It was a week after the Solstice period concluded. The morning after, the air felt empty, as if the whole world was asleep—aside from the few early folks drinking hangover soup. However, the festivities had only begun for the non-natives. The liveliness would return in a few days with Ste. Ikilryos and Euryphillis's beacon lighting for New Year's.
Catheris didn't really have any fond festive memories to look back on this year. For the majority of the holiday period, he depressingly stayed at his apartment. At the last second, he went to a cat party at Reena's place.
Still...
At this early time of day—it was dark. The type of morning when someone's father would wake them up early to go to the airport.
[Sunflower]:
Have you eaten yet (-‿◦☀)
[Catheris]:
No.
[Sunflower]:
lemme buy you a coffee
[Sunflower]:
you can't go to an investigation on an empty stomach
[Sunflower]:
have mercy on your stomach.
[Catheris]:
Ok.
Mr. Beo's personality appears ...bad, yes. But he's quite the accommodating fellow.
All of his training and Ms. Shishiro's research led up to his first practical test. Rather than test-subjecting him right off the bat, its purpose was to acclimate him into this sort of setting.
Maybe it was more of a quiz — Mr. Beo said he'd be questioning Catheris about everything as they went. They were going to investigate a fake body donation center that was recently found fraudulent. It was considered a more easy-going job for the field.
The difference between the two was that one was obviously in the real world, and the effects of the supernatural couldn't pierce very deep into the veil of reality. However, domains were the realm of the supernatural — it was their playing field. When domains broke into reality, the results were catastrophic.
He had to wear what the Bureau provided him. It was such nice material to work with in the future; it wasn't heavy, yet it still kept him warm in Virosiad winter. He still layered himself a bit to not look out of place. Catheris made sure to tie his thick, long black bow extra tight today; the jingle of (kawaii) bells followed wherever he went. No risks allowed.
Currently, he was on the train. He nibbled on a pastry to satisfy his sweet tooth while on his phone.
'Oh?' He suddenly stopped scrolling.
Catheris' eyebrow quirked. 'Didn't he have a different girl in his Wisteroth pictures?'
In the photo was a beautiful woman with long wavy black hair, next to a familiar handsome brown-haired man. Catheris realized Joshua's type was native Virosians many years ago. But what was so fun about having such short relationships... what was the point?
'Eh, I just don't get the appeal, I suppose.'
Whatever.
They were both two very different people, anyway. It was less hassle to just accept it.
[Attention. Now arriving at-]
Ah,
It was his stop. (¬ ¬)
***
For even a winter in Virosiad, it looked off seeing the busy Ste. Laurent street empty. The streetlights lit the sidewalks with a warm gold. Rather than the hellish cold, the time might've been why it was so lonely. In the distance was the detective in his wee detective get-up, tinkering with a floating device. It was a clear cube with a glowing blue orb inside. Four gold rings rotated around it.
Catheris approached.
"Did you wait for long?"
The detective pressed a warm cup of coffee against Catheris' cheek. "Don't worry about it. It takes time to set these up. Actually, you came at the right time~"
Mr. Beo grinned, dipping his hand into the device's opening. The rings spun so fast they blurred in a near instant.
Catheris looked down, taking a sip. "Barrier device?"
"And what's this one's function?"
"Probably to contain all the energy and to make the scene appear normal to outsiders."
"Who the barrier classifies as?"
"Anyone who doesn't have ink."
Mr. Beo gave him a thumbs up as he led him to the door of the site. Catheris could already tell it seemed off due to the aura exuding from it. It was like an intangible wailing, banging; its presence was so strong he felt it when he was by the barrier device.
'...It's doused in cursed energy, that's for sure.'
Creak... creaaak...!
The door slowly opened. The energy inside seeped out, and the dread became more palpable.
Catheris pinched his nose bridge, repressing a scowl.
"...Mr. Beo, just open the door."
"Right–right, just setting the scene."
Beo kicked the door open.
As Catheris took a step into the darkness, he heard the bells clink behind him — already driving him into a subtle madness.
How fun.
Inside was the thick smell of musty rotted blood mixed with sharp sanitizing alcohol. The fine blood particles almost choked Catheris. It dried out his nose and infiltrated into his lungs. He'd always been particularly sensitive to the smell of blood, utterly repulsive; it was a bit of an overload on his senses to say the least.
Catheris covered his nose with a sour look on his face.
'...Disgusting.'
It was only the beginning, too.
Suddenly, a leather-clad hand holding a mask nudged Catheris's cheek. Mr. Beo was wearing one too. Catheris quickly put it on.
The detective clicked a flashlight on, revealing the reception room. Nothing was out of the ordinary. But the air had tension that seemed it'd snap if disturbed. Even walking around felt 'dirty.' Waving the flashlight around revealed the dreary hallway.
Mr. Beo naturally took the lead. It felt like Catheris's muscles were fighting the urge to go back as he followed suit.
"What's the first thing you do when you enter a scene?" Mr. Beo asked.
"Secure the scene. I can't-" Use ink right now.
"Mrs. Z told me about your seal."
Uh huh.
"So... how's the area?"
Catheris's eyes flickered around the place. He got the heebie jeebies as he saw four doors up ahead.
Catheris pulled out his flashlight. The bleak darkness swallowed everything but the direct light. The place had an unnatural TV-static-like quality. Perhaps it was an effect that came along with being a 'scene.' Or rather, it was paranoia messing with his perception. Using pictures to learn the difference didn't really do much when a paranormal investigator had to gauge multiple factors. Deduction in the field was an instinct learned over time. He'd ask later.
Mr. Beo began, "From the report, it seems the agent didn't seal it all that well due to short notice. But I didn't detect any taint. Should be nothing though, just stay close to me. No splitting up. That's horror movie stupid."
Catheris nodded, finding the silence not as unsettling.
As they crossed into the hallway, a wave of confusion and fatigue hit Catheris. The feeling was a mix of his blood aversion and the heavy atmospheric pressure, as he noticed a slight crustiness in the air.
But Catheris didn't think anything of it as he sheepishly trailed behind the tall man.
"...Yikes" was all Mr. Beo had to say as he opened the first door.
The room smelled like nasty preservative chemicals. Fridges lined the walls, their light at the bottom illuminated the room with a soft fluorescent glow. There were tables with limbs organized in haphazard piles—as if they were in a like product in a butcher's shop. There were also piles of organs: heart, liver, lungs, with puddles of preservative underneath.
While Mr. Beo began examining the area, Catheris went to the middle of the room. He began to feel queasy. The walls seemed to be closing in on him. The buzzing coldness was numbing, and the shocked scene froze him still.
Buckets of severed heads littered the floor. Whoever worked here had no care. They ran a lazy operation — it was simply hazardous. There were specks of blood everywhere, and even thin red trails on the walls from splashes. Short fibers of torn flesh littered the room, a result of the action of something. A voice from behind interrupted Catheris' blank staring.
"C'mere."
Catheris turned around to see Mr. Beo leaning forward before a pile of hearts.
"Why do you think a place like this is involved with the Bureau?"
"Probably some old ritual."
"Usually, you'd acquire human sacrifices by other means rather than being the operation. Whoever was here before needed it on such a large scale that they became the slaughterhouse."
...
"Virosiad has necromancers...?" Catheris joked with a flat tone.
"Apparently. We're on a retrieval mission for one of my buddies. Needs something of theirs to progress his case—he thinks we might be able to find it here.
Catheris was dumbstruck to say the least. In... thi- what would you need to be a necromancer for in this modern era???
'Sounds like it involves old Virosiad lore...'
Catheris shook his head in utter disbelief.
Growing up as a native, the elders would tell him about the island's history. Many saintesses came to bless it, which led to its success despite its geographical location. They also told him about its dark history. If it was what he suspected... then whoever operated this place snowballed themself into an already doomed situation.
"Well, that's over with." The detective dusted his hands, ditching Catheris for the next door.
"You're done here already?"
"He said he'll know it when I know it. Haven't noticed anything odd in the room."
"..."
"You know, odd in the Bureau's sense."
Mr. Beo shrugged his shoulders.
The detective tapped his fingers along the walls as they went to the next door. Before opening it, he began muttering to himself.
"I think that was the processing room just now..? Let me think. Packing room... office... storage." Mr. Beo tapped his chin. "There's only four rooms... odd. I think this place is mutating into a domain..."
"Awww... why don't you go first. Hahaaa..." Mr Beo's voice sounded less confident as his presence began to shrink.
"I do have your back?" The detective cracked a forced smile.
Catheris would have to desensitize himself eventually. This job was apparently one of the better ones as well. Taking a breather, he steeled himself.
He found himself pacing in his head, but ultimately opened the door and stepped in anyway. The room's state was in perfect condition, unlike the rest of the eerie facility. It had the right temperature and right humidity. An herbal scent covered the rotten stench. Dried organs lined the shelves like a grocery store. If he were walking by quickly, he'd have mistaken the ears for something like wood mushrooms.
Mr. Beo was the one doing the actual detective work — seeing as well, he was hired as a detective by the Bureau of Paranormal Activity. But Catheris should at least try getting some experience.
[Candied Eyeballs]
Catheris read.
[Finger Preserves]
Ok, they were having too much fun with this whole body donation center front.
"They're eating them." Catheris shattered the very apparent news to the detective.
"Do you think it started with 'I'd kill to eat this again' and-"
"No. They could settle with pork. Clearly, they indulge in the value of the act."
'It'd be more of a performance. Such mundane procedures like this don't reap any applause. This doesn't match the crude habits of the old world...'
The old world was considered a pre-divine-saintess age.
Catheris looked down to read more of the labels.
[Pickled Tongue]
[Dried Heart]
[Collagen]
...
Pickled tongue sounded like a disgusting kiss.
"Sense anything here, Mr. Detective?"
Catheris turned around to the man holding up two jars.
"Nah. Oh my saintesses—they made kidney beans," Mr. Beo paused. "Intestines... that's the shit right there."
...
B-e-o B-e-o Saintess~ where~ did~ you~ get~ this~ wack~o