Time passed, and the next morning arrived. A soft light shone as a cold autumn breeze blew. White birds flew across the sky, and white clouds drifted slowly by.
Hhha...hhha...
Vantias and Youtap were running with all their strength through the academy hall...
The columns of the hall were beautifully designed in the style of Roman columns, white and grand. The floor was paved with stone tiles, and the architecture of the academy was neo-gothic, with sharp, arched ceilings.
Students watched Vantias and Youtap running with a mix of fear and amazement, unaware of the events that had unfolded within the academy.
Youtap shouted,
"Faster!"
After several minutes of running, they reached the back door of the academy amphitheater. A crowd of students stood there, speaking anxiously, their voices filled with panic. The guards were keeping watch, making sure no student entered the amphitheater.
"This is terrifying!"
"What's happening in the academy? I don't feel safe anymore..."
The students were discussing the events with worry, while Vantias and Youtap hurried through the crowd and moved toward the amphitheater doors. The guards, recognizing Youtap and Vantias, allowed them to enter.
As they passed through the massive stone gates of the amphitheater, the smell of burned candles and cold metal filled the air. The dim light from magical lanterns illuminated the high, vaulted gothic ceilings, casting long shadows across the dark stone walls. The seating area rose in a semi-circle, with old, cracked wooden chairs, each carved with mysterious symbols and images of mythical creatures.
In the center of the amphitheater, in the middle of the stage, a man was bound to a chair… lifeless and powerless.
A soft light shone on the corpse as if the killer had wanted to stage a performance with their victim.
Kyle's head was bowed, and a dagger was plunged into his chest. Drops of blood slowly dripped down.
The amphitheater was almost empty except for Youtap and Vantias, who slowly descended the stairs. Marcus, the academy director, sat in one of the chairs, his head bowed in a quiet, heavy sorrow. He avoided looking at the corpse of Kyle, as if the sight caused him deep guilt.
Guards were standing near the scene, speaking to one another.
Youtap's eyes were wide in shock and fear for the first time. Vantias' hands trembled, and he didn't trust what he was seeing.
Slowly, they continued descending the stairs, feeling light in their feet, possibly due to the fear or the rush of adrenaline.
Youtap, with a tone of shock and disbelief, asked the director,
"What happened here, Marcus?"
His eyes were wide with fear.
Marcus shook his head, a sign of regret, and lowered his face. His expression seemed more tired and hopeless than ever, and he avoided looking at the corpse of Kyle, as if the sight tortured him.
Cold sweat dripped from Vantias' forehead, and slowly, he and Youtap moved toward the center of the stage.
Youtap quietly told the guard,
"You need to leave. I want to examine the body... don't interfere."
The guard looked at Marcus, who nodded in approval, and the guards silently left the room, heading toward the exit of the amphitheater.
The only thing visible was Kyle's body, bound to the chair. His eyes and mouth were sewn shut with red thread. A dagger was embedded in the center of his chest, and blood was slowly dripping down.
For several minutes, Youtap said nothing, his gaze fixed on Kyle's body.
Vantias lowered his head, his face filled with sadness, and thought,
"Thank you, Kyle... your death has made me certain that Charles is the killer."
He glanced quickly at Kyle's body, then at Youtap.
Youtap stepped back from the body and slowly descended the stage, moving toward the seat next to Marcus.
He closed his eyes slowly and muttered,
"Don't say anything... I want to reconstruct the scene."
Vantias and Marcus exchanged confused, questioning glances. "What did he mean by reconstructing the scene?"
Yutap, with his eyes still closed, used his unique skill—"The Seeker." This was a talent only Youtap possessed, one he had used in numerous missions.
Suddenly, all sounds stopped. The darkness that Youtap saw when he closed his eyes suddenly became vivid. Despite his eyes being closed, the scene unfolded clearly before him like a bright image.
Time seemed to stop in Youtap's mind.
He walked slowly in his mind to the center of the scene. He tilted his head slightly and observed Kyle's body again, carefully.
"I trap Kyle… give him a false sense of security and then make him despair..." Youtap thought as he watched Kyle.
He then focused on the dagger in the center of Kyle's chest.
"Slowly and carefully, I plunge the dagger into his heart, because I wanted to understand the source of fear..." Youtap said calmly.
Then, time reversed in his mind. Kyle's body slowly shifted, and the dagger vanished from his chest. The blood that had spilled on the floor slowly returned to Kyle's body.
His eyes and mouth were no longer sewn shut. Kyle's eyes slowly opened.
Youtap quietly stepped back, walking steadily, indifferent, as he moved backward up the stairs and sat in an empty chair. From the perspective of an onlooker, he saw Kyle in the center of the stage.
The scene slowly dissolved, replaced by a dark, damp underground room.
Youtap's mind analyzed every detail of Kyle's body—the scent, the dust, the texture of his skin, and all the clues that pointed to… Kyle had been in an underground room before his death.
Kyle had been sitting on a chair... his hands and feet bound, constantly screaming, "Help!"
Youtap sat calmly in the chair, and the killer, holding a silver dagger, walked past him and slowly approached Kyle.
As the killer neared Kyle, his screams grew louder. In Youtap's vision, the killer's face was shrouded in a deep mist, making him unrecognizable.
Then, the killer slowly plunged the dagger into Kyle's heart, and then… silence.
Suddenly, Youtap snapped back to reality. He was breathing heavily as if he had felt the dagger pierce his own heart. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his eyes widened in fear.
Vantias, sitting beside him, spoke urgently,
"Youtap... are you okay?" His voice filled with concern and fear.
Youtap gasped for breath and managed to speak slowly,
"What happened?"
"It's been several hours since you closed your eyes... you haven't said a word and it seemed like you didn't hear anything." Vantias was frightened.
Youtap's head was spinning, and his vision blurred. He breathed heavily, closed his eyes, swallowed, and said,
"I need to rest... I need some time."
Vantias nodded slowly.
"Okay... rest for a while..." he said softly, still unsure of what had just happened.