Chapter 58

Upon returning back to the physical realm, I saw Aaron and Shinso both looking at me curiously.

"What did he say?"

After Aaron asked me that I felt my gut sink to my stomach, how would I tell him that Ransom but devoured by the void state for some reason, maybe it was linked to the ravings I heard before leaving.

"He didn't tell me anything."

I replied nervously, before scratching the back of my head, an overarching sign that I was nervous. Shinso took note of this and approached me, before placing his hand on my shoulder.

"What happened?"

Shinso asked this time, following that I looked up at him and gulped hard. Aaron watched the lump go down my throat before speaking up.

"Tell us, please. This is very essential information."

I looked back and forth from Shinso to Aaron, before finally speaking up.

"He disappeared before I could interrogate him, the void state grew arms and dragged him away."

I took a few steps back and prepared to be reprimanded for something that wasn't my fault, but Aaron simply sighed and leaned against the alleyway.

"Do you have the artifact at least?"

He asked, his voice a little disgruntled following my statement. I nodded before handing it to him, and he took it and wrapped it back in the cloth before placing it back in his sack.

"What does that do anyways?"

I asked, attempting to change the subject. Aaron looked down at his pocket before sighing.

"The artifact is used to extract information from people. On normal means the artifact would work on non-deformed individuals, but since Ransom was turned into a flesh blob along with a few other people, the artifact had to extract Ransom from it too."

From his explanation, I claimed that the artifact's user must have a clear intention, and since the intention was to talk to Ransom, the artifact followed the divine command and removed Ransom from flesh blob completely.

"But why was he acting feral, and wanting to be put back?"

I asked. Aaron's eyebrows furrowed, making the wrinkles on his face more prominent and noticeable, he simply looked down at the ground for a few moments before speaking up.

"Whoever made this flesh blob, must've used ritualistic magic to bind an aura to it."

"What do you mean by binding an aura?"

I asked, leaning in a little closer to observe the flesh blob in its glory. Aaron sighed again, a little tired of my questions, but the urge to teach and learn was just as noticeable.

"Some seekers of certain Routeways have access to abilities like Binding, it allows one to bind anything to another existence."

"So the user must've bonded some conceptual aspect of fear and worry to this blob, and ever since Ransom was freed, he wanted to be put back since he kind of made up the fear that was bonded to the blob's existence."

I nodded after learning this information, but another question rose in my mind, one that I was uncertain Aaron could completely answer or not. 

"Before Ransom could tell me anything, the void state took him away, do you know why?"

Aaron's expression then turned almost unreadable after I asked him that. He then walked over to the flesh blob before laying his hand on its wet surface.

"The void state is another plane of our minds' existence, and since yours was attacked by Isaiah, his residual energy was placed with a sense of intent, a way of not completely fulfilling your goals."

Suddenly me, Shinso and Aaron froze in unison, we just talked about Isaiah without any sort of divine protection, but why hasn't he attempted to corrupt or destroy anyone here?

"Why hasn't he attacked us yet?"

Shinso then spoke up, leaning against a dumpster in an attempt to act nonchalant.

"Maybe we aren't necessarily wanted by him right now, we talked about him, he knows who, where and when we are doing anything right now, but if we were any source or need from him at the moment, he would've already attacked us. I guess he isn't interested in us right now."

Me and Aaron both looked at him and nodded with a sense of uncertainty, maybe Isaiah's current interests weren't locked on us, what if he was locked on someone else right now?

"Well, that's ok I guess." 

I said, my voice a little uncertain. I then looked back at the city street, and saw that people were starting to truly pile up.

"We should get going, we'll talk about this later."

Shinso stated as he stepped out of the alleyway before proceeding down the street. Me and Aaron both followed him, but my eyes immediately locked into a strange, yet familiar presence within the street.

I then turned around only to see Raymond looking right at me, this time he was wearing casual clothing and was carrying a basket full of groceries.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

He asked, his voice laced with a strange sense of innocence, Shinso and Aaron didn't seem to notice him, which was strange because they both stopped to look for groceries, and dismissed my absence.

"No, you're not."

I replied, turning away from him, but I felt like my body wouldn't let me, as I kept my body facing him in all his glory.

"Don't try to leave, we have a lot to talk about."

"I don't even know you all that well, what could we possibly have to talk about?"

Raymond then sighed before approaching me and wrapping an arm around my shoulder as if we knew each other for years, like friends.

"I know a lot about your plan, and I know where the Nightshades are exactly, you don't need to keep your useless hunt going much longer."

His voice was somewhat condescending as he spoke to me, but it also sounded like he genuinely cared about our mission, and bringing justice to Oboro's shooter.

"The whole reason you got into this bullshit was because of some nullifying bullets, and when I tell you they're useless and used all around by overground police, you're gonna laugh your ass off and feel oh so stipid in yourself and in your group."

At this point I felt like Raymond was teasing me rather then actually attempting to help me, what if the stakes planted here were almost nonexistent, but the hunt for the Nightshades was at least 50 times easier with Raymond's help, after all he'll tell me everything I need to know at my expense.

"Fine, tell me everything."

"As you wish."

Raymond chuckled as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly the environment around me started to change, and when I reopened my eyes I wasn't on the street anymore, I was actually inside a bar, the one I went to down the street where I learned how to shoot.

"2 drinks please."

I heard Raymond tell the bartender, before carelessly tossing him a handful of diamond Lumin, something I've never seen before in the week I've been here.

"Surprised I see? Madame Fitzgerald has a lot of these, and sometimes she goes out donating them to less wealthy individuals."

Raymond bragged, before folding his hands and looking me in the eyes with his green ones.

"Now, I know who and where the Nightshades truly are, and just because you found some symbols in a book shouldn't be a reason they're meant to be toyed with."

The bartender then walked back to us and handed us our drinks. Raymond ordered a beer, which was a little peculiar considering he looked about 16 years old. He also ordered me a beer, which I simply pushed away.

"Don't wanna drink?"

He teased, pushing the glass of almost overflowing beer back at me, causing a little to spill onto the table and my shirt.

"Not thank you."

I pushed the drink back. Even if Raymond didn't touch my drink much, I couldn't help but feel suspicious regarding whether he secretly laced it or not.

"Now, let's discuss the Nightshades."

He took a sip of my beer, before looking back at me.

"How did you know the reason we were looking for them?"

I suddenly asked. Raymond looked back at me and chuckled.

"I know lots of things, the symbols in the books pertaining to Routeways, 2 in particular that the Nightshades utilize in your nighty activities."

"The only reason that you would have books related to the Nightshades to begin with is because someone is affiliated with them."

He then snapped his fingers, and a chess-case appeared, dropping onto the table. Raymond then reached into the chess-case and took out the board along with all the pieces for each other's sides.

"I like to play this game when I want to pass the time, except I barely have anyone to play with besides my butler, it's nice to have a change, isn't it?"

His voice gradually grew softer and more predatory as he made the first move. I wasn't particularly good with chess, but I just moved whatever piece I could.

"Anyways, Isaiah Walls, the guy you and your friends are looking for...the only reason you're looking for him is because of his possession of nullifying bullets and a stolen artifact. Remember a few moments ago when I told you that the overground police use these bullets? Well, does that make Isaiah Walls anymore special, does that make your case anymore special to begin with?"

"I know you think I'm crazy, but my mothers connection to the Nightshades, the reports she gave Cattleya, and the flesh blob you and your friends found in the alleyway, it's not all connected in the way you think."

"Maxwell Hammers, the man that the police ran an investigation on a few years back, that ritual was actually to locate the Nightshades to begin with, and the artifacts and tools he used ended up backfiring and destroying his physical and mental existence."

I suddenly felt dumbfounded by his words, Maxwell was mentioned in the notes made by the Nightshades, why would he need to locate them if he already worked for them?

"Maxwell worked for the Nightshades, why would he have needed to locate them?"

Raymond laughed again.

"One of my mother's friends was Maxwell, and believe it or not, my mother's connections to the Nightshades led to Maxwell being banished from the organization."

"If your mother led to him being banished, then why were there no repercussions toward her?"

Raymond then said with a smile.

"Money, it's power. She paid the Nightshades to prevent her from being banished as well, and she stole some of the notes that they wrote, it was seemingly top secret information. But since Cattleya has it now, I guess the Nightshades are looking for her as we speak."

I widened my eyes, at this point I wasn't moving any chess pieces anymore.

"So you're telling me that your mother wanted Maxwell banished? Her influence purposely got him banished, and now they're looking for who stole the notes? What does this have to do with Isaiah Walls and the bullets you brought up?"

A playful glint appeared in Raymond's expression, before he snapped his fingers again and conjured up a piece of paper, another note similar to what Madame Fitzgerald gave Cattleya.

He handed me the note with a smile, and I took it nervously before reading it.

"Date: 1608, Name: Demetrius Hallow. The Nightshades recently dispatched me to search for Isaiah Walls, the one who stole the artifact we're looking for, and it hasn't been going well."

"I heard they recently banished Maxwell Hammers, due to his dwindling sense of rationality and control, due to what Isaiah possibly did with his abilities."

Before Isaiah ran away with the artifact, he's always been talking about control, and what makes someone feel control to the highest degree. And the artifact he stole allowed him to become aware of people whenever they think about him, or do anything regarding him."

"Isaiah Walls, he was a Seeker of the Erosion Routeway, and what we suspect happened and made him steal the artifact was due to one of the last colleges: Aaron Salista."

My expression faltered after reading those words, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of anger and frustration.

"What could Aaron have possibly done? What could've Aaron done that led to this whole case, that led to Maxwell losing rationality, and that led to Isaiah running away with the artifact."

Raymond, as if he could read my mind, then spoke up.

"Your friend, Aaron. He is an Order 3 seeker of the Patience Routeway, and it allows him to control his rationality to a certain extent, and he could also sense the rationality of others, which led to Aaron banishing Maxwell on purpose, and Isaiah running away."

"So, the Nullifying bullets are used by overground police for some reason, Aaron has connections to Maxwell's loss of rationality, and Isaiah Wall's case."

"Remember, the reason that you're in this predicament to begin with is because your friend Oboro got shot, right? If Isaiah shot Oboro, and Aaron took him as a mentor, what could that have meant?"

My eyes widened, Aaron's overall motivations could've been raising Oboro as an apprentice, but this was before Isaiah shot him, why would Isaiah have shot him to begin with?

Raymond chuckled lightly, before making the last move in chess, winning the game. He then looked back at me and smiled.

"Maybe Isaiah Walls and Aaron, they're working together?"

"Exactly, Madame Fitzgerald paid to keep her off the bounty list, her connections to the Nightshades led to Isaiah's case, and Isaiah shot Oboro to start this case, to "start anew"."

"Y-you're telling me that Oboro was worthless in this case, that Isaiah shot him just to kickstart another motive, but what would that motive be?"