Murder Most Foul

Kyle received all of the logs he requested from Sir Rollins. He poured over them very carefully. As he was studying the logs; he was enjoying a pie the tavern sent up to him.

After a few minutes, he started feeling very strange. His throat felt itchy and he started sweating. He was getting more and more scared by the minute.

His fears increased exponentially when his vision blurred. Eventually, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't utter a word, he even had trouble breathing.

It was finally too much for him and he passed out. When he woke up, he was inside the cylinder Gramps threw him in the day before. He walked out slightly confused.

Gramps was there waiting for him. "Not bad, you lasted more than a day before getting killed," he said.

"I was killed?" Kyle was shaken when he heard Gramps' assessment.

"More like murdered, from your reaction." Gramps was very smug. He was surprised Kyle lasted more than a day for his first time in the cylinder, but then he got murdered.

"Murdered? I'm just a kid." He couldn't believe someone would kill a kid.

"What does being a kid has to do with not getting murdered. I've seen lots of kids killed by others. I hope you aren't lost in some fantasy that being a kid gives you a pass on anything.

If someone feels threatened enough, they won't care who you are. Besides, you've moved beyond the I'm a cute kid phase into, the obnoxious teenage phase. Who'd you tick off?" Gramps asked.

Kyle took a deep breath and steadied himself before responding.

"I'm helping Star Tear Village locate the members and leader of the Bear Droppings Bandit Group."

Kyle pondered for a minute before shrugging his shoulders.

"I suppose it must have been one of them."

"What did you discover?" Gramps asked out of curiosity.

"Nothing yet, I just asked for the gate logs for those who came in and out of the village entrance. I just started looking at the logs when I died, I guess."

He was uncomfortable talking about dying. It didn't seem real because he was still alive, it made him realize the world he went to wasn't real. If it was, would he be alive?

"Hey Gramps, did you send my read body or my spirit body to that world?" Kyle asked Gramps.

"What do you think?" He asked. A good teacher didn't always answer your questions but taught you how to answer your own questions.

As the old saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

"I think you sent me in my spirit body, but I don't understand, I could eat, drink, feel pain, and even get hurt," Kyle said.

"Didn't I tell you the spirit body is like a hybrid of your animal soul or life force and your divine soul? it shares qualities of both.

Therefore, you can experience the things you would experience in a real body, but the spirit by is conditionally immortal similar to the divine soul." Gramps explained.

"Are those people, real people?" Kyle asked.

"Let's not talk about that nonsense, I'm not trying to make you into a philosopher. It sounds like you were on the right path to finding your target. If you wouldn't he wouldn't try something as risky as murdering you." Gramps said with certainty.

"Why is it risky?" Kyle asked confused.

"It's obvious, isn't it? When your dead body is discovered, those people you're doing all this work for will also realize you were on the right track.

They'll just pick up where you left off. Your threat doesn't disappear, but it does give him or her the time to do something." Gramps said.

"Do something? Like what? Kyle couldn't think fo something the murderer could do in such a short period of time to throw everyone off the scent.

"Destroy the evidence you collected," Gramps said.

"Oh no! Gramps, I need to get back before the logs are destroyed!" Kyle was panicked. He didn't care anymore about being murdered; he cared more about the murderer getting away with it.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to return before anything happens. Haven't you noticed anything yet?" Gramps asked.

Thinking very hard, Kyle couldn't think of anything unusual. He looked around the room and at Gramps but nothing jumped out at him.

"I can't think of anything," he said.

"Still a kid I guess," Gramps sighed deeply. He was a little disappointed in Kyle who was usually a pretty sharp kid.

"The time," Gramps gave him a hint.

Looking at the date and time on one of the computers; he noticed only three hours passed since he went to that other world.

"Only a little over three hours have passed? How is that possible?"

"There's a time difference between our world and that word. Time runs about ten times faster compared to this world. It makes training you more convenient.

Instead of having only 30 days to train you, I have about six months or so," Gramps said.

"That's insane," Kyle said completely shocked.

"Welcome to the world of cultivation. You'll experience more shocking things than just this in the future." Gramps smiled at Kyle.

He was looking forward to Kyle's reaction, so he was pleased by the evident shock and surprise.

"Wait, why only six months? Shouldn't you have almost a year to train me?" Kyle did the math and was sure Gramps got something wrong.

"If I left you in their continuously then sure, I would have almost a year, but it wouldn't be good for you. Your body needs your spirit body or it will eventually die.

You also need to play with the other kids otherwise your Mom might worry about what you're doing here.

Don't worry, six months is more than enough time. You should probably get back in there and protect your evidence. Whoever comes to see you first, is likely the killer, but don't rush to any conclusions.

Gramps walked over to Kyle and once more tossed him into the cylinder before he could say anything.

Kyle woke up sitting on the ground. He sat there quietly for a few minutes when he heard the doorknob slowly turn.

"The killer!" He waited quietly waiting to see who tried...or successfully murdered him. The door opened halfway and a figure slipped into the room. Kyle's eyes opened wide in surprise!