Abel and Raphael went up the elevator to the first underground city known as the Belly of Ouroborus. From there, Raphael led him to a different elevator from the one Abel had used to come underground.
Just as they got into the elevator, Raphael turned to Abel and said.
"You know, I like you. You're quiet at the right times. Not like May or Boris"
"I'm still trying to process what I might have gotten myself into" Abel shrugged in response.
"Here" Raphael said as he tossed a pair of thin rimmed glasses. Abel caught it and was perplexed.
"I have 20-20 vision, I have no need for this"
"It's a magical utility artifact. It hasn't been tagged since it's still a prototype with little to no side effects"
"Artifacts?"
"Magic items that enhance your combat and other capabilities" Raphael answered with a smug as he pulled out one of the knives and flicked it into the air.
"Like My twin knives here. Basic and effective. And they have a simple perfect. They increase bloodletting and corrupt injuries to reduce healing" .
Abel nodded and was more curious about these artifacts and their effects.
"What do the glasses do?" He asked as he looked at the ordinary pair with a questioning gaze.
"Ah, they obscure your facial features, making it harder to discern your identity. Those who know you wouldn't be able to recognize you easily"
Abel was perplexed but also puzzled. So why would he need these glasses anyway. His puzzled gaze didn't go unnoticed as Raphael punched him playfully in his chest and added
"Put it in, you'll need it where we're going"
Just then, the elevator reached its destination, forcing Abel to put on the glasses hurriedly.
Immediately he did, he felt the rim heat up with silver light before returning to normal.
The door opened into a dark room, taking Abel aback.
The room lit up, showing a small room with what seemed to be a long wooden panel across the wall opposite to them.
Raphael walked to what seemed to be a light switch and pushed it up.
The panel shook, the sound of gears and wood scraping the floor followed.
The wooden board slid away, leading to what seems to be an office that Abel was well too familiar with.
"This…"
Now he knew what Raphael meant when he said he would need the glasses.
This was the Police Inspector General's office.
Which meant, they were currently in the police station premises.
Almost everyone, if not everyone knew his original identity.
Abel looked to the side to where a large standing wooden mirror was placed.
In it, his figure was shown with his clothes on. But his face was almost, almost unrecognizable.
The only major difference was that his red hair, a major feature of his, was now jet black in colour.
That change was enough to make him seem like a new man.
"Don't look into the mirror too much. That will cause problems if you're not careful…"
"Problems"
"Well yeah, the side effects of the glasses is that if you can't remember your own face, the new face or look you get becomes permanent"
Just then, Abel's head shook as his eyes shuddered. His sense of balance seemed overturned and his vertigo became shaken.
Abel nodded profusely before looking away.
He didn't want to lose his red hair, so he began to visualize and remember his original look. He wasn't that handsome, just plain and regular.
He did get into relationships, but mostly because of his job as an officer rather than his face.
The main door of the room opened. A tall man with grey hair and brown eyes wearing a large police overcoat and uniform with a pair of shiny leather boots walked in.
He froze and stood by the door, his body blocking a figure who was behind him.
"Constable, would you mind compiling your report with the 15th command right now?… I'll call for you when I need you"
"Is there a problem General?" a gruff female voice asked in response.
"I have important matters to attend to. Off you go Constable"
"Yes sir"
The man walked in and closed the door calmly behind him. Then he stood at attention and raised his palm over his head in salute.
"Inspector General Gregory Donaldson reporting to the Shadows of the Goddess sir"
"At ease sir, there's no need for formalities. Save that for the captain"
"But still, it's an honour to work with you again" Greg nodded and walked to his desk.
"The pleasure is mine. You have been briefed, yes?"
Abel stood there in shock over what was happening before him.
'Hey! General Greg, what the hell?'
'Raphael's a kid… where did all your dignity go?'
'Did I miss something?'
"And who is the young fellow behind you sir?" General Greg asked, pointing to Abel.
"Ah, yes. This is Inspector Luciel Groot. He'll be assisting me today" Raphael said offhandedly with a chuckle, his voice like a teasing prick, his eyes gleaming with quiet humor.
'Lucien Groot? Bollocks is this about?'
Raphael's eyes stayed on in him, wiggling as they signified him to prove him wrong.
'Fuck this kid…' Abel gulped as he stood at attention and greeted.
"Ab… I mean Lucien Groot at your service"
Greg saluted back, not seeing anything wrong with his demeanor at all.
"Inspector Raphael, Lucien, here are the files regarding East Boroughs kidnappings" he said as he grabbed a batch of files encapsulated in brown paper to Raphael.
Raphael passed all of them to Abel with a whimsical gaze. Abel looked puzzled, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Why don't you hand over the official matters to my assistant here? I'll do my own personal investigations per usual"
Greg nodded as he turned his eyes towards Abel.
Now, Abel was confused. He saw Raphael tilt his cap down as he walked out of the office, giving him a wink.
"Raph…. What.. wait what am I…" he stuttered before the door was closed.
'Bloody Hell?'
"It seems you're a new intern if I am correct?" Greg's voice came from the desk behind him.
"Well, yes…"
"Then don't worry about it. I'll debrief you on the places you need to visit. With your special abilities, you should be able to see what we don't"
"Special… abilities" he muttered, looking confused and lost.
"Ok, please study the case file here. I'll bring in your escort for the investigation" Greg said calmly as he walked out the door.
He suddenly stopped and looked at the man before him.
He looked quite young, not as young as the other inspector, but young enough.
His middle length black hair and thin rimmed glasses, all highlighted by his cold and darker than black eyes gave him a gloomy air about him.
This disposition reminded him of a former Constable that worked in this very station. The difference would be the different hair and eye colour.
'I wonder how he's doing now? That incident really broke him, it broke everyone's
Greg then opened the door and closed the door behind him.
Abel didn't fail to notice the General's gaze. It seemed that even with these magical glasses that changed one's face, it didn't change his posture and disposition.
Abel sighed as he took a seat and began to skim through the files. He looked at the standing grandfather clock just across and scanned the time.
It was 8:23 am
He kept that time in his head and began to read the files. He wanted to test whether that ability to read at higher speeds was just a fluke.
Soon, after what seemed to be long enough, he finished reading most of the files and the cases involved.
The East Borough, or sometimes called the East end, was a slum made up of the poor and destitute. A hub known for higher crime rates, prostitution and popularly known for its sewage system that served as a nest for criminals.
So kidnappings should be a normal incident here right?
If the targets weren't of the same age and a pattern of four taken each month.
Currently, this was the third month and two kidnappings had already happened. The last one happened a day before.
Abel was sure that something was off about this case. He thought of the places that could be the possible crime scenes in the East End.
As a former police officer who did his rounds for over five years, he knew all the sweet spots and even some of the sewer entries to different hiding places.
The sounds, the smells and even… the tastes.
Abel could remember them like yesterday.
He did grow up in East Borough when he had just lost his parents.
If not for a scholarship program that got him a decent education from elementary till college where he studied sociology and criminal law, he wouldn't have moved to the more convenient West borough with his sister.
He grabbed a map of the city just across from him and began to study it.
He looked at the clock and sighed.
It was 8:28am. He'd done all that reading in less than five minutes when he had estimated twenty.
"So I can read faster than others… Well, at least it's useful in getting information faster"
Abel steeled up, pushed his glasses in and continued to look up for more clues.
***
Outside the large police station, Raphael slowly walked out, his hands in his oversized pockets as he whistled a tune.
Soon he was outside the station, his eyes squinting at the sun flickered from over a roof into his green eyes.
He looked left and then right, before taking a right turn. He soon joined the crowd, keeping a low profile as he maneuvered through the human traffic.
Just then, a figure sitting in front of a café just across the street reading a newspaper caught his attention.
He smiled and rolled his eyes before crossing the road, dodging carriages as he quickly skipped to the other side agilely, before taking a seat opposite the man.
The man put down the paper slightly, a brow raised as he looked at Raphael with curiosity.
"Hello Captain!"
The man, who didn't look anything like Rathcliffe shook his head and chuckled.
"Don't go blowing my cover kid"