After a long time, it was raining heavily in the city of Laurelfia. Rain poured over the rooftops and soaked the streets. People of the city were preparing to sleep as lightning flashed across the sky.
Among all the houses, a white marble structure stood out — the Mayor's house. Its tall glass windows reflected the light of the storm. Inside, the Mayor's daughter Elizabeth lay in bed, while her maid Lily sat beside her on a chair.
"What a lovely party it was," said Elizabeth.
"Yes, it was, ma'am," Lily replied, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you for bringing me to the party."
Thunder burst outside.
"I think it's raining heavily," said Elizabeth, coughing. "Glad we came back early."
She coughed again. "Could you get me some water, Miss Lily?"
"Yes, I'll be right back, ma'am," Lily replied.
She went to the kitchen, took a jug of water, and started pouring it into a glass. Suddenly, the power went off. She opened a drawer but only found a box of matches.
Lily placed the glass on a serving board and went to the storeroom next to the kitchen. It was barely lit by the moonlight coming through the small window. She searched the bottom shelf and found a candle. Lighting it, she placed it on the serving board and stepped out of the room.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a box falling behind her. Startled, she placed the serving board on the nearby table and picked up the candle. Slowly, she stepped back into the storeroom and held up the candlelight.
A box had fallen onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up — but suddenly, a hand grabbed her mouth. The candle dropped and went out. She struggled to break free but couldn't. She tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Then, from upstairs, a piercing scream echoed — "Aaaargh!"
The hand's grip loosened. Lily turned toward the shadowed figure, but all she could see were two large eyes staring at her. She ran up the stairs toward Elizabeth's room.
When she entered, a pungent smell filled her nostrils. The room was silent and dark except for a dim gas lamp on the table near the bed. She hurried to it and turned up the flame.
Her eyes widened. What she saw on the bed made her freeze in terror. She trembled uncontrollably, unable to move. She felt a presence in the corner of the room — a harsh, gurgling breathing, like lungs filled with fluid. The sound crept closer.
Under the flickering lamp, she saw the figure — distorted and inhuman. Her eyes widened, her lips quivered, and blood began to flow from her nose and eyes. A dark shadow fell over her face, and the lamp flickered out.
---
12 Hours Later
Police cars surrounded the Mayor's house. Commissioner of Police Garrick Vane himself had arrived at the scene. A crowd gathered behind the barricades, murmuring in fear and curiosity.
Vane stood silently on the balcony.
"Sir, Deputy Mayor Mr. William Dinklage has arrived," said an officer.
"Mr. Vane!" Dinklage shouted as he ran toward him. Vane turned.
"What happened to Elizabeth?" Dinklage asked in panic.
"She has been murdered," Vane said grimly. "Her maid, Miss Lily, is in the ICU. She has severe internal bleeding in the brain, but there are no visible injuries. She's completely paralyzed."
"I want to see the body," said Dinklage.
"The problem is…" Vane hesitated. "The body is completely melted, as if by some acid-like substance."
"My God…" Dinklage's voice broke with horror.
"We couldn't find any physical evidence," Vane continued. "The only clue we have is an infinity symbol (∞) written in blood — most likely by Miss Lily before she passed out. But we did find a man unconscious near the scene. He hasn't woken up yet, but once he does, we'll question him."
"There hasn't been a single case like this in Laurelfia," Dinklage said angrily. "It's been clean for years… except that one damn place."
"You don't need to worry, sir," said Vane. "The case has been assigned to Detective Shane Gilbert and Detective Arlen Kael."
"Arlen Kael?" Dinklage asked. "Is he fit to investigate? Has he fully recovered?"
"Yes," Vane replied. "Do you really think an accident could stop him?"
"I trust you, Mr. Vane," Dinklage said. "But the Mayor is unable to take duty. The pressure's on me now. We need the culprit caught as soon as possible."
"You have my word, sir," Vane assured him. "The forensic investigation is ongoing. Detectives Shane and Arlen will join the case tomorrow morning."
---
Next Morning — Lauria Police Station
Commissioner Garrick Vane sat in his chamber, reading the forensic report. His face was tense with exhaustion. Someone knocked at the door.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened. "Good morning, Chief. How are you?" said a man with a calm smile.
"Good morning, Detective Shane," said Vane, his tone brightening. "I didn't expect you this early. Please, have a seat."
Shane sat opposite him. Vane slid the report across the table.
"I was going through the forensic analysis," said Vane. "But there's nothing useful here. No fingerprints, no DNA — nothing."
Shane read through the file, frowning. "Strange, isn't it? Something about this isn't human. How are we supposed to investigate this?"
Vane leaned forward. "We have one lead — a man claiming he saw the culprit. We found him unconscious at the crime scene."
"Where is he? Can we trust him?" asked Shane.
"We have no choice," Vane said. "He's all we've got. He's in the interrogation room."
Shane stood up. "Then let's start from him."
---
Interrogation Room
The eyewitness sat silently, staring at the table. Shane walked in and sat across from him while Vane stood behind.
"What's your name?" Shane asked.
The man didn't respond, lost in thought. Shane slammed his hand on the table. The man flinched.
"I asked you a question. What's your name?"
"My name is… Douglas, sir," he said nervously.
"What were you doing at the Mayor's house?"
Douglas looked down. "I'm a thief, sir. I went there to steal."
"A thief, huh? Then tell me what you saw."
Douglas took a deep breath. "I heard the Mayor and his family went to a party, so I thought the house would be empty. I went there around 11 p.m. I was hungry, so I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Then I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, so I hid in the storeroom nearby.
It was a woman — she came to get some water. The power went off. She looked for a candle and left the room. But my bad luck — a box fell down, and she came back. To stop her from screaming, I covered her mouth with my hand. Suddenly, a scream came from upstairs. I panicked and let go. She ran away.
When the power came back, it was silent. I went upstairs. The room smelled foul — something rotten. I saw the bed covered in some red substance, and the woman lying on the floor. I turned to run, and then I saw him — a man in a black mask. It had a hole in the center, and through it… a single eye was bulging out."
Vane's face tensed. His mind flashed back to something.
Douglas continued, trembling. "He walked toward me. My vision blurred, my body felt heavy… and I passed out. When I woke up, I was here. I swear, I didn't go anywhere else. I'm terrified, sir."
"See, Douglas," Shane said firmly, "we have no choice but to believe you."
Douglas looked up weakly. "I saw the culprit, sir… and I know where he's from."
Shane leaned in, surprised. "Where? Where is he from?"
"He's from—"
"Spyra," Vane interrupted suddenly.
Shane turned to him, confused. "Chief… how do you know that?"
Vane looked at Douglas. His face was pale.
"So," he said quietly, "he's not a myth."