her.


    And she wakes up.


    The city dreams of riches and spoils. The dark sky gave no light, neither did the city except the occasional street lamps. She had woken up. How long was she sleeping? Did she sleep at all? Not even the cat was awake. It was just her. Her and¡­the figure in the corner.


    It was childlike. Small figure, black silhouette, bright yellow eyes. They stare into hers, and give off¡­familiarity. Of course. Who else could it be?


    "P-Pippy?" Silvia whispered as the silhouette nodded, slowly approaching as what light that shone from the streets revealed her form. She was like a manifestation of space, and her eyes were not eyes but two bright burning yellow stars. She was a star herself.


    "Yes. Pippy is me. I watch you. Watch Kade. When sleep, is vulnerable." she explained in her usual tone of voice as Silvia slowly nodded, getting up from the bed as quietly and slowly as possible as she slowly approached the figure, who backed up a little.


    "Pippy saw dream. Nightmare machine. Tailor. Attack. Bad dream."


    Silvia just nods. The city was quiet. Everything was quiet tonight.


    "Pippy¡­what is Castle¡­hiding?" she asks, approaching her again as Pippy backs up. "Pippy unable to answer. Question is too direct."


    "P-Pippy, if this helps mister with his investigation, you s-should tell me¡­"


    "Pippy not allowed. Stars won''t allow. No more questions. Sleep"


    "Pippy¡­please¡­what were they hiding from him?"


    Silence. Defenseless silence as the young star sighs in defeat. "Fine. Pippy answer. Castle. They hide facts. Fact is of Kade. Kade was al-" and immediately, another figure came out of the shadowed corner, hugging Pippy from behind with a hand over her mouth. "Shhh¡­only The Wrong Man may know. Only The Wrong Man can learn. Silence, young star¡­"


    The figure was just like Pippy. An adult made of stars, with bright blue stars for eyes as he looks at Silvia. "Only Good Men can guide The Wrong Man. Let him discover the old again. Silence, Silver Wanderer¡­." and just like that, he disappears into starry dust that fades away as Pippy shrugs. "The stars give their answer. Pippy no help with secrets¡­Pippy sorry" and so she disappears as well into starry dust. And then the dust fades away.


    "Only¡­Good Men?" She kinda just stood there for a minute or so, confused, what did they mean? What secret was the agency hiding from Kade? Her thought bubble popped when she heard the bed moving a bit, looking back to see Kade waking up a little, looking over to Silvia. "Silvia, dear¡­" a quick yawn as he sits up, tired eyes so full of wonder still. "Why are you awake? Was it the streets? I know, it is a lot busier up here at night¡­" he said with a small chuckle.


    Silvia shakes her head at first, she wanted to tell him about the star people, yet silence was brought onto her mouth before she nodded. "I¡­heard the noise of machinery but it was just the¡­the, uh¡­cars! It was just the cars" a believable half truth, she had mistaken the sounds of cars and other machinery for the Living Machines , but of course she lied as well, she was used to the cars already now thanks to Pippy¡¯s words of comfort last night.


    "Ah, those, yeah it''s just a couple cars driving by now and then. Frankly, I find them calming, but maybe I am just used to ''city life'' as some people may say¡­" another chuckle as he sighs.


    "Mister¡­er¡­Kade¡­can I ask a question?" Silvia asked, it was sudden, she didn''t know why yet she felt¡­like she had to ask. "Ask away, Silvia, my ears are hopefully open" he pats the open spot on the bed next to him as she nods, coming over and sitting beside him.


    "If only¡­people with high enough Knowledge can pass through the access points¡­like the l-lakes and elevators and stuff¡­what Knowledge do you possess?" she asks. Kade tilts his head, closing his eyes as he thinks for a while. "Well¡­you aren''t wrong, I must have even a little something to be able to pass through¡­but I don''t have a clue¡­except¡­let me tell you about myself proper, dear, maybe it''ll put you to sleep, heh" he clears his throat a bit as he looks out the window.


    "I don''t really remember my early childhood, only Castle and mother can tell me what it was. We were born and raised in this city, my father died to¡­something no one would tell me about, but he saved my mother and inevitably me when I was still in the womb. And¡­uh¡­things happened I guess. I aced schoolwork so easily so I had so much time to imagine, so I imagined about a Wonderland, a city of¡­creatures and fictions¡­" slowly, a small idea forms into his head.


    "You know¡­when I perceived that Smoke Picture or whatever Molly called it¡­the city had such a familiarity to it¡­like I was there¡­but¡­I wasn''t? I swore I remember being told about me just dreaming and imagining a world like that, almost ordinary, just filled with magic and other intelligent species and all that nonsense¡­"


    Silvia wanted to help, but¡­she again feels that tight grip on her consciousness, preventing her from helping him. But why? Why do the stars not allow her? So as an alternative, she speaks up.


    "W-We can talk about that another time¡­so what about your¡­Knowledge?"


    "Ah, of course, forgive me, as for what I think of my Knowledge¡­well¡­for almost my whole life, I''ve been having strange hallucinations and hearing strange voices that knew more than me¡­but¡­it makes more sense now as a Knowledge, doesn''t it? The blue string that you and only you can see, and whispers of stars¡­yet they never spoke to me as much¡­it was only yesterday that I heard them speak much longer sentences for the first time in a long time, when it told me about the those trio of youths that spied on us¡­or when it told to look to place, but it has been quiet lately now. And¡­the string, the blue string you can see and yet not even Sugar can see is strange¡­and it keeps appearing when I think about you hard enough¡­like now" he closes his eyes as the name ''Silvia'' echoes in his head again, and when he opens it, there it was, the blue string of unknown material, propping from his right index finger to her left index finger. ¡°I always saw it, and I always followed it, and it always lead me to places, to someone¡­¡±


    Silvia lifts her hand to watch it stretch and dangle. "Maybe this is a Knowledge or part of it¡­to find the lost¡­hm¡­what if I¡­" he thinks hard again, yet the string hasn''t changed. "Deduction is a great skill to have¡­to find those who I''ve lost¡­those I''ve interacted with maybe? Touched? No, not touch, I was thinking about a nurse who gave me medication before, touched her hand slightly yet nothing¡­as for the voices?"


    He knocks on the side of his head gently. "Hey! Anyone in there?" but no answer. "Sucks for them, missing the opportunity to talk with the splendorous me, oh how foul"


    And she can feel that grip loosening.


    "I¡­also hear stars in my head¡­whispering¡­but this star is¡­more talkative¡­" Silvia said as Kade smiles brightly.


    "Hah! It is like the stars gave us a fate to meet! But why? Of course I know why¡­okay, I don''t actually BUT I am reliable so I like to think it is that!" he pats her on the head as he sighs. "This is quite exciting to me, all this life thinking about¡­the fiction, the unnatural, those cryptic myths and stories, real! I always believed that, Silvia, that those dreams were real, and god damnit, I''m gonna make sure it stays real when we deal with that clock tower guy and¡­and save people! God, I am too full of spirit to rest¡­but it is way too late to have these kinds of speeches, but it is never too late to give a promise!" He looks at her with fire in those ocean blue eyes.


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    "One day, Silvia, you''ll be walking in those towns and that Time Loss City, without fear in your heart or the heart of others! And you''ll be smiling! I promise that! This rising detective ain''t stopping till that city is safe for you!" another grandiose little speech as he laughs quite a lot, quietly.


    And Silvia couldn''t help but giggle with him as she nods, small tears form in her eyes but she wipes them away. "I¡­thank you, Kade¡­" she said as he nodded with that silly smile.


    ''Always liked hearing your own voice, detective¡­and of others¡­'' the voice spoke in his head again as he smiled brighter.


    ''Well that¡¯s me! Kade Gears Wonder, you hear me? I am saving that damn city, and I am making it safe for our Silver Wanderer!'' he shouted to the stars in his head as he flops onto the bed.


    "Oh, there goes my energy, let''s get back to sleeping duties, Silvia, we have our own operation to do right now, after the Sleep Criminals!" he said, chuckling again as Silvia nods, flopping herself onto the best as well besides him as he pats her on the head one more time. "Blessed be your soul¡­" a small whisper as he closes his eyes, and so did she.


    The gentle embraces of people hug their minds, one a mirror, another a group, both with a purpose.


    And they slumber once more, Hiss opens her eyes slightly to look down at them before closing again, a small smile forms on her mouth as she whispers quietly to herself.


    "Bless your souls¡­"


    To See Through Different Eyes...


    The night passed slowly, too slowly, the streets were still quiet, and it even got darker as they worked from their office, finishing typing into a typewriter as they removed the freshly typed paper, reading it over again.


    "I miss you everyday but I promised her I would protect this place until it is time for Kade to learn¡­blah blah blah¡­same letter everyday but he never sends me one back, how tiring¡­"


    Castle sighed in their office as they stood up, folding the paper neatly, putting it into a letter they set aside before just taping the front.


    "Oh Celeste, how much longer do you have to hold onto it? It is getting tiring not being able to do anything magical!" they said as they put the letter away into a cabinet, and then as they did, they would suddenly sense a very magical presence in their room as they turned around, hand pointed as a spear manifested, the very tip right at the neck of a¡­very small individual. She looked just like Silvia, but made of stars, and her bright yellow star eyes stared at them as they sigh.


    "Silvia, dear, you scared the stars out of me, please don''t do that next time¡­" the spear disappears into a black dust as ''Silvia'' shakes her head.


    "Not Silvia! Am mirror of Silvia! No confuse me, now tell Pippy everything! All secrets, no hidden!" the small Starry Child said, very demanding towards Castle as they sighed again.


    "So you are the second figure I felt from Silvia. I found it strange she had enough Knowledge for two entire people but I see she has a guardian of some sorts¡­well, ''Pippy'', I am not going to indulge your curiosity unlike her¡­maybe unless you beat me at a game of Thero''s Chess, hm?"


    "Thero''s Chess? What that, never heard, only normal chess."


    "A simple modification to the game, really, it is the same as chess but the right side of the boards act as if they continued to the other side, so a Bishop goes to the right, hits the side, and continues wherever they please, or until they hit a wall. How about it?"


    "Deal. No going back, Pippy will win" she said very confidently as Castle chuckled. They sit back down on their office chair, moving the typewriter away onto another table as they grab a rather spectral looking chess board, it was a very mythical and magical design¡­and has actual magic that allows one to move the pieces with just a command, and of course, the blue and red spaces on the right side transport pieces, if they please, to the left side, on the green and yellow spaces.


    Castle manifests a badge in their hand as they use it like a coin, it had a King piece on one side and a Rook piece on the other as they flip it. It lands King up as Castle nods, setting up the black pieces on their side, while setting up the white pieces on her side. Pippy would sit down at the desk on the other side, although there was nothing to sit there, she floated as if she was sitting on a chair.


    And as Castle sits back down after prepping the pieces, they set down the final piece, an hourglass with silver sand.


    "Oh, and¡­typically in The World Below, we play with the Scholar Sand. The more time you spent thinking, the more time I get, so I could make quick and risky moves to time you out, or make it fair and take my time¡­it is about 5 minute worth of time on both side" they would point to a button on the hourglass''s top, showing a button as Pippy nods, pressing it as the top sand began to fall as she didn''t think too much.


    "Pawn E2 to E4" she commanded as the board did as she asked, moving the pawn for her as the hourglass spins automatically for her as Castle thinks.


    "So, who are you, Pippy? Pawn E7 to E5" their pan moves accordingly.


    "Starry Person. For Silvia. Help her. Who you? Bishop F1 to C4" and so the bishop moved accordingly.


    "Castle Ling Yu, just an amateur photography student turned into a glorified assistant and detective. Knight G8 to F6"


    "Why hide secrets from Wrong Man and Silvia? Pawn C2 to C3¡±


    ¡°Because that is what Celeste told us. No one else but me knows the why, but even I myself do not know the true why. Sometimes I wonder if I really know the mind of Celeste Vuur. Queen D8 to E7¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Silence brings violence. Putting Wrong Man and Silvia in trouble. Knight G1 to H3¡±


    ¡°And pray tell me, what kind of trouble?¡± Knight B8 to C6¡±


    ¡°Of-¡±


    Another hand covers her mouth, that Starry Man again, covering her secrets as he whispers. ¡°Queen D1 to F3¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­you again¡­a bit unfair to go against 2 people now but¡­how about you speak to me, hm? Why do YOU keep secrets? Pawn D7 to D6¡±


    ¡°Because all is determined, detective¡± they said, the voice was deeper at first before a higher pitch one came by to replace it, with a much more different way of speaking. ¡°Because that¡¯s the way of it, Castle. We are strictly forbidden from any and all interactions with our Sire, which includes all other such Stars like the little Mirror. Pawn D2 to D3¡±


    ¡°Bearers of fate, I see, and I would assume this very situation is part of this ¡®future¡¯? Knight F6 to G4¡±


    Pippy would remove the hand as she got up on this ¡®invisible¡¯ chair she sat on as she turned around to face the star eyed adult. ¡°It not have to be this way! Why make suffer!? Follow fate!? Bad people, bad people! Queen F3 to G4!¡±


    ¡°Because it will ruin everything, little Mirror. We do as we must, and so do you. To be the little Mistress¡¯s little Mirror, to be herself¡±


    Castle would let them keep going as they whispered, ¡°Bishop C8 to G3 takes Queen¡± and it moves, appearing onto the spot of where the White Queen was as it dissipates, on the side of the board, a small counter kept check of taken parts.


    ¡°But WHY!¡± Pippy was very visibly infuriated. She wanted both Silvia and Kade to know everything, but the starry adult refused to give up anything. ¡°Why keep secrets! Put them in danger! Why, why, why! Bishop C1 to G5!¡± her once yellow star eyes turn bright red as the starry adult could only shrug. ¡°Unknown factor¡±


    ¡°Knight C6 to A5¡± Castle said, the timer on the hourglass stayed about the same, they played quick but both clearly had thought, even if it is muddled by a child-like mind as well.


    ¡°Seems like even fate spinners have their issues with each other?¡± Castle asked as the starry adult did a visible sigh. ¡°Each one has a version of what they want to tell. Of their history. To guide the stars. Knight H3 to A5 takes Knight¡± the knight moves 2 steps above itself before it moves right, going through some ¡®portal¡¯ onto the left side, taking a knight.


    ¡°A version of history to tell. One wants to indulge all secrets, the other stays in the shadow, whispering words of fate, is that correct? Queen E7 to G5 takes Bishop¡±


    ¡°You are correcto, detective~!¡±


    Pippy¡­stayed quiet as she sat back down, her bright red star eyes now turned into a moody blue as she whispered. ¡°Pawn B2 to B4¡­¡±


    ¡°Queen G5 to C1 Check¡± Castle said immediately as they sighed.


    ¡°Bad people, bad people¡­¡± Pippy whispered, seemingly close to crying as Castle reached out to pat her on the head, but the starry adult already did it first as he whispered. ¡°King E1 to G1 Castling. Such is the weight of it. To watch those you unconditionally love go through events you have foretold. Have faith in them, Mirror¡±


    ¡°Queen C1 to D4. I can imagine why, do you think I take pleasure in this, Pippy? To watch the child of my bestest friend have to solve his own mystery? I do not. But Celeste wishes so. And I will respect her wishes.¡±


    ¡°Horse A5 to B7 takes Pawn¡­¡± Pippy didn¡¯t answer, she simply kept playing, the starry adult watched her as Castle continued.


    ¡°King E8 to C8, Castling. I do hope you understand me as much as I understand your friend here, Pippy¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­just want them safe¡­and happy¡­¡± she said as the starry adult comforted her with a hug, his own blue star eyes turning moodier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡± Castle said as the starry adult disappears into stardust.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we¡­all¡­¡± she whispered before she too disappeared into stardust, ending their game prematurely as Castle sighs, pressing the button again on the Scholar Sand Hourglass, the sand balances itself to 5 minutes at the top and bottom again as Castle gets up, waving their hand a bit as the board fixes and puts itself away with the hourglass as they grab their coat, putting it on as they went to the door, grabbing their keys off the wall as they leave the office, whispering to themselves.


    ¡°Checkmate¡±

 Chapter 11 - Lake Town

    The old elevator shakes as it lowers down into the familiar town of Polar Growth, and on it, a determined Kade, ready to fulfill his promise to Silvia. As the elevator arrives at the green grass, he steps off, beginning to walk to the town, and so far, he is listening to the jumbled whispers of the stars, they speak about something yet he could not understand, simply moving forward into the town.


    Very few greeted him on the way, some having heard from one or another as he greets back with a smile fitting his mood as he steps into the cafe, passing by one of the employees who simply nods. The cafe was currently only run by the many employees, likely Alexander and Jafk are waiting for him in their break room. Once he gets to the room, he opens the door, spotting a sleeping Jafk and a bored Alexander as he spots Kade.


    "Almost on time, maybe a few minutes earlier, hm?" he said with a small chuckle as Kade nodded. "Time is a confusing thing between our worlds, best I be early" Kade responded as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him and sitting down by one of the tables.


    "What is¡­this ''Lake Town'' we''ll be going to like, Alexander?" Kade asks as he sighs.


    "Uh, let''s see¡­so it is another of the artificial towns, the other two are Morning Town and¡­another I prefer not to mention. Lake Town is always night, thanks to tech stuff, and is covered completely in a forest full of life, both natural and man-made. Well, man-made as in made by us that wasn''t present in nature. Doesn''t have too many people but it lives on and protects the town from outside threats¡­so to hear that Living Machines have successfully penetrated the forest and directly going to the forest guardian is concerning¡­oh but I am sure you are curious about the¡­uh, Lake Children? At least, I might have some things you don¡¯t know"


    Kade chuckles and nods. "Okay maybe you are a good guesser like me, but not as good, continue"


    "Of course. Lake Children, we are theorizing that they are children born in strange circumstances, blessed by the stars and are¡­special in some way to them. For reasons beyond us, we suspect our Timeless Schmuck wants them all¡­we know these because of a messenger we have ourselves, but¡­I would like to keep them a secret, even from you. Sorry, detective" Alexander said, and he seemed truly haunted as Kade nodded.


    "Need not go further, sir, I understand¡­now, more about our Lake Guard child?"


    "Ah, yes, uh, so Sprei Uok is suspected to be one of the Lake Children, he is one of few Tree Walkers¡­I say few but it is more appropriate to say he is the only Tree Walker. All of them have left so long ago, yet he is here, we do not know how he was born, how he came to be, and how he is quite powerful for a kid, but the Living Machines want him, and that is probably enough confirmation for us. Oh, and, Tree Walkers are simply humanoid living trees, to answer that '''' Alexander explained as Jafk would slowly begin to awaken, but Kade continues.


    "I suspect as much¡­so! It shouldn''t be too hard, find out where the machines penetrated the forest''s protection, lock it up better this time, and eliminate any other machines?" he suggests to Alexander.


    "Probably easy as it sounds, reinforcing our forest should help a lot, just need to ask for some android assistants from Morning Town and we help the forest and town in what ways we can!" as the two spoke, Jafk finally woke up fully as he rubs his eye sockets with his creepily long fingers. "O-Oh, Mr. Kade is here¡­h-hello, sir" he said with a small nod as Kade nodded back.


    "Morning, Jafk¡­or is it evening? I can''t tell at all, BUT we are all here now, hm? And now we are to head to Lake Town soon¡­how do we get there again? Don''t tell me we have to travel in the city again, I had enough of that¡­" Kade said defeatingly as Alexander shakes his head with a smile.


    "Need not worry about that again, there''s like only 2 elevators and one of them bring people to Polar Growth Town, the other to¡­somewhere else, so to access the other towns¡­well, it''s by a tunnel we dug to all the towns. Almost all of them are kind of abandoned and broken down by now since the incident at the undisclosed town I won¡¯t be mentioning, but not the one towards the entrance of Lake Town. It is south from here, looks like a sewer with running water, but the water is very clean and comes from Lake Town, it is how we mostly get a lot of water for things" He explains as Kade nods.


    "I see¡­then what are we waiting for? I got my gun, ¡®my¡¯ dagger, and my wits, I am ready¡­for the mental and detective stuff anyways, I trust you two would do well in the physical stuff?" he said as both nod, all 3 eventually getting up as they leave the break room.


    As they leave with their own bags of stuff, Alexander stays behind a little, doing a small hand gesture towards the golden eye employee. "Lisa! Molly will be the only other here to help with the social stuff, alright? I got business in Lake Town"


    Lisa does a small salute at Alexander as he nods with a faint smile, patting her on the head and leaving the cafe. "The cafe will probably fine, at worst, Lisa meltdowns from ''going against her code'' or something" he comments as Kade shrugs. "Sounds like it happens a lot"


    "Hah, like you wouldn''t believe the amount" he said with a laugh, Jafk chuckled along as they began walking towards the tunnel''s entrance.


    Soon enough, after getting out of town and walking through the green meadow by the little river, they arrived at the tunnel. It was¡­really dark inside, light didn''t reach the end as winds echo from inside, crystal clear water pouring out into a river that headed towards an artificial lake.


    "So this was one of many tunnels¡­now there is only 1 safe one, hm?" Kade asks as he stares down the tunnel.


    "You got it right, Kade. Now come on, the librarians wait for us, best not leave a lady and sir impatient~" Alexander answered. He takes the lead for the trio, holding a hand out as sparks fly out before forming a small yet bright flame.


    And then came the journey. Endless metal stretching onwards, yet the walk was just like walking home from the park. Water sloshes beneath their feet as the wind grows louder. Many times, they walked past blocked entrances. Fallen rocks, metal, and other materials blocked them, on purpose, the only change in directions was the linear path they followed, the water began to get a little taller as eventually¡­a light at the end of the tunnel! But without the dying part of seeing it.


    The wind has calmed down, replaced by the sounds of the forest. Birds chirped, animals walked, soon enough running off from the little river from their sloshed steps as Alexander extinguishes the fire in his hand.


    And the sounds could not prepare Kade for what he was about to see. It was a forest, a thick, deep forest, and this was artificial? All of it? Some creatures watched the trio emerge from the pipe, which was covered in vines and plantlife, practically part of nature itself.


    It was the first time he has ever seen a real forest with his own eyes. And he was amazed.


    "Welcome to Lake Town, Kade¡­we aren''t exactly at the town part yet but this is part of it somewhat¡­Lake Town was always bigger anyways"


    "A-And with it¡­so many spirits¡­" to Alexander and Kade, it was a beautiful, lush forest. But to Jafk, it was a wonderland of life and death. He raises his hands as blue water sprays out quickly, revealing the wonderland of floating creatures, carnivores and herbivores together like friends in death, but only for a moment before the water fades.


    "And you just had to show it off a little, aye Jafk?" Alexander teased him as Jafk looks away with a blush¡­well, as far as Kade could tell.


    "O-Of course¡­" Jafk said, as he puts a hand out to nothing, likely a spirit as Kade shrugs. "If I am dreaming again, don''t wake me up again" he said jokingly as he stretched.


    "Right then, we have people to interact with, where''s the town part of the name?" Kade asks as Alexander points to a direction.


    "About down there, come on, Mr. J, we can play with the deer later" Alexander teased as he began walking forward of them, Kade followed, and shortly after Jafk after a few more pats for the ghost animal.


    And soon enough, there it was, a town, a very natural looking town. The buildings were entirely wooden and plant, the people were almost exclusively what you would see for a forest town in a magical world, like any sort of half animal like deer, centaurs, the like, and living mushrooms! Big, walking mushrooms with faces and limbs, cladded in heavy armor and armed with sharp weapons of wood, but he was not going to underestimate the forest''s bounty. Especially when they let Alexander and Jafk walk by, but not Kade, blocking his way with the wooden weapons.


    "He is with us, friends, do not worry" Alexander said as they took a moment to examine him before letting him through. Kade gives a small salute before walking by. ¡°Puff Soldiers, basic protectors from the Mimy Clan. Bunch of fun guys, I¡¯d say¡± Alexander said with a chuckle, Kade followed with a small groan of annoyance, and then a chuckle.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Wow¡­very, uh¡­natural?" Kade said as a sort of compliment to the town when he looked around. Alexander could only chuckle. "More natural than nature, I say" he responds before they continue on, walking up one of the much larger buildings in the town, wooden letters above the door make up the word ''Library''.


    "Penny and Denny, hm? What should I expect?" Kade asks.


    "Nothing much, Kade, just that they have a connection to each other''s thoughts, and that one of them is silent, the other, really talkative." Alexander told him as Kade nodded. ¡°How connected they must be.¡±


    ¡°Very connected¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a question¡±


    Alexander shrugs and opens the door fully for the other two, Jafk and Kade enter as Alexander follows behind, closing the door behind himself.


    ¡°Penny! Denny! We are here to help with the, uh, Living Machines issue going on!¡± Alexander shouted as Kade shushed him. ¡°This is a library, please, respect the silence¡± Kade whispered as he stepped forward, Alexander shrugs more as Jafk giggles. ¡°You¡¯re gonna break your arms like that¡± he whispered as Alexander sighs and chuckles quietly. ¡°As if they haven¡¯t for the millionth time¡±


    From one of the many tables, a head rose up, its eyes no longer glued to the open, red book. The head of an animal, wolf-like with goat horns out of the top, and wolf-like ears as she looks over to them, and then at Kade. And then, from behind her, a small, tiny serpent dragon rose as it looked over to them, and then¡­


    ¡°Huh!?¡± it shouted as Kade gave up immediately. ¡°Are you two Penny and Denny?¡± he asks as the wolf-headed girl nods. ¡°Yes, yes, that is us, librarians, the good kind, yes, hello, need something? Wait, let me remember¡­oh yeah! Machine stuff, yes, okay come over here¡± the dragon spoke as they did, sitting down by the table as the wolf girl continued to read.


    ¡°Well, would you look at this¡­another human with Knowledge, how much more will we be having, hm? Hm?¡± he asked Alexander as he chuckled. ¡°Probably more, depending on the living conditions. Lots of people want to find something new, the people up there, you know? But alas, this one wasn¡¯t accidental. Kade Wonder, a detective, came to help us when¡­¡± Alexander leans over to whisper to Denny ¡°when he found the Lake Child, Silvia¡± he said.


    ¡®WHA-¡± immediately Alexander¡¯s hand covers her mouth as he sighs.


    ¡°Shut it, damnit¡±


    ¡°Oops. What?¡± Denny whispered quieter this time.


    ¡°She escaped the tower, and then the city, brave girl, I say. Our Timeless Man has 1 less child now, which leaves him at zero as far as we know, and as such, in a great state to begin our plans, but we have to deal with your Machine problem so tell me, what is the issue and what can we do to help?¡± Alexander explains as Denny thinks a bit, wrapping himself around Alexander¡¯s red arm as he points his head to a direction.


    ¡°Let me be a guide, no one knows this library and forest better than I¡­well, except the Mimy Clan and the singular Tree Walker by the lake, but still! Me, yes, Penny, friend, will you be fine on your own?¡±


    Penny nods as Denny rests her head on Alexander¡¯s red arm. ¡°Yep, yep, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, time is of the essence!¡± Alexander stood up, followed by Kade, though Jafk stays seated.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll ask around the town about things¡­so I¡¯ll stay¡± Jafk said as Kade nods.


    ¡°Brave boy now, aren¡¯t we?¡± Alexander said as he pats the top of his head. ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll be back once we have location and view of the issue, be good, alright?¡±


    Jafk nods as Kade and Alexander continue on, leaving the library.


    He looks back over to Penny as he waves at her, or more like, behind her. The library was a bit empty, not much life, at least it appears so to the other two, but Jafk could see them quite well. Denizens of the dead roam the library, with them, copies of the living books, made dead for them, made by Penny.


    Who he waved at was a ghastly blue Tree Walker, a rotten looking one, dead from age, a creature of tall and thin wooden body, with orange flowers around the top of its head like a crown, and the final pieces: two hollow eye holes with yellow dots in the middle, and an open, hollow mouth. Jafk walks over to the shelf the Tree Walker was stationed at, doing a small bow out of respect. ¡°H-Hello, sir, madam or creature, m-might I ask a few questions¡­like¡­why follow us?¡±


    The wooden humanoid could only rumble and bark (like a tree) as Jafk nods. ¡°Ah, you wanted to help with the, uh, Lake Child, okay, um¡­¡± he pulls out a notepad from his bag and writes down everything. ¡°May I ask for your name?¡±


    More barks and rumbles as he nods. ¡°A pleasure to m-meet you, Ms. Baliva, I am Jafk Nickeel, and¡­well¡­anything helpful you have concerning our Lake Child here and the Living Machines would be very, very helpful..¡± he asks as she nods, pointing over to a quiet spot. And so both walk to it. Penny watches them go before continuing to read her book, uninterrupted now. Finally.


    -


    Kade and Alexander followed Denny¡¯s directions, going down an open forest trail before the two encountered a small camp. More Mimy Clan members, different looking ones from the big puffs he saw at the town¡¯s gate.


    Two small mushroom guards looked at the two, they had a strange hair or hat in the design of a Rounded Earthstar mushroom, and seeing Denny with them made them get out of the way as Alexander nodded, continuing on. Kade follows, looking all around, examining the different mushroom people around them.


    ¡°Could you¡­introduce me to them? Well, more like¡­just tell me their names and stuff?¡± Kade asks as Denny looks at him. ¡°Of course, of course, small guys you saw, Star Soldiers, role is scout and basic guards, guarding mostly taken by Puff Soldiers,¡± Denny then points the end of her tail to some big guys with big, white stringy beards, like a Lion¡¯s Mane mushroom. ¡°Lion Soldiers, very good, strong ones¡­beards are also tasty when they do self-care to maintain length and donate them as food, hehe¡­¡± Kade ignores the last comment and Denny points to 3 scary looking mushroom people, all at a table with what seems like¡­an elf lady with deer horns.


    ¡°The 3 leading commanders of the clan, oh! And Town Mayor. Scary, tall, and lengthy fellow with a very flat cap head that looks safer is leader, Angel, very toxic toxins, but she is friendly. Lengthy and thick red one with the single yellow eye and long red fingers is Devil, second commander, strange man but kind, can paralyze even Living Machines, and the small one with the rounded cap hat head, the one that looks like a Star Soldier and Angel mix, Cappy, very sneaky, and deadly with spewing gas, they like to be tricky and do pranks but good friend¡± Denny explained, finishing right as they arrive. They seemed a little busy talking about something.


    ¡°Our scouts have yet to find any indicators of an open wound in the forest to attack from, and we have yet to know their pattern of appearance, being only 2 days now since. I do not underestimate Sprei but these machines are tricky things¡­¡± Devil explained to the elf as she nodded.


    ¡°Mayhaps whatever they used to penetrate the tower¡¯s barrier is being used here too, and if we don¡¯t adapt quickly, every town is in danger¡­and every city. I would rather not have our fellow cities fall so we have to find a way quickly, any reports from Vincent or Jessie?¡± the elf spoke as Angel shakes her head.


    ¡°Vincent answered immediately, but he isn¡¯t much of an expert on the complexity of the Clock Tower, but he offered to send some androids to help¡­¡± Angel explained as Lisa scoffs, looking down at the desk. ¡°I would rather not have more¡­machines in our forest but we¡¯ll have no choice¡­and Jessie?¡±


    ¡°She¡­has yet to answer. She is still presumed missing since the attack, unfortunate considering she was the Clock Tower¡¯s previous caretaker before he and those Living Machines came, so our only expert on the tower is still lost to us¡­¡± Angel explains again as the elven lady sighs, looking up and finally seeing the 3 visitors.


    ¡°Ah¡­our helpers¡­Alexander, Denny, it is nice to see you again¡­and who¡¯s the boy?¡± She looks over to Kade as he smiles and does a bow.


    ¡°Kade Wonder, my fair lady, and who do I have the pleasure to meet?¡± he asks with such a gentle tone as Alexander hits him on the back of the head a bit. ¡°Not now.¡±


    ¡°Lisa Bonedrought of the 18 Seconds Council, are you this¡­detective I have been hearing about a day ago?¡±


    ¡°Why yes I am, only the best of¡­well, there¡¯s like only 4 other Private Investigating Agencies up there sooo the best of the 5, courtesy of Rook Agency!¡± he said so excitedly as Alexander shrugged once again. ¡°Just go along with him. Now then¡­what can you tell us to help us with this problem?¡±


    Lisa nods as she raises her hand. The trees behind her would bend unnaturally out of the way as a clear view of the lake was shown, and a small Tree Walker walking on the water gently, like he was scouting the area before the trees return to their natural state, blocking the view once more. ¡°As said, Living Machines have somehow invaded the forest. What little tech being used here is the same as what the Clock Tower had: an impenetrable barrier, set up by another member of 18 Seconds, Jessie. An expert android, but she has been missing some time now, and as such¡­we do not know how they penetrated these barriers. You may have felt maybe a tingle on your way here? Likely you passing the veil, it has been tuned to deny unknown entities with malicious intents, and with it, the largest data provided by Apollo CIty, of every single species and creature that do not have natural malice in them, and because Living Machines are practically new, they weren¡¯t supposed to be able to break through, but the fact they are breaking it not once but twice¡­is really concerning¡± Lisa explains, hints of sorrow show through her quiet, soft voice, before Angel continues for her.


    ¡°Without any useful information, we are in the dark. They want the Lake Children, the Timeless Man wants them, and that is all we know. Any Living Machine we have destroyed and captured has technology way beyond our expertise besides a few familiar old technology like radios and analog devices, and so we needed some more help from outside the forest¡­and that is where you 3 came in, though I see Jafk was left behind. Investigating?¡±


    ¡°Aye, wants to ask around the spirits, might find something useful¡± Alexander answers as Cappy nods.


    ¡°Of course, for very obvious reasons. For now, we watch carefully and wait patiently for the moment when it gets too much for Sprei, but for now, he is fine on his own¡± they say as Kade nods, thinking.


    ¡°My, my, quite a situation, though I don¡¯t doubt his abilities, it is worrying¡­¡± Kade said as he walked in circles to think more properly.


    ¡®Soldiers of metal, skin of stone, bones of wood. Dangerous. Ever so dangerous¡¯ echoes of voices spoke in his head as Kade looks around a bit, his eyes meeting with one of the Star Soldiers, although¡­his face looks very, very strange¡­sunken eyes with red dots, a stiff movement pattern for his head, and no mouth to be seen, a lot different from the other soldiers. Well, because it is different.


    ''This was no Star Soldier, was it?''

 Chapter 12 - Soldiers Of Death

    Out in the town, Jafk had spoken with every dead resident he could, following the ghastly Tree Walker, Ms. Baliva, as he wrote down everything he was told, shown, and given. And it was quite a lot, now he had to filter everything through.


    Jafk began to write down in a different medium, a larger notebook for concrete clues and helpful evidence as he whispers under his breath.


    ¡°Ms. Baliva was from a related family of Sprei Uok, the child of Lake Guard, an aunt who perished during an event she could only describe as ¡°rotting¡±. This happened during the fall of Tulip Town, so it is probably related to there. Few more dead creatures tell of a horrible sound from one of the abandoned pipes that leaks into the forest, maybe¡­this was a rot of some kind? Acid? Who knows. Am I correct, Baliva?¡± he asks as she nods, he continues to write and whisper.


    ¡°Other spirits tell of non Living Machines who work with the Timeless Man, though their only evidence is¡­word of mouth and a red ribbon that fell off someone 2 days before the Living Machines began to attack the forest, breaking through the self-same technology used during the end day of the Timeless City. Now this is a mystery¡­¡± he sighs before continuing.


    ¡°And my biggest clue right now is someone who claimed to have been a resident of Tulip Town, but it''s been long enough that their spiritual connection is deteriorating, and so they began to forget, and with no one but Penny and me to communicate with, likely never got the chance to speak¡­all they had to say was that Tulip Town is now a ¡®hive¡¯ for them. This surely will be helpful, maybe someone has a map of the pipelines, and we could determine the ones leading to Tulip Town, and determine it from there! I knew it was a good idea to stay¡± he gets really excited as he turns to Baliva, doing a bow with a smile that¡¯s somewhat cute. ¡°T-Thank you, miss, this will help us a lot!¡± he said as the Tree Walker nods, turning around and walking to the library as she slowly dissipates as Jafk grabs ahold of his excitement.


    ¡°Now then¡­where did they go anyways?¡±


    -


    ¡°Alexander. Does a Star Soldier usually have¡­like¡­no mouth? Sunken eyes with red dots? Really strange face?¡± Kade asks as he watches the soldier¡¯s stiff movement, it turns around to continue scouting as Alexander looks over to where he was looking. ¡°Good question, I don¡¯t know¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a genetic thing?¡± Kade suggests as Denny shakes her head. ¡°Usually they are all the same, maybe a few differences but¡­not like this. Someone should ask¡±


    ¡°I will¡± Angel spoke from behind them before walking forwards. Kade and Alexander stayed back as the thin figure bent down a bit to speak with the strange Star Soldier as it stiffly turned right back around to look at Angel, the red dots started glowing intensely as it began to¡­crack. Sounds of cracking echo inside of it as Angel sighs, turning back around as she raises her hand for a moment to the sky, and then letting it down as she walks back to them. ¡°Everything we¡¯ve said so far is basic information anyone can decipher, even disgusting machines. He waited for something new. And he won¡¯t get it, for himself and his master¡± and as the ¡®mushroom soldier¡¯ bursts to reveal tangles of metal wires and metal skin, a literal beam of light fires from far above onto the machine, practically destroying it on the spot as Kade and Alexander cover their faces from the bright light and white blood.


    As the beam dissipates, all that was left was a big patch of rotten grass and a burned, scrapped piece of Living Machine, no longer living, just useless scraps. She closes her eyes briefly before opening it back.


    ¡°No more spies, I hope¡± Angel said as the two went to investigate the burned scraps. ¡°Wow, the forest is bountiful for¡­orbital strike beams, by the stars¡­¡± Kade said as Angel giggles at that comment.


    ¡°The forest has everything if you look hard enough, friend.¡±


    ¡°Hope it has our clues then, what¡¯s your grand plan to find this leak¡± Kade asks as everyone circles by the table of planning. ¡°We do not know yet so for the time being, we will hang around the lake itself, and hope someone spots a machine entering the forest.¡±


    And as they continue to speak about flanks, possible weak points of the forest around the lake, and other such measures, Denny would lift her head up, her little ears wiggle a bit as she gently bites Alexander¡¯s arm a bit to get his attention, which it did as Alexander looks down, calling over Kade.


    ¡°My friend approaches with your friend¡± Denny says as Alexander nods, looking to where they initially came from, and sure enough, on timing, Penny and Jafk walk into the camp as the Gorgeous Boy looks around a bit. ¡°D-Don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever spot this on my own¡­¡± he said quietly as he walked over to the two. ¡°I-I have information now! The pipes, they are using a pipe directly connected with T-Tulip Town!¡± he said as Angel and the rest look over. ¡°The pipes? But we sealed all of them, every connection with Tulip Town has been severed? And there is still the natural barrier. I can understand the train but¡­now just on their own?¡± Devil said, a bit perplexed even.


    ¡°Well, they have to be, the spirits, especially one that was a very old civilian of Tulip Town said it was the pipes, and they are using some sort of ¡®rot¡¯ to destroy some parts of the barrier. It must be somewhere yet uncovered, maybe. Does anyone have a blueprint of the pipelines?¡± Jafk asks as Lisa speaks up.


    ¡°As far as I know, the only one to have a guaranteed blueprint would be the missing Jessie¡­but we have a gamble¡­Ria Allthoughts, Mayor of Polar Growth, she is¡­I guess you could say the leader of our group, so if someone could have blueprints, it¡¯d be her, but she is on a business trip up above¡­something about ¡®groceries¡¯ or whatever¡± she said as Kade sighs, and then a small thought¡­Kade raises his hands a bit and thinks long and hard¡­Ria Allthoughts, Ria Allthoughts, Ria¡­


    For reasons beyond him, the blue string has appeared, despite him never having met one Ria Allthoughts, but it looked disconnected. Probably too far away.


    ¡°I can find her. How much time do you think we have?¡± Kade asks as Lisa thinks for a moment.


    ¡°Think 3 days could do it?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully.¡± Kade turns around, signaling to Penny to lead him back to the pipe as she nods. ¡°This human lad will return with the blueprints then. I promise that¡± he said as he smiled, waving goodbye and following Penny as Alexander nodded. ¡°Brave detective, am I right?¡± he said to the others with a small tone of genuinity, some nod, some are unsure, but Alex was very sure of himself.


    As the camp left their sight, it was just silence between the two for a while as they walked. ¡°So¡­uh¡­um¡± his worst fears. Silence. Just silence. ¡°Read any¡­good books lately?¡± he asks Penny as she nods, continuing to walk. ¡°That¡¯s good to know¡­I don¡¯t think i¡¯ve read books for some time now¡­yeah¡­I much prefer experiencing the actions and mysteries myself, in person¡± he said as they continued on, soon reaching the town as they continue to walk through back to the gate from whence he came, down the forest road again.


    ¡°Is there¡­like a reason to be¡­silent? Trauma, self purpose, biological inability?¡± he asks out of curiosity as Penny turns around a bit to shrug, like she herself didn¡¯t know. ¡°Huh¡­guess that can be it too. Simply not knowing.¡± a small chuckle as soon enough, they finally reach the pipe entrance back to Polar Growth.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Drag, I¡¯ll return soon enough, and¡­probably have a good idea how to navigate this place myself now¡­uh. Have fun continuing to read!¡± Kade said, waving goodbye to her as she giggled oh so quietly, turning around and walking back to town. Kade watched for a moment before staring down the damp tunnel, sighing.


    ¡°Come on, Kade¡­for Silvia!¡± He began to walk down the large sewer pipe once more, and being a linear path, he didn¡¯t have to worry about getting lost¡­it was just the dark that was a problem. ¡°I should¡¯ve brought a flashlight, maybe I have one as some Knowledge, heh¡­¡± he began to think to himself in his head. ¡®Hey, you stars! Got any light?¡¯. And no one responded back. ¡°How disappointing¡­¡± he placed his hand on the surprisingly drier wall and used it as navigation so as to not bump into a turn. And it stayed like this for a good few minutes until he finally saw the light.


    ¡°Hope I didn¡¯t die¡± he said to himself to keep himself from boredom as he began to walk faster towards the light before popping out from the darkness into the familiar grass plains, and the familiar town in the distance. ¡°Good, looks the same¡± he continues to the town, passing by, but decides to visit the workshop first for his order.


    Going down the same alleyway to the dead end, he knocks on the wall. 1 knock, 2 seconds, and then twice in immediate succession, and then 3 seconds, and the final knock. The illusion falls apart as the door reveals itself, the lock clicks open as Kade turns the knob, pushing the door in as he enters the now familiar hallway, closing the door behind him as he walks down it to the other side.


    The sound of voices grew in volume as he got closer, just two of them this time as Kade grabs the knob of this door, doing a small knock before opening.


    "Hello, hello?" he calls out, noticing Bonny, the fairy shop owner he would expect, and another figure he did not recognize. ¡°Oh! Was I interrupting something?¡± The other person turned around to look at Kade, the man was draconic in nature, with 2 black curled goat-like horns and a green dragon head, similarly colored scales scattered around any naked skin, mostly being his arms, legs, and neck, with golden eyes and a cat iris. Taller than Kade too. How envious.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t, my good sir¡­¡± he spoke, his voice was a bit higher than one would expect, but it still had that growl you would expect for draconic folks, and behind him, a slow wagging dragon tail, green too, as expected.


    ¡°Ah, Kade, I wondered when you would return, but no, nothing important was happening, just friendly chatter between friends. Now most, even those not in the know, would know who this man is¡­could you, dear?¡± she asks, as the man nods, doing a small bow.


    ¡°Taylor York, sir, of 18 Seconds, and who do I have the fortune to meet?¡± he said. ¡®18 Seconds, huh, so he¡¯s part of the group with Lisa, Jessie, Vincent, and¡­Ria, that makes 5 of them, but why 18 Seconds, and why is that specific number familiar?¡¯ Kade wonders in his head for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Kade Wonder, a pleasure to meet you.¡± Kade introduced himself back as Taylor nodded. Kade would soon notice a small glint in his eyes before Taylor looked back to Bonny. ¡®I¡¯ve seen enough sad people over crimes to recognize that¡­wonder what happened?¡¯ he thought to himself once more as the two continued talking to each other. Kade decides to leave them be and explore the workshop once more, going back to the necklace with the hourglass and golden sand. He picks it up, examining the hourglass. ¡°The Hourless Glass¡­such a familiar name, yet it rings no bells or whistles¡­heh¡­whistles¡­choo choo¡± he shakes his head slightly to catch himself as he puts it back down. He¡¯d turn back around to see Bonny momentarily leave the room as he walks over to Taylor.


    ¡°So¡­18 Seconds, huh? Do you by chance know the whereabouts of Ria Allthoughts?¡± Kade asks as he looks over, shrugging.


    ¡°She never tells me where she goes ¡®shopping¡¯, just leaves with a few words told to me, which I soon relay to the others to keep them informed of her impromptu shopping.¡± Taylor answers as Kade sighs, asking back.


    ¡°The hell is she shopping for anyways?¡±


    ¡°Hell would I know. Maybe she searches for people to¡­get her nutrients all. She is a vampire after all¡± Taylor notices Bonny walking back into the room.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed, that makes a lot more sense¡­¡± Kade said quietly to himself and Taylor as he notices Bonny holding a box. ¡°Might I guess that the box is the¡­device you¡¯ve made?¡± Kade asks as Bonny nods.


    ¡°Hah, another point to my guessing game, I am a master, but not Master, that would be you¡±


    Bonny giggles as she hands him the box. ¡°Sugar already came by with payment, told me to leave a little message for you. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about paying back, consider it a business expense¡¯ is what she said¡± Bonny relays to him as he chuckles. ¡°Business expense? Guess it would be¡­may I?¡± Bonny nods as he opens the box. Inside was as he was told, a regular, golden metal monocle, the seeing glass was very clear, despite all the features it would apparently have as he puts it near his right eye.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good monocle, I can say that, how does this work?¡± Kade asks as Bonny thinks for a moment.


    ¡°Well, a lot of Knowledge is included, some few Knowledge Imbued books and such, and using my own, I¡¯ve fit all of what I promised into this thin monocle! And I even improved the switching system! It is no longer a voice activated, instead using a Mind Reading Knowledge, it can switch at a literal thought, try it now, try Magnification or Night Visionary¡± she explained to Kade as he nods, taking a small deep breath as he holds and lets go of the monocle, it automatically floats near his right eye, probably another Knowledge, as he thinks to himself¡­


    ¡®Magnification¡¯


    The monocle begins to vibrate softly as the glass slowly turns, a camera lens appears out of the glass as Kade would chuckle. ¡°Holy fuck, that¡¯s really cool, genuinely!¡± he thinks to himself again already, another single thought. ¡®200%¡¯. And it responds, zooming 200% as he looks at something that was far away, which would be one of the tinier gears on a table, and he sees it well.


    ¡®Night Vision!¡¯


    The monocle vibrates softly again as the camera lens melts into the clear glass before it becomes green, and then suddenly he gets blinded in the right eye as he takes it off. ¡°Fuck, I forgot, oh that hurts¡± he said, holding his eye, wincing a bit in pain as he sighs. ¡°Works very well, I like this, genuinely an engineering masterpiece, but must be just another gadget to you, huh?¡± Kade continues as Bonny nods, giggling a bit.


    ¡°Just one of many, dear~¡± she would pull out a small guide book, handing it over to him, the title read as ¡®The Golden Monocle: Features and Purposes¡¯ as he nodded, thinking of the thought ¡®Normal¡¯ as the monocle returns to what it was before before putting it by his right eye, it floats there once more.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Bonny¡­I feel as if this will be very, very useful in the near future¡± Kade said genuinely as Bonny nodded, looking back at Taylor. ¡°And how are things nowadays, my friend¡± as Taylor looks away, Kade noticed a single glint in his eyes before he couldn¡¯t see them, as he spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s been fine, Bonny¡­¡± he answered, yet something felt off¡­but it wasn¡¯t Kade¡¯s place to ask as he does a small bow. ¡°I shall be looking for Ria now. Uh¡­may your days be good?¡± he said to the two as Bonny nodded, a melancholic smile over at her friend as Kade walked over to the doors, but before that¡­


    ¡°I will solve these mysteries, Taylor, and I will protect these children from him¡± he said with a smile before leaving, closing the door behind him as he walked through the hallway back to the illusionary door¡­


    These people have stories to themselves. Kade wondered about 18 Seconds. How are they after the events of the Living Machines invasion above ground? What do they feel? Why are¡­they all¡­so familiar to Kade? They do not recognize him, but he does recognize them. Somewhat.


    As he reaches for the door, something simply¡­clicks for him. A question.


    ¡°Have¡­I been here before?¡±


    And as quickly as he pondered, he was interrupted by a voice behind him.


    ¡°Kade!¡±


    Turning around immediately, Kade would see¡­no one. Except he was no longer in the monotonous hallway, but a moving train cart. And it was empty.


    He immediately looks outside, seeing plains of green grass stretching beyond his vision as the train whistle blows, and when he looks back around the room, it was full of people. Humans, humanoids, mythical creatures and robotic dolls. And many more. It was busy, people talked with each other as he kept himself calm, but he couldn¡¯t. He just couldn¡¯t keep calm. For who sat in front of him on the seats he now sat at, but his mother.


    And his father.

 Chapter 13 - Trench Line 18

    ¡°Kade, dear¡­are you alright?¡± his mother asked, she seemed¡­the same, just younger, and a bit shorter, still having that curly, fluffy red hair, and piercing green eyes, and that same work suit she wears. A red dress shirt, white dress jacket, and white dress pants. Like she never changed.


    ¡°A-Ah, yes, I am fine, of course¡± he spoke, his own voice sounded unfamiliar, it was higher pitched, like a¡­child. For reasons beyond him, he hadn¡¯t noticed he had shrunk significantly, the size of a 5 year old, and missing all that belonged to him, instead wearing similarly fancy but comfortable wear, which was similar to his father. And he looked as much as he could¡­remember.


    Sleek, black hair, a little messy but there was no mistaking it. Blue eyes that could see through you, a fancy black suit he always wore to look his best. But Kade never remembered these details. Why does he know, what the hell is happening, is this an attack? Knowledge? He was clueless as his father spoke up, catching his immediate attention.


    ¡°Kade¡­if something is of the matter, you can tell us. Feeling homesick already? Or mayhaps the train rocking is getting to your stomach¡­¡± he said. His voice was as Celeste described to him. Cold. Expressionless. But not heartless. In fact, it was full of heart, genuine care. As he was described to him before.


    ¡°Oh, no no, I¡¯m f-fine, just a little nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°Unsurprising. We are on our way to meet a powerful set of groups who invited us for discussions of the future between our world down under and the world above.¡±


    ¡°John, love, Kade is only 5 years old, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d understand¡± Celeste said, a soft giggle. His mother felt wrong, she seemed different. Where were the crazy antics? The strange speech manners, the insanity of her suggestions and imagination?


    ¡°Well, I did at his age, so who knows,¡± John said with a deep chuckle of his own before another voice spoke to him, but it came from nowhere, except inside his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry. Impatient. Can''t wait anymore. Couldn¡¯t watch in silence anymore. Kade. Must know your truth. Your history. The Good Men will return soon. Listen. Witness. Remember.¡± the voice spoke, it was a strict speech pattern. No mention of the self, pausing after most sentences, or just singular words, and a very feminine, child¡¯s voice, but before he could ask back, it disappeared as Kade blinked, and then¡­he was back in the hallway. Like nothing had happened. He was at the door, his stuff was with him like they never left, and all he could think was one thing¡­


    Why did it sound like Silvia spoke to him?


    -


    For her, the sounds of the city always calmed her. Passing machinery, they remind her of him. Of her husband. Those endless gadgets and engines, made to help people. She always loved to listen to the soft gears turning, the tinkering¡­


    Celeste found herself daydreaming again as she stared out the window, sighing as she closed a journal she was writing in. She was in her office bedroom again, as always, as she sighs. Alone, in this room, she was as sad as anyone would be to lose their love. Even after years. And then, a knock at her door as the familiar crazy smile returned to her face, and with it, her voice. ¡°Yes, coming!¡± she stood up, looking at herself in the mirror, still wearing her pajamas since morning, not having changed yet, or anything at all. Silvia was still asleep as far as she knew, and everyone else was busy, so she saw no need for today. A vacation, she is her own boss afterall. Celeste would walk over to the door, opening it to see Lizzy as she tilted her head a bit to the side. ¡°Lizzy, dear, is something going on?¡± she asks as Lizzy nods.


    ¡°Ah, yes, there¡¯s someone at the front desk who asked you, a police officer girl, did you do something again?¡± Lizzy said with a mischievous smile as Celeste gasped dramatically.


    ¡°Lizzy! You wound me! I would do no such things again, I haven¡¯t since¡­uh, that thing, and when Kade started his investigation and since Silvia got here, so I have no clue why an officer is here¡­could you send them to my office? I¡¯ll happily indulge them¡± she asked as Lizzy nodded. ¡°Of course, Celeste¡± before turning around. Celeste would close the door as she sighs. ¡°Did¡­I do something again? No, impossible, I was almost only in the building this week, must be something else¡± And as she wondered, the door received another set of knocking as Celeste sat down on one of her chairs, pulling another for her sudden guest. ¡°The door is open, sweetie!¡± as it does open. A girl would walk through, she looked to be in her 20¡¯s as she closed the door behind her, doing an almost mechanical bow towards Celeste before coming over, sitting down on the provided seat. Celeste already knew what was going on but decided to, as she said, ¡®indulge them¡¯.


    ¡°Hello, officer, is something wrong, or has something happened?¡± Celeste asked as the officer¡¯s eyes dim a little at first before returning.


    ¡°Information from now on is private and to be kept between us. I cannot enforce this rule, only trust you, Celeste, so do as you will. I was sent by Vincent Loncehart of 18 Seconds as an enforcer agent for the protection of 1 Silvia, The Korpse of Lake Child. Do you recognize the reasoning and names?¡± she asked as Celeste scoffs a bit as she looks away out of the window. ¡°Of course I do¡­my husband was a part of why you androids exist now. But has Vincent maybe¡­not considered my emotions?¡± Celeste asked, she sounded a bit pissed now as the android officer shrugs. ¡°Answer: He knew. And he took the risk to send me. Do as you will. Deny me or accept me. Maybe destroy me. But I am here for the child and her protection. Your Shooting Stars will not work for long.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­do you have a name?¡± Celeste asks as the android stands up, doing a small salute. ¡°Assigned Code, Silvernail%Code%Blue~Identity#Police, nickname, Olivia, Android Type Null and 1. At your service¡±


    Celeste would think for a few moments as she sighs, still staring out the window. ¡°Do as you¡¯ve been told¡­but lay a hand on her for the purpose to hurt and you will find yourself a real korpse¡­¡± she said, that act of hers drops, her voice now bitter and uncaring, a complete difference to her usual self, but there is never a fault in more assistance¡­but why a constant reminder of her only love¡­of his love of these mechanical beings.


    ¡°Requests have been observed. The child will not suffer pain again. I swear upon it on my code, Ms. Steel¡± Olivia proclaims, a small salute as Celeste looks towards it, a very small smile formed on her face. ¡°I can¡¯t hate you for too long anyways¡­it¡¯s what he would¡¯ve wanted¡­¡± she said as she got up, walking towards the android and¡­giving it a hug. She did not know why. She simply knew she had to. And Olivia hugs back. And then she cried. She cried for minutes, holding onto the machine who could not understand why. And she couldn¡¯t stop.


    -


    The empty streets of the city always creeped her, what was once beautiful, timeless architecture now broken down, rusted and rotted like nothing. But she had a purpose up here.


    Sugar would sneak around the streets of The Timeless City, her body as cold as winter as she traveled, avoiding some of more known paths some of the normal Living Machines patrol on, but the dangerous ones would be the 3 Living Angels, who have no such path, only objectives, so she kept herself to the shadows, to prolong her stay on the surface before Gorge spots her eventually through other means.


    ¡°Come on, where are you, damnit¡­¡±


    Sugar was looking for a specific old machine in the city, one of the towns needed some specific parts from it that aren''t being produced, and it''s proving more and more difficult as more of them get scrapped up. And finally, some hope.


    An unoccupied workshop that looked well left alone as she approaches it, opening the door as she gets in, closing it behind her before looking around the workshop.


    But it was no longer a workshop now. A familiar train cart was where she was now. People sat and talked to each other, but none of them had faces, just blanks.


    "No. No no no no!" She quickly tried to open the door she came from but there was no door, only thick windows in the shape of doors, and from what she could see on the other side were endless carts, no sign of the engine car, and what appeared to be¡­a Living Angel rapidly approaching through each window. Tailor. And he was fast.


    Sugar immediately turned around, seeing the other side of the train cart had doors as she quickly went through it, only appearing back in the same cart, with the same faceless people as whispers began infecting her thoughts. Soft words spoken by deep voices. A single sentence.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ''You did this''


    Sugar kept running through each door, but no matter how many she ran through, she kept ending up in the same damn train cart, with the same faceless people who now ''watched'' as Tailor only kept getting closer and closer no matter how hard she ran. She began to use her Knowledge, opening and closing doors with the winds, but it proved to be fruitless, as Tailor was one cart away from her, and he stopped in his path. Staring at Sugar as she backed up to the door, trying to open it, but it was a mirror instead as Tailor walks through the window door, still staring, as do the faceless people, as Sugar could only watch in fear. And before she could react¡­she falls. A hole in her chest as Tailor''s arm pulls back. And they were at the workshop.


    "Sally has been eliminated. Awaiting commands, sir" he spoke deeply as a voice echoes in the room, for Sugar to hear in her final moments.


    "Return to watch duty. The Living Failure shall reward you later¡­" the voice spoke as he left the workshop, closing the door behind him as Sugar sat there. Alone. Bleeding. As all she had was a single sigh. And a few choice words.


    "Fuck you too¡­"


    And as fast as one could blink, her body turns to ash.


    -


    The room lights blinked in Kade''s room, waking up Silvia as she slowly got up, opening her eyes only to be slightly startled by the familiar yellow stars staring back at her as she got up, sighing once she realized it was only Pippy.


    "P-Pippy¡­" she said softly as Pippy nodded, looking out the window, it was still day time as she looked back at her. "Morning. Good sleep? Bad sleep?" Pippy asks as Silvia nods. "I had¡­a good sleep¡­" she said as she yawned, Pippy nodded as she looked back outside.


    "I¡­had a dream¡­about Kade¡­I saw him on a train and stuff¡­but I woke up before it finished¡­" she said as Pippy shakes her head.


    "Not a dream." Pippy answered as Silvia tilted her head. "W-What?"


    "Dreams. Can see thoughts. Can see eyes. Can hear them. That is what Pippy do. But Pippy no like. Stay as dreams. Hurts Pippy when Pippy does it." she explains as Silvia gets up from the bed, approaching Pippy as she looks at her.


    "Can¡­you show me?" Silvia asks as Pippy shakes her head, looking away and crossing her arms, possibly pouting as well if she had facial expression.


    "No. Hurts Pippy. Pippy doesn''t like mirroring. Makes pain." she continued as Silvia suddenly gave her a hug.


    "Please, Pippy¡­I wanna know if mister Kade is okay¡­" she asks kindly as Pippy tries her mightiest to resist¡­but just couldn''t help it.


    "Fine. Once. Pippy will do. No more." she said as Silvia smiles, nodding, letting her go as Pippy breathes in for a moment. Slowly, her starry form shapes up, turning taller, as the form slowly changes to smaller details until eventually¡­she looks just like Kade, only quite starry


    "Watch. Listen. Witness. Of Kade Wonder." she closes her eyes as Silvia closes her eyes with her, and soon¡­she was looking through the eyes of Kade, he seemed to be looking around a hallway confused as he scratched the top of his head.


    ''What in the stars was that? Was¡­I down here before? And who spoke to me? Was that¡­Silvia''s voice?'' his thoughts conveyed to Silvia''s mind as Pippy speaks up.


    "Pippy tired of other Starry People. Pippy wants Kade to remember. Kade was here before. And Pippy showed. Kade must remember. Remember all of us. The other stars." she explained to Silvia, her voice sounded deeper and more like Kade¡¯s as she nodded mentally.


    "B-But¡­wouldn''t you get in trouble¡­?"


    "Pippy does not care anymore."


    Kade would open one of the doors in the hallway, appearing back out in Polar Growth town as he kept walking, his eyes darting around the town, it was unfamiliar to him, yet some of the people were like figures in his dreams. Dreams, he tried to remember the vivid dreams he had, and the nightmares he had woken up from, comparing his imagination to reality, and it was never too far off. Some real imagination here and there but there was no doubt to it any longer¡­


    ¡®Those dreams weren¡¯t dreams, were they?¡¯ he thought to himself, hoping for an answer from¡­someone. And someone does answer. ¡°And what makes you say that?¡± A singular Good Man asked back.


    ¡®Give me the truth, voices in my head¡­have I been here before?¡¯


    ¡°...¡±


    And it never answers back, Kade sighs outwardly as he walks on over to the old elevator, looking back to the town, no longer an astounding curiosity and appreciation, but a melancholic nostalgia. Was his family from down here? Questions, a lot of questions, but no time to answer, he has only 3 days to find Ria Allthoughts, more than enough, he hopes.


    Slowly his vision fades as Silvia opens her eyes, seeing Pippy slowly morph back into her own shape, like Silvia¡¯s, as Pippy slowly dissipates. ¡®Tired. Pippy sleep. Good night.¡¯ Pippy spoked softly in her head as Silvia can feel this second presence disappear momentarily from her mind as she nods.


    ¡°Good night..Pippy¡­¡± she whispers as the chime of the elevator door echoes down the hallway. Silvia would go over to the door, opening it and peeking her head out down the hallway, spotting Kade walking over to his room as he waves over to Silvia. She waves back softly, opening the door for him as he comes inside, and as she closes the door, Kade falls onto his bed.


    ¡°Silvia¡­I feel tired already¡± he said, his voice muffled by the pillow he laid face front on before he rolled over a bit to not suffocate himself. ¡°But it¡¯s¡­well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll bother with time anymore at this rate, too much effort, I¡¯m going to care only if it¡¯s day, night, or day again but brighter, or was that just summer? Who cares! Silvia!¡± he gets right back up, all this having gone on for just a few seconds, as he looks over with a courageous smile. ¡°Wanna go on an adventure up here? I¡¯ve got a vampire to find, and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to be stuck in this old building forever now, do you?¡±


    Silvia¡¯s eyes sparkle a little as she nods, Kade nods back as he goes to his closet, opening it and playing with what appears to be a small vault. ¡°And how about some clothes shopping too? Fuck it, maybe just shopping in general, let¡¯s take this opportunity to get you used to the city, and dress like it too! I¡¯ve saved up a lot for this exact moment¡­maybe not the exact moment, but I had a feeling at some point I¡¯d have to take care of someone¡­okay, to be honest, it was mom¡¯s idea, BUT STILL¡± as he begins to pull out some physical cash and his credit card, before locking the vault up again and putting both away into his wallet, which goes straight into his pocket as he holds a hand out to Silvia, who grabs onto it as he nods.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to get you something that screams you, Silvia¡± he said with a big smile as she nodded before he headed right out.


    And they did as Kade promised. Taking the car out and traveling the many Avenues of Raiden City. ¡°How about I explain to you about the city, Silvia?¡± he asks while he drives. ¡°Sure, Kade¡­¡± she¡¯d respond as he nodded.


    ¡°So, the whole thing about Raiden City is that¡­if you are either a poor man or a rich man, you can still live just as comfortably as you need to live, and just need to work, you know? So the city is split among two kinds of areas. The Rich¡¯s Ring, which is the big circle of buildings and such in the north where the high middle class and whatever live in, and the south area, the rest of the city, is The People¡¯s Avenue. Right now, Steel Rooks Agency is in Red Ring Avenue, the mixing part of the city where both live fine with each other, mostly. Although a lot of the shops are here, I want to go to Boring Avenue first, it¡¯s where all the strange stuff is, which I¡¯m sure would be more familiar for you I guess, and I¡¯m interested if any of the shops there have something of interest.¡± Kade explains, Silvia would listen closely as Kade continues


    ¡°Near Boring Avenue would be Blue Ring Avenue and Green Ring Avenue, you sensing a pattern in the names? Anyways, Blue Ring Avenue might be next for something fancier to keep at hand, it¡¯s where all the real deal luxury are, though it¡¯ll just have to be a single outfit from there¡­ahem, and Green Ring Avenue is where all the rich people live in and stuff. But¡­that¡¯s not to say the city doesn¡¯t have its Avenue. People can live comfortably, yes, but there is still envy growing, like Tour Ends Avenue, where all the very cheap stuff is, like apartments, or the abandoned Daring Avenue, where the truly unfortunate took advantage to take shelter there. You probably won¡¯t be kidnapped, but I can¡¯t say the same for being robbed. As for the normal people, I suppose, they live out in Goring Avenue, do remember all of this, it¡¯ll be on your homework next week¡­just kidding! I hated school anyways¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a school¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s boring, not the Avenue, continuing on with our little history lesson of the city, Frostbite Avenue is your regular kinda free space of the city, I suppose, and close to it, Portstar Avenue and Hot Tail Avenue¡± Kade stops the car at a light, watching people going by as he smiles.


    ¡°Portstar is just where all the big and family restaurants and businesses decided to go to, it¡¯s a small Avenue compared to the others, and conveniently in the way of Hot Tail Avenue, which has a really big tourist attraction there, a worn down office building no one¡¯s bothered to fix because every time they send in someone to do that, they keep going¡­missing. No one dares to try and fix it now, so it¡¯s now just a hot spot for visitors. And finally, the remaining Avenues, Pouring Lead and Heartache, where all the important buildings for a city are. Obviously, stuff like hospitals, police stations, and firefighters are settled around the city, the main ones are there in Pouring Lead Avenue, and for Heartache is where the main bases of Firefighters are¡­and also courthouses, I suppose, simply for convenience''s sake. Did you catch all of this, dear¡± he began to drive again once the light changed, looking over to Silvia to see her looking at him as she nodded with a smile. ¡°I did, sir, I did!¡±


    ¡°Please, just call me Kade, dear, no need for formalities again. Everyone¡¯s somewhat kind here, try as they might¡­oh¡­and¡­you¡¯d probably never be able to visit this part of the city but¡­New Alex Ring, the very center of the Rich¡¯s Ring, it¡¯s where all the very important people live¡­always hearing rumors about it, but not like anyone ever confirms them. Just like any elite rich would be like, aye? You could imagine it like the Clock Tower, but less Living Machines and more like¡­mean people, with a very few nice¡± he was finally done explaining as they finally rich Boring Avenue. Kade parks somewhere that¡¯s close to Blue Ring Avenue as well as they get out, holding his hand out again for Silvia as she grabs onto it, smiling ever so brightly, her eyes shined brighter than any light he could think of as Kade smiled back.


    And so they have begun to walk.

 Chapter 14 - Restless Concerns

    ¡°Do you think Living Machines dream?¡± the stoic Alzo asked Emily with a soft gurgle voice they could produce from their slimy neck as she shrugged, looking down onto the streets of The Timeless City with a pair of monocles as the glass expanded forwards on both. ¡°I don¡¯t know Alzo. Unlike us, they can¡¯t travel the lakes because it burns them, and they can¡¯t use other access points because they simply can¡¯t, try as they might. I doubt they dream, even the Angels¡± she said, getting her eyes on a group of machines patrolling the old Korpse Avenue streets as she sighed.


    ¡°Nothing to really watch for anymore nowadays. We¡¯ll have to take a couple out and hijack their network, but they are always quick to shut down missing machines. Only barely get anything out of them. What about our messenger, did she or her Good Machine send anything? Voice or gifts?¡± she asks as Alzo shrugs as well, their slimy body barely keeping itself together, a new shift to avoid being detected, as is Emily, who simply spoke of her miracle.


    ¡°She sent a message. But all she said is that we just¡­help the detective, and stay alive. Hey, wanna try to see the town?¡± Alzo proposed as Emily giggled, turning her gaze away from the group of Machines and looking outside the city. The nearby plains and nature were rotten, only barely getting green further out as she looked all around her. They were even on the second highest building in Goring Street, and yet¡­


    ¡°Do you really think it exists out there? The Red Gear?¡±


    ¡°The survivors gotta have gone somewhere, sis. Everyone¡¯s seen a glimpse of it, but why not us?¡± they said excitedly, a voice unfitting of the expressionless slime face as she giggled.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­I heard it walked like a spider! Hiiigh in the air from the ground! And¡­and it even has a cannon beneath it to fire big webs to any nearby Machines to catch and salvage them!¡± she said with such wonder as Alzo chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah¡­as if¡­hey, look there, at the very top of the Clock Tower¡± they suggested as Emily looked to where they pointed, looking at the very tippy top of the haunting tower as it chimes, it was dark but she just faintly sees some sort of arm popping out of a hatch on the roof, reaching up to the sky, stretching as far as it can¡­before it falls right back into the hole as the hatch closes.


    ¡°Well¡­that¡¯ll be useful¡­hand me the journal and continue watching for me, Alzo¡± she asked, taking the monocles off as the glass returns to a normal shape as Alzo hands them a journal and pen while they grab the monocles, putting them on as Emily began to write down everything¡¯s she seen of interest as the glass expands outward from the frame once more¡­


    -


    And so the duo sat down at Frostbite Park, most of their purchases left in the car trunk, although Silvia kept one thing on her person. A new outfit to wear. She looked much different from her hospital-like aesthetic. Her long white hair was finally tied up into a long ponytail, wearing a wide brim pink hat with some sort of cat character design peppering around on the brim in different outfits and poses. Instead of any dresses she¡¯s had on before, she had a plain and pink long sleeved hoodie, along with a cute pink skirt to match that reached her knees, along with plain black shorts under it. And instead of walking around the place without shoes, she¡¯s got herself a big pair of pink boots and long socks. Notice a pattern? She seemed to be very pleased with herself as Kade chuckled, looking out into the deep nature of the park. ¡°I feel like the machines won¡¯t be able to recognize you now, not until they get your face and smell again, but it¡¯s quite an outfit you¡¯ve come up with, who¡¯s your inspiration, Fashionista Silvia?¡±


    Silvia would giggle at her newly obtained title as she shakes her head. ¡°No inspiration! I made this all by myself, mister! Oh, sorry, I mean Kade!¡± she said so excitedly like she was a small pup who¡¯s met a new friend as he nodded. ¡°Original too, hm?¡±


    They got a lot of stuff, really. A fancy outfit for the little miss, quite a bit more clothes than is seen here, and a lot of strange souvenirs. While Kade himself got himself a new fancy dress and hoodie to try later on, along with a few little souvenirs as well, not as much as the miss, he wanted to spend mostly on her as he sighed, raising a hand up as he thought hard. It is back to investigating now as he thinks about the vampire he was supposed to find as the blue string appears on his hand again, but yet still it was cut off and dangled without a destiny as he sighed. He''s tried this a couple times now but no luck yet. And then¡­a little intuition. A vampire needs some sort of food source, and as Taylor told him, she went up here for ''shopping''. Multiple times as well, apparently, which gave him a few ideas.


    "For a vampire to go shopping, it either involves real people getting hurt, with or without consent, which is not a wanted result¡­or where we can find supplies of blood. If those from below also live up here¡­who''s to say she doesn''t know someone working there¡­T-That''s my theory anyways, you think it sounds sound, you two?" he''d ask Silvia as she nods, waiting for another to answer before she nods again. "Pippy says you are¡­um¡­smart, I think"


    "Thank you, Pippy. Then how about it for our first investigation together? Silvia & Kade: The All Knowing Vampire. Quite a title, hm? It''ll be in my diary in my head!"


    Silvia giggled as she nodded. "T-Then we go to¡­Pouring Lead Avenue! To the big hospital there!...Whatever a hospital was again"


    "Oh sweetie¡­" Kade could only chuckled lightly as he got up, holding a hand out to the young lady as she grabbed onto it, lifting herself up from the bench to stand up as Kade checked her out again. "For someone who has only ever worn patient gowns and seen fancy clothing from that timeless schmuck, you know how to dress like the city, or maybe the city has already dressed you? A mystery for another time, now then! Let''s go, let''s go, we''ve got 3 days ahead of us to find Ria Allthoughts and get that pipeline''s blueprints!" he said as Silvia nodded before they started walking, leaving the park and getting into Kade¡¯s car as he started it up again, driving once again on the roads to Pouring Lead Avenue, Silvia kept her eyes out the passenger window in the back as Kade kept his eyes on the road.


    Silvia, meanwhile, would sense someone next to her as, almost copying her in the opposite direction. It was Pippy, looking like Silvia herself but all covered in space and stars, same as she ever was, keeping her own eyes out as Kade glances at the rear-view mirror, seeing the two watching out as he smiles, keeping on.


    And they do eventually get there, nothing much the other two in the back spotted while watching the streets zoom by besides designated silly city people. Pippy dissipates into star dust as Kade parks the car, getting out with Silvia and locking the car up as he raises a hand up slightly¡­yet nothing again as he sighs.


    ¡°Such is the way of the detective, gotta do all the hard work before it earns me right to find it so easily~¡± He said as he held a hand out to Silvia, who gladly grabbed onto it as they began to walk towards the hospital. ¡°Think it''s called like¡­Leadway Hospital or something, it¡¯s a big place, all the latest medicine and tech is there to help people, so if you were to be brought here, it¡¯d be because you have something serious that needs you to be there. Never really been there at all myself, so it¡¯ll be new to the both of us, Silvia!¡± she nods at him as they arrive at the entrance. It was so much bigger than Kade had interpreted. Ambulances lined up in their own little spot, people went in and out, workers and patients sat in little gardens on the front, and likely the back too.


    ¡°So this is what it looks like¡­cool!¡± He¡¯d continue on, Silvia following very closely as they enter inside. It was as was said. People were all around, and so was some few advanced looking medical tech being moved around, as if they had a lot of them for movement to be happening a lot as Kade approaches the front desk, his gaze meeting a young woman as she looks up to him. ¡°Can I help you, sir?¡± she asks as Kade nods.


    ¡°Yes, I am looking for potentially someone named¡­Ria? Ria Allthoughts¡± and so suddenly, he can feel a few eyes on his back, and so did Silvia feel it, but neither dare to look as the woman tilts her head. ¡°The boss? She isn¡¯t here at the moment, sir, would you like to schedule a meeting in¡­5 days with her?¡±


    ¡°5 days? Sorry, but¡­hmmm how can I say it¡­I really need to see her now for¡­something, ma¡¯am¡± he sighs, thinking to himself ¡®How the hell do I ask about Lake Town stuff without looking a little crazy¡¯, and as he thinks, Silvia would look over to her as the woman looks down to her, her eyes squint a little as they open up wide. The eyes they felt staring into their backs finally stop as the woman picks up the phone.


    ¡°Let me check where she is right now, sir¡± she said as he sighed in relief, looking over to Silvia with a smile. ¡°Heh, see? I am quite a convincing guy, hehe!¡± he whispered as Silvia tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask, the woman interrupted again to get Kade¡¯s attention, doing a little gesture to bring him closer to whisper.


    ¡°9:50 Pm, Tomorrow, Green Ring Avenue, a red bus will arrive at the bus stop. When the driver asks if you want water, tell them ¡®I prefer blood¡¯. Our lady will wait for you in the center, please look good and bring the little one¡± she whispered as Kade nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, fairer lady~¡± he said, the tiniest bow done to not look strange as she gave a little smile, trying not to giggle as he began the walk out of the hospital, smiling, Silvia still followed very closely.


    ¡°Just that easy, sometimes. Explains the string though, never been in New Alex Ring before, or even relatively close to it. It¡¯s Invite Only these days¡± he said as Silvia would just listen along as they returned to the car. ¡°Lucky for us, we got the fancy stuff to look nice today so don¡¯t have to worry about that at least¡­so Ria actually OWNS the hospital, never knew that, or at the very least, a lot of those employees in there are likely to be working under her. Only theorizing anyways, I¡¯ll ask when I get the chance but for now!¡± he thinks out loud as he starts the car up again, both of them putting their seatbelts on as he begins to drive his way back to the office. This was enough excitement for the two today. But it was only the beginning of something greater, as a doctor puts away a strange radio device after seeing their car go off, walking back inside with a cloth covered cart, waving over at the lady at the desk as she nods, waving back at him, the other hand pressing an orange button as the quietest click happens next to him, a door opening slightly, allowing him to go inside as he gets inside with the cart, the door closing automatically behind him as a small light above the door goes from green to red.


    -


    The lake gave no movement as the young Tree Walker sat on it. He knew they watched him, those among nature, concerned over his being, but he saw no reason for it, he simply waited for the next impure machines to come in, just to lose again. But the numbers have been increasing. From 1 impurity to 3 to 5, and recently 7. Sprei Uok sighed as he meditated, feeling nature around him as he felt her behind him, watching carefully the surface of the lake, and the grand forest, noting every creature that passed under each leaf.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°9 are to come, I can feel their heavy steps contaminating my waters¡­¡± she whispers in his mind as he nods. ¡°Yes Mother¡± he responds back quietly.


    Lisa and the 3 Mimy Clan Commanders continued to watch from a distance as Devil sighs. ¡°It feels so long already, can¡¯t we just go around the forest, find the pipe ourselves?¡± he asks Lisa as she shakes her head. ¡°Far as I know, we¡¯ve done that a total of 28 rounds the edges of the forest, 11 rounds were inside and all around, and yet not a peep¡­so how did they catch one of our soldiers to put those disgusting wires and metal into it without anything to give it away, and honestly enough, I¡¯ll be needing you three to do hourly check ups on all available soldiers, and if even one is missing, we are gathering all of them and eliminating any strange or unresponsive soldiers. Can¡¯t risk losing more, 20 out of the 100 have been taken out already¡­¡± Lisa said, stress was building up a bit in her. Jafk and Alexander, meanwhile, mostly sat in the background on the ground, waiting for any signals from the big 4 or any news from the dead, but nothing.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve brought some coffee with us¡­or something to eat¡± he said.


    ¡°Could always ask those Lion ones for their beards¡± Denny peeped up as Alexander jumped a bit from the sudden new voice. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry, I forgot you were still on my arm, should I get you back to the library?¡± he asks as Denny shakes her head, resting her head back on his hand as she yawns. ¡°Nah, I like the warmth on this arm, besides, I¡¯m sure Penny is enjoying the silence now so I¡¯ll let her enjoy it for an extra hour or so¡± she said, continuing to rest as Alexander sighs of boredom. ¡°I think by now, the cafe should start to get emptier as Molly hopefully starts to slow it down for our employees, and Sugar should be doing¡­whatever the hell she would be doing by now, probably doing any small works in the city or something, safely. Wouldn¡¯t want to go back to¡­that town again¡± the very thought of That Town made him shiver, Jafk as well as Penny looks up to the two.


    ¡°That Town?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The reason we blocked off all the pipes here and there¡­Tulip Town¡± Alexander could see a couple heads look up to their direction from the mention of the name before going back to their duties, including Angel and Devil


    ¡°Oh, I remember hearing about that one¡­is Taylor alright? Hadn¡¯t heard from him saying anything to Lisa for a while, me and Penny usually get letters from the big people to give to Lisa.¡±


    ¡°I assure you, he is fine¡± Lisa answers, approaching the trio as she slowly sits onto the ground on her knees. ¡°He¡¯s just been busy these days. Guilt continues to plague him as we speak, but he still attends our ever rare meetings with one another¡­such sadness in his eyes, it pains me to even think of it all.¡±


    ¡°I remember having to go there to get Sugar at the old manor¡­it¡¯s so¡­saddening what they¡¯ve done to that old town. Nothing but a wasteland, acid filling the lungs through appearance alone, and now it''s a hive for them as well. Always hated having to go there every single time, and it won¡¯t be easy the next time¡± Alexander adds as Lisa nods, her eyes looking down at the ground, as if she¡¯s had guilt of her own.


    ¡°I see¡­her home was there originally, The Fire Witch¡¯s Manor, I remember that¡­don¡¯t know what happened to The Majesty there, no one¡¯s heard from her for years now¡­and likely never will. Quite¡­painful memories¡± she breathes in and out to keep her emotions in check, and her seething anger of those disgusting machinery, who¡¯ve done nothing but take and eat and reuse, but never give to anyone but themselves and their masters. It made her angry, really angry, she just wants to stab that Timeless Man over and over again for what he¡¯s done to their city, to their people and their freedom.


    But she keeps herself in check. No such anger will be helpful right now. She can only hope that the mysterious pipe leak can be found and blocked off completely, and her only source of prayers is complete luck¡­and the return of Kade.


    -


    As Kade drops her off back at the office, he decided to go to the police station to see if Imamu or anyone else got anything for him, and so, Silvia was left to her own devices again, getting inside and walking up to the front desk, looking up towards Lizzy as she typed away, a moment¡¯s glance before turning to look at Silvia with a smile. ¡°Hm? What is it, little one?¡± she asks as Silvia thinks for a few moments before looking back up to her. ¡°Is there chocolate milk?¡± she asks softly as Lizzy tilts her head, grabbing ahold of a telephone on the desk and dialing some numbers. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone check, sweetie¡± she said as Silvia nodded. Someone finally answers as she speaks into the phone. ¡°Hello, Liz at the front desk¡­yes, hello dear, you mind quickly checking the refrigerator in the kitchen? A little someone wants to know if there are any?...You will? Thank you! And while I have you here¡­¡± and Lizzy goes on about some unrelated tasks and questions. Silvia, of course, already knew the answer to the question, she stole a whole carton of it from the fridge and drank it all in Kade¡¯s room, and she is still thirsty for that irresistible brown nectar she found herself addicted to as Lizzy finishes her conversation. ¡°Thank you! Just send a quick text to me about our little miss¡¯ favorite drink, I was mostly using this as an excuse to catch your attention on a matter that¡¯d be too much of a bore to type out¡­Yes, that¡¯s all, thank you, and goodbye!¡± she puts the phone back into its place as she leans forward, patting Silvia on the head.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you check yourself?¡± Silvia asks as the lady shrugs, continuing her work. ¡°I do a lot more work than you¡¯d think, young lady, and I don¡¯t want to bother with checking it myself, and you¡¯ll probably want me to get some, hm? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice your glass cups in the sink with that familiar liquid¡± she said teasingly as Silvia blushes a little.


    ¡°Not a worry, I¡¯ll make sure Castle gets some for you, go ahead back to Kade¡¯s room or whoever else¡¯s, alright?¡± Silvia nods in agreement, leaving the front desk and up the stairs, not trusting herself to not accidentally use the elevator for travel to The World Below, getting up the floor with the rooms, and as she walks into the hallway proper, she almost bumps into Castle as they give a little wave. ¡°Hello, Silvia¡± before they continued into the elevator. She watches the number begin its small but necessary descent before continuing on to Kade¡¯s room, opening the door once she got there, seeing the office bedroom in its entirety again, but something, or rather someone, looked to be a new addition to the room, which caught her eyes, freaking her out a little bit as she steps away from the door.


    It was someone. From what little she saw in terms of people during the road trip, it looked like those people that had guns and batons and those blue uniforms. It looked to be staring out the window, looking over after hearing the little scuffle back and the door opening as she turned her whole body around, it was robotic in nature, doing a little bow towards the little miss, same sort of vibe.


    ¡°Ms. Silvia. Greetings. Reading Quick Summary of my Context Manual & Handling Children Guide. Hello, I am Olivia, special android force sent by Vincent Lonceheart of 18 Seconds, a group concerned over like-minded children like you, and warning to be of assistance, I have been sent as a protector force to assist with Kade Wonder and the Detective Office. This is not considered arguable, and Lead Detective Celeste Wonder has already accepted the terms. End Summary.¡±


    Silvia didn¡¯t trust her completely, but slowly she calmed down, and thought to herself how Kade would react to this before speaking up. ¡°I¡­uh¡­um¡­¡± she doesn¡¯t know how he would react, actually.


    Silvia could see Olivia¡¯s eyes sort of dim down for a moment before reacting. ¡°Is this unit making you: Uncomfortable, Nervous, Anxious, or Other? I would like to say sorry if I may have caused this potential spike, and would like to inform again that I am here to protect you. For further confirmation, this unit will stay completely still, and you are free to request confirmation from Lead Detective Celeste Wonder.


    ¡°N-No, no, it¡¯s just¡­um¡­okay m-maybe I am a little nervous..¡± Silvia admitted as she nodded, looking down the hallway to one Celeste¡¯s room.


    ¡°Consider this Fair Warning: Olivia suspects Lead Detective to be temporarily undergoing a Level 1 Trauma based incident. Level 1 is considered small but to be always considered anyways. Do as you want.¡± Olivia added as Silvia nodded, closing the office door and going down the hallway. What would be a relatively short walk suddenly started to feel longer. Already a short minute of walking and she hasn¡¯t even passed halfway to reach Castle¡¯s office. She continued on, the longer she walked towards Celeste¡¯s room, the more she had to walk.


    ¡°What¡­¡± she started to notice this abnormality in the hallway, and when she took a step backwards, she was immediately at the halfway mark again after having just reached Castle¡¯s office. This sense of strangeness gave away to something. Of course, only those with sufficient Knowledge can travel the lakes and points of interest, so this must be¡­something from Celeste. That Level 1 rating from Olivia felt a lot more intense now as she decided to track onward, not letting this Knowledge stop her, determined to want to help Celeste more now than getting a simple confirmation, and the feeling intensified as she got closer and closer. Must have been 10 minutes by now, she could feel gravity weigh on her, the hallway slowly morphing, turning into this dark blue, dotted by white specks and a strong force to push her backwards. This wasn¡¯t a new feeling either. She¡¯s felt this sort of pushing before, the mental resistance to want to approach the exit of the Clock Tower, she escaped it through sheer will, of wanting out, of wanting to trust Pippy¡¯s visions, of freedom. And she did. It wasn¡¯t the same effect, it was a way time warped around her, and she won¡¯t let this one, whatever this was, get the best of her either.


    And finally, she was at the door before she finally called out for her. The only word she could think of at that moment, of what she sees her as already, a deep feeling that festered in her the moment she met this strange, starry woman after Kade rescued her from the lake, this familiar yet unfamiliar feeling. Like fate.


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    And it all stopped. The hallway was as it was as she could hear someone scrambling to get up from their bed as she sighed in relief. It stopped so suddenly like it was never there. As Pippy would confirm for her, having returned from ¡®seemingly a small nap¡¯, it was like that mental effect¡­


    The door opens suddenly, a worried Celeste looks down the hallway. ¡°Yes?!¡± she expected Kade, she thought it was him who called for her, but instead, when looking down, she found Silvia, her mood changes immediately as she picks her up. ¡°A-Ah, yes, sweetie, Silvia, hello! Who called for me, was it you?¡± she said, Silvia nods as she hugs her.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asks as Celeste nods, twinkles in her eyes. ¡°Fine as a newborn star, little one, no need to worry for this girl, ¡®kay?¡± ¡®but she wasn¡¯t, was she?¡¯ was all Silvia had in mind, but she nods. She was gently put back down onto the ground as Celeste sighs in relief, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Did you need something? Oh, was it about that android in Kade¡¯s Office? She is quite safe, I assure you¡± Celeste confirms for her, but Silvia went right up to her, looking up.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Silvia asks again, and this time¡­it seems as if Celeste was unsure as she looks away. ¡°I haven''t a clue what you are on about, little mini detective! I¡¯m not close to going supernova over here, alright? I am completely fine, dear, please, you have a guest, it would help put your mind at ease to get to know her, you know?¡± she said, not a crack to open for Silvia as she nodded. She¡¯ll just have to accept this for now.


    ¡°Okay, Mom!¡± she said, purposefully for an extra reaction as she sees Celeste surprised. ¡°O-Oh! Deary, we haven¡¯t even gotten to know each others¡¯ history and already you call me that? Well¡­whatever makes you feel happier and safer, you are not the first one who called me that besides my own little Kade. And not just little ones either, hehe¡± a mischievous giggle that Silvia didn¡¯t understand, what did she exactly mean by that? Silvia just throws that thought away as she smiles back.


    ¡°Had plenty of lonely kids call me ¡®Mom¡¯ to feel safer after those terrible accidents and missing people¡¯s cases. It¡¯s always saddening, but I¡¯ve never corrected them. If it meant they felt safer and happier, for even a moment¡­¡± another crack, but she won¡¯t pry this time. Silvia would give her a big hug before heading off, waving back. ¡°Thank you!¡± she exclaims as Celeste nods.


    ¡°But of course~¡±


    -


    Celeste closes that office door as she sighed in relief, and giggled so much to herself. Such a small family already, not even accounting for her employees, and¡­and¡­her smile goes away. Thinking about him again. It always replayed in her head. That terrible train accident, taking him from her and Kade. It always felt unfair. Unjust. There was no reason, despite all the reasons. But then Silvia calling her ¡®Mom¡¯ repeated in her head as well, drowning out that misery, a small smile forms.


    She wonders if John is happy, wherever in death he is now.

 Chapter 15 - The Possible Dream

    The bushes rustle quietly, the tranquil lake continues to know no movement as Sprei Uok meditates, waiting patiently, the small little glow in his eye holes dimmed down to signify them being ¡®closed¡¯ as the rustling continues. Soon, a mechanical hand reached out, and then a different one from another direction, and more kept coming out from his front, back, and left side. Machines slowly make themselves know, all of them seem to be sparkling a strange blue energy as they began to walk on top of the lake, beginning to surround Sprei Uok, and as the first of 9 began its attack, it suddenly finds its chest penetrated by a tree that bended and grew unnaturally at it with strong force, its organic eyes swindled around before losing its light, slowly sinking and decaying into the lake as 3 more begin their attacks.


    Another finds the very waters to rise and swallow it down into the lake as it sparks and drowns just like that, while the others were able to land two hits, before receiving sudden damage to their own bodies, bouncing both back as they get back to their feet, right as two water plants grew and rise above water, grabbing both and, after a little struggle, dragging them right into the lake.


    5 more remain, 4 decide to attack together as another spot in the water comes up to swallow one whole and forcing it deeper into the lake, the other 3 land, the same thing happens as their chests rupture a bit at the same time as the sound of breaking glass and tree branches was heard, an invisible forcefield around Sprei Uok becomes visible as it cracks and falls apart. The Living Machines bounced back right into 3 waiting bending trees, growing with immense force the moment they touched the very tips, both the main tree and its branches puncturing them with plenty of new holes into them until the light in all their eyes went out. Like many before, they sink and decay in the lake.


    Leaving the biggest one yet. It was bigger than the others, more disgusting too, Sprei Uok could see bits of teeth and flesh into its ¡®man¡¯-made mouth as he got up properly, not needing any sort of magic or device to hold himself up on the lake. Just Knowledge.


    The big Living Machines takes a swing at him, he dodges out of the way with help of the water as he puts his hand into the lake, pulling out a sword made of water that kept itself intact as he swung at the disgusting mass of junk, landing a strike that burnt and electrocuted a part of it as it backs away, not yet backing down so easily, putting one of its hands up as a metal stake fires out of it. It was faster than he could react as it hit his shoulder, burrowing itself into it. The Living Machine expected the acid to take care of Sprei Uok as it sprays out of the very tip, leaking out from smaller holes around the base of it. And yet no reaction from Sprei Uok as he drives both the stake, after pulling it out, and his water sword into the robot¡¯s chest. And like that. Even its 5 eyes lost their light as it slowly sank into the lake like the rest. Nothing but scrap.


    The wound it left on him slowly regrows as he goes back into a meditative state in the middle of the lake. Like nothing had happened.


    The small, distanced group had watched the whole thing go down as Alexander whistled a little in amazement, slinking back down to sit on the ground. ¡°Thought we¡¯d have to do a little intervening, you weren¡¯t kidding that he¡¯s got it handled for now¡± he comments as Lisa nods, letting the bending trees and bushes return to their normal state as she sighed. ¡°But for how long¡­second time something shattered that barrier, and who knows when that big one will just be a normal unit rather than the small ones¡­god forbid if a Living Angel appears now, he¡¯ll have no way to survive that, and honestly¡­I fear we may not either¡± she sighs, sitting back down onto a small chair-like structure she¡¯s just constructed for herself. The rest of the commanders were mostly talking among each other, checking on soldiers and their networks every hour, accounting for every soldier at their disposal.


    Scared, it¡¯s not a word used often for something like this, but everyone had the same thing in mind. Will 3 days be enough time for Kade? Had Lisa overestimated the amount of potential time Sprei Uok, and Lake Town in general, have until a Living Angel could be sent? God knows when, but they are all, ever deeply¡­


    Anxious.


    -


    It was quiet, Kade thought to himself, and yet there was a strange little miss who followed him in physical form. Pippy. She was in the backseat of his car as he drove to Pouring Lead Avenue, looking out the window, her appearance as deep as space, as it ever has been, but this was the first time for him that she ¡®seemed¡¯ separated from Silvia, to follow Kade.


    ¡°So¡­didn¡¯t know I was going to have a Kade & Pippy Detective Journey this time¡± he spoke up, he can see her head turn to look over at him from the rearview mirror. Kade would see her just poof out of existence, and then reappearing in the passenger seat next to him. ¡°Wanted to¡­follow¡­¡±


    ¡°And here I thought you were stuck with the little miss, what¡¯s with the sudden change in behavior, hm?¡± Kade asks as she looks away from him. He could sorta see the bright yellow stars for eyes from the back of her head, although clouded by the stars and miniature planets that hid in her.


    ¡°She is not alone. Do not worry¡­¡± she answered, surprisingly speaking much¡­better now? She¡¯d continue on as they get closer to their destination.


    ¡°They looked at the surface of the lake again¡­and deemed my request acceptable¡­they have opened my eyes, and my tongue. You will need it now. Your human ways will soon fall short.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Pippy, who is They?¡± Kade intervenes to ask, ignoring the last part (he was too determined to just throw away what he always knew) as she finally looks back.


    ¡°The ones who¡¯ve been watching over you. That group of stars. We need to move out as well now. Our own plans need to see the light now¡­but we are small. Connections to the other Starry People have proven non-existent¡­until you came along. I haven¡¯t spoken with Them for so long when Silvia came to be¡­until she touched you, and I never was able to be with you properly¡­until she blessed you¡­¡± she spoke¡­nonsense to him, at least for a bit. But as Kade slowly pieces it together, he sort of sees what she is trying to communicate with him.


    ¡°And why do you think that is, Pippy?¡±


    ¡°Because I know already. We all do. And we are all waiting, whispering, and planning. Even now, the rest of us are waiting for someone, the one to shepherd the stars¡­always at the right time, the right place¡­The Wrong Man¡­do you know why they call you that?¡± Pippy said it seriously, there was no more sass in her voice, no more it sounded like a child. She asked him a question. A serious question that she knows the answer to.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve always wondered but never questioned, how I am the wrong man to be here, yet I find myself in the right time, the right place¡­may I know why?¡±


    They finally reach Raiden¡¯s Police Station as she slowly dissipates, her voice echoing in his head, not giving out fully what he asked, but enough for him to know.


    ¡°You are the Wrong Man. For someone else¡± and then she disappears. He could feel her in his mind, passively watching and listening as he nodded.


    ¡°Hm. Makes enough sense to me I suppose¡± he gets out of his car, locking it behind him as he begins to step inside the waiting doors of the police station. It¡¯s about time to tell everything.


    -


    Silvia sat behind Kade¡¯s desk as Olivia sat on the other side, although Silvia was quite small for the desk and its chair as she looked up to the taller android. ¡°Um¡­miss?¡± she finally speaks up after a while of just looking at each other after small, although unnecessary, introductions.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Silvia?¡± she answered, her usual tone had been adjusted a bit to better warm up to the little girl as Silvia continues. ¡°What¡¯s an android? Are all androids Living Angels?¡± she asked curiously, only calm after Celeste¡¯s word of honor that Olivia was here for her safety.


    ¡°I assure you that no androids made by Vincent or otherwise except for the Timeless Man are disgusting machines in disguise of us. Androids are synthetic life, conceived in [BLEEP] by Vincent Lonceheart, later improved on by the first android, creator of the original Clock Tower and many machines you might have seen abandoned or reused, Timeless%Code%Everywhere~Project#TrueFreedom, or ¡®Jessie¡¯.¡± The android explained in long detail as Silvia tries her best to keep up with her. She could hear multiple whispers in her head, discussing among each other, mostly to keep Silvia¡¯s attention on the topic.


    She remembers when Pippy suddenly told her that she and the other Starry People needed to switch, that ¡®The Wrong Man¡¯ needs her. So, in exchange, she¡¯s left with¡­The Good Men, discussing endlessly in her head, much to her annoyance of how constant they were. Is this what Kade dealt with forever now?


    ¡°Androids have been fitted to be capable of developing souls, which are called Null Androids, and-¡±


    ¡°Please, n-no more, head is full-¡± Silvia almost begged as she clutched her head a little. How much everyone was talking with each other, she again wonders how on EARTH Kade had handled all that quiet, unnecessary whispering as she sighs. They stopped, hearing her as well, thinking she could well handle them¡­but clearly, Pippy¡¯s child approach, with her being a mirror of whoever she follows as well, was the best option for Silvia as she could feel someone, no, all of them manifest behind her, casting no shadows at the desk but light as they scatter among themselves into the room. Yes, she could see them more clearly now then the amalgamation of a ¡®person¡¯ in her head as Olivia watches as well, before looking right back at Silvia like this was normal.


    ¡°Forgive me if my well detailed explanation proves to be too much for your developing brain¡± as Silvia sighs. She looks at the 5 Starry People that were scattered in the room, doing their own things now so as to not constantly whisper among themselves again.


    There were two near each other, all of them looked the same, a young adult physique similar to Kade¡¯s, with only their eyes being different. The two close ones had yellow star eyes, similar to Pippy, and green star eyes. Another in the corner gently folding the dirty laundry for cleaning had red star eyes.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    One more leaned against the wall near the door, looking down. He had blue star eyes, and the last one was looking out the window, with orange star eyes, staring thoughtlessly, as far as she could tell, and all of them had a noticeable difference to Pippy when she manifested. They all appeared foggier and with so much less stars, all of them¡­except the one with yellow eyes.


    Olivia would continue to talk in the background in simpler terms, unbeknownst to Silvia having walked away and going over to the one with yellow eyes. He and the one with green eyes were whispering quietly before he looked down at her, tilting his head slightly. ¡°What is it, kid?¡± he asked. He seemed much different from the one with blue eyes she¡¯s seen and met before on that night before the day Kade went out to Lake Town, and so was his voice, sounding more feminine.


    ¡°Why are you clearer?¡± she asks as he shrugs. ¡°Beats me, kid, I¡¯m just a part of the bigger picture, or however Prince describes it again.¡± he said.


    ¡°Prince?¡± Silvia asks as he sighs. ¡°Forgot, no one but us know our names. Uh, okay, let¡¯s see¡­you see, we never really actually showed ourselves like this, but seeing how overwhelming we might be for your head, decided to give you space to think in there¡± He would do a gentle poke at her forehead before continuing. ¡°All of us have our own names, Good Man is too confusing to be referring to all of us.¡± He points at the one with blue eyes looking down at the ground. ¡°That¡¯s Prince. The one next to me is Daughter, the one folding the clothes neatly is Ash, aaaand the one at the window is Sulphur. Got it? I don¡¯t want to explain again. Oh! And I¡¯m Squeak¡± he explained, his more enthusiastic voice contrasted the more ominous and mysterious voice of Prince, the one she often sees at the forefront, which was only ever two times.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± she kept track of the names in her head. Maybe that¡¯s what she should ask, for a notebook or something to write and draw in. Keeping that idea in mind, she was going to ask more questions, but when a knock was heard at the door, all of The Good Men disappeared from their positions as Castle opens the door. ¡°Hello, I¡¯ve got your addiction juice. I think that¡¯s how kids talk nowadays¡­¡± Castle said, the last part mostly fading to mumbles as Silvia went over to the door in a speedier manner, grabbing ahold of not one but TWO big cartons of chocolate milk, the very essence of the stars were in her eyes as Castle chuckled a little. ¡°It makes me happy to see you growing used to this place already, Ms. Silvia. And how is your¡­guest?¡± Castle notices Olivia, who was¡­still going on about the creation of androids and the process of Null Singularity as they look back down to Silvia. ¡°Androids are ever the icon of pride over their purpose and creations. Never changed. That¡¯s good to know at least, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen a creation of Vincent. She always means well, I assure you¡­even with the endless explanation¡± they chuckle once more as Silvia grabs their hand. The stars in her eyes were replaced with slight desperation, the cartons were already placed in a shoulder bag she¡¯s also gotten from shopping.


    ¡°Please let me h-hang out with you, she¡¯s too loud and lengthy with talking for me already¡­¡± she said as Castle shrugged. ¡°If she needs saving, I cannot deny¡± They whispered to her as they would lead her out of the room, closing the door behind her and continuing on to their office, letting Silvia in first before getting inside themselves.


    Silvia misses the colors and messiness of Kade¡¯s room already, but at the very least, Kade talks to her with a kinder and friendlier tone unlike Olivia. She would sit down at one of the few chairs available, grabbing one of the cartons out, opening up the cap as she drank directly from it. Castle, meanwhile, returns to their desk, typing right away on the strange device Silvia couldn¡¯t determine yet.


    Castle notices her watching as they begin to speak. ¡°This is a typewriter, little miss. It¡¯s a simple writing device. Outdated compared to modern devices, but I¡­simply like the way it sounds. The quiet tip taps as the words are stamped onto the paper. A simple mistake could ruin the whole paper, but I like that. It asks for perfection from me, and I like to give it. It¡¯s why my office is not as decorated. Need that mood to be presented in the room too, or I¡¯ll find myself making a typo if I looked too much around¡± they explained, their eyes not moving away as they continue to type. Silvia nods in interest, she never sees much ¡®technology¡¯ as she supposes it all is, besides Living Machines, whatever goes on in the Clock Tower, and¡­


    The memory of a Living Angel continues to haunt her, but not in tension or fear, but in anxiety. She can remember all 3 of them. Tailor, Romance, Gorge. But there is another, and she always found her memories of it, similar to inside the Clock Tower, to just be¡­absent. She KNOWS there is a fourth one. She KNOWS the insides of the Clock Tower, she¡¯s planned the escape route for years inside with Pippy, but it is as if she was just¡­denied access to REMEMBER them specifically.


    She continued to take sippies from the carton. Castle, meanwhile, not wanting to mention, does notice something different with her now. Not the new clothes, maybe a little more confident attitude¡­but what should feel like 3 people in the room feels like 7 people now, almost choking on the air, in a metaphorical sense for Castle.


    ¡°What was it like?¡± Silvia suddenly asks as Castle stops. ¡°Excuse me?¡± they ask.


    ¡°What was it like¡­living in the city?¡± she asks again as Castle thinks. ¡°Well¡­it was nice. Like any other city. We had our wonder engineers making miracles every week or so. We had businesses, kind people, Knowledge and knowledge, and beauty. It was like any other city in The World Below, but it begged respect in its greatest invention. The Clock Tower¡­it was a symbol of greatness, and now it is our enemy, and for some, our shame. It was¡­supposed to protect us, from raiders and the unknowns, and yet nothing stopped that train arriving with its nightmare package¡± Castle explains to her.


    Silvia simply nods, thinking to herself about that tower. It was a nightmare, as far as she could remember. Do anything wrong and she found herself missing a limb. Do anything incorrect and she was punished, trapped with monsters, left to break. She had gotten no kindness or respect inside, that much she remembers, in how she FEELS about it in her heart and body. Disrespected, a tool.


    ¡°But I was never there for it. I was up here, because she begged me to¡± Castle continued. ¡°She had no one else, at least she thought to herself as such. I was the only one ¡®willing¡¯ to help, supposedly. She had lost her heart that day, that train ride¡­a simple meeting between her husband and 18 Seconds. About the use of his time-altering technology¡­¡± this¡­was new to her. Husband? Like Kade¡¯s dad? Train ride? Meeting?


    Castle realizes as they could only give a pitiful giggle. ¡°Sorry. I¡­get nostalgic sometimes.¡± was all they had to give as Silvia nodded.


    18 Seconds¡­that was the big group of Knowledge wielders, if she remembers correctly from Kade. One of them was who they were going to meet in the center of the city: New Alex Ring.


    Another sip of her chocolate milk as she thinks to herself¡­if that¡¯s what Pippy was talking about making him remember.


    -


    ¡°And you are telling me, in death find peace for you if you lie, that you are telling the whole truth?¡± Imamu said, completely in disbelief, doing his best to suspend his belief in general, but this¡­was completely in a separate layer of belief he can¡¯t find himself to suspend ever. He felt as if there were no words to describe this.


    ¡°The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, my friend. I had contemplated whether to tell you the truth of this deeper-than-life investigation, but I thought of it only fair. I find it quite unpleasant to not be credited in the end, hm? A little detective like me has gotta find himself a name in the mouth of the city! Dramatically speaking, of course¡­this was not an easy decision but I need only 1 proof that might¡­shatter your sense of reality. Do you dare take a peek behind those curtains? Metaphorically, I hadn¡¯t hidden anything behind your actual curtains, last I checked, which I never did. This is my first time in your office, has mother ever hidden anything behind them? Never mind that, I¡¯m staying on the train of thoughts, the station isn¡¯t here yet¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡± Imamu said, clear and commanding, although maybe holding in a small chuckle at Kade¡¯s thoughts running awry as he nodded, thinking to himself, finding his consciousness next to Pippy. ¡®Come on out now. Imamu¡¯s command and force will prove helpful if anything goes wrong.¡¯


    He can feel that mental nod from her as dust begins to gather from around the room into the center, compressing and changing, her deep space blue begins to manifest, her eyes come forth with that bright yellow gleam. Although she took a different appearance, appearing more similar in shape and size to Kade, which surprised him a little, but nonetheless, she has now appeared in front of Imamu, the most damning evidence of all, and he is speechless. Who wouldn¡¯t be? A starry figure just manifested into being in FRONT of him, anything Kade has said went from belief suspending to belief shattering as he began to walk towards the windows, opening the curtains and looking out.


    ¡°Kade¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°Anything else you might be hiding from me to keep me in line with believing? Because I think my mind is all open to ideas now¡­¡±


    ¡°But of course¡±


    And he spills it all this time to Imamu. The Starry People, Knowledge, allies and enemies, everything that could help Imamu put it all together in his head. Once it was all out, and Kade¡¯s plan to go up to the New Alex Ring, Imamu nods, turning back, an expression of awe and wonder you wouldn¡¯t normally see on a veteran¡¯s face. ¡°New Alex Ring, was it? To see a vampire who potentially runs with or runs the big hospital herself, who has access to blueprints that¡¯s been kept away, to probably keep away from prying eyes, to¡­find any potential entrance not yet found to seal it up make sure this¡­Lake Town is safe, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡± Kade said and nodded, confirming his words as Imamu walked up to him, he was¡­so much taller as he planted one of his hands on Kade¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let me give a word of warning, because if you are anything like your mother, my attempts to stop you mean nothing to you, but¡­those people, holed up in that claustrophobic part of this city, don¡¯t play nice. I¡¯m sure this¡­Ria Allthoughts, whoever she is, is much nicer, but they are like dogs waiting to bite something, wolves even¡­so how about I come up there with you, son. Let me tell you, I might seem like some boring peacekeeper, but I was quite an influence in my more youthful days, I¡¯m sure I can¡­keep those muzzles shut so long as I¡¯m around¡± he suggests as Kade nods.


    ¡°Sounds good to me, sir, like a¡­guard dog! Get it? I think you do, but that would certainly be helpful. I¡¯ve heard my fair share of rumors of the going ons in that part of the city, from the streets and, of course, mother¡±


    ¡°I expect no less. '''' Imamu puts his hand down as he sits back behind his desk, boots up onto the table, old-fashioned, as he looks towards Pippy, who was exploring the room curiously while they talked.


    ¡°Like consciousness made into living matter¡­¡± he comments as she looks at him after his comment. ¡°That is an accurate statement, Pippy comments¡± she said. The change of appearance and voice pattern certainly got him curious of her, but he holds back questions.


    ¡°Tomorrow, me and Silvia will see you there, then?¡±


    ¡°I know my way around, Kade, don¡¯t worry about how I¡¯ll be getting in. Is that all for today, I¡¯ve gotta start writing all this down, I can command a force but for the most part, I¡¯ll be working alone for this, won¡¯t have¡­this fine Starry Person around the whole time to show off, and I don¡¯t want to set off any panic or leaks. This is all between us until it calls for it. Go on now, Kade. Do whatever else you need to do, I¡¯ll see you in there, and I¡¯ll make sure you leave with Ria or those blueprints, whichever works best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Imamu, I¡¯m grateful for you. Come on now, Pippy, let¡¯s get back to the office¡± the girl nods as she dissipates into scattering star dust as each speck disappears in the air.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get too used to that. See you later, don¡¯t let anything drag you down, you hear me!¡± Imamu said as Kade leaves, he nods back, waving goodbye as he leaves the police station, getting back into his car as he slumps back into his seat. ¡°I¡­feel all out of energy talking to an important figure about this almost impossible story of discoveries but MAN I feel good!¡± he shouts in the car, turning it on and beginning to drive away back to the office, excitement is pulsing through him like he had 10 shots of espresso as he drives through the streets. All that is left now is waiting for time to pass, he thinks to himself, nothing else to do but wait for tomorrow.