After sending Shima home, Kei immediately left the residential area and headed toward the main road.
Before the traffic light turned red, Kei quickly pressed the accelerator pedal and switched on the left turn signal.
However, he immediately changed his mind and headed to his first destination...
THE TRAIN STATION.
Kei got out of his car, his eyes scanning the barricade tape surrounding the train station.
He looked around the station, but there were no security guards or police officers in sight.
Kei opened the back door of his car, took out a Canon camera, and hung it around his neck.
He walked around the station.
He stopped at one of the chalk outlines.
Squatting down, he examined it carefully.
There were still bloodstains around the outline.
He took a picture before walking to every chalk outline, but he still couldn't find any clues about the mysterious creature.
He slowly walked toward the end of the railway tracks.
He carefully looked around the tracks.
Kei glanced into the dark alley and listened carefully for the sound of an approaching train.
After making sure there was no sound of a train coming, he climbed down onto the tracks and slowly walked along the railway.
Fifteen minutes passed, but he still couldn't find any fur, footprints, or anything related to the strange creature from the photo circulating on social media.
Eventually, Kei gave up.
As he was about to climb back up, something caught his attention.
The words written before him told him everything.
They confirmed that the creature had come to Livre de Magia.
A bitter smile appeared on his face as shock filled his eyes.
THE DEVIL MONSTER IN THE DARK MOON
Be prepared for destruction, os mágicos (the magicians).
"They were defeated by the magicians two hundred years ago. Why have they returned? And... this isn't a city where magicians exist anymore."
He whispered to himself as he clenched his fists, trying to stop his hands from trembling.
Without wasting any time, Kei took a picture of the writing before climbing back up.
He returned to his car, pressed the accelerator, and drove away from the train station.
The silhouette of a little boy standing inside a cave beneath the railway tracks, along with a huge black shadow behind him, watched Kei drive away from the train station before disappearing into the darkness.
As planned, Kei and Shima met at the place where they usually hung out—the bird park.
Shima was sitting on one of the benches, reading the latest news on social media while waiting for Kei to arrive.
Kei had just parked his car in the parking lot not far from Shima.
He got out of his car and walked toward her.
"I don't think many people are out at this hour, right?"
Kei asked as he stood in front of Shima, his eyes searching for anyone nearby.
"That's... probably because of the strange creature."
Shima replied without looking up at Kei.
She also noticed that there were only a few people left in the bird park.
"By the way, is it true what you told me earlier?"
Shima asked as she stood up to face Kei.
"I'm not lying. Before going home, I stopped by the train station for a while, but I didn't find any fur or footprints. I only found this writing."
Kei showed her the picture he had taken.
"So, what's the next step?"
Shima glanced at the picture before looking into Kei's eyes.
"Of course, we're going to find that strange creature."
Kei smiled confidently as he looked back at her.
"Huh... alright... I'll come with you."
Shima sighed as she scratched her head absentmindedly.
Kei looked up at the sky.
Night was approaching.
They only had to wait until sunset before carrying out their plan.
Standing beside him, Shima looked at the watch on her wrist.
It was almost six o'clock.
Only a few minutes remained before the bird park closed, and there were hardly any visitors left.
The ticket counter was also about to close.
The question was...
Would they be able to avoid the strange creature?
Would they survive the night?
Was the strange creature really one of the Devil Monsters of the Dark Moon?
"Tell me, Shima... are you ready to die?"
Kei asked with a faint smile.
"Are you scared?"
Shima replied with another question.
"I'm not scared. Can we just carry out my stupid plan?"
Kei asked with a small laugh, trying to hide the fear growing inside him.
"As long as we don't meet the creature face to face, everything will be fine."
Although Shima remained calm in front of Kei, deep inside she was beginning to tremble as night approached.
"By the way, Kei... you've heard the story about the magicians from two hundred years ago, right?"
Shima changed the subject as the sky continued to grow darker.
"Yup... My grandmother told me the story three years ago. The magicians had four categories and seven different powers."
"Three of those categories possessed two powers each, while one category had only one power. However, that single power was said to be stronger than the others."
Kei and Shima climbed the stairs of one of the old, tall buildings next to the bird park.
"Oh... What's the difference between the four categories and their powers?"
Shima asked as they sat inside one of the rooms on the top floor.
"First... Lightning Magic. It has two powers: lightning and electricity."
"Second... Flower Magic. Its two powers are nature and earth."
"Third... Fire and Ice Magic. It also has two powers: fire and ice."
Kei explained in a whisper.
The clock was already showing 8:30 p.m.
"Oh... Those powers sound amazing too. What's the last category?"
Shima asked excitedly.
"That would be Djinn Magic... and it has only one power."
Kei finished explaining.
"What is its power?"
Shima asked curiously.
"My grandmother said... there are many types of djinn. The power depends on the djinn the magician possesses."
Kei answered.
Suddenly, both of them fell silent.
They heard something moving outside the room.
Kei quickly pulled Shima under the bed and covered her mouth to keep her from making any sound.
The door slowly creaked open.
They saw a pair of legs that looked like those of a wild animal.
But it wasn't the creature from the CCTV footage.
Its entire body was hairless.
"How many strange creatures are there in this city?"
Kei whispered to himself in panic.