Back at the rental house, Diana carried Rosa through the bedroom doorway and gently laid her on the narrow bed.The sound of groans reached Diana ears as she carefully rolled Rosa onto her side however her hands didn't stop moving.
Acting swiftly, she retrieved a knife from her inventory and began cutting away the shredded fabric of the coat and shirt Rosa had taken from Harvey, peeling back the layers to expose the wound beneath.
For a moment Diana froze, taking in the appearance of the wounds.
The four gashes across Rosa's back were no longer bleeding, even stranger cloudy, blue ice had sealed each wound completely, slowly spreading outward on the rest of her delicate skin.
'This isn't possible. Her node is dormant. She shouldn't be able to manipulate spiritual energy.' Diana's brows knit together as she leaned closer, observing frost patterns. "Unless Her technique is forcefully being kept active by her own Will" Diana muttered, her heart sunk as the realization struck.
Clatter!
Suddenly, a sharp noise echoed from the living room.
'Someone's woken up' Diana's grip tightened on the knife as she rose from the bedside, perking up her ears to catch any other noises. She then silently turned and heading out the room, closing the door behind her.
Crossing the hallway, Diana briefly peered into the adjacent room, where she had stored the two captives and noticed the closet had been opened. Her eyes then lowered to the floor, where Harvey, the taller of the two laid bare yet his accomplice, Anthony was nowhere to be found.
'The spell Rosa cast must have been disrupted when she fell unconscious and Anthony took his chance to escape, abandoning Harvey who didn't wake due to the mental damage he suffered.' While Diana wasn't as perceptive as Rosa was, it didn't take much for her to understand what had happened.
Hearing another sound, she quickly rushed towards the living room, catching sight of Anthony's naked figure as he neared the front door. The man crawled on his hands like a desperate animal, struggling to gain any strength in his legs.
'Its pointless. The door was sealed with runes', With squinted eyes Diana watched Anthony's trembling fingers as he reached for the door handle. She was rather doubtful that he could actually open the sealed door until she heard the of a bolt give.
Click!
'What!? Did I forget to…Oh, right!.. I can't use spells well.!', Diana was left speechless for a moment.
The deadbolt snapped back, echoing like a gunshot in the confined space and Anthony pulled the door open a sliver, catching a blade of the gray afternoon light.
Seeing this, Diana gave him no time to breath a sigh of relief. Before the door could fully open, she charged ahead, driving her boot down and delivering a decisive stomp on the side of his right knee.
"Ahhh"
Following the sound of a crack, Anthony exhaled a raw scream of agony and released the handle as his knee bent behind him. Diana quickly seized the moment to shut the door once more, and then continued her assault.
Bang!
Before Anthony could react, Her right boot struck again, striking upward beneath his jaw in a swift kick. His body lifted briefly before he crashed onto his back, his head snapping against the floor boards.
Mere seconds passed as he lay there dazed, gasping through the agony of a shattered joint.
But Diana wasn't done.Straddling his torso, she used her knees to pin his shoulders with a weight that brokered no resistance. Her left hand quickly clamped over his mouth, stifling his sobs, while her right mercilessly drove the knife down.
In an Instant, the blade punctured through the muscles tissue in his left shoulder, bypassing the collar bone and hurrying itself deep. Anthony's eyes then went wide with terror as his body arched, and a muffled shriek escaped his throat, vibrating against her palm with warm breath.
"Please…please, don't kill me!" Anthony cried, his voice breaking. "I have a fiance. She's waiting for me. She doesn't know any of this. Without me, she'll be alone"
'If you truly care for her, you shouldn't have been doing this kind of work'
Diana looked down at him silently, her expression a facade of indifference, masking the anger boiling within. From the memories she had glimpsed under the guise of the spell, Diana was well-informed on Anthony's relationship dynamic and what type of person he truly was.
As if ignoring his please, she began to rotate the knife handle, slowly twisting the blade and asked, "You honestly believe that Ella needs you? I doubt she even wears her engagement ring.."
"Gasp… H-how do you… Gasp… Know her name?" Anthony asked, sweating nervously.
"Oh I know lots of things Anthony, like how she told you she dreamt of quitting her job and buying big fancy house in Augustine, the one you're saving for. I know how little you actually visit her and about how you peer through her neighbors window late at night when you think she's asleep to watch their ten-year-old son. That dark desire you hide from her."
"How do you think she'd feel, Anthony, knowing the down payment was coming from the Xiangcao Pharmacy? Knowing her husband to be was building her future on money soaked in narcotics and the blood of missing children?"
Anthony's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Whatever strength he had left drained from his limbs, leaving him trembling beneath her weight. Sensing he had something to say, Diana studied his broad face for a moment, then eased the pressure.
"Y-you can't tell her. I--"
"Relax I'm not interested in Ella" Diana continued, as if discussing the weather, quickly interrupting him before he could finish. "And, while I would have preferred to end your miserable life here, I don't think your partner Harvey will be mentally sound enough follow orders."
"W-what do you need me to do…?" Anthony asked hesitantly, clenching his teeth as the pain drummed through his mind.
"It's simple," Diana said, leaning closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper more threatening than any shout, a subtle imitation of Rosa's manner of speech. "I might be leaving this city soon, but you're going to tell me every rumor, and every whisper you've heard regarding the resurrection of the tyrant Prince then you're going to help me find him."
Hearing her words, the flicker of hope Anthony held onto died instantly, paralyzed by the moniker that carried a weight heavier than the knife lodged in his shoulder.
'That prince? Someone was stupid enough to try resurrecting him, that can't be. This bitch must be talking nonsense... But if she isn't… I'll become a target if I get involved'. For moment Anthony thought to refuse however as he gazed up at Diana's face he quickly realized she wouldn't accept anything less than his agreement.'This bitch is definitely a crazy brute, I'm dead either way!'
Taking in the silence, Diana began to grow annoyed and twisted the knife once more. She then watched with cold eyes as Anthony groaned in response, his heels hitting the floor, and said. "Answer carefully, or I'll be gouging out an eye next."
****
Meanwhile in Augustine, the brothers quickly made there way through the Mortuary doors, keen on meeting with Song Junnan urgently. The doors sighed shut behind them, sealing out the city's noise as Damon's eyes caught sight of a reception area.
Last time, the wide, marble-floored foyer had directly had diverged to the cold rooms but now a large rectangle indent had seemingly been carved into the far wall, a decorative hollow space built into the structure.
Within it sat a sleek, reception desk made of dark wood. Behind it, a male and a female nurse in crisp white uniforms sat working under the glow of large white lantern crystal above. To the left and right of the space, Damon could just make out the subtle seams of what looked like sliding panels, a mechanism to conceal the entire area when not needed.
'So that's how it was hidden before,' Damon thought. 'They tuck it away. I guess there was no need for a reception area if Mr Junnan was here to greet his guest.'