Lost Fantasy-The Flowers of Stelis (Arc 2) [Hiatus]

Chapter 52

The walk from the secluded neighborhood located within the city of Rostindel back to the inn was conducted in silence by Loganel. Daylight was gradually slipping away, and there were fewer people out on the streets due to the lower temperature of the night. Loganel sped up his pace, unwilling to be outdoors for a prolonged period of time in the cold frost. On both sides of the streets, the windows of the houses were all illuminated from within as families enjoyed the warmth their fireplace provided them. Loganel felt somewhat jealous of them, but he knew that the most he could do is return to the inn as soon as possible.

The inn came into view after Loganel speed-walked for about twenty minutes, and he quickly entered through the front door. He quickly closed the door behind him so that the warm area inside didn't escape and let out a relieved sigh. He looked around the first floor restaurant area of the inn, searching for his party members. Finally, he saw them sitting at a round wooden table not too far from him.

"You're late again!" Kaz smiled as he greeted Loganel.

"Sorry," Loganel responded, walking towards him and slowly unwrapping the red muffler scarf Juliana had knitted for him as his birthday gift a year ago. He then took a seat on the empty chair beside Kaz and Sheriel.

"Now that everyone's here," Tetsuya started the conversation. "Let us share what information we've gathered." He paused, looked around at everyone's faces, and continued. "So Marilin and I went to the morgue to investigate the corpses of the victims. Like expected, it was the work of Vampires, no doubt. The bodies were dried of all blood, which meant that the Vampire was extremely thirsty and sucked all blood from its victims."

"I went to the sight of the attacks," Kaz reported. "There's little traces from a first glance. However, there is the scent of Vampires, but it was too faint to be traced. Although, I believe there's probably more tracks at the sight, which I'll investigate further tomorrow."

"I'll leave it to you," Tetsuya nodded. "Remember, time's our enemy since the more time that passes, the less clues there are left behind."

"Right," Kaz responded.

"Now," Tetsuya turned to Sheriel and Loganel. "What did you two discover?"

"I..." Loganel sighed as he decided to keep Vamir a secret. "I wasn't able to get any useful information."

Loganel felt guilty lying to his party members. He felt bad concealing information from them, but Loganel had to do so for the safety of the Vampires. That he found weird since he came here with the task to hunt Vampires, but now he's protecting them. This dilemma plagued his mind, but even if he could determine if the Vampires were really at fault, he couldn't bring himself to have the Vampires slayed.

"Is that so?" Tetsuya sighed.

"I did get information," Sheriel raised her hand enthusiastically. "So from what nearby residents said, they heard shrieks from the victims before they were killed, and some claimed they saw hooded figures escaping the scene."

"Hooded figures, huh?" Tetsuya frowned. "We didn't get too far with today's investigations..."

Hooded figures... Loganel frowned. Can it be them? I'll have to make sure tomorrow.

"Sorry," Sheriel apologized, looking quite down in her mood.

"It's not your fault, Sheriel," Testuya smiled so as to soothe her depressed emotions. "We just have to work harder the next day. So for tomorrow, Kaz, Marilin and I will go with you. With Marilin's spells, we might be able to locate some clues or trails that's been concealed."

"Hopefully," Kaz nodded.

"That'll be it for tonight," Tetsuya sighed. Then, he exhibited a smile so as to lighten the mood for his party. "Let us have dinner so that we'll be more energetic for the investigations tomorrow."

***

Back in their inn room, the curtains were pulled over the windows, causing the room to be in a state of complete darkness. Because of this, Loganel prayed that if the other's were still awake, they would not be able to see his face. That night, Loganel didn't immediately head to sleep. Rather, he sat on his bed, listening to Kaz's silent snores, with a conflicted expression on his face. He frowned, knowing that he was thrusted into the middle of some complicated business. He's stuck between humanity and Demons. He has access to the story from both sides, and it's something only he can do. Only someone like him that was formerly human and currently Demon can understand truly what it's like.

"Cant sleep?" Loganel heard Tetsuya's voice gently ask.

He looked over at the source of the voice and was able to see Tetsuya almost clearly. This night vision Loganel attributed to his Demonization, but he was glad that he now had this ability, for with this, he's able to observe Tetsuya without him noticing. He was sure that for Tetsuya, he was merely a dark shadow in the night. The most Tetsuya could make out was probably Loganel's silhouette while Loganel could see almost clearly his facial expression.

"Yeah," Loganel sighed as he kept his eyes fixed on Tetsuya.

"The investigations are gonna be tough," Tetsuya sighed, smiling slightly as he laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"I know." Loganel grabbed tightly onto his bedsheets in order to silently release the frustration that's been building up within him for concealing the truth from his friends. "It's gonna take a while."

The two then were silent for the next minute, with Loganel sitting there in silence and Tetsuya laying on his bed. Loganel wasn't sure what the boy was thinking for Tetsuya had closed his eyes and appeared quite peaceful in his facial expression. However, Loganel knew for sure that the boy was also thinking long and hard. Loganel believed that Tetsuya probably suspects whether or not Loganel was truly human, so Loganel remained extremely cautious. The need to choose his words wisely before his friends frustrated him and pained him greatly. It was because of this act that he had to put up that he felt even more isolated from everyone.

"Tetsuya," Loganel finally gathered the courage to say. "Why do Demons have to die?" He didn't look at Tetsuya's face, knowing that he won't be able to acquire any information that way. Rather, Loganel hoped that he'll be able to read Tetsuya's perspective through his response.

"They're Demons," Tetsuya muttered. "And we're humans."

"Even if there's some of them that're as kind as you and I?"

"I do not know," Tetsuya sighed. "It's the Church's policy. I'm summoned to this world by the Church, so adhering to their rules is my only chance at returning home. So... it would appear that I must do as the Church says. It is my burden, for I'm bound by it. It's everyone who's affiliated with the Church's burden."

So this is your answer... Loganel smiled, knowing that Tetsuya had implied to him that Loganel does not need to follow the Church's orders for he wasn't affiliated with or bound by the Church.

"Anything else bothering you?" Tetsuya then asked.

"Nope." Loganel laid down on the bed, pulling the bedsheets closer to his body. "Goodnight."