The Preying City

"Was it you?" Amelia asked angrily. It was hard to quell the turbid emotions inside her. Suppressing the bad memories that had resurfaced, she glared at the figure in the mirror. She hated the nonchalant look on its face. It reminded her of Delilah as she continued deceiving her father. Now that she had learnt of the truth, she began feeling repulsed by the uncanny resemblance she had with her mother. "Why did you do it?"

"I am a mirror spirit. My kind show people what they want to know about the most. Whatever you saw was simply what you truly wanted to know." The figure in the mirror wasn't affected by the glare in the least. In fact, she looked straight at Amelia and continued, "Shouldn't you be thanking me instead? I just answered the questions that had haunted you for years."

Amelia was lost. She had not a clue as to how she should react. Luna took her silence as resignation and continued, "I wouldn't go to tomorrow's gathering if I were you."

Amelia grew angry at the emotionless voice. Trying to calm down, she thought to herself.

'I need to talk to Mr. Collector. He didn't tell me anything about these dreams.'

Luna was about to proceed but Amelia took off the hairpin and threw it on the table. The spirit couldn't communicate with her if she wasn't looking at a mirror while wearing it. Taking a deep breath, she got back on her bed.

She closed her eyes but couldn't get the dream off her mind. Sleeping seemed impossible. The refreshed memory of her father's death replayed continuously. It was the earliest memory she had and the horrible years that followed at the orphanage made their way into her heart once again.

She was conflicted. She didn't know if the dream she saw was real or fake. If it was indeed real, then she didn't know if she was supposed to hate her mother. She had no recollection of the woman and she just felt lost rather than angry.

She turned and tossed around as thoughts raced through her head. Before she knew it, it was morning. Waking up, she took a bath and sat in front of her dressing mirror. Getting ready for the day's appointments, she wore a dress and some make up. Glancing at the hairpin, she set it aside and moved away. She didn't want to wear the hairpin for now. She felt uneasy just thinking about the dream.

*****

Elias walked into the police station. He moved to the inquiry section and used the secret code handed to him by the officer. "I am looking for Officer Mayven"

The staff looked at Elias from head to toe. Finding nothing special about him except for the bandages, he spoke in a gruff voice. "Wait here. I will go get him."

Officer Mayven came back following the staff and asked in a charming manner, "Mr. Elias, you are here earlier than I expected. Please come with me."

Elias followed after the officer into a small room. The working desk took a quarter of the room and the rest were filled with files stored without any order. Mayven navigated through the mess in a practiced manner and sat on his chair. Elias took each step carefully so as to not step on anything. Everything looked important and he didn't want to mess anything.

"Please take a seat." The officer pointed at the empty chair across him.

Elias sat down slowly and the officer continued, "How did you get injured?"

"I tracked the devil to a gambling den. Dozens of men were fighting amongst themselves. It was exactly like how Marcus and Roy were acting. They spotted me and I got attacked. I got these injuries while escaping."

"Did you patch yourself up?" Mayven looked at the bandages closely. "I must say it's done poorly. You need to learn to bandage properly at least. It will come in handy."

Elias maintained his poker face and replied, "Yes, I will keep that in mind."

"Where's the gambling den?"

"In an unnamed alley in the slums."

Mayven put on his coat and top hat. Placing a revolver into the holster on his belt, he grabbed his police badge. "Take me there."

Elias nodded and guided the officer to the den. The door was firmly locked and they couldn't find any other entrances. Just as Elias was going to suggest using the sewers to get in, Mayven stood before the door and kicked.

BANG

The door built to withstand siege was broken instantly. The attachment at the hinges came off as if it was glued together with a cheap adhesive. Elias was shocked. Half a dozen men would find it difficult to break through the door even with a battering ram and the officer accomplished the feat in a single kick.

'No wonder the doctor asked me if the officer was a supernatural. Looks like he had his doubts. I need to be careful not to give myself away. Who knows what he can do. He did calm down Roy and Marcus in just a few moments.'

Mayven secretly glanced at Elias. Looking at his shocked expression, he confirmed that the man was indeed an ordinary person with no contact with other supernaturals. "Let's go in."

Elias had noticed the officer checking him out secretly. Thankfully, he had experience in faking shock and ignorance. He categorized the officer as a newbie in his mind and followed after him quietly.

The scene inside was horrible. Mutilated corpses were strewn about everywhere. Not a single body was left completely intact. Some were crushed with multiple blows while others were cut into several pieces. A rancid smell drifted about the air and created a repugnant atmosphere together with the gruesome sight.

"Where did you escape from?" Mayven ignored the disturbing sight and asked.

Elias averted his eyes from the aftermath of yesterday's carnage and pointed at a hole covered by a plywood. "I went inside that hole in a hurry. I was pleasantly surprised that it led to the sewer. The people were too busy fighting and didn't bother with me."

Mayven moved the plywood to the side and checked inside. Confirming that it indeed led to the sewers, he put the makeshift cover back in its place. "Let's head to the inner room."

Pushing the door lightly, he moved in like a stealthy cat. The situation in this room was even worse. Three corpses were disemboweled and one had all its limbs missing. The fifth corpse must have belonged to the winner of the fight as he had his entire body intact. The cause of death seemed to be loss of blood.

Elias couldn't even imagine how the bleeding man must have proceeded to tear off the limb and disemboweled the corpses. The thought of an existence such as the devil walking the streets scared him and he tried his best to steady his trembling hands. He pulled his sight away from the violent scene and closed his eyes.

Mayven examined everything with much focus and stood up after several minutes. He patted Elias on his shoulder and spoke seriously. "You did a good job. Looks like it's indeed the work of the devil. Here's the 10 pounds I promised you. If you find more information, come straight to me."

Elias took the note and put it in his pocket. This would help with his family's situation greatly. He had experienced a lot of things since yesterday. Fortunately, he managed to live because of the doctor. The payment he received marked the end to this dangerous episode. A wave of relief passed by him and he thanked the officer.

*****

Vincent was having another normal day at work. It was quite busy but work was pretty simple. Today was Friday and he was wondering if anyone would bring any news regarding the task he had issued at the previous gathering.

He sent the old man who was complaining about c.h.e.s.t pain to the designated doctor and welcomed the next patient. It was a big man with bandages wrapped roughly around his body.

"How did it go?" Vincent asked the man naturally.

Elias sat down on the patient's chair and replied in a brisk manner. "Everything went well. The officer didn't suspect me and I got the promised reward."

Vincent undid the bandage and began to redo it properly. "Did you learn anything new?"

"Yes, I confirmed that the officer is indeed a supernatural. I saw him kick down a well built door in an instant. He also looks like a new guy to the job. "

Vincent wasn't surprised by the fact. He had expected as much. Moving his focus to the latter part of the man's words, he asked, "Why do you think so?"

"He was too occupied with visiting the place that he didn't thoroughly question me. Even after reaching the site, he only asked me some basic questions and didn't try to reach the very end."

Vincent nodded. He wasn't too interested in this information. Straightening his thoughts, he completed the bandaging and continued, "Good work. It would be good if the officer gained a good impression of you. That way he might tell you more about the case. You shouldn't try too hard though. You experienced firsthand how dangerous this is last night."

Elias nodded. He had no intention of getting himself involved like last night anymore. He was just a normal man and he didn't want to throw away the life he had barely managed to keep. Besides, the experience yesterday made him appreciate his family even more.

Vincent drew a rough map of the alley where the silver robed man came with the key artifact. "I want you to investigate the sewers below this place. Take note of any house that has a secret passage connected down below."

Elias received the paper and put it away safely. Vincent continued. "Remember to dispose of it later on. Also, don't go there to investigate on Thursday, Friday and Saturday."

'I need to get a good grasp of the underground passages as well. It can come in handy at any time. Better safe than sorry. I will also have to see where I will be transported to after the gathering ends. The key should have a fixed range. I should be able to close in on the gathering spot by using the different doors where the keys connected. I hope Mr. Collector will connect me to a different place today. Determining the rough location will be much easier with three points.'