This was a standard move. Edmund wouldn't let a subordinate who knew his secrets slip from his grasp.
Ian opened the metal box.
Inside was half of a scorched-black notebook. The edges of the pages were irregularly charred, as if they had been licked by flames but not completely incinerated.
The text in the notebook was written in the ancient Tua Language, but some passages were covered in dark red stains that gave off a strange, faint shimmer in the light.
"What did they say?"
"Edmund took part in a ruin exploration ten years ago."
Aidele rubbed her temples.
"That expedition was organized by the Rose Commerce Association. The target was an ancient sacrificial site in the third stratum of the Burning Canyon.
"The team originally consisted of twelve people, but only six returned alive. Edmund was one of them."
"So he changed after he came back?"
