Chapter 3 (Steps Toward the Truth)
Rain Drizzled.
Raindrops struck the cobblestone square, trickling into shallow puddles. The air was cold and damp, laced with a metallic scent. Inquisitorial investigators moved across the square like shadows, their black cloaks gleaming under the gray sky.
The work was silent.
Some stood motionless over bodies, others knelt to examine faint traces on the ground, and a few meticulously jotted down notes in leather-bound journals.
But the moment heavy footsteps echoed, the methodical quiet froze.
They had arrived.
Konrad Stein and Lukas Dorn.
Konrad came first. His massive frame, clad in heavy armor, stood out even among the grim inquisitors. The enormous shield strapped to his back bore the golden crest of the Empire, so large it looked as though it could shield an entire army.
Konrad's steps rang dull and thunderous, like hammer blows against stone. Each step demanded acknowledgment—as if even the cobblestones needed to recognize his presence.
Beside him was Lukas.
His opposite in every way. Tall, lean, impeccably dressed in the sharp uniform of the Inquisition. His crimson eyes narrowed slightly, his fingers twitching faintly as though mentally calculating something.
He moved almost soundlessly.
The investigators around them continued their work, but as the pair approached, everyone straightened at once.
Some averted their gazes.
Others offered subtle bows.
No one said a word.
"Who's in charge here?" Konrad's voice was deep and resonant, like rolling thunder.
One of the investigators stepped forward. A man of average height, reserved, but visibly tense.
"I am, sir."
Konrad stopped before him, looking down from his towering height.
"Report."
The investigator cleared his throat, doing his best to remain composed.
"Ten bodies, discovered early this morning."
He gestured toward the center of the square.
"A group of unknown individuals, likely mercenaries. Cause of death…"
He hesitated.
Konrad frowned.
"Speak."
"They were killed with a precision that can only be described as… perfect, sir."
The investigator cautiously pointed toward the bodies.
"All killed with a single strike. We've found evidence of a spear on some of them… the rest… it's unclear."
Konrad slowly turned his head toward him, his brow furrowing deeper.
"'Unclear'?"
"Yes, sir. There are… anomalies."
Lukas stepped forward, joining Konrad. His gaze swept across the cobblestones, the bodies, and the cracks in the stone.
"What kind of anomalies?"
The investigator nervously smoothed his hair and swallowed.
"One of the bodies—the one in the center—appears to have… fallen from a great height."
Lukas raised an eyebrow.
"Fallen?"
"Yes, sir."
He pointed to a section of the cobblestone a few paces away.
A deep crack.
The stone was shattered, as though something impossibly heavy had slammed into it.
Konrad stepped closer, his scowl deepening.
"Are you joking? Someone dropped a corpse from the sky?"
The investigator shook his head firmly.
"We… aren't certain. But based on the trajectory of the impact, this doesn't resemble an ordinary collision."
Lukas crouched by the edge of the crack, examining it closely.
"And who is it?"
The investigator shifted his gaze toward the body.
"We haven't identified all of the deceased yet, but this one… seems important. Expensive clothing, high-quality weaponry. Possibly the leader of the group."
Rain Drizzled.
Raindrops struck the cobblestone square, trickling into shallow puddles. The air was cold and damp, laced with a metallic scent. Inquisitorial investigators moved across the square like shadows, their black cloaks gleaming under the gray sky.
The work was silent.
Some stood motionless over bodies, others knelt to examine faint traces on the ground, and a few meticulously jotted down notes in leather-bound journals.
But the moment heavy footsteps echoed, the methodical quiet froze.
They had arrived.
Konrad Stein and Lukas Dorn.
Konrad came first. His massive frame, clad in heavy armor, stood out even among the grim inquisitors. The enormous shield strapped to his back bore the golden crest of the Empire, so large it looked as though it could shield an entire army.
Konrad's steps rang dull and thunderous, like hammer blows against stone. Each step demanded acknowledgment—as if even the cobblestones needed to recognize his presence.
Beside him was Lukas.
His opposite in every way. Tall, lean, impeccably dressed in the sharp uniform of the Inquisition. His crimson eyes narrowed slightly, his fingers twitching faintly as though mentally calculating something.
He moved almost soundlessly.
The investigators around them continued their work, but as the pair approached, everyone straightened at once.
Some averted their gazes.
Others offered subtle bows.
No one said a word.
"Who's in charge here?" Konrad's voice was deep and resonant, like rolling thunder.
One of the investigators stepped forward. A man of average height, reserved, but visibly tense.
"I am, sir."
Konrad stopped before him, looking down from his towering height.
"Report."
The investigator cleared his throat, doing his best to remain composed.
"Ten bodies, discovered early this morning."
He gestured toward the center of the square.
"A group of unknown individuals, likely mercenaries. Cause of death…"
He hesitated.
Konrad frowned.
"Speak."
"They were killed with a precision that can only be described as… perfect, sir."
The investigator cautiously pointed toward the bodies.
"All killed with a single strike. We've found evidence of a spear on some of them… the rest… it's unclear."
Konrad slowly turned his head toward him, his brow furrowing deeper.
"'Unclear'?"
"Yes, sir. There are… anomalies."
Lukas stepped forward, joining Konrad. His gaze swept across the cobblestones, the bodies, and the cracks in the stone.
"What kind of anomalies?"
The investigator nervously smoothed his hair and swallowed.
"One of the bodies—the one in the center—appears to have… fallen from a great height."
Lukas raised an eyebrow.
"Fallen?"
"Yes, sir."
He pointed to a section of the cobblestone a few paces away.
A deep crack.
The stone was shattered, as though something impossibly heavy had slammed into it.
Konrad stepped closer, his scowl deepening.
"Are you joking? Someone dropped a corpse from the sky?"
The investigator shook his head firmly.
"We… aren't certain. But based on the trajectory of the impact, this doesn't resemble an ordinary collision."
Lukas crouched by the edge of the crack, examining it closely.
"And who is it?"
The investigator shifted his gaze toward the body.
"We haven't identified all of the deceased yet, but this one… seems important. Expensive clothing, high-quality weaponry. Possibly the leader of the group."
Konrad Examined the Crack.
His massive frame blocked the light as he leaned closer to inspect the destruction.
"He was dropped like a sack."
Lukas glanced up at the sky.
"Dropped… or perhaps he ended up there himself."
Konrad snorted.
"That's just speculation. We're here to uncover the truth, not make guesses."
Lukas smirked, running his finger along the edge of the crack.
"And the truth isn't always straightforward, Stein."
Konrad ignored his tone.
Lukas turned to the investigator.
"Give me the exact breakdown. Anyone left alive? Witnesses? Evidence?"
The investigator responded quickly:
"No survivors, sir. The site is clean, except for faint traces. We suspect the use of a Fractum tied to teleportation."
Konrad's frown deepened.
"Teleportation?"
"Yes, sir. We've detected weak resonance traces, but we can't confirm it yet."
Lukas straightened, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"Then why guess? I can reconstruct everything."
Konrad sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Do it your way. Just don't take forever."
Lukas stepped to the center of the square and paused.
"Alright, let's see."
He extended his hand, his fingers twitching slightly as though brushing against an invisible surface. The air around him stilled, thickening like a heavy shroud.
Lukas's eyes flared with crimson light.
"Fractum: 'Code of Time.' Activate."
The world shifted.
Numbers.
They appeared on every object, every body, every bloodstain. Semi-transparent, faint, but for Lukas, they were a map—a precise guide to the sequence of events.
He walked past the first body, crouching beside it.
A shield. Pierced cleanly through.
"Contact with weapon. Three minutes before death."
He slowly touched a bloodstain on the ground.
"Body impact. Five seconds before death."
Lukas's gaze moved to another corpse lying nearby. Its chest had been pierced straight through.
"Heart rupture. One second."
Konrad's brow furrowed.
"And what does this tell us?"
Lukas glanced up, his gaze sweeping across the square.
"They were all killed within twenty seconds."
He stood, slowly circling the deep crack in the cobblestone.
"Eight people eliminated in twenty seconds. This wasn't a fight."
His crimson eyes flicked toward Konrad.
"This was systematic extermination."
Konrad Snorted.
"You talk like that makes it cleaner. People were killed, Dorn, and here you are, counting seconds."
Lukas ignored him.
His fingers brushed against the crack in the cobblestone, where one of the bodies had shattered the stone on impact.
"And someone dropped this body from a height."
He squinted, studying the impact site.
"Ten hours ago."
Konrad raised an eyebrow.
"Ten hours? They've been lying here in the rain that long?"
"Yes. Because they were eliminated quickly, and the perpetrator left."
Lukas stood, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"A teleportation Fractum. There's no other explanation."
Konrad tensed.
"You're sure?"
Lukas nodded slowly.
"The strikes were perfect. None of them could predict the attacker's movements. He moved between them, delivering blow after blow. It was over before any of them could react."
He stopped beside the body that had fallen from the sky, studying its crushed skull.
"And to drop a body from such a height with that kind of precision... I've never seen a Fractum like it."
Lukas stood before the body in the center of the square.
His gaze wandered over the shattered skull, the cracks in the cobblestone, the mangled fingers. This man had died without ever understanding what had happened to him.
But the victim's identity still mattered.
Lukas extended his hand toward the body, letting his palm rest gently on its chest.
The air froze around him.
"Fractum: Seal of the Past. Activate."
A faint glow flickered over the dead man's skin, like ink soaking through fabric. Lukas closed his eyes.
Images began to surface.
He saw them.
A dusty corner of a tavern.
A flickering lamp swung low from the ceiling, bathing the room in dim, murky light. In the corner sat Kaiser, his face just as hard and cynical as it had been before his death. A mug of beer rested in his hand, his fingers relaxed, though his expression betrayed boredom.
Across from him sat a figure.
A person cloaked in a long coat with a hood pulled low. Their face was obscured, the lamplight catching only their well-manicured fingers, which tapped slowly against the table.
The voice was low and muffled, distorted as if coming through layers of fabric.
"A boy. Dark hair. Around fifteen years old."
Kaiser raised an eyebrow, smirking crookedly.
"A boy? And what's so special about this boy?"
The hooded figure tilted their head slightly.
"He walks home alone. After school. Quiet, withdrawn, avoids drawing attention. But he has… a Fractum. A special one."
Kaiser's eyes glinted.
"Special, you say? What kind of Fractum?"
"That's not for you to know."
A heavy bag was placed on the table. Stuffed to the brim.
Kaiser opened it swiftly, his gaze lingering on the golden coins inside.
"Generous. Very generous."
He snapped the bag shut, his signature cynical smirk returning.
"When do I start?"
The hood dipped slightly.
"Tomorrow. He leaves school after lunch. You'll intercept him on the outskirts. Finish it quietly."
Kaiser leaned back in his chair, lazily tilting his beer mug.
"As you wish."
The hooded figure stood without another word.
Kaiser watched them leave, then calmly returned his attention to the beer in his hand.
The vision dissolved.
The Air Shuddered Again, and Lukas Returned to Reality.
He slowly pulled his hand away from the corpse and opened his eyes.
"A mercenary. Top-tier. Took a contract in a tavern."
Konrad frowned.
"The target?"
Lukas lifted his gaze, meeting Konrad's eyes with a cold stare.
"A boy. Dark-haired. About fifteen years old. Walks home alone after school."
Konrad snorted, shifting his gaze from Lukas to the body.
"A boy? Fifteen? And the aristocrats are paying this kind of money for that?"
Lukas wiped his hand on his sleeve, nodding slowly.
"There's something about him they can't tolerate."
Konrad scowled.
"Or something about him that terrifies them."
A pause.
Lukas scanned the lifeless square, as if searching for the missing piece of the puzzle.
"We'll find out. Sooner or later."
Konrad let out a heavy breath, his eyes lingering on the body in the center of the square.
"So, teleportation, methodical killing, and a child with a 'special Fractum.'"
He looked back at Lukas.
"Where do you think this leads?"
Without changing his calm expression, Lukas pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket. He scribbled a few brief notes before tucking them away again.
"To his school."
Konrad frowned.
"Why there?"
"He's a teenager. Fifteen. He has a routine, and we have details: he walks home after school. If we want to understand who he is and why someone put a price on his head, we need to know how he lives."
Konrad tilted his head slightly, his imposing frame casting a shadow over the corpses.
"Then let's find out. The sooner, the better."
At the School
The old building stood at the city's edge.
Tall stone walls, gray with age, enclosed a courtyard where students wandered in small groups during their break. Everything seemed calm: laughter, chatter, the shuffle of footsteps on cobblestones.
But the moment two strangers in black Inquisitorial cloaks appeared at the gates, the peace shattered.
Silence swept through the courtyard.
Students froze, and the teachers standing at the entrance quickly wiped away their smiles, their faces growing serious. Even the birds perched on the walls stopped chirping for a moment.
Konrad and Lukas stopped in front of the doors.
"Do you like working with kids?" Konrad muttered.
Lukas's eyes flicked over the faces of the students, who stood frozen, avoiding eye contact.
"They're not kids. They're traces to be studied."
The Headmaster's Office
The teacher who had escorted Konrad and Lukas to the headmaster's office stood off to the side, trying to remain invisible.
The headmaster, a middle-aged man with graying hair, looked visibly tense but did his best to maintain composure.
"How can I help you?" he asked, clasping his hands on the desk.
Lukas didn't sit. He approached the desk, tilting his head slightly.
"Recently, there was a conflict between two students. I want the details."
The headmaster hesitated for a moment, as if carefully weighing his response.
"A conflict…" he began slowly. "Yes, there was an incident. But it wasn't serious. Just a typical teenage squabble."
Konrad smirked.
"A typical squabble? Then explain why a mercenary was hired to kill one of your students."
The headmaster paled.
"A… mercenary?"
"Don't play dumb," Lukas said coldly. "We're not here to discuss trivialities. Tell us who was involved."
The headmaster averted his eyes, fiddling with a pen on the desk.
"It was Randolph, the son of an aristocrat, and… Nait Elstain."
Konrad grunted.
"Randolph, huh? And what about this Nait?"
The headmaster sighed heavily.
"He's… quiet. Reserved. Usually keeps to himself, but… after the fight, he… struck Randolph."
Konrad raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"Randolph went to complain to his father."
Lukas turned to Konrad.
"We'll speak to him."
The headmaster quickly added:
"Elstain is in class right now. If you'd like to speak with him…"
"We would," Lukas interrupted. "Take us to him."
The School Corridor
Konrad's footsteps echoed louder than the hum of student chatter. The students lining the hall moved aside as the pair approached.
Lukas walked beside him, moving smoothly and silently, his crimson gaze scanning every face.
They stopped at a classroom door.
The teacher inside fell silent as the door opened. Konrad and Lukas entered.
"Nait Elstain?"
All eyes turned to the boy with dark hair.
He slowly raised his head from his desk, his gaze meeting Lukas's crimson eyes.
The silence in the classroom became suffocating.
The teacher, nervously swallowing, gestured toward Nait.
"That's him. Nait, could you step outside, please?"
Nait rose without a word. His movements were slow but deliberate. Under the weight of his classmates' stares, he walked between the rows of desks in silence.
Lukas stepped toward the corridor.
"We'll talk outside."
The Hallway
The door clicked shut behind them, leaving the classroom in silence. Konrad and Lukas stood facing Nait, who crossed his arms and calmly regarded them.
"Nait Elstain," Lukas began, locking eyes with him. "Tell us what happened last night."
Nait raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Last night?"
"Yes. You were walking home. Did you notice anything unusual? People following you? Anything out of the ordinary?"
Nait tilted his head slightly, feigning complete confusion.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I walked home as usual. It was quiet."
Konrad snorted.
"Quiet, huh?"
"Yes. Why are you asking? Did something happen?"
Silence.
Lukas shot a brief glance at Konrad, who took a step forward.
"Let me guess. Randolph didn't say anything strange to you either? No threats? No conversations?"
Nait shrugged slightly.
"No. Randolph didn't even show up yesterday. After our argument, he… well, he just stopped talking to me. But does it really matter?"
Konrad squinted at him.
"And what was your argument about?"
"Nothing significant." Nait spoke calmly, his voice unwavering. "He bumped into me, and I lost my temper. I accidentally pushed him. It was stupid, and I regret it. That's all."
For a moment, the hallway was silent.
Konrad tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing. The air around Nait seemed to grow heavier for a brief instant.
"Are you sure that's all?" His voice was quiet but oppressive.
Konrad's Fractum activated.
The power of his ability—"Weighing the Truth"—let him sense when someone lied, as though invisible threads of emotion tightened around falsehoods.
Nait lied.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Konrad stared at him for a moment longer, then straightened and took a step back.
"Alright. If you remember anything important, report it immediately."
Lukas nodded, signaling that the conversation was over.
"You can return to class."
Nait dipped his head slightly and walked back. His steps didn't falter, and he didn't look back.
The Empty Hallway
The hallway was silent now.
Konrad let out a heavy breath, turning to Lukas.
"He's lying."
Lukas gave a faint smile, crossing his arms.
"Of course he's lying. But that's not surprising. The boy isn't as simple as he seems."
"What do we do now?"
Lukas tilted his head, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the classroom door.
"The shadow operatives will keep watch. On him and the entire class."
Konrad nodded.
"Good. I have another place I need to check."
Lukas lingered for a few moments longer, his eyes fixed on the closed classroom door.
"See you later, Elstain."
And with that, he turned and walked away.