Inheritance of Shadows [Hugo Vlad x Fem!OC]

Chapter 8: Buried Legacy

"Ugh... you better buy me two catnips for this."

Yukari smirked. "Deal."

Soon enough, they arrived at the town. The town unfolded before them like a page from a glossy travel magazine—modern, alive, and layered with history. Towering glass buildings loomed beside age-old brick structures, their edges softened by ivy and time. The streets were cobbled in some parts, sleek pavement in others, lit by elegant street lamps that glowed a soft gold.

Everywhere Yukari looked, it was empty, though at this time it was expected. Yurina checked the buildings to see where it is, but found it to be nowhere?

"Uhm, Yukari, where is it?" She asked the dragon Thiren.

Yukari scanned the buildings around, the car almost going in a circle, "Good question, it's really not here."

"Are you sure you got the right address?" Yurina felt skeptical. Yukari quickly checked her phone to see the address.

Yukari checked her phone with the address saved, "I'm pretty sure," Yukari furrowed her brow, double checking, "That number should be right here..."

Yurina slowed the car, headlights washing over a cracked street sign half-swallowed by ivy.

"Wait—stop." Yukari ordered. Yurina stepped on the brakes.

She pointed. The metal sign was bent, barely readable: "Rookmere Street, (Formerly Wexley Extension) in brackets..." Yukari's heart skipped. "This used to be part of Wexley Road..."

Yurina tilted her head. "So the building isn't gone- it's just been... renamed out of existence?"

They turned into the narrow lane. Time felt slower here—no lights, no cameras, no noise. Just silence.

And at the far end, tucked behind a locked iron gate, stood a tall, faded building with a boarded sign above the arch:

Ravenlock Atelier

Yukari grinned. "Found you."

Yukari took off her seatbelt and opened the door.

"Yukari! Wait-" But slammed the door closed when Yurina tried to stop her. "Ugh, that lizard is always off in a hurry."

Yurina parked the car, left the car and locked it with her keys, following after Yukari.

"Yukari! Wait for me!"

The dragon Thiren kept walking and reached a door that looked like it could fall apart if she wasn't careful. It was dark inside, so she took out her mini flashlight from her blouse pocket and clicked it on. She swept the light around the old boutique—it was more worn out than she expected. At the far end, another door led into a connected room. She paced over and opened it.

A cloud of dust rushed out, making her cough. When it settled, she saw a small office; a table near a cracked window where the moonlight poured in, casting soft, broken shadows across the floor.

Yurina finally caught up, catching her breath, hunched over and holding her knees. "Yu-Yukari...I swear you-"

Yukari swings her hand up, signalling the cat Thiren, "Wait, Yurina, save your complaints for later."

Yukari's gaze sharpened when something glinted across the room. The beam of her flashlight was too harsh, washing it out. So she switched it off. Now, the only light came from the moon, pouring in through the broken window and casting a horizontal glow along the wall. In that soft light, a shimmer revealed itself more clearly—right over the shelves of the bookcase.

Yurina's eyes finally caught it too.

"It seems like we came at the right time. If it was any other time or day we wouldn't even notice it." Yukari said in a low voice. "Lucky us."

She stepped carefully over the broken floorboards, reaching for a book with tiny, sparkling jewels embedded in its binding. She pressed it down... nothing. Then, she tilted it back, and somewhere nearby, a soft click echoed. Something had unlocked.

Yurina walked over to where the sound was heard. It was a drawer from the office table; the drawer peaking out more than the rest.

"Yukari, this drawer is sticking out."

Yukari goes around opposite of Yurina and pulls out the drawer. It was a book, maybe a diary. Although it was locked, it was no trouble for Yukari's skilled fingers.

"Yurina, you have lockpicking tools right?"

"Of course! I always come prepared for trips like this!" She opens her blazer and pulls out a few tools for lockpicking and hands them over to Yukari.

Yukari placed down the diary, and steadily picked the lock, and click. The sound of victory escaped Yukari's lips. She gently removed the lock and set it aside. She turned on her flashlight as she turned the pages.

The first page had a name written, "A. Virell, Anthony Virell. It was in that letter that I saw. So it wasn't just a bunch of nonsense names after all."

"Someone that's part of Ravenlock?" Yurina questioned.

"Mayhaps, we shall see."

She turned the next page, reading carefully, retaining every information.

Then the next page.

Next page.

Next...page...

She bit her inner cheek, her hand twitching.

Yurina was widening her mouth before she realised it, her eyes gradually gaping.

"N-No way. That's not true right?" Yurina slowly uttered out.

Yukari's heart was beating faster. She was grinning ear to ear. A mix of thrill and fear.

"The gems... they are cursed, the head of Ravenlock cursed them. And the TOPs want them to sell to the world and to manipulate them," Yukari muttered.

She hunched over the book, pressing both her hands down aggressively.

"Then... Why is Mockingbird stealing them?"

Yukari gritted her teeth, "We don't know yet. He said it was personal, maybe because of these gems he has to steal them, but why?"

"W-What if this was fake?" Yurina retorted.

"If it was, why would they make me go through all the trouble to decode this? Those boutiques I went through, they knew, like it was underground information that was banned from the public. Or they were forced to be hushed. Could be both the case actually."

Yukari pulled back, crossed her arms. "Yurina, this isn't something we can reveal to the public. You need to find out what TOPs are up to when we're back."

"But, where did Anthony go? He just stopped writing after this, uhh..." Yurina scanned back to the pages, "2012, July 19th."

"That was a few days before it was condemned."

"Then... the information he said here..."

"They found out he's been leaking information, and silenced him, maybe. He did say he told other people about this information." Yukari finished her sentence.

Silence overcame them.

"Then... I guess we leave the investigation here. We should go back." Yurina's tail was wagging. "Ugh, just reading that sent chills down my spine."

Yukari closed the book. "Yeah, I guess we should go."

Yurina walked out, stretching and yawning, wanting to go back home already to sleep. Yukari carried the book, holding it between her arm and her torso until a coin fell out from the book. It clinked as it slowly danced around in a motion, gradually stopping to lay flat. She bent down, grabbing the coin. She flashed her torch over it.

"Mockingbird... coin? He was here before?"

Yukari stared at it for a long while, picking it up. She observed the insignia, turning it over to see the infamous embossed logo of the Mockingbird.

She felt a bit of fondness, smiling faintly.