"..."
For several moments, no one spoke. Truth be told, some had similar thoughts given the nature of the wounds found on the fallen chosen heroes. It was the least likely, but also the most plausible.
"Sacrifices?"
Jordan echoed with a frown. Shifting his eyes to the projection and taking another look at the injuries found on the children, as well as the strange symbols, made a lot of sense.
"Exactly." Kael nodded. "As we've already seen, some of the inflicted wounds don't add up; they aren't enough to kill. While I can't claim to know about human anatomy that well, those wounds seem to follow specific instructions targeting something about their biology."
"Wouldn't that be in line with what Aria and Jordan mentioned about religious zealots and monster worshippers?" Riley tilted her head slightly. "Those two aren't mutually exclusive."
Kael could see the point the woman raised, and it made a lot of sense. Religious zealots would do anything their 'god' demands of them, and that included sympathising with monsters.
"Doesn't matter," Kellan stepped in, once again drawing everyone's attention. "Whoever or whatever group is responsible for the deaths of the future chosen heroes knew what the potential consequences of their actions could be.
"Our world is no longer without the certainty of divine beings and superhumans. Anything is possible. No matter how far-fetched a proposed motive is, you're all ARISA Field Commanders. You have all the resources at your disposal to investigate."
The commanders noted their leader's words with firm nods. Knowing what they knew of their world and its secrets, nothing was too ridiculous.
"As for the current heroes…" Kellan continued. "If your investigations lead you in their direction, you are to submit them to me."
Although Kellan had not mentioned it, the commanders knew a few current heroes who had expressed their dissatisfaction with the generational change in their divine gifts.
No one would want to lose that kind of power once they had grown accustomed to it. Unfortunately for them, it was out of their hands. There was nothing they could do against it.
And yes, there had been a case in the past where a current chosen hero had attempted to eliminate some of the future chosen heroes. However, not all were as power hungry as the others.
Kael looked across the room, noticing how everyone nodded at Kellan's words. 'So they already know something. It's simply not public knowledge.'
"Are there more potential motives you'd like to put forward?" Kellan's gaze swept across the commanders in the chamber, receiving no replies. "That's fine. You can run any new suggestions that come to you later. In the meantime, I'll be putting you in teams based on the location of the murders.
"David, Riley, Aria, and Elara…" Kellan's eyes fell on the called commanders. "You four have your victims based in this city. Put your minds together and explore the proposed motives."
"All of them?" Riley echoed with a smile, glad she was going to be working with Dave.
"Yes, all of them," Kellan affirmed, gazing at Jordan and the other commanders. "You and those sharing the same city would work together as well. Of course, you're to share your findings to create a broader picture."
There were five cities where the future chosen heroes lived, and were also the locations of their murders. That meant some field commanders would have to travel across the world to the other bases of ARISA.
After assigning the teams, Kellan added. "This case is a serious matter involving our world's state. Our leaders and the people want answers, and we're going to get them. Time is of the essence. Do your best."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Kellan got to his feet, prompting everyone to get up. Casting a last look at his commanders, and then at Kael, Kellan made his way out of the conference chamber. It was now up to them to figure out the mystery.
"Hehe, we're going to be working together again," Riley wasted no time and rushed to Dave's side, smiling brightly. She glanced at Kael, nodding his way before focusing her attention on Dave once more.
"Yeah…"
Dave could only smile wryly. He was neither glad nor sad about the team-up. It was not like he hadn't worked with Riley before. The woman simply did not know when to give us.
And by no means was she unattractive. Riley was quite the looker. Dave was the problem. He was not interested in having a serious relationship at the moment, and he wasn't one to play around simply because he could.
Before Dave and Kael could make any moves to step out with the others, Jordan approached them, his cold demeanour unmistakable.
'Hah, here we go again.' Dave let out a silent sigh, turning to look at Jordan, who came to stand before Kael.
Kael, who noticed Jordan coming before he came to a stop, turned to face him. He wasn't particularly bothered by the man's dislike. After all, he wasn't here to be liked; he never did, and this wasn't going to change now of all times.
"What is it, Mr. Dalton?" Kael looked straight into the eyes of the man, his stance drawing the attention of the others.
To his question, Jordan stared for several seconds, appearing as if he were considering what to say. "I'll acknowledge that you were once a good detective. However, what you did back then and what you're trying to wizzle your way into are two different things."
Jordan looked towards Dave, who stood aside with folded arms, showing no intention of interfering. However, a subtle smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Ignoring the look he received, Jordan refocused on Kael.
"Don't mess up this investigation with your biased thoughts, Mr. Neren." Jordan added. "It'd be best if you take yourself out of this investigation. You're way out of your league."
"For a detective of your calibre, you're so short-sighted." Kael didn't hold back either, sneering in Jordan's face. "You'd be happier if you directed this energy of yours into something productive. Perhaps, something good might come out of it."
Kael did not wait around after giving the man a piece of his mind. He walked out of the conference room under the steely gaze of Jordan and the shocked looks of the others.
"Sorry, bruh. You asked for it," Dave snickered at the fuming expression of Jordan before following behind Kael. He didn't know why Jordan was against Kael, and he didn't care either. They worked together; it didn't mean they should be friends.
"Wait for me!" Riley didn't dally around either, rushing after Dave. Like Dave, she did not care.
'Tsk, David had to go out to get a stray in here!' Jordan thought through gritted teeth, storming out of the conference hall. 'Has he no sense of class?!'
Unfortunately for an elitist like Jordan, his feelings weren't going to change anything. Kael was an eyesore to him, especially with the way he looked like a homeless man in the clothes he wore.
Regardless of how things went, their first briefing was over. The real work had begun, and only time would reveal the truth to the world. Would what they feared actually come to pass, or would something miraculous come out of this?