Dangerous Potential

"That's good."

Kael nodded, getting back to the files in his hand. After a bit of careful analysis of the situation, the two men left the room to explore the rest of the house. Naturally, they didn't find anything out of place after searching for close to an hour.

Aside from the victim's room, there was nothing to be found in the house. 'This is going to be very challenging to deal with.'

Kael couldn't help himself as a slight smile graced his features. While all this was unfortunate and had unforeseen consequences for the future, this was the kind of case that engaged him the most.

"There's nothing to be found here," Dave said after some time, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Yeah. And I doubt we'd find anything in the other locations." Kael nodded in agreement, bringing an end to his fruitless search. He turned to look at the young detective and asked, "So, what next?"

"We return to HQ," Dave replied, making his way towards the exit. "And as you mentioned earlier, the other locations have nothing as well."

Even if Dave wanted to go to the other locations, he wasn't the only one assigned to his case. Other Field Commanders were working on the other victims. The city was huge, and the world itself bigger. 

It would take more than one man to solve this mystery case. Each commander on the case had been given a task to fulfil, which, once completed, would be pulled together to draw a clearer picture.

"There are a few others on the case with their own theories and ideas. We're going to meet up with them for our very first meeting." Dave added.

"I see..." Kael wasn't surprised to hear those words. There was no way a case like this would be left to one man. 'He may be good, but he's not the only one under ARISA. The government would definitely want a lot of people on this case.' 

The two men quickly left the house and moved towards the vehicle. On their way, Kael looked around the neighbourhood, trying to see if there was anything he could find. 

"The neighbourhood has been swept as well," Dave said over his shoulder, noticing Kael's investigative gaze. "Don't waste your time."

"Mm," Kael had no choice but to nod. 'With nothing much to work with, we'd have to consider witness accounts, relations, and the behavioural instincts of the victims.'

Kael opened the case file again and looked at the injury that probably resulted in the death of the kid. 'That or the symbols have meanings that might shed some light on what's going on. I refuse to believe that a person could be this heartless towards the world.'

This line of thought brought his steps to a halt, drawing Dave's attention and halting his steps as well. The young detective could see that Kael had a lot on his mind. The sight brought a smile to his face as Dave saw firsthand how dedicated Kael was.

'It was only yesterday that I met him. Yet Mr. Neren is already showing his dedication.' Dave flashed a slight smile, resuming his steps to his vehicle. 'Suffering a setback like that would have made most people too broken to care. I'm glad you chose to join me, Mr. Neren.'

Reaching this point, a sharp glint of determination flashed through his eyes. Whatever it took, Dave was willing to help his mentor shed light on his situation. He was going to prove to him that not everyone was out to get him.

Unaware of Dave's thoughts, Kael stood in place for a while. Thinking back to his betrayal, he wondered if people actually needed a good enough reason to do bad things. 

'My betrayal is not that unique.' Kael shook his head, disagreeing with his own thoughts.

'People only need a single reason to do something terrible. It might not be true, but it only takes a person to believe it to be true, and that... that has the potential to make a regular person dangerous.'

Kael stared at the pictures in his hand for several moments more, and the more he stared, the more he realised that whoever the perpetrator was didn't worry about what the world thought or believed.

'We might need to look into some ancient texts to see this through. This might be a lot bigger than we are currently seeing.'

Kael lifted his head from the case files, looked in the direction of the vehicle and noticed Dave waiting for him. With a final look around, he continued towards the car. 

It was time to meet the others and see the way forward. Perhaps, the collective thought process of many brilliant minds would put together something solid.

"You're really taking this case seriously." Dave glanced at Kael once he entered the car.

"I'm not as carefree as you are, kid," Kael replied flatly, putting the case files in the back seat. "Unlike you, I take every job seriously."

"Hehe..." Dave chuckled softly, starting the car. "You're only saying that because you lack style, old man. Also..."

Dave took a moment to look at Kael once more. "You will need a new place to live. You're too far from ARISA, after all."

"..."

Kael didn't respond to that. He glanced at the young detective driving and then back at the road, considering Dave's words. Naturally, he knew this. But he couldn't just demand anything when ARISA didn't officially employ him.

Furthermore, he was helping Dave because he was going to get something out of it. Satisfying his curiosity and finding his former teammates were the main drivers that brought him here.

"Don't overthink, Mr. Neren," the young detective added. "This is something I want to do for you. I can tell you're not a materialistic person, so things like this shouldn't bother you."

Kael had to agree.

Whether he was kicked out later or not was not an issue. He wasn't expecting much anyway. At this point, Kael himself agreed that he was simply existing. He no longer had any grand ambitions or goals in life.

With no clear desire but a drive to know, Kael could become a wild card, unmoved by incentives, unbound, and potentially dangerous. A man like that could watch the world burn.

Yes, he wanted to find his betrayers, but this was primarily driven by his desire to know why. Making them suffer for it was just the side benefit.