-~*~-
.
.
.
It has been nearly 8 months ever since Yanyi and Irene came to Kinsel. 8 months of working with the authorities there. Not only that, another good news is that Marchioness Vaiden Ryuichi is now 7 months pregnant.
Woohoo!
Now the estimated delivery date is somewhere in two months. The problem is the delivery date is so close to the Founders Festival of which each house, especially founders house, need to be present.
Thus to make it a bit less worrying, the couple decided to leave early to Ashrin. That means they will be leaving Kinsel right after the Auril Festum which is coming ever so close.
Speaking of which, Auril Festum is a Festival to commemorate the blessing of the Aurils over the land. Some countries in Yucoria celebrate it, some don't. Volenix is one of them that celebrates it.
The way it works is simple. Each main state is given a designated Auril to commemorate. Ocean Azure is celebrated on the mountain of the Kavenil region. Ivory Saph is near the coastline of the region of Ikravel and Sage Emerald is in the lush valley of Iholes. That leaves Amber Scarlet in Kinsel down in the south.
In Ashrin is a bit different. They celebrate all four of them though they make it different each three days. The festival lasted for 14 days.
It is also believed that if you wish during the Auril Festum for specific wishes in their specific area then it is likely that your wish will come true. Though that is just the words of the mouth. No scientific research had proved it before.
Back to our story!
It is yet another day for work. Though this time is a bit busy as they are currently a week away from the Auril Festum and there's a lot of technical things that need to be done. Yanyi was about to go to work with Luyao but first she had to check the mailbox for the monthly bill.
What greeted her is not the monthly bill but rather a very familiar and very lovely sealed letter. She takes the letter inside the car and reads it while Luyao continues driving.
It was a letter containing the details from her father. She had apparently written to her about her brother's arrival to visit.
'To my beloved daughter,
Father, I hope this letter finds you well. Please continue to write to Lyon so that we can get some news from you. In this letter father would like to inform you about your dear brothers quite the rowdy decision.
They've insisted on visiting you in Kinsel.
Father cannot leave the house and neither can your mama. The Auril Festum is coming near and I very well knew that you would understand the busy schedule that we have to deal with. Thus, as much as I did not like the decision, they will visit you alone alongside the guards of Xue. (blame your mama)
They will be arriving just on the night before Auril Festum. For the time being they'll be staying at the family's holiday villa but I hope that you'll be able to stay there for the foreseeable future of their visits.
I hope that everything on your side is well and dandy. Father and mama are hoping to see you back here soon.
Stay safe, Yiyi.
Xue Xenzi, Yiyi's father.
P.S. Please control your brother. They're killing their father right now.'
Yanyi let out a giggle from reading the letter. Luyao, who is driving, gave out a comment of "Well I figure that it was a happy letter?"
"Sort of. Just as much as those three killed me, they are killing my father too. Geez, their stubborness." Yanyi let her head rest on the seat before smiling in content.
At the very least something out of this is making her a bit happy. Happy that the family that she had thought is breaking apart because of her and her father are just all illusion in her mind. Both of them, all of them care for each other.
"I guess what they said is true. Distance makes the heart grow fonder." She mumbles before staring down the road. Inside thinking about all sorts of different activities that they could do while they're here.
"Maybe I'll be able to give them a good impression for your family. Who knows?" Luyao said, teasing around with the idea of getting his family legacy back on foot. Yanyi delivers an eyeroll.
Yanyi — "That's a nice idea but I doubt that you'll need to make an impression on them."
Luyao — "Really? Then who should I be worried about?"
Yanyi — "My father of course. The head of the state of Ashrin. Though you could probably cheat by getting mama's attention first."
Luyao — "Is he head over heels for her?"
"Pretty much!" Luyao gave a proud glance to the passenger seat before letting out a small chuckle. 'Same as me I guess.' he thought to himself.
.
.
.
On the night of the arrival.
After 2 days of travelling, the three brothers of Xue finally arrive at their destination. They arrive quite earlier than anticipated. Although the festival starts the very next day, vendors still stay up to set up their stalls and get some samples out to the wandering passerby.
The whole Auril Festum will not die down even in the middle of the night.
The time they arrive is such an appropriate time for dinner. So they choose to stop at an entertainment stage where they are currently performing magic shows. The whole audience's tables are filled to the brim.
Due to the late arrival and non reservation, the three of them had to sit at the back of the lobby. This didn't bother them much though as they mainly wish to grab a snack before going to the villa for a rest. The entertainment show is just extra luck.
Alongside them are a total of 12 guards all of which from the elite forces of Xue's. Albeit their roles as guard they are still treated as human and sat together with the brothers to have their share of meal.
The magic show is being performed by a widely known magician across Volenix. He is currently touring the entire empire before expanding his tour worldwide.
He had tackled many tricks during his performance. Prediction, disappearing then reappearing, cutting his assistant in half and many more. He would sometimes call on the audiences to participate.
The current trick he is showing is one of the last tricks that he has up his sleeve. Almost similar to him disappearing but instead in a box. For this one it applies to other people.
He first tried it on his assistant who when the box was open turned into a bunny. Their trace is nowhere to be found. When he did the trick again. Badabing Badaboom! He is back in human form!
Just as any other tricks that he had done before he will draw a lot with the table serial number and seat and they will participate in the trick. "Table K, number 5!" He announces. Low and behold, that is Jingyao's seat.
Lixian and Qixiao didn't seem to worry about anything because as far as they see all of the audience that has participated is fine and well. Some of them are even children. So they didn't oppose their youngest going up.
The little guy obediently followed the instruction of the magician and lay inside of the box. As per usual, he chanted his "powerful" magic word alongside everyone and opened the box. "Tada!" The box is empty aside from a bunny.
"Now, we are going to bring the little guy back. Everyone together!" Again the words are chanted.
Again the box was open.
"Tada!"
But unlike the previous round where applause is heard the room is filled with murmurs and terrified faces. Looking around the lobby, the magician realizes that something is wrong. "LOCK THE BUILDING!" The command reverberates from the back.
The magician looked back towards the box. What he discovers with his own pupils is not the little guy's body dead or alive. But a puddle of blood alongside many dead bunnies.
Something had gone completely wrong in his show tonight.
"CALL THE POLICE!!!"
This is going off the line very quickly.
.
.
.
At the station.
Yanyi and Luyao were supposed to click out 2 hours ago but because tomorrow is the Autum Festum, the whole station had to stay up for at least until midnight to account for the preparation security.
Yanyi is currently looking into the plan to spread out the manpower of the police across the different districts of the city. Luyao is handling the schedule of overtime that the officer will need to make. Also calculating the compensation and bonuses on the way.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Luyao reached out to the phone, "This is Kinsel's central police department." Yanyi looks towards his direction to find Luyao staying silent with his face slowly contorting into a very unpleasant expression.
"Alright. We are on the way." He put down the phone before calling Max to get their best team from the forensic department and the nearest district police officers that they could spare to the location of an entertainment stage.
"What's the call about?" Yanyi asks, letting down the documents she has on hand.
"The call for a missing person case." He kneaded the creases in between his eyebrows.
"Well, why the need to deploy our best forensic team? It's a missing person case."
Luyao — "The person who called stated that it involved a very prominent family and required immediate attention. With the forensic team, apparently they mention how there is blood everywhere."
Yanyi — "Can't rule out murder if that's the case. Want me to join you?"
Luyao — "You sure? Tomorrow you have a meeting with your brothers. I wouldn't want you to wake up late for your day off."
Yanyi — "I'll probably be resting with them the whole day. I'll just use that time to rest. This case is more important right now."
"I'll get the car ready. You check about the team's whereabouts." Luyao draped his cape across his shoulder before going out to prepare the car for their departure.
.
.
.
When they arrived at the station, they saw that the officers from the nearest district had already tried to calm down the situation. Grouping the audiences near the exit and giving them some water and snacks to lower the stress.
An officer who wore similar clothes to Luyao saw him and gave him a salute. "Where are the members of the prominent family?" The man explained that they are currently trying to reconvene with their relatives that lived in Kinsel.
Luyao nodded and instructed that once they are done, inform him and Yanyi. Meanwhile, they both decided to take a closer look at the place where the supposed missing person occurred.
The forensic team is currently surrounding the stage area. Yanyi and Luyao wore their gloves before stepping near the crime scene and holy! It is way too much blood for one person.
And I literally mean it. It is too much blood for one person.
Either more than one person died or something more suspicious is happening. "What have you found from this scene? I doubt that this blood came from just one person." Yanyi asked one of the forensic members that stood near the box.
"Sire! When we arrive the box is filled with around 4 dead bunnies of which all had been slaughtered near the main artery. Some of the blood is not fresh and instead most of them have been there for nearly around 3 to 5 hours."
"Is there any trace of human blood anywhere?"
"Negative. All of the blood samples that we have taken are all animal blood. None of which belong to humans."
"At least now, the possibility of murder has decreased a bit." Luyao commented before moving to the side of the box to check the hidden compartment in the box. Most of the time, magic doesn't involve true magic.
It's just an illusion.
True to his suspicion, there is indeed a hidden compartment in the box. However instead of going down from the floor, the bloody compartment is going up into the floor. Meaning that there exist two hidden compartments in one box.
The original floor of the box is supposed to be lowered into the basement of the stage to hide the participant. Then the decoy floor from the top of the box would be lowered to give the illusion that they had disappeared.
However this time, there exists another compartment that houses the dead bunnies and blood. That is the last hidden compartment that wasn't supposed to even be there. "Well, at least now we got the trick up our sleeves."
Yanyi was about to make her own judgement again before hearing, "Jie?" Ouh the very familiar voice of her very beloved family.
She who had been glued on the stage now turned slowly to her back to find the very familiar pair of eyes. One of her fathers and one of her mothers. "A-xian… A-xiao…" Before she could fathom the situation, the two teenage boys ran and hugged her. Engulfing her smaller body in theirs.
"Wha-What are you two doing here? You're supposed to be at the villa." She started with a glance full of worry. Checking their body to make sure that they are not hurt anywhere.
Instead of worrying more, her mind starts to wonder about another serious matter. "If both of you are here, where is A-yao?" The twins didn't answer her question and look down to the floor.
Yanyi then looked behind them and found the inspector that had taken the testimony. Testimony of their guards.
Realization hits her like a rock. "A-A-yao… He's… Oh Auril…" Her hand trembles before it grips the side of her brothers.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the two yet into another embrace. This time and embrace of reassurance and fear. Both for her own self.
Luyao had seen the situation from the stage and didn't pressure Yanyi to continue her work. She needs her own time. Instead he decided to take the magicians and his assistants to the police station for further question.
He then closed the box before calling Yanyi over for a very odd symbol on top of the box. Yanyi walked over and looked towards the stuff that Luyao had pointed out.
You'd think that she would start to make her own observation from all that they've got right?
Nope!
She is very much not moving.
And I mean literally.
Yanyi had frozen in place the moment her eyes landed on top of the box. Her breathing is jagged that she seems to be in a panic attack.
Lixian, who is more attentive than Qixiao, saw the sudden freeze of her older sister and the heaving of her chest. "The Panic Attack." He mumbles before pulling her away from the stage.
Carved on top of the box is just a carving of the flower butterfly lily. A very pretty yet rare flower. Yet just a carving is making Yanyi freeze in space.
Even after a couple of minutes of waiting she didn't return to normal. Seeing his partner not in the right state to work, Luyao decided to let her off the clock for tonight. "Return to this address and let your sister rest. Irene is there to assist you."
He gave them a piece of paper before nodding for them to be let go. Since they are related to Yanyi and their questioning had come to an end already, there's no reason to put them in the room.
With Yanyi now back home, safely hopefully, Luyao decided to work on the site alone. Whatever it is that is bothering her, he'd known that this situation is not making her any better.
.
.
.
-~*~-