[Corvin Prospective]

I am now sitting next to this lunatic… who would have expected that? I feel as if I am about to cry but I can't. Strangely he looks even gloomier than before. Is he angry now? I swallowed slowly.

Why has this madman come back now? I thought he had disappeared or died somewhere. I can't describe how happy I was that day when he vanished for nearly two years. But as always, he disappears for long stretches and then suddenly returns again.

And why does he carry that card I gave to Iris? At first I couldn't believe Iris had handed it to him before she died unless he killed her and took it from her himself. Even so, I knew very well that Iris had been searching for him for years. She literally met me to ask about him.

I remember the times he would suddenly show up to dump a set of annoying tasks on me, and the times I wanted to scream at him. I remember clearly when I told him Iris wanted to meet him. That day he warned me not to reveal anything to her and threatened me, saying if I harmed her in any way he would cut my head off.

And that is exactly why I treated that annoying girl kindly from the start. It was fear, nothing else. But with time, with each meeting, a kind of friendship grew between us. The news of her death saddened me, no doubt. But at least she met that masked lunatic before she died. I hope her soul has finally found rest and risen to heaven though I strongly doubt she will ascend there.

…

The carriage stopped in front of my shop. I kept silent until that lunatic got out first, then followed him immediately. The last thing I want now is to provoke his anger for no reason. I reached out to pay Mithal, the driver. He tried to refuse as he always does, still grateful that I helped his brother go to the middle district.

I had offered to help him go there too. But he refused, saying one of them must stay with their sick mother. What a fool. That naïve mindset will get him killed someday.

In the end I insisted until he gave in and took the fare. I know he needs every coin to stay alive, especially since his brother hasn't sent any money yet and Mithal is still waiting. I wanted to tell him his brother has probably forgotten him, but I swallowed the words and went back into the shop.

…

Inside, the place was a mess. Swords scattered on the floor, armor piled up, shelves nearly empty. And in the middle of it all, that cat sat as if the place belonged to it.

I sighed in irritation. Even though this shop is only a front and I don't actually sell anything here, the sight still annoyed me. But I swallowed my annoyance at once when the masked man suddenly turned toward me.

"Do you have an empty room here?"

I quickly pulled an iron key from my coat pocket and handed it to him.

"On the second floor there's a bedroom I use sometimes."

He took the key and went straight off. When he was out of sight I exhaled in relief.

I stared again at the mess around me, then exhaled this time with open annoyance. After that I began tidying the place with the help of the other man who had come with that masked one.

After a full hour of work we were finally done. He sat on the chair across from the counter while I brought him a cup of water. He took it from my hand and drank slowly.

I felt a strong curiosity I couldn't hold back this time.

"What are you doing with that man?"

I made sure to keep my tone as respectful as possible. The last thing I want is for him to think I am insulting his companion and then tell the masked lunatic.

"I don't know."

"You walk around with him and don't know why?"

"Yes."

Could he have the ability to wash people's brains? And if so, why? Are the rumors about him being a cannibal true?!

***

[Jevan Prospective]

I hurried up to the second floor. Reaching that room, I opened the door quickly, stepped inside and slammed it shut behind me.

The spirits had returned again. They circled around me even with the mask on they didn't vanish. A group of them moved toward me, led by the three I had killed in that alley. Their faces were stained with hatred. But before they could come closer, Raghu appeared suddenly. His transparent body stood between them and me.

"What have you done in the name of the Creator? They've grown more numerous and now they're angry with you."

I exhaled with a sarcastic snort, trying to seem indifferent though my hand was trembling.

"As if I'm the one who summoned them. What made more of them appear? Didn't you tell me you were all under Valentine's control?"

"I don't know. There's something else. Some kind of power linking these to you."

I pulled the leather notebook from my coat and flipped the pages quickly, searching for any explanation of what was happening now. I stopped at a chapter about evil spirits and began to read.

"Spirits remain in our physical world for one week before ascending to heaven or falling into hell. Evil spirits are those stuck in our physical world, unable to leave, either because they are bound by vengeful desire or because some authority power forces them to stay. Some assimilators of the Madness Authority can trap spirits as long as they die within a certain range, and the only way to free them is to kill that assimilator."

I closed the notebook and put it back in my coat pocket. Then I slid down against the door until I was sitting on the floor, my back pressed to it. I covered my face with my hand, trying to block out the maddening voices no one but me could hear.

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