Jack left the complex labyrinth of the Northern Caves through an easier way. He simply transformed into his Jack Mystery form. And phased through the rocky walls and ground to the outside.
After transforming back to Jack Night, he returned to Songstress Village. He reached there as the day began to fade into late afternoon. The sun was already low in the western horizon.
He guided his hoverboard back to the Stave family residence. Landing it silently next to the front door of the house.
Rune floated beside him. Her soft glows shifted from calm blue to a warm amber. Reflecting the approaching evening.
He stepped inside. Joining the others in the main room. Mr. Keener sat with Locke and Rose. A visible tension etched on his face as the light outside diminished. Alenna, Nick, Harold, and Reina were gathered around a table. Maps and notes were spread between them.
"Anything, Dear?" Reina asked. Looking up as Jack entered. The question was casual. But her eyes held a keen edge. A silent inquiry that went beyond mere words.
Jack shook his head. "Nothing in the Northern Caves related to this 'Twilight Death'. But I found a very old dragon skeleton deep under the cave. The story about the Singing Dragon might not just be a story."
"Dragon skeleton?" Nick's eyes went wide with shock. The others were also surprised to hear that. "Really?"
"I can guide you there after we solve the current problem." Jack simply said. "You can report to your university. Their archeological department might be interested."
"Anyway, let's get back to the problem." He didn't elaborate on the dragon's skeleton. It wasn't relevant to their immediate investigation. "What about you all?"
Nick spoke first. "Harold and I investigated the minstrel. He's called Riff, a generic troubadour. Mostly sings about local legends and, oddly enough, about Racer Jack, the speedster vigilante from Lonestone City."
Harold gave a slight shrug. After adjusting his spectacles. "Highly unlikely he's involved. His songs are harmless, if a bit strange."
Jack masked a faint smile. He was Racer Jack. The minstrel indeed seemed to be harmless. "Agreed. Likely a dud."
Harold added. "And the tree struck by lightning in Farmer Drumbell's backyard? Also a dud. We checked for any lingering transcendent energies. Nothing. Just a very unlucky tree."
"So, two dead ends." Reina summarized. Tapping a pencil against a notepad. "Alenna and I investigated the fighting kids. Just a typical children brawl. A bit rough, but nothing supernatural. Definitely not related to the deaths."
Jack nodded. Processing the information. "That leaves the parrot."
Alenna leaned forward with grim expression. "Yes. The parrot belonged to Father Minnow. It died just a day before the first death. At twilight. Outside. No obvious cause, just like the human victims."
"It was the first victim." Nick commented excitedly.
Reina chimed in. "Sister Rhea, the nun who helped care for it, mentioned something peculiar. She said the parrot wasn't mute, as many villagers believed. She suspected it was deaf since birth. It didn't let out any sound because it didn't have any reference for sound to hear."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Deaf, you say?" He paused. Letting the implications sink in. "The first victim was likely the deaf parrot. It died at twilight. Without clear physical cause. Just like the humans."
He connected the links with a brutal efficiency. "If the parrot was deaf, then the cause of death is definitely not related to sound. It's not a sonic attack. And it didn't just target humans. Wait! Did you guys hear the sound of insects and birds around the village? Especially at night."
Everyone shook their head. A shiver went through the room. Mr. Keener and the children paled further.
"I heard animal sounds. But it seemed to come either from far away or muffled from inside the barn. No animal sound could be heard in the village at night." Harold said grimly.
"But what could cause that, Dear?" Reina asked. Her voice low.
"That's what we need to figure out." Jack replied. Looking at Reina meaningfully. "I have contacted a specialist. Jack Mystery. He should be able to reach here tonight."
He glanced at the slightly opened window. The sun was dipping on the horizon. Painting the world in the shades of orange. Twilight had truly begun.
"It's almost time." Alenna whispered. Fear crept into her voice.
"Alright!" Jack said. His tone was firm. Leaving no room for argument. "Close the door and the windows. We stay inside and observe the village like yesterday. We'll wait for the specialist I called to come."
"I'll launch the Hawk." Reina said. She pulled the Silver Hawk drone. With a flick of her wrist, it extended its wings. Flying outside the window before it was closed.
"We'll monitor the village perimeter from here." She placed a tablet-like monitor on the table. Which immediately displayed the view of the village square as the drone ascended.
As the last sliver of the sun vanished. A profound silence descended upon Songstress Village. The air grew heavy.
The house felt like a fragile bubble against an unseen threat. Mr. Keener hugged his little niece and nephew. Nick, Harold, and Alenna huddled together in front of the monitor. Observing the screen seriously.
Jack observed the monitor for a moment. Nothing. The village was still, eerily so. Waiting inside offered safety but no answers. He needed to be out there.
He exchanged a quick, meaningful glance with Reina. She understood. Her devotion to him was absolute. Her obedience unquestioning. She was worried. But she gave a subtle nod.
Jack turned and walked casually towards the back of the house. Heading for the small bathroom. "Bathroom..." He mumbled. Just loud enough for the others to hear over the low hum of the Silver Hawk.
Once inside the bathroom, he closed the door. And activated his [Incarnation Shift]. A moment later, he felt a subtle shift all over his body. The familiar ripple of spectral energy.
Reina's illusion had replaced him. To anyone else, a solid form of Jack Night would come out of the bathroom. Back in the main room. Occasionally pacing. Occasionally looking at the monitor.
In reality though, he had changed into his specter form, Jack Mystery. His body had become translucent, an ethereal spirit. In a classic masked stage magician spectral outfit.
And then, he disappeared completely. Becoming invisible to the naked eye. He was not afraid of the Twilight Death now. He was technically already 'dead' after all.
He moved silently. Phasing through the bathroom wall and out into the twilight-drenched backyard. The air outside was colder. Heavier. And charged with an oppressive stillness.
Rune was now an invisible wisp that floated alongside him. She radiated a faint, urgent pulse of violet light. Only visible on Jack's sight. A silent confirmation of her presence and readiness.
The village was a gloomy sight. Lanterns flickered in a few windows. But mostly, darkness started to reign.
Jack drifted. His spectral senses were preternaturally sharp. But, normal sight and hearing were almost useless here. The threat was too subtle. Too immediate. He needed his specialized tools.
He activated his [Eyes of Judgement].
His vision immediately warped. The world shifted from dull, darkening natural twilight to a vibrant spectrum of information.
He could detect thin mana flows, un-formed spiritual essences, and low latent powers from the environment. The living creatures inside the buildings glowed faintly with residual life force. The trees pulsed with verdant energy. The very air around him hummed with unseen forces.
And then he saw it.
It wasn't a creature in the traditional sense. Not a physical entity. It was a distortion. A ripple in the fabric of reality itself. Almost imperceptible to even his enhanced vision.
It manifested as a zone of absolute null. A void that absorbed all energy. All life force. All colors. All sound.
This zone was not static. It drifted through the village. A slow, silent predator. Moving around. Without clear destination.
It didn't affect plants and couldn't seem to enter closed environment like a building though. And it seemed to search for... life energy. Humans and animals.
He saw it enveloped a lizard and turned the reptile into dead creature in just a second. Animals outside buildings died too during the period of time. It just seemed to be not important enough to be reported.
This was the Twilight Death. A localized, mobile extinguisher of life. It wasn't an attack. It was a pure cessation of existence for non-plant lives.
It explained everything. The deaf parrot wouldn't need to have heard it. It would just cease to exist.
The transcendent priests' divine energy couldn't protect them. It would just have disappeared. Absorbed. Nullified the instant the void touched them.
Their bodies collapsed because the very essence that held them together was instantly snuffed out. Their life force. Their spirit. There was no pain. No struggle. Just instantaneous death.
The zone of nullity moved with an unnerving purpose. Radiating a faint vibration of absolute absence. It wasn't intelligent. Not in a conscious way. It was more like a natural phenomenon. A hungry, drifting anomaly.
It had no form. No body. It was a field of absolute negation. Its edges were indistinct, constantly shifting. Jack estimated its radius to be about five to seven meters. Any human or animal that entered that radius simply... stopped being alive.
He had to get closer. He needed to understand its full capabilities, its pattern, and its weaknesses. If it had any. This wasn't a demon or a corrupted spirit. This should be something far more fundamental. Far more terrifying.
Coming closer meant risking his existence. But, his [Eyes of Judgement] could not read its more detailed information from far away. He needed to be closer.
Jack, in his specter form, was already an entity of minimal substance. He was spirit and energy. Not exactly physical. Or possessing life energy. Could it affect him?
He had no idea. The risk was immense. But the lives of the villagers depended on it. And the safety of the Elrush Kingdom if it could leave the village. He couldn't just leave it unchecked.