At the sight of Mr Junnan, Elliott and Trish rose from their chairs simultaneously.
However, Damon barely noticed, instead his focus was on the man's words."We didn't mention any bones," he muttered, eyes narrowing slightly.
Taking a pause, Mr Junnan's eyes shifted to Damon.
A faint smile soon graced his lips as he responded rhetorically. "Why else would you be here?.. It's a simple deduction." He raised his index and middle finger then continued"Firstly it's only fifteen minutes past one, meaning your search took roughly two hours or less. Secondly I'm inclined to believe you'd only return this early if you found something of significance and the only things that fit the criteria are those bones."
"You'd be right. We found all the missing pieces," Vincent nodded in confirmation.
"We also managed to find a lead on what were actually dealing with."
"That's splendid news," Mr Junnan replied, his features softening. "The sooner this case is resolved, the better. For the families, and for the city." He turned to lead them back down the hallway.
But before his heel could pivot of the ground, the main entrance door groaned behind them.
Glancing over his shoulder, Damon caught sight of two familiar figures framed in the doorway. The pair of religious officials had returned.
'If those two are arriving empty-handed, then we've done the real work…' Watching them approach, A spark of satisfaction grew within Damon's chest. While he had no intention of rekindling discord among the group, he hadn't forgotten how Lorelei initially belittle them.
"Its seems we are right on time."
The Gentleman from the Church of Destined Death was the first to speak. As he stepped toward his sharp feline like eyes surveyed the area.
"What great timming Mr Kruger…" Mr Junnan replied, turning around to face the newcomers. "If you were even an hour later, you might have missed them. We can discuss your findings inside the previous examination room."
"I hope your actions lead to the desired results"
Kruger merely gave the brothers a few brief words before following after Mr Junnan, leaving them stunned. His partner Lorelei however slowed her steps, offering a far brighter greeting in comparison."Vincent, Damon, Henry! Good, you're all here," she said, her cheerful tone a stark contrast to the environment.
Just as she stepped closer the three exchanged glances marred by confusion. They all had the same questions echo through their minds. What was Kruger referring to? Had he somehow perceived the events that took place after Vincent pilfered the finger?
For a moment a chill ran up theirs spines.
But they were quickly freed from their thoughts when Lorelei's voice sounded gently next to Henry's ear.
"Good afternoon! Is anyone home?" her warm breath touched the edge of his earlobe, quickly transferring warmth throughout and jolting him awake. "Are you alright? You're looking quite pale. Shall I cast a healing spell?"
Henry seemed to stiffen, he then took a subtle half-step back, hurriedly shaking his head. "I-I'm fine, really. Just… a long morning. Thank you, lady Lorelei." His face flushed, a rosy color returning to his cheeks in a wave of embarrassment.
Lorelei studied him for a few more seconds, her instincts as a healer warring with polite restraint. She could clearly sense something was wrong but as a member of the church of Olympia she was forbidden from enacting a healing spell without the receiver's consent. The alternative would be to render Henry unconscious to use the spell but such an action would only earn the ire of his brothers.
After deliberating on the idea, her mouth formed a conceding smile. "Alright. But don't be a hero. My offer still stands" her gaze then shifted to Damon and Vincent as she continued. "And that goes for you two as well, it's my duty to guide the way word and I believe you three have yet to be blessed by the waters."
A few paces ahead, Mr. Junnan watched the exchange silently, then gestured down the hallway. "If everyone is quite ready? Time, as they say, is of the essence. And some things are best not discussed in an open foyer."
In quick strides the group reached examination room once more and Damon immediately noticed the changes in the room.
'Scent of iron is gone, and those tables weren't here before either'
The scent of disinfectant chemicals now filled the air, a steel table dominated the center of the room and along the far right wall by the cabinets stood another, smaller cleared table.
Without a word, Damon stepped forward. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he accessed the imaginary mental space of his Hidden Inventory and retrieved bones. The five human spines, each one damaged and covered in dirt, were laid side-by-side. Next came the five cracked and broken skulls, their hollowed sockets staring blankly at the lights above. The collective weight of the evidence was palpable, transforming the sterile room into a gallery of atrocity.
For a few seconds, Kruger's silver eyes focused, catching the traces of malicious intent dripping from the remains. "Where did you find these?" He asked his tone low.
"Under the house at 34 Winchester Street. In a crawlspace." Carefully arranging the last skull, Damon kept his head lowered in a bid to hide his smile under the man's unnerving gaze."We had an encounter with the creature there, and it attacked Henry. After we fought it off, we found these." Although uttered with pride, his explanation was intentional vague to conceal what had led them to the house.
"You actually saw it?" Lorelei asked sharply, gripping Damon's shoulders before he could react.
"Well… Umm. I only say a shadow." Damon replied. "Henry is the one who saw it's true appearance."
Hearing those words, Henry once again felt his chest tighten. The memory of the damp earth, the shadowy hands, and his pained gasp in the dark lent a grim gravity to Damon's words.
'I'll be ready next time,' he told himself silently, clenching his fist under his coat sleeve. He then took a deep breath, calming his mind and began to disclose what he had seen of the creature true visage.
Kruger listened without interruption then said, "That's troubling," His brows creased slightly. "Based on the boy's recountal we should be dealing with a grade II wraith, but that's unthinkable. Those creatures are natural vultures, they exclusively pray on those mere breaths away from death, and they certainly don't possess any human features."
The more the man spoke the more confused Damon became. The concept of spiritual lifeforms meant little to him beyond fragments from old stories.
Vincent noticed.
"A spiritual lifeform is a creature anchored to existence by pure spiritual energy. Normally they don't possess physical forms like any human's, Instead their spiritual energy solidifies to create the desired physical form." He explained"you've met Xiuying's fairy, Pitou right?"
"Yeah" Damon replied. "I saw her in the library before we left."
"Fairies aligned with the light element, wraiths and reapers are of the death element. The Yūmbra are of the shadow element and the Sith and Demonkin are of the dark." Vincent's expression grew serious. "Based how Mrs Watson died, I think we might be dealing with a Yūmbra".
"You're thinking of a mutation," Lorelei said quietly
"Mm… Likely formed from Cecil Watson," Vincent continued. "Either her body… or her spirit."
"In that case, I think these might help you find the answer" Damon said, he then reached back into his Hidden Inventory and retrieved a carefully gathered bundle of fish bones.
They were slender, strangely shaped, and bleached white. He placed them on the table beside the skulls with deliberate significance and said,"We also found these among the pile as well."
"I think it's been feeding on other things"