The Sunfall pageant was reaching its climax on the main stage, the crowd's cheers a distant roar, but Phoebe and Seth excused themselves.
"We're going to visit an old friend," Phoebe explained to her mother.
Remielyn flashed them an odd, knowing smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
"An old friend? Of course, dear. You two take your time."
It was clear she had completely misinterpreted their errand as a young couple seeking privacy...
Seth didn't bother to correct her as it was a convenient cover.
Phoebe simply gave a noncommittal nod, her mind already on their destination.
They hailed a pedicab and gave the destination: the Ragybo district.
It wasn't an outskirt slum, but a district on the opposite side of the city's center from Linere.
As they rattled through the streets, Seth noted that the festive spirit was just as strong here.
Buildings were draped in colorful banners, and the sounds of music and celebration filled the air, creating a strange dissonance with their grim purpose.
They stopped at the mouth of a narrow side street, and Phoebe paid the 40 bathala fare—Seth's stolen money was taken back by Reymond, leaving him temporarily penniless.
The street they entered was quieter, the festival noise becoming a muffled backdrop.
The house Phoebe led him to did not look that modern.
It was a traditional wooden structure, and surprisingly, it looked clean.
The wood was weathered but not rotting, the small front garden neat, if overgrown.
But the word "abandoned" was still the best way to describe it nonetheless.
There were no shoes by the entrance, no slippers kicked off on the step.
The windows were dark, showing no sign of people inside.
Seth's gaze swept over the entire neighborhood.
A chill ran up his spine.
It wasn't just Jake's house... In fact the neighboring homes, similarly traditional and well-kept, also showed the same eerie signs of abandonment.
It also had no lights, no noises, and no sign of people...
It was a street of empty shells, beautifully maintained but utterly devoid of life.
"Are you sure you didn't bring me here to get murdered?"
Seth asked, only half-joking.
The cheerful festival felt a world away.
Phoebe, however, seemed more confused than alarmed.
"This is strange..."
She murmured, her brow furrowed.
"Last time I was here, there were still a few people around. I wonder where everyone went..."
'I wonder if I should just run away and not get involved in this...'
Seth thought, the instinct for self-preservation screaming at him.
This felt less like a simple investigation and more like walking into a trap...
Seemingly oblivious to his internal panic, Phoebe pushed open the small, unlatched gate and walked up to the main door.
Seth followed reluctantly, his eyes darting around the silent street.
There would usually be nosy neighbors who would accuse people of trespassing if such a situation occured...
However, with how empty and desolated the neighbor was, Seth doubted that situation would happen at all.
The door was unlocked as they stepped inside into a scene of stark emptiness.
It seems that not only was the house empty of people, it was also quite empty in itself...
There were faint outlines in the dust on the floor where furniture once stood, but nothing remained.
There was not a single furniture like tables and chairs at all!
Phoebe's expression darkened.
"When I last came here, there were still a few pieces of furniture left... a sofa, a table. They must have all been stolen after he left."
Her voice echoed slightly in the barren space.
"I'll check the rooms upstairs for anything..."
She said, her tone now all business.
Seth nodded, staying on the ground floor.
He moved through the empty rooms—a living area, a kitchen, a small washroom.
Each was the same... clean, but completely vacant.
He opened cupboards to find them empty, peered into corners to find only dust and shadows.
There was nothing.
No forgotten note, no hidden message, not even a stray piece of trash.
It was as if the occupant had been meticulously erased.
Phoebe came back down the stairs, her footsteps loud in the silence.
"Nothing..."
She reported, frustration evident in her voice.
"The bedrooms are empty. Even the closets aren't there anymore... It's like no one ever lived here."
"Should we look around the neighborhood instead?"
Seth suggested.
"Maybe a neighbor knows where he went."
Phoebe agreed, and they stepped back out into the unnervingly quiet street.
They tried a few houses that looked similarly abandoned, finding the same story: unlocked doors opening into perfectly empty spaces.
At first, didn't dare approach the few houses that showed slight signs of people for fear of being seen as trespassers.
They attempted to talk and communicate with the people inside these houses, but both of them were just left to be ignored.
Such a thing made Seth feel even more certain there was something wrong with this place...
"It's no use..."
Phoebe said, her shoulders slumping.
"Perhaps he really is just gone. I don't know if anyone here was close enough to him to know where he is."
"It's a pretty abandoned neighborhood."
Seth concurred.
"I doubt there's anyone left to ask."
As they reached the end of the street, where it met a slightly more lived-in road, the atmosphere shifted.
A few kids were playing, using tree branches as swords and kicking a ragged ball.
The sound of their laughter was a welcome relief after the oppressive silence.
Seth felt the tension in his shoulders ease slightly.
The sight of children playing made it seem like the neighborhood was quite comfortable...
"I'll go check the back of this last row of houses."
Phoebe said, pointing.
"Maybe one of them has a basement or a shed we missed."
"Alright," Seth replied, leaning against a fence post to wait.
As Phoebe disappeared around the corner, one of the kids, a boy of about seven holding the ragged ball, stopped in his tracks.
He stopped his playful run and turned, his eyes locking directly onto Seth.
Seth offered a friendly smile, thinking the boy was just curious about a stranger.
But the boy's expression didn't change to curiosity or shyness.
Instead, it became unnervingly solemn, his youthful features settling into an expressionless frown.
He took a step closer, his voice clear and devoid of a child's playful lilt.
"Mister," the boy said, his gaze intense and knowing.
"You cannot help her. It's impossible."
A jolt shot through Seth.
Before he could form a question—Help who? Phoebe? What's impossible?—the boy's entire demeanor changed.
He blinked, his eyes clearing as if waking from a trance.
He looked around, confused to find himself standing alone, his friends having run further down the street.
With a sudden, panicked yell of "Hey, wait for me!" he turned and sprinted after them, the profound moment shattered, leaving Seth alone with a chill up his spine.