People are Complicated

Arriving at the headquarters of ARISA took the same amount of time it took for them to leave the area.

Because this was the first time Kael stepped inside the grand halls of ARISA, he appeared out of place as he attracted many glances from the workers.

Moreover, the fact that he constantly looked around like a tourist didn't help. Regardless, it wasn't as if there were no visitors. The main reason was that Kael moved with David West, one of the best Field Commanders in ARISA.

"The meeting should begin in about half an hour," Dave glanced at his watch as they stood inside a lift. "The others should be making their way here if they haven't already."

"Got it," Kael nodded, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the case folder. Glancing at the young detective, Kael asked, "Won't many detectives investigating an assigned case make the task more challenging?"

This has been on his mind for a while now. Dave was the one in charge of Aiden Carrigan, while the other commanders worked on the others. With so many hands on the case, a piece of evidence could slip through the cracks.

"You'd think that," Dave chuckled softly. "But I can assure you, the others are just as good. Besides, if we have an issue, we're at liberty to look into the other's case.

"The only issue is that…"

"It would look like you don't trust your coworkers." Kael completed on Dave's behind, glancing at the young detective, who nodded.

"Exactly…" 

"That's a foolish take on the matter." Kael scoffed, finding the nuances silly. "Even if the investigations carried out by the others help paint a good picture, it won't be as good."

"That may be the case," Dave nodded, agreeing with Kael. "However, there are pros and cons for each methodology."

"Whatever…"

Soon, the elevator arrived on the chosen floor, the doors opening to welcome the duo to the busy space.

'Looks like a typical workspace,' Kael thought to himself. Naturally, he knew there were different divisions and even hidden ones not known to the public.

Dave led Kael towards his office, ignoring the curious stares from his subordinates. Jessica's attention was captured when she noticed the shift in the air.

Without hesitation, she left her glass-walled office and rushed to meet the duo. Unlike the people on the ground floor, those on this floor were Dave's subordinates — yes, the entire floor.

Kael noticed the woman rush to meet them, quickly falling in line with them as she accompanied the two.

"Mr. Neren, this is my assistant, Jessica Whales." Dave introduced the woman to his mentor, eliciting a nod from him. "Jessica, this is the person I was about. He is Kael Neren, my mentor."

"A pleasure, Mr. Neren." The woman beamed with a bright smile, her hand lifted in a spirited wave.

"Mm," To her enthusiastic response, Kael simply nodded, making the woman lower her raised hand awkwardly.

"Hehe, sorry about that." Dave stepped in to dispel the awkward air. 

Soon, the trio reached the office, where Dave moved towards his desk and gestured for Kael to sit in the seating area, where a couple of folders about the case lay on the small table.

Jessica, on the other hand, moved to stand before Dave's desk. The assistant looked over her shoulder and then back at Dave, her gaze conveying her questions. 

"Ah, you don't have to worry about him." Dave waved off Kael's behaviour. "He's not in the best of moods nowadays."

"I can hear you two, you know?" Kael replied from his spot, already browsing through the additional files on the table. "Also, what did you want me to say?"

"A stiff smile would have sufficed," Jessica muttered softly, though loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yeah, no." Kael flatly said, glancing over to the lady for a moment before refocusing on the files before him.

"What's up?" Dave asked, intending to put the matter to rest. "Any news from the other commanders?"

"Yeah," Jessica quickly composed herself and replied. "Six commanders are already here, and the remaining five will be arriving soon. Also…"

Jessica's voice trailed off intentionally, making Dave look up with a frown. "Riley came by about an hour ago."

"Tsk, that woman won't give it a rest." A tired sigh escaped his lips as Dave leaned back in his chair, having expected as much.

"Woman problems?" Kael asked without lifting his head from the files.

"You have no idea…" Dave nodded and then looked at Jessica. "Come call us when everyone is here."

"Of course," the assistant lady nodded and turned around, glanced at Kael for a second before walking towards the door.

"These deaths look stranger by the second," Kael muttered after a minute of silence. He looked over to Dave and added, "Remember what I said about the deaths looking like sacrifices?"

The young detective nodded, prompting Kael to continue. However, Kael didn't immediately continue. For a moment, his gaze became unfocused as he thought about what to say next.

He looked back at the files and said, "They might actually be just that, sacrifices. The wounds on some of the victims aren't enough to kill them. Something else dealt the killing blow before the visible wounds were inflicted."

Dave furrowed his brows as he got up from his chair and moved towards Kael, taking the seat on the other side of the small table. Turning the files over to himself, Dave looked at the other photographs and compared them to the case he was handling.

Though he had noticed this from his preliminary reading, he hadn't paid too much attention, as those cases were not assigned to him. Naturally, they drew his attention, but he had confidence in his colleagues.

"If this were a simple trial to see how the divine artefacts would react in the absence of a chosen hero, one death would have been enough," Kael added, though that thought in itself was flawed, and he knew this. "Of course, we still don't know much about the divine artefacts."

"Indeed…" Dave nodded at Kael's input. "But if your theory is correct, to what end? What would our perpetrator want in return for this? Surely, the destruction of our world would benefit no one."

"We can't be too certain, Dave." Kael wouldn't dismiss that idea just yet.

"People… People are complicated, and there are forces in this world that we still don't understand. Unless someone tells you the truth wholeheartedly, you can never be entirely sure of their motives."