A.T

Like a student waiting their turn, William raised a hand. "Uh, can I know what you're whispering about?"

"Adult talk," said Sun-young.

"It feels like you guys are hiding stuff from me." William frowned. "I'm a kid, whatever, but I'm not an idiot. So at least explain it to me, why are you saving John?"

From the corner of his eye, Kazi analyzed him. William's face, so innocent and grim, suddenly flashed to arrogance and bloodlust. Kazi's fingers curled. It was gone, just like that, as a figment of his imagination.

"A mutation maybe? The human body can adapt to many things. The Wendigo is a purely magical entity. It's possible the victim became something between that existence—between physical and magical. Like…like a demigod. I hope this discussion isn't about you. Otherwise, I'd very much like to take you apart."

Darkness had taken root inside William and he didn't even know it. A rare mutation that would garner the worst kind of attention in the White Abyss. Kazi needed to figure something out and he planned to tell him about his mutation at some point. But not here, not when Jack might still be in the shadows.

"William, do you trust me?"

A slight bit of hesitation in his eyes. "I do."

"Then can you trust me to tell you when the time is right? I know you have questions and I know you're feeling a little uncertain about everything, but have I ever done something out of maliciousness?"

"No," William admitted. "Never."

"If that's the case, I would appreciate your faith, just as you've always given it. When we come back, I will explain everything."

William turned quiet. A minute went by without anyone speaking. Surprisingly, it wasn't the social Kazi or the curious William that broke the cycle, it was Sun-young.

"William, do you want to grab a drink when we get back?"

"Do I!?" The young Canadian pumped a fist. "I want to get ice wine this time!"

"Uh, Ms. Sun-young, isn't he underage?" Kazi asked, raising a brow.

William let out a groan before she could answer. "This is why Sun-young is better. She's open to letting me drink anything and everything."

"Really?" Kazi said, glancing over. "Anything and everything?" 

"Maaan, this is the afterlife. Who cares?"

"Let's not go that far." Sun-young avoided Kazi's burning gaze. "He gets what he can deal with."

Kazi sighed through his nose. "It's not like I'm banning drinks…" he muttered. However, he had seen one too many people get overwhelmed by it. He didn't want William to fall into that same trap so young.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. A pair of footsteps had climbed the rooftop. Jules, the lady with the box braids in a small updo and Matty, the man always accompanying her. His face always set in a furrow, he appeared to be protective over her. Getting up, Kazi looked at her with a bright smile. "Oh, it's you guys."

"Hello, everyone." Jules had one arm crossed and sitting on top of it was a black cat named Goldy. Level 29 and ignoring the snow as if it wasn't there, Goldy slept on the one arm without discomfort. What caught Kazi's interest was not the sleeping cat Jules carried but the little creature on her shoulder. A brown creature less than ruler size with fuzzy fur and white tuft ears.

"Oh, hey! Anansi is back!" Beside Kazi, Sun-young tensed, her dislike of animals flaring up. Kazi stood up and approached the young woman and the pet on her shoulder with a smile. "Hey, little guy!"

Anansi let out a chirp and gave him a smile. He leapt onto Kazi's shoulder and melted into his touch.

Jules was pleasantly surprised. "Anansi is usually not this nice to strangers."

"I shouldn't be too much of a stranger," Kazi replied, his right hand scratching Anansi's chin. "I used to work at a zoo. Animals tend to pick up on that."

"Oh, you were an animal tamer? That is so cool!" Jules sounded delighted, like a child meeting their hero. "I'm glad Anansi got to meet you then! You're much better than me."

"I wouldn't say that. You're the one with the Animal Tamer Class," said Kazi. Hovering over her head, between her name and level was a Class no one else seemed to possess: the Animal Tamer Class. It was why there was understanding rather than confusion at the sight of the cat in her arms. She was an animal tamer—duh.

Jules' smile bloomed. "Thank you for not saying anything, by the way."

"It's no big deal."

"About what?" William's curiosity couldn't help but ask.

Jules let the arm that was holding up Goldy fall to her side. Whatever panic appeared on William's face left equally as fast. The black cat, Goldy, was floating. Still sleeping, yet floating.

Even Kazi was a little surprised. 'Woah.'

Jules brought the attention back to her as she lifted her hand at waist-level. "I can't move my left arm and my right arm is super weak. See?" As if there was a barrier, her right arm didn't move beyond her stomach. She was able to fold the arm across her stomach and nothing else. "So the chances of me being the killer is zero. Still, I wanted to participate and be seen as one, if only for a minute."

William blinked twice. Once at the floating Goldy, then another time at her disability. "Really? That's…really weird."

"Is it?" Jules' smile didn't falter at his judgement. "I'm not the killer so I didn't have to worry, you know? Plus, haven't you ever wanted to be on a mystery show?"

"N-no?" William replied.

"Well, I do. I used to read and watch mysteries all the time. Actually, when I was in high school, I tried to be an actor. It didn't work out, but today, it really felt like I had been able to live a dream, as small as my role might have been."

A chuckle from Kazi. "Let me guess: you want to be a defendant next?"

"Could you be my lawyer?" Jules joked. Next to her, Matty rolled his eyes.

"If anyone is going to be a defendant, it will be me," Matty murmured. Jules turned to him and burst into laughter.

"Matty, your hair!"

"Huh?" He touched his head and snow seemed to have piled up. His hair was curly and faded at the sides, it was like a layer of snow was floating on top of him. Matty casually brushed it aside while Jules continued to giggle. "Hrn."

Jules calmed down, smiling widely, before noticing Anansi unclenching his fist and tapping Kazi's cheeks. The monkey handed Kazi an amulet. "What is he giving you?" she asked.

Kazi took the black amulet, squinting. The amulet was alone with no string of chain. Opening it up, he saw a wrinkled photo. 'The colour is pretty degraded too.'

The photo was small but identifiable. There were four individuals inside: a man with short blond hair, a tall man wearing a thawb, a woman in a short plain white dress, and one last person whose existence was blurred.

At the back of the amulet were a set of initials:

A.T