While sitting in the café, Arthur slowly sipped his iced coffee, lost in deep thought as his eyes occasionally wandered to the gray sky beyond the glass window. From time to time, he would shift his gaze inside the café, observing the other customers. Instinctively, he noticed small details, such as the elderly man two tables away, seated comfortably in his chair with a long woolen coat draped beside him. The man carefully folded his newspaper after reading the cultural and political news section, then took a slow sip of his hot coffee. His deliberate movements in turning the pages and sipping the coffee revealed a person accustomed to contemplation and analysis, someone who thought deeply before making any decision.
Arthur had noticed how the elderly man would place his glasses on the tip of his nose when reading a particular paragraph, then close his eyes for a few seconds, as if rearranging information in his mind, before slowly shaking his head. This was a sign of an ingrained habit among those accustomed to scientific research and university teaching. Arthur also noticed his fixed routine, the same seat, the same cup, the same way of turning pages.
When the man began whispering to himself while reading a long article about the philosophy of science, Arthur noticed from the elderly man's murmurings that he could hear his tendency to connect different events from the past and present. These were not the behaviors of an ordinary man, but rather of someone accustomed to asking questions, analyzing information, and explaining it to others, as if his mind was always in teaching mode even after retirement.
From these small details (the slowness of movement, concentration in reading, continued connection between information, mental hobbies that appear unconsciously), Arthur deduced that the man was not merely a culture enthusiast, but perhaps had been a respected university professor, possibly in the sciences or philosophy department. Someone accustomed to spreading knowledge and guiding thought, which made him display precise and logical mental habits, even in his simplest daily behaviors.
While Arthur was wasting time observing others around him in the café or passersby through the large glass window, analyzing their behaviors and trying to guess their professions as a simple mental exercise (or at least simple for him), his spiritual sense began to feel something strange. This was one of the many ethereal abilities he had acquired after his ethereal awakening and beginning his journey on the path of ascension as an Ascender in the Edict of Wisdom. A mysterious sensation, difficult to describe, was pulling him toward somewhere in this small town.
This led him to rush out of the café at full speed, heading toward where his spiritual sense guided him, to the edge of town, specifically the outskirts of Epping Forest near St. John the Baptist Church. There, his spiritual sense detected unnatural ethereal disturbances in the area's ethereal fields. Arthur had unlocked this ability upon completing his ethereal awakening and ascending to the 'First Dreamer's Spark' realm as a 'Dreamer.' These disturbances could mean only one thing: the involvement of the hidden mystical world in the current case, without a doubt.
Such disturbances in the surrounding ethereal fields could only occur when a forbidden mystical ethereal art or demonic magic had been activated, which Arthur hoped to avoid at this stage. Dealing with sorcerers who tampered with forbidden powers was not something he was prepared for yet.
Especially given the fact that Ascenders in the Edict of Wisdom who had just begun their journey on the ascension path, as was Arthur's case, did not possess any real combat abilities.
In Arthur's own case, he had already awakened quite a few distinctive abilities, such as spiritual sensing or spiritual perception, the ability that allowed him to see hidden truths, understand others' intentions, and feel internal guidance and spiritual energy beyond the material world.
Additionally, Arthur possessed enhanced spirituality, an ability that allowed Ascenders on the wisdom path to enjoy spiritual and mental strength surpassing the average of other Ascenders at the same rank, and enhanced mental perception that granted a massive increase in mental power, understanding, analysis, and memory.
Furthermore, Arthur possessed Eyes of Truth, special eyes that revealed what was usually unseen: lies, illusions, dreams, and spirits. This was an ability that could not be completely stopped, but could be regulated and controlled through special seals or tools. At least, this was the case for most ordinary Ascenders in the Edict of Wisdom.
However, some extremely rare exceptions, such as carriers of golden blood, as was Arthur's case, would face no significant difficulty in controlling and managing such abilities. This was alongside some other abilities, such as spiritual vision and so forth.
Yet despite all this, none of these abilities were real combat abilities, nor could they help significantly in confronting other Ascenders who practiced powers of different Edicts or practitioners of the forbidden power of magic.
Nevertheless, Arthur knew that the power of both the enhanced mental perception and enhanced spirituality he possessed, alongside Eyes of Truth and spiritual vision, gave him a considerable tactical advantage.
While none of these abilities were combat-oriented abilities in the traditional sense, they actually granted him the ability to sense danger, reveal illusions and deceptions, and understand his opponents' intentions before they moved, temporarily compensating for his lack of physical or offensive strength. Additionally, based on his experience in various martial arts and self-defense techniques enhanced by internal ethereal power, Arthur was confident in his ability to defend himself in case of any emergency.
Therefore, he cautiously advanced toward the source of disturbances in the ethereal field in the forest, prepared to discover any trace of the mystical world or supernatural power that might be involved in these incidents.
Using his internal power to enhance his small body to the maximum possible limits, Arthur quickly reached the edge of town where St. John the Baptist Church in Epping was located in the blink of an eye. This church was situated at the northern end of the high road along the main street, near the entrance to Epping Forest. The atmosphere there combined rural tranquility with an ancient historical character, as if the church itself stood at the town's edge like a stone guardian overlooking the eternal forest.
A narrow path paved with old gravel wound upward from the main street to reach its black iron gate, preceded by a wide grassy courtyard scattered with gray tombstones tilted by time. Ancient oak and beech trees extended their branches over the graves and gate, casting a cool shadow through which golden threads of light penetrated the leaves like fingers.
Behind the church extended an earthen path that gradually descended toward the heart of Epping Forest, flanked by thorny bushes and wild flowers fragrant with the scent of damp earth. With each step Arthur took into the forest, the bustle of the small town faded, and the sound of birds and wind whistling through branches grew louder. The further the small detective advanced, the more he noticed how the sounds transformed into a green whisper, and the forest seemed like another world with its intertwined trees forming a natural arch over the path. He felt as if he had entered a magical corridor connecting human civilization with nature's serenity.
Arthur advanced cautiously into the forest, tracking the disturbances in the surrounding ethereal field with quiet and tense steps.
It wasn't long before he witnessed a scene that nearly made his heart stop: a scene that reminded him of that terrifying shadow, that indescribable horror he had seen before his death at the hands of that mysterious cult and his regression to the present time.
At the edge of a small pond surrounded by cold mist, there was a horrific shadow in a semi-human form, but something about it was unnatural: a long, elongated body, movements unlike human movements, and multiple eyes throughout its body that gleamed like dark beads.
This shadow was holding the hand of a teenage girl who barely appeared to be fourteen or fifteen, dragging her. Her body was limp, and coldness had covered her terrified features that told the tale of the horrific terror she had witnessed before her possible death.
The scene itself was terrifying but devoid of any bloody details; the girl was not moving, and the shadow's eyes gleamed as it slowly pulled her toward the pond's waters, which were covered by thick mist.
Around the water, the air was colder, and the forest's green whisper seemed to warn Arthur in a low voice. His body shivered, and in his chest was a strange but firm feeling that this was not an ordinary confrontation, but a sign of direct involvement with the mystical world he had only recently learned of.
His heart grew heavy, but he still chose not to retreat. He gripped the handle of his small pistol that he had taken from his father's study, the pistol that had been kept in the wooden desk, and which he had carefully hidden under his coat. He focused on his new ethereal abilities: The Eyes of Truth, which would alert him to any deception, and spiritual perception, which had helped him detect disproportionate ethereal waves around the shadow and the pond.
Therefore, he decided to approach more carefully, searching for a trace or clue that could explain this scene while maintaining a safe distance to see the girl's condition. Perhaps his initial guess about her death was wrong, and she was still alive. He also wanted to know whether the shadow was merely an entity or a trace of ethereal art or dark magic.
However, before Arthur could advance further, he felt the air around the pond suddenly shake, as if a cold wave had swept through the place. The mist trembled, and the water's surface rippled with sharp, unnatural waves. At that moment, the shadow turned all at once. All its numerous eyes opened simultaneously, glowing with a frightening black flash, like black flames dancing in the darkness of the forest shadows.
In that instant, Arthur felt a crushing spiritual intent pierce through him, as if it were seeing beyond his body, gazing directly into the depths of his soul, while a wave of charged ether surged toward him like a silent storm. His breath froze momentarily as he clearly sensed a dark, murderous hostility emanating from the mystical creature. In a fleeting moment, the shadow rose from the ground with unnatural lightness, its elongated limbs twisting like black serpents, before lunging at him with a speed too fast for the naked eye's perception.
Fortunately, Arthur's sharp instincts and enhanced mental abilities, which allowed him to accelerate his thoughts to the maximum possible limits at his current level, enabled him to see the shadowy creature's incoming attack, allowing him to jump aside at the maximum possible speed his enhanced strength permitted. This caused the shadow's first strike to deflect from his body and hit a tree trunk behind him, exploding its bark in a shower of splinters.
Seeing this, Arthur exhaled sharply, gripping his small pistol that he had quickly drawn from under his coat in one swift motion, while activating his Eyes of Truth ability with a faint glow to reveal invisible distortions in the shadow and its intertwined ethereal waves.
Of course, the mystical creature would not give Arthur the opportunity or sufficient time to do just that, as it never stopped attacking at all. On the contrary, its shadowy body could be seen emitting a sharp hissing sound closer to a muffled scream before lunging again, its arms transforming into dark threads that branched in the air as if wanting to grasp him from every possible direction.
Therefore, Arthur realized that ordinary bullets from his small pistol would likely not be enough to confront such a terrifying enemy. He would have to rely on a combination of speed, spiritual perception, and combat tactics to survive this confrontation, unlike anything he had faced before.
"Damn, what can I do to face this?" Arthur thought worriedly, trying hard to control his tension. No matter how strong his determination, he could not prevent the fear that began creeping into his heart.
After all, despite everything he had been through before, most of his battles during his time as a detective before regressing to the present time were against criminals, gangs, and organizations composed only of ordinary humans, those he had been able to fight and defeat, or outsmart without having to engage in direct physical confrontation.
But now the situation was completely different; he was standing before a mystical creature of shadows, an entity that bore no relation to human logic. With this, Arthur clearly felt that merely surviving would be the greatest achievement he could accomplish at present.
Arthur trembled slightly as he pressed the trigger of his small pistol without hesitation, his eyes fixed on the mystical, shadowy creature that was approaching him, different this time, moving slowly yet with an unnerving, inhuman confidence. "No time for hesitation… I must try something, anything, however slight or seemingly useless," he muttered internally. He knew that ordinary bullets would have no effect on this entity, and that any conventional ammunition would likely be ignored, or even rapidly healed, if the creature possessed some form of regeneration or accelerated healing ability.
So he closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing on the ethereal power within him that he had begun honing a few days ago, the same power he had learned to direct to enhance his physical strength and tools, allowing him to inflict even minor damage on the mystical, shadowy creature. When he opened his eyes, he fired, but this time the bullets were no longer ordinary; they were imbued with light ethereal enhancement, capable of delivering concentrated energy to the shadowy creature without dissipating entirely in the air.
The shots exploded in the air and struck the shadowy creature, but it barely even blinked. Nevertheless, Arthur felt a little internal satisfaction, as he had been able to see a slight change in movement, a faint tremor in the shadowy figure's body, as if his ethereal energy compressed within the enhanced bullets had affected it for a brief moment.
"I must be more careful... and strongertoo," Arthur thought as he stepped back slightly to recover. He took a deep breath, synchronizing the speed of his small body with his center of gravity, striving to maintain his distance while preparing to unleash another barrage of ethereally enhanced shots. Even if it was merely a feint to distract the creature and create an opening, his goal remained clear: to retrieve the girl's body, alive or dead. She, at the very least, if she had perished, deserved to be buried with dignity rather than fall victim to whatever the terrifying, shadowy entity intended for her.
In his heart, panic wrestled with determination; every pulse of fear heightened his alertness, while every calculated step gave him a sense of partial control, even though the threat before him was far beyond ordinary human power.