Damon crossed Bellgrave's boundary, his thoughts still troubled by the driver's words. The village looked exactly as he remembered, with vendors tending their stalls and people moving through the streets as evening approached.
He had returned for answers, but he never expected to find them so soon.
As he passed the inn, two men emerged through its front entrance. The taller one wore a charcoal coat, while his shorter companion carried a folded piece of brown cloth beneath his arm.
They spoke quietly as they walked, occasionally glancing around to ensure nobody was paying attention.
Damon might have ignored them if not for what happened next.
Near the corner, the taller man stopped and pulled a thin, rectangular object from beneath his coat. His companion quickly unfolded the cloth, allowing the man to wrap the object before concealing it beneath his own jacket.
For a brief moment, Damon caught sight of its edges.
It looked remarkably similar to a case file.
His attention sharpened immediately. Cassian had hidden their file carefully at the inn, and the thought of someone carrying something resembling it through Bellgrave made him uneasy.
He waited until the men resumed walking before following them from a distance.
They avoided the main road and turned into a narrow lane leading toward the church. The taller man glanced behind him once, prompting Damon to step aside and pretend to examine a nearby shop.
When the strangers continued, Damon followed again.
Why would anyone conceal a case file while moving through the village? And why were they heading toward the church?
He had no answers yet, but he could no longer dismiss the possibility that their movements were connected to the case.
As the church entrance came into view, Damon slowed his steps.
Whatever those men were carrying, he needed to discover where it came from and why they were hiding it.
Keeping a careful distance, he followed them inside.
"..."
Damon followed the two men into the church, keeping enough distance to avoid drawing their attention. They crossed the main hall and entered a narrow corridor leading toward Father Alastair's private room.
Before reaching the door, Damon slipped behind a stone pillar near the corridor's outer wall. From there, he noticed a window beside the room, partly hidden by an old curtain. He moved closer to the wall, careful to remain outside the men's line of sight.
A moment later, the door opened and closed.
Through the slightly open window, Damon could hear their conversation clearly.
"We brought what you asked for," one man said.
There was a brief pause before Alastair answered.
"Yes, this is the one."
Damon leaned slightly closer, trying to catch every word.
"Take this one and replace the one you brought with it," Alastair instructed. "Be careful. No one should notice what you are doing."
"Understood," the taller man replied.
"Make sure the exchange happens without attracting attention," Alastair continued. "I do not want anyone asking questions about the files."
"We will take care of it," the second man assured him.
Damon heard the quiet rustling of papers as the men exchanged the files. He remained motionless behind the pillar, unwilling to risk being discovered before understanding what was happening.
"All right," Alastair said. "You may leave now."
The door opened shortly afterward. Damon pressed himself closer to the pillar as the two men stepped into the corridor. Neither looked toward the window or the place where he was hiding.
Their footsteps gradually faded as they left the church.
Damon waited until the corridor fell silent before looking toward the window again.
Why would Father Alastair need someone to replace a case file?
The question unsettled him more than he wanted to admit. Whatever the men had exchanged, Alastair clearly wanted it done in secret.
And Damon had a feeling that the answer was connected to their case.
"..."
Damon remained behind the stone pillar until the two men disappeared beyond the church entrance. After waiting a few more seconds, he carefully returned his attention to the window.
Father Alastair stood beside his desk, holding the file the men had brought. He examined its cover briefly before walking toward a cabinet crowded with old books and forgotten documents.
He slipped the file between several thick folders and closed the cabinet.
Damon frowned.
Why put it away so quickly?
Alastair returned to his desk and opened the nearby almirah. After searching through its contents, he retrieved another file, its worn edges suggesting that it had been kept for years.
Damon leaned slightly toward the window, trying to see its cover.
The priest opened it and turned through several pages before letting out an irritated sigh.
"Honestly, they cannot even look after their own belongings. And they were warned about how important those things were."
Damon's attention sharpened.
Their belongings?
Alastair turned another page, then shook his head with quiet amusement.
"Five batches already. And they still come here believing they will discover something."
Damon stared at the priest in disbelief.
Five batches?
Alastair closed the file and rubbed his forehead as though the matter had become an unbearable nuisance.
"Even their academy has not figured it out. Such a powerful institution, yet the simplest things escape its notice."
A faint smirk crossed his face.
Damon's uneasiness grew.
What has the academy failed to notice?
Alastair returned the file to the desk and tapped its cover with two fingers.
"Let them keep searching. The longer they spend chasing the wrong things, the less time they have to interfere with what actually matters."
Damon went quiet.
The wrong things?
He thought about their investigation and the clues they had followed since arriving in Bellgrave. Everything had seemed connected, even when they struggled to understand it.
But what if they had been looking in the wrong direction all along?
Alastair leaned back in his chair, his expression darkening.
"And now they have delayed everything again. Another headache, another interruption. I am tired of having to deal with them."
He glanced toward the concealed door.
"This time, I want them gone. Whatever it takes, they must stop coming back."
Damon swallowed, his earlier suspicion becoming harder to ignore.
He wants us gone.
The priest had not explained everything, but Damon had heard enough to know that their presence was interfering with something important to him.
Then another possibility occurred to Damon.
What if the case file we have been following is not genuine?
He remembered how carefully Cassian had kept their file at the inn. Until now, Damon had assumed that whatever information it contained had come from trustworthy sources.
That assumption suddenly felt dangerous.
Inside the room, Alastair gathered a few papers before moving toward the concealed door. Damon stepped back from the window, remaining hidden until the priest disappeared from sight.
Only after the room fell silent did Damon look inside again.
The older file remained on the desk.
That file might tell me what he is hiding.
He wanted to enter immediately and find out what was written inside. However, he forced himself to wait, knowing that one careless move could ruin his only chance.
A few moments later, Damon checked the corridor before turning toward the ordinary entrance to Alastair's room.
He had returned to Bellgrave hoping to understand the strange things happening around him. Instead, he had discovered that someone might have been controlling what his team knew from the very beginning.
And if that was true, their investigation had never been as straightforward as they believed.
Damon took one last look at the closed door.
He needed that file.
Perhaps the truth lay inside, he could not afford to leave it behind.
"..."
Damon waited until he heard the concealed door close before approaching the room's ordinary entrance. After checking the corridor, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.
The room was empty.
He went straight to the desk and picked up the older file. Its cover looked worn, with no clear title to identify its contents. He opened it carefully and began reading.
The first few pages contained old reports about Bellgrave, including references to the church, the abandoned village, and several unexplained disappearances. As he continued, he found dates, names, and handwritten notes connecting incidents across different years.
Then he reached a page mentioning previous academy teams.
Damon paused.
So other teams really came here before us.
The notes offered few answers about what had happened to them, and several sections were incomplete. Still, the information was more useful than anything they had found in the file Cassian had kept at the inn.
Damon glanced toward the cabinet where Alastair had hidden the other documents.
An idea occurred to him.
If Alastair returned and discovered the original file missing, he would immediately know someone had entered his room. Taking it without leaving a replacement would be careless.
Damon opened the original file fully and carefully removed its contents. He then crossed to the cabinet, where several old case files had been stored together.
He selected another file of similar size and age, removed its papers, and placed them inside the original cover. Once the replacement was complete, he returned the file to its place among the others, making sure its cover remained unchanged.
From a quick glance, nothing appeared to be missing.
Damon checked the arrangement once more before turning away from the cabinet.
That should give me some time.
As he prepared to leave, something on a nearby shelf caught his attention. A wooden box sat among several scattered belongings, some of which looked old enough to have remained there for years.
Damon's gaze stopped on an object he recognized as his own.
He looked again and noticed something familiar among the other items.
It belonged to Cassian.
Damon frowned, unable to understand why Alastair had kept their belongings inside his private room. He examined the remaining objects briefly, but none of them meant anything to him.
Why would he have these?
He wanted to search further, yet the possibility of Alastair returning made him reconsider. He had already found the information he needed most, and staying longer would only increase the risk of being discovered.
Damon took the original file's contents and carefully concealed the papers beneath his clothes.
Before leaving, he looked toward the cabinet one final time. The substituted file remained where Alastair had hidden it, its familiar cover concealing the change inside.
Damon slipped through the ordinary door and checked the corridor before heading toward the church entrance.
He had found something worth protecting, but he still did not know how much of the truth those pages contained.
For now, he had to get back to the inn and show Cassian what he had discovered.
"..."
Morning had settled over Bellgrave by the time Damon returned to the inn. He had spent the early hours reading through the original case papers, but the information had only raised more questions. He needed Cassian to see what he had found before they made another move.
Voices reached him as he approached their room. The door stood slightly open, and he recognized Cassian speaking with the others inside.
Damon pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Everyone had gathered around the table, with several sheets of paper spread between them. Cassian was discussing their next steps when he noticed Damon standing in the doorway.
He stopped mid-sentence.
"Sorry, can I help you?" Cassian asked. "Why are you walking into our room without knocking? Are you working here?"
Damon stared at him for a second before letting out a disbelieving laugh.
"Very funny, Cassian. Come on, we have serious things to discuss."
Cassian didn't smile.
"Do I know you?"
Damon's laughter faded.
Across the table, Rowan looked at him curiously, while Lyra exchanged a confused glance with Owen. Mira stood near the window, watching the exchange without saying anything.
Damon looked from one face to another.
"Seriously? All of you are doing this?"
"Doing what?" Owen asked.
Damon turned toward him, almost relieved that someone had finally spoken.
"Owen, please tell them to stop. We have been together for days. We came here to solve this case, remember?"
Owen frowned.
"I think you've mistaken us for someone else. We arrived last night, and we're still discussing how to begin our assignment."
Damon shook his head.
"No, you didn't. We've already spent days here. We've visited places, followed clues, and discussed what we found every evening at this inn."
Mira, who had been listening quietly near the window, finally spoke.
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember any of that. We came here together yesterday, and nobody mentioned another teammate joining us."
Damon looked at her in disbelief.
"Mira, you were there with us. How can you not remember?"
She glanced at Cassian before answering.
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about."
Nobody was laughing, and nobody seemed to be waiting for him to reveal the punchline. Their confusion was becoming impossible to mistake for a joke.
Damon felt a growing uneasiness settle inside him.
What is happening to everyone?
He had already experienced things he couldn't explain in Bellgrave, but this was different. These were the people he had travelled with, trusted, and worked beside. They couldn't all have decided to play the same cruel joke on him.
"Look at me properly," Damon said, his voice becoming sharper. "It's Damon. Your classmate. Your teammate. We were assigned to this case together!"
He pointed toward Rowan first.
"Rowan Hale, you helped us examine the reports. Lyra Fen, you were there when we discussed the church records. Owen Maris, you helped us compare the dates."
He turned toward Mira before finally looking at Cassian.
"And you two were there when we discussed what happened in this village. I remember every single one of you!"
The room fell silent.
The teammates exchanged startled glances, clearly unsettled by how confidently Damon described events none of them remembered experiencing.
Cassian stood from his chair.
"Listen, Damon, was it?" he asked carefully. "I don't know what you've been through, but we genuinely don't know you. Perhaps you've mistaken us for another group from the academy."
Damon stared at him.
Even now, Cassian was trying to reason with him as though he were a stranger who had wandered into the wrong room.
"You're Cassian," Damon replied. "You're our team leader. How can you look at me and say you don't know me?"
Cassian's expression softened with uncertainty.
"I wish I could give you an answer, but I can't remember meeting you."
For a moment, Damon couldn't speak.
He had wanted to hear Cassian deny the prank, laugh at his reaction, or complain that he had taken things too seriously. Anything would have been better than the quiet sincerity in Cassian's voice.
Damon looked down, trying to gather his thoughts, but nothing made sense anymore.
Then he raised his head and fixed his gaze on Cassian.
"You. Come with me."
Cassian blinked.
"Sorry?"
"I need to talk to you privately."
Cassian glanced at the others, who looked just as confused as he was. He then pointed toward himself, as though checking whether Damon meant somebody else.
"Me?"
Damon's expression hardened.
"Yes, you. Just come with me."
Something in Damon's voice made Cassian hesitate. He clearly didn't understand the situation, but he could see that Damon was close to losing control of his emotions.
After a brief pause, Cassian followed him toward the doorway.
The others watched them leave, exchanging uncertain looks.
Damon didn't look back.
If Cassian couldn't remember him in front of everyone, perhaps there was still something he could discover by speaking to him alone.
He needed to know whether his friend had truly forgotten him.
Or whether Bellgrave had done something far worse.
"..."
Cassian's private room was quiet when they entered. Damon closed the door behind them and turned toward the person standing near the desk.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Damon searched Cassian's face, hoping to find something familiar in his expression. He had spent the entire morning trying to understand what was happening, but facing Cassian alone made it harder to pretend he wasn't frightened.
"Do you really not remember me?"
Cassian hesitated before answering.
"Actually, I think I understand what you're expecting us to say. But I'm sorry. We genuinely don't know you at all."
Damon stared at him.
Then he crossed the distance between them and grabbed Cassian's collar.
"Seriously? You, of all people, are saying that?"
His voice trembled, and tears gathered in his eyes.
"You?"
Cassian caught Damon's wrists, startled by the sudden movement.
"Wait. What are you doing?"
"You're telling me you don't remember me?" Damon demanded. "You, you absolute liar! You're such a big liar!"
His voice broke halfway through the accusation.
"You even told me you'd stay with me. You said I wouldn't have to be alone anymore!"
Damon's eyes filled with tears that he could no longer hold back.
"And now you're standing here telling me you don't even know who I am? I hate you, Cassian. I hate you!"
Cassian's heart tightened unexpectedly.
He couldn't explain why hearing those words hurt him. Damon was still a stranger, someone he had met only minutes ago, yet watching him struggle to speak through his tears stirred an unfamiliar sadness inside him.
Cassian loosened his hold on Damon's wrists, unsure whether he should defend himself or offer comfort.
Damon finally released his collar and stepped away.
"Fine! Let's go with your ridiculous story that you don't know me."
He wiped his cheeks angrily before taking a breath.
"Let's talk about something else. You arrived here yesterday night, right?"
Cassian looked at him strangely.
"Yes. That's what I told you earlier."
"And your academy gave you instructions and equipment before sending you here?"
"Of course. We received our assignment and the materials needed for it."
Damon gave him a humourless smile.
"Really? Then tell me something. When you arrived yesterday, did you know what you were supposed to do here?"
Cassian frowned.
"Yes. We were assigned a case involving Bellgrave."
"Good. Then tell me what you did yesterday."
Cassian opened his mouth to answer.
"We arrived, settled into the inn, and then we had dinner. After that, we—"
He stopped.
Something seemed to slip away just as he reached for it.
Cassian frowned and tried again.
"After dinner, we went to..."
His voice trailed off.
A strange pressure gathered behind his eyes. Images flickered through his mind, appearing for a moment before dissolving into indistinct fragments.
A church corridor.
An old case file.
Someone standing beside him.
A familiar voice speaking softly.
He almost remembered something else, something that made his chest ache with an inexplicable warmth. He could almost feel himself comforting someone, carefully brushing a hand across a familiar face, and carrying someone who had become too exhausted to walk.
Then the images disappeared.
Cassian pressed a hand against his forehead.
What were those memories?
He had no idea why they felt important, or why trying to remember them left him strangely unsettled.
Damon noticed his expression immediately.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Cassian lowered his hand.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Damon studied him for another moment before continuing.
"All right, then. Let me ask you something else."
He paused, reconsidering his words.
"Do you even remember what your academy badge is supposed to do?"
Cassian glanced at the badge attached to his clothes.
"It's for academy communication, isn't it?"
"That's one of its functions. But our badges aren't ordinary communication devices. Each team received its own equipment, and the academy specifically explained how to use it."
Damon folded his arms.
"So tell me, what else can yours do?"
Cassian thought carefully, but nothing came to mind.
He knew the badge belonged to the academy. He knew it was important. Yet the instructions he should have remembered remained frustratingly out of reach.
"I can't remember," he admitted.
Damon's expression became serious.
"Then press the button that activates the protection layer."
Cassian looked at him suspiciously.
"Why?"
"Because I need to check something."
Cassian hesitated, clearly uncertain whether he should trust a person he couldn't remember meeting. However, Damon's expression had changed, and there was something in his voice that made the request feel more important than it sounded.
Finally, Cassian pressed the button.
A flash of light spread across the badge before disappearing.
Cassian barely had time to react before dizziness overtook him. He reached for the desk, but his hand missed its edge, and his body began to fall.
Damon caught him.
"Cassian!"
He carefully helped Cassian onto the bed, making sure he was settled before stepping away.
Damon remained beside him, waiting anxiously for him to wake. Whatever the badge had activated, it had clearly affected Cassian far more than he expected.
After a while, Cassian finally opened his eyes.
He blinked at the unfamiliar position before looking toward Damon.
"What happened?"
"You lost consciousness."
Cassian slowly sat up, trying to understand what had occurred. Then, little by little, the missing pieces began returning.
The assignment.
The village.
The church.
The strange events surrounding their investigation.
And Damon.
Cassian looked at the person sitting beside the bed, his expression changing as recognition finally settled in.
"Sorry."
Damon blinked.
"For what?"
"For forgetting you."
Damon stared at him for a moment before giving a small, tired smile.
"It's nothing."
He stood and walked toward the desk, where Cassian's bag had been left. After opening it, Damon searched through the contents until he found a small magical diary.
He brought it over and held it up.
"You write everything in here, right?"
Cassian's eyes widened.
"How do you know about that? Nobody knows I keep that diary."
Damon looked at the tiny book, then back at Cassian.
"Seriously, I still wonder how you manage to fit everything inside this little thing. Look at the size of it!"
He turned the diary between his fingers.
"It's so small that nobody would even bother opening it. Your girlfriend would probably mistake it for an account book."
Cassian stared at him before a familiar smirk appeared.
"My girlfriend, huh?"
Damon's smile faltered slightly.
"Well, I got curious once and peeked inside. That's how I discovered that all your mysterious little secrets were hidden in here, along with that magic of yours."
He stopped himself before explaining any further.
Cassian's smirk widened.
"Well, my crush got curious and somehow managed to uncover my secrets. Honestly, I never expected you to get curious and find out about them too. And the funny part is, I didn't even notice you secretly keeping an eye on me or trying to uncover my secrets. You managed to do all that without raising my suspicions, only to tell me about it now. I certainly didn't expect that from you, baby boy!"
Damon immediately looked away.
"Oh, so your girlfriend knows about it too? How wonderful. Two people know your secrets now."
Cassian laughed quietly, choosing not to answer.
Damon gave him an offended look, but the familiar exchange had eased some of the heaviness between them. For a brief moment, they sounded like themselves again.
Then Damon's expression changed.
"All right. I need to take you to see our friends."
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"Why? Didn't we just see them?"
"There's something you need to see, but you have to promise me something first."
Cassian looked at him with growing curiosity.
"What is it?"
"No matter what you see, what you hear, or what happens in that room, don't panic. Don't act strangely, and don't do anything that might attract unnecessary attention."
Cassian studied him.
"That sounds suspiciously specific."
"Just promise me."
After a moment, Cassian nodded.
"Fine. I promise."
Damon smiled in a way that immediately made Cassian reconsider his decision.
For some reason, Damon looked far more dangerous than he had a moment ago.
Cassian followed him into the hallway, wondering why an ordinary conversation with their teammates required so many warnings.
They stopped outside the room where the others had gathered earlier.
Damon reached for the handle.
"Remember what I told you."
Cassian gave him a puzzled look.
"Yes, I remember."
"Good."
Cassian had barely stepped into the room when Damon pushed him inside and closed the door behind him.
Cassian stumbled forward, catching himself before he could fall. He turned around with an annoyed expression, ready to ask Damon what he thought he was doing.
Then he looked at the others.
Rowan sat near the table, Mira stood beside the window, and Lyra and Owen were talking quietly near the beds. Everything seemed perfectly ordinary for one brief moment.
Then Cassian noticed their faces.
Dark flames crawled around Rowan's features. The same terrifying fire surrounded Mira, Lyra, and Owen, twisting their familiar appearances into something that belonged in a nightmare.
Cassian froze.
His eyes widened.
He took one involuntary step backward, his heart suddenly leaping against his chest.
"Ahh!"
Everyone turned toward him.
Cassian stared at their faces, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"What the hell is that?"
He recoiled so sharply that his back struck the door.
"Ahhh! What the hell is happening here?"
Rowan immediately stood up.
"Cassian, what happened? Did Damon do something to you?"
Cassian looked at Rowan again.
The flames continued moving.
His expression changed from confusion to absolute horror.
"AHHHHH!"
He grabbed the door handle and pulled it desperately, forgetting for one ridiculous second that he had just entered the room himself.
"DAMON!"
His voice echoed through the corridor.
"DAMON! OPEN THE DOOR!"
Outside, Damon leaned against the wall, covering his mouth as his shoulders began shaking with laughter.
Inside, Cassian pressed himself against the door as though it were the only thing separating him from certain doom.
"DAMON! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME HERE?"
Mira stared at him in complete disbelief.
"Cassian, what are you talking about?"
Cassian looked toward her and immediately shrank back.
"DON'T COME CLOSER!"
Nobody moved.
For several seconds, the entire room remained silent.
Then Cassian began pounding against the door.
"MOMMY!"
Rowan's mouth fell open.
Lyra slowly turned toward Owen.
Owen stared at Cassian as though he had never met the man before.
Cassian struck the door again.
"NO, DAMON! PLEASE! OPEN THE DOOR!"
Outside, Damon finally lost the battle against his laughter.
He bent forward, laughing so hard that he had to brace one hand against the wall.
Inside, Cassian sounded increasingly desperate.
"BABY BOY! I'M SORRY! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN! JUST OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE!"
Rowan rubbed his forehead.
"Has he completely lost his mind?"
"Apparently," Mira replied, still staring at Cassian.
Cassian looked over his shoulder once more and immediately regretted it.
"AHHH! THEY'RE STILL HERE!"
He turned back toward the door and hammered against it again.
"DAMON! I'M BEGGING YOU!"
Damon wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes before finally opening the door.
Cassian practically launched himself into the corridor.
The moment he saw Damon, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the doorway, shutting the door behind them as quickly as possible.
For several seconds, Cassian simply stared at him.
Then he clutched Damon's arm with both hands.
"Why would you do that to me?"
Damon tried to compose himself, but another laugh escaped.
"You should have seen your own face."
Cassian looked genuinely offended.
"My face? Did you see what was happening inside that room?"
"Yes," Damon replied, struggling to keep a straight expression. "I saw four perfectly ordinary people sitting there."
"ORDINARY?"
Cassian stared at him in disbelief.
"They had flames covering their faces!"
Damon tilted his head innocently.
"Really? I didn't notice."
Cassian opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He looked toward the door.
Then back at Damon.
Finally, he lowered his voice into a wounded whisper.
"Mommy..."
Damon immediately burst out laughing again.
"No, Damon!" Cassian continued, gripping his wrist more tightly. "Open the door, please!"
That was enough to finish Damon completely.
He leaned against Cassian's shoulder, laughing helplessly.
Cassian watched him with an expression of absolute betrayal.
"You think this is funny?"
Damon nodded, unable to speak properly.
Cassian sighed dramatically before pulling him a little closer.
"You enjoyed that, didn't you, baby boy?"
Damon's laughter softened, but the amused expression remained on his face.
"Maybe a little."
Cassian narrowed his eyes.
"A little?"
Damon finally looked up at him.
"Fine. A lot."
Cassian shook his head, pretending to be deeply wounded.
"I save you once, and this is how you repay me."
"You were screaming for your mommy."
"I WAS UNDER ATTACK!"
"By your teammates?"
"BY FOUR FLAMING MONSTERS!"
Damon laughed again, and Cassian finally realized that arguing with him was completely pointless.
He folded his arms and looked away.
"I am never trusting you again."
Damon gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Cassian."
"No."
"Cassian, look at me."
"Absolutely not."
Damon leaned closer, his voice suddenly innocent.
"Baby boy?"
Cassian turned toward him so quickly that Damon nearly started laughing again.
"Don't you dare use that against me!"
Damon's smile widened.
For once, Cassian had no clever response ready.
And judging by the laughter escaping Damon, he was never going to hear the end of it.
"..."
Cassian was still holding Damon's wrist, and neither of them seemed particularly interested in moving away.
Damon could feel the warmth of Cassian's hand around his wrist, while Cassian continued watching the expression that had replaced Damon's earlier confidence. The teasing smile on Damon's face had become smaller, although the amusement in his eyes had not completely disappeared.
Cassian tilted his head slightly.
"Have you finally run out of things to say, baby boy?"
Damon immediately looked away.
"You're the one who started teasing me."
"And you were enjoying every second of it."
"Can you stop talking for a moment?"
Cassian gave a quiet laugh.
"All right, I will behave."
Damon glanced at him suspiciously.
"That is difficult to believe."
Cassian finally released his wrist, allowing the moment to settle naturally. His expression gradually became more serious as he remembered why Damon had brought him into the room in the first place.
"Now tell me what happened."
Damon's smile faded.
He glanced toward the closed door before looking back at Cassian.
"Cassian, I am certain that everything happening here is connected to Father Alastair."
Cassian's eyebrows drew together.
"Father Alastair?"
"Yes, but there are many things you still don't know."
Damon paused, trying to decide where he should begin.
"The faces of our teammates are not the only strange things I have seen. The village people are surrounded by those same dark flames."
Cassian stared at him.
"You mean the entire village is covered in dark flames?"
Damon nodded.
"Yes. Everyone I have seen so far has them."
"Everyone?"
"Almost everyone, but there is one exception."
Cassian waited for him to continue.
"Father Alastair doesn't have any dark flames around his face."
Cassian's expression changed slightly.
Damon continued before he could ask another question.
"Do you remember yesterday's wedding at the church? You came looking for me while it was happening."
"Yes, I remember that."
"At that time, I was inside Father Alastair's room. I noticed something unusual there."
Damon leaned forward slightly.
"His wardrobe has a concealed door behind it."
Cassian's eyes narrowed.
"A concealed door?"
"I haven't explained everything yet. There is something much stranger than that."
Damon paused, allowing Cassian to follow his explanation.
"The main thing is that I went outside Bellgrave."
Cassian looked at him with immediate interest.
"You went outside the village?"
"Yes. And I discovered that the people entering Bellgrave are the ones being affected."
Cassian remained silent.
Damon continued carefully.
"Outside this place, everything is different. Bellgrave isn't the normal village we have been seeing. It is actually an abandoned village, and the place we are walking through is a graveyard."
Cassian stared at him.
For several seconds, he seemed unable to decide whether Damon was serious or whether he had misunderstood something.
"What?"
Damon nodded slowly.
"That is what I found."
"How is that even possible?"
Cassian stood up and walked toward the window, looking outside as though the quiet streets might provide some explanation. He remembered the houses, the market, the people, and the church they had visited repeatedly.
Everything had appeared ordinary.
They had walked through those streets themselves.
They had spoken with the villagers.
They had even received information about the strange coffin case.
Cassian turned around again.
"But we have already looked around the entire village. Everything seemed normal, and people were going about their lives as usual."
"I know."
"And the case we were assigned was about the empty coffins appearing every three months, right?"
Damon nodded.
"That is exactly what we were told."
Cassian crossed his arms.
"Then what are you trying to say?"
Damon took a breath.
"There is no case about a coffin appearing every three months."
Cassian stopped moving.
"What?"
"We have been following a false case, Cassian. The entire assignment we have been trying to solve is fake."
"Wait. Wait a moment."
Cassian raised one hand, clearly needing time to process what he had heard.
"What are you saying? How could that happen? The case file was sealed and given to us by the academy."
"Yes, I know."
"Then how could the academy send us a false case?"
Damon looked directly at him.
"Even the academy didn't know about it."
Cassian's expression became completely serious.
"Are you telling me that the academy itself was unaware?"
"Yes."
"How do you know that?"
"Father Alastair himself talked about it. I overheard him speaking when I was inside his room."
Cassian slowly lowered his hand.
He wanted to question Damon further, but the certainty in his voice made it difficult to dismiss his explanation.
Damon shifted slightly on the bed.
"Also, you haven't heard the most important part yet."
Cassian returned to his chair.
"What could possibly be more important than everything you just told me?"
"The difference in time."
Cassian looked at him.
Damon continued.
"We thought we had already spent four days here, and today was supposed to be our fifth day."
"That is what we have been counting."
"But outside Bellgrave, only two days have actually passed."
Cassian stared at him without speaking.
Damon gave him a small, tired smile.
"I know how difficult that sounds. I also struggled to understand it when I discovered the truth."
"Only two days?"
"Yes."
"Then the time we experienced here..."
"Is completely different from the time outside."
Cassian slowly rubbed his forehead.
He had investigated unusual cases before, but nothing had prepared him for a situation where an entire village could appear alive while actually being abandoned. The difference in time made the situation even harder to understand.
Damon watched him quietly.
"There is still much more I need to tell you, but I don't want you to believe everything simply because I said it."
Cassian looked toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"I want you to witness it yourself."
Damon moved closer and gently took both of Cassian's hands.
"Cassian, no matter what happens, please stay safe."
Cassian's expression softened.
Damon tightened his fingers around his hands.
"Stay with me, and don't leave me alone again."
Cassian remained quiet.
"Please don't forget me either."
Damon lowered his eyes for a moment before continuing.
"I am already struggling to understand everything happening here. Facing the same indifference from people I trusted makes it even harder."
His voice became quieter.
"All of you were people I believed would stay beside me. Then everything changed in a moment, and suddenly none of you even recognized me."
Cassian looked at him with a deeply apologetic expression.
He slowly lifted one hand and touched Damon's cheek.
"I'm sorry."
Damon looked up.
Cassian held his gaze.
"No matter what happens, I will never hurt you again, and I will never forget anything about you."
His thumb moved gently against Damon's cheek.
"I promise you that."
Damon studied his face for several seconds.
Then he gave a small laugh, not because anything was particularly funny, but because the reassurance had finally allowed him to breathe a little easier.
"Good. I will remember that promise."
Cassian nodded.
"Please do."
Damon suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
He reached beside the bed and picked up the original case file.
Cassian looked at the familiar cover.
"Isn't that the case file we received?"
"Not the one we received from the academy. This is the original file."
Damon opened it carefully.
"I found it inside Father Alastair's room. He called this the original one."
Cassian moved closer.
"What did you find inside?"
"I read through some of the contents, but I couldn't understand everything. There are missing pieces, and some of the information seems to carry a hidden meaning."
He handed the file to Cassian.
"I tried to figure it out, but I couldn't find the connection. I thought you might be able to understand it."
Cassian accepted the file.
"You believe I can solve it?"
"I do."
Damon paused before adding something else.
"I also spoke with the professor. I think he might be able to help us, but our time for communicating with him will be limited."
Cassian looked down at the papers.
"Then we should use whatever time we have properly."
"Exactly."
Cassian carried the file toward the wooden desk.
He pulled out the chair and sat down, arranging the papers in front of him. Damon moved back toward the bed and sat near its edge, watching as Cassian began examining the original documents.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Cassian carefully compared the written reports, dates, names, and descriptions. He turned one page, then another, occasionally returning to something he had already read.
Damon watched his expression.
Cassian's eyes moved steadily across the paper, but his eyebrows gradually drew together. He picked up another sheet and placed it beside the first, trying to understand why certain details seemed incomplete.
He read the same paragraph again.
Then he looked at the previous page.
Nothing connected.
He moved the papers around and tried another arrangement.
Still nothing.
Damon finally stood and approached him.
"You're making that expression again."
Cassian did not look up.
"What expression?"
"The one you make whenever something refuses to cooperate with you."
Cassian gave him a brief glance.
"That is because something is refusing to cooperate with me."
Damon placed one hand gently on his shoulder.
"It's okay. You don't have to figure everything out right now."
Cassian continued staring at the documents.
"We still have some time. Let's take a break."
He slowly turned his head toward Damon.
Then Cassian placed his hand over Damon's and gently held it.
"No, it isn't okay."
Damon looked at him.
"I have to understand what is hidden inside it, no matter how much effort it takes."
Cassian lowered his eyes toward the file again.
"You have been trying your best, and you trusted me with this. How can I disappoint you after that?"
Damon's expression softened.
He had not expected Cassian to take the responsibility so personally.
Before he could answer, a faint whisper came from outside the room.
"Guys..."
The voice was unmistakably Owen's.
"Am I listening to the right things? Why am I witnessing all this dirty stuff?"
Inside the room, neither Cassian nor Damon noticed the whisper.
Outside, four teammates were gathered near the door, trying their best to hear what was happening inside.
Rowan stood slightly behind the others, looking increasingly uncomfortable with their arrangement. Mira had one ear close to the wooden door, while Lyra quietly tried to make sense of the conversation.
Owen, meanwhile, looked as though he had discovered something far more interesting than the actual case.
Inside, Damon considered Cassian's stiff posture.
"All right. How about we try something else?"
Cassian looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"Come here for a moment."
Damon gently guided him away from the desk and toward the bed.
"Sit down properly and turn around."
Cassian followed his instructions, although his expression suggested that he still did not understand the purpose.
Damon stood behind him.
"Your shoulders are too stiff. You have been sitting in the same position for a long time."
He placed both hands against Cassian's shoulders and began applying gentle pressure.
Cassian's shoulders moved slightly beneath his hands.
"Is this comfortable?"
"Hngh... yes, that's fine."
Damon adjusted his hands and pressed carefully around the tense muscles.
"Has the stiffness started going away?"
"Ahh... a little."
"Perhaps I should increase the pressure."
Damon pressed a little more firmly, making Cassian release another breath.
"Ah... Damon, that's enough."
Damon looked down at him.
"Are you sure? I thought you needed more."
Cassian caught one of his hands.
"Yes, I'm sure. Don't push yourself too much."
Damon tilted his head.
"Why?"
Cassian looked back at him.
"You're already exhausted from everything that happened last night. I don't want you tiring yourself further."
Damon's expression changed slightly.
For a moment, he simply looked at Cassian before giving him a small smile.
"Fine. I won't argue with you."
Outside the door, Owen's eyes widened.
"What?"
He turned toward the others.
"Guys, this is definitely it!"
Mira immediately looked at him.
"What are you talking about now?"
Owen ignored her question and tried to recall the name.
"The stranger... what was his name again? Domun?"
Rowan closed his eyes.
Owen continued thinking.
"No, Damun. Something like that."
Mira immediately hit the back of his head.
"It's Damon!"
Owen turned toward her with an offended expression.
"Use your mouth! Why hit me when you have a perfectly functioning mouth?"
Mira blinked.
"Oh! That was a mistake."
"How exactly was that a mistake?"
"It has become a habit. I sometimes hit people when correcting them."
Owen stared at her.
"That is a terrible habit."
Mira shrugged.
"All right, all right. I will try not to do it next time."
Owen rubbed the back of his head.
"Fine. I will forgive you this time, but there should be no next time."
Mira turned her attention toward the door again.
Owen suddenly leaned closer to the group.
"Anyway, who do you think is the top?"
Lyra looked at him.
"Why are you asking that?"
"Because we have clearly heard enough to make a decision."
Rowan gave him a tired look.
"We have heard nothing that requires a decision."
Lyra considered the question for a moment.
"I think Cassian would be the top."
Owen immediately disagreed.
"No, I think Damon is the top."
Lyra raised her eyebrows.
"Why would you think that?"
"It isn't only about appearance. Look at how fierce Damon becomes whenever he gets angry."
Owen pointed toward the door.
"And remember what happened earlier? Our team leader couldn't even look at our faces without panicking!"
He lowered his voice dramatically.
"He was screaming, 'Mommy! No, Damon! Please open the door!'"
Mira covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
Owen continued confidently.
"That is why I think Damon is the top. Our poor team leader has already lost the argument."
Rowan looked toward Mira.
"Mira, what do you think?"
Mira became unusually thoughtful.
She folded her arms and considered the question with the seriousness of someone preparing an important academic answer.
After several seconds, she spoke.
"I think Cassian would be the top."
Owen stared at her.
"Why?"
"His build, his personality, and the way he treats people all seem more fitting."
Mira nodded to herself.
"Yes, I think Cassian fits that role better."
Lyra immediately agreed.
"Exactly! I knew you would understand."
Owen looked between them.
"How can both of you be so certain? It is Damon!"
Rowan sighed.
"Can we please stop discussing this?"
But the argument had already begun.
Lyra defended Cassian.
Owen defended Damon.
Mira supported Lyra, while Rowan slowly regretted asking the question.
Inside the room, Damon finally stepped away from Cassian's shoulders.
"All right. I think we should go outside for some fresh air."
Cassian looked toward the desk.
"Do you think we should stop here?"
"For now. We can continue after we have cleared our heads."
Cassian nodded.
"All right. Let's go."
They walked toward the door and opened it.
Neither of them immediately understood why four people were standing directly outside.
The group was still arguing.
Owen was insisting that Damon was the obvious choice, while Lyra continued defending Cassian.
Mira had just begun explaining her reasoning again when Damon spoke.
"You guys! What are you doing right outside?"
All four turned toward him.
For one brief moment, nobody answered.
Damon stared at their faces.
Then he noticed something else.
Cassian had moved behind him.
Only part of Cassian's face was visible beside his shoulder, and one hand had caught the back of Damon's clothing.
Damon glanced backward.
Cassian immediately looked away.
Damon understood.
The dark flames were still frightening him.
He had nearly forgotten that Cassian was struggling with the same thing he had experienced earlier. Even though Cassian had promised to remain beside him, looking at those faces was still difficult.
Damon quietly sighed.
Before we begin anything else, I need to help them become normal again.
He looked at the others.
Then he looked toward Cassian.
Cassian noticed the sigh.
Despite his fear, he slowly moved forward and stood beside Damon.
He closed his eyes tightly before speaking.
"You guys, come with us."
Owen blinked.
"Where?"
Cassian hesitated.
"Just follow us, but stay at least five feet away."
He paused.
"Actually, make that ten feet."
The four teammates exchanged confused looks.
Rowan looked at Mira.
Mira looked at Lyra.
Owen stared at Cassian as though he had suddenly become an entirely different person.
Wasn't this the same team leader who usually ordered everyone around without hesitation?
Why was he suddenly negotiating the distance between them?
Cassian did not wait for their opinions.
He moved closer to Damon and began walking toward the stairs.
The others followed.
They maintained the requested distance, although Owen occasionally looked at the space between them as if checking whether ten feet was really necessary.
Cassian kept turning his head to check.
Whenever he noticed someone getting closer, he immediately moved nearer to Damon.
Damon watched the entire performance without saying anything.
There really is nothing I can do about him right now.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Damon suddenly tightened his grip around Cassian's hand.
Cassian noticed the change.
He looked toward Damon.
Then his eyes moved toward the inn.
The inn manager stood near the entrance, speaking with another person. Several villagers were sitting around the tables, while others moved between the rooms and the small reception counter.
Cassian looked at their faces.
And stopped breathing.
Dark flames surrounded every single one of them.
The flames moved strangely around their features, making their faces appear distorted and unfamiliar. The people continued speaking and moving normally, completely unaware of how they looked to Cassian.
He stared for several seconds.
Then he forced himself to take a breath.
He leaned slightly toward Damon and whispered.
"Is this what you were talking about?"
Damon nodded.
Cassian continued staring.
"Seriously, how did we fail to notice any of this before?"
Damon gave him a quiet look.
"It is difficult to look at them properly, isn't it?"
Cassian slowly nodded.
"But this is their original appearance. We were simply unable to see it before."
Behind them, Owen leaned toward Lyra.
"What are they discussing?"
Lyra tilted her head.
"I cannot hear them either."
Owen frowned.
"Then why are they whispering so much?"
Rowan quietly gestured for them to stop talking.
Damon turned toward Cassian again.
"You don't have to look at them too deeply. Just stay close to me."
Cassian nodded.
They began moving toward the entrance, walking a little faster than before.
The inn manager noticed them approaching and stepped away from the counter.
"Easy there!"
Damon stopped for a moment.
The manager moved slightly aside, leaving enough room for them to pass.
"Watch where you're going. You nearly bumped into me."
Damon stared at him.
The words.
The movement.
The situation.
Everything felt familiar.
Cassian looked at Damon.
"What happened?"
Damon did not answer immediately.
He glanced toward the manager, who had already returned to his earlier activity.
I have heard those exact words before.
The memory of his earlier experience returned.
The same hurried movement.
The same interruption.
The same ordinary conversation.
He looked toward Cassian again.
Perhaps it was only a coincidence.
They stepped outside the inn.
The market appeared before them, filled with familiar stalls and people moving through the narrow streets.
Damon slowed down.
Cassian noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Damon looked around.
The same things were happening.
A man was arranging vegetables near a wooden cart. Two women were speaking beside a shop, while a child ran past them carrying something wrapped in cloth.
The conversations seemed familiar.
The movements seemed familiar.
Even the small interruptions along the street appeared exactly as Damon remembered them.
He looked toward Cassian.
"Keep walking."
Cassian followed him without asking further questions.
The friends remained behind them, maintaining the distance Cassian had demanded.
As they moved through the market, Damon continued noticing the same events repeating in the same order.
His earlier experience had not been a coincidence.
The entire sequence was happening again.
And this time, Cassian was witnessing it beside him.
The church appeared at the end of the street.
Damon slowed his steps as they approached the entrance. Music drifted through the open doors, accompanied by the familiar conversations of wedding guests. He stopped completely, his attention fixed on the people moving inside.
For several seconds, he simply listened.
He recognized the music.
He recognized the voices.
Most importantly, he recognized the timing.
The wedding was happening again.
Damon lowered his eyes toward the academy badge he carried. The time displayed on it did not match the morning they were experiencing inside Bellgrave. He checked it once more, hoping he had misunderstood something, but the display remained unchanged.
Cassian noticed that he had stopped.
"Why are you standing here?"
Damon slowly looked up.
"Yesterday, you came to this wedding while searching for me, didn't you?"
"Yes. I remember coming here, although I didn't understand why you had disappeared."
"Then you should remember how everything looked inside."
Cassian glanced through the entrance.
"I remember the guests and the ceremony. What about it?"
Damon pointed toward the church.
"Everything is happening exactly the same way again."
Cassian looked inside more carefully. The guests were gathering around the same places, and the music sounded familiar, but he could not immediately understand what Damon wanted him to notice.
"Are you saying the ceremony is repeating?"
"Not just the ceremony. The entire situation is repeating."
Damon looked down at his badge again.
"And the time doesn't make sense either."
Cassian studied his expression before looking toward the entrance once more.
"Do you want to go inside?"
"We cannot waste this opportunity. I want to check something."
Cassian gave him a serious look.
"All right, but stay close to me. We don't know whether Father Alastair has noticed anything unusual."
Damon nodded.
"I understand."
They entered the church together.
The familiar music surrounded them immediately. Several guests stood near the entrance, exchanging greetings, while others occupied the same seats Damon remembered seeing the previous day. Even the arrangements near the pillars appeared unchanged.
Damon's steps gradually slowed.
He looked toward a woman standing beside one of the pillars. Her dress was exactly the same as before, and she was speaking with the same person who had stood beside her yesterday. A little farther away, another guest adjusted his sleeve while listening to someone nearby.
Damon remembered those movements.
He remembered those positions.
He even remembered the conversations that had taken place around them.
Nothing appeared to have changed.
Except that he could now see what had been hidden beneath their familiar appearances.
Dark flames surrounded their faces.
Damon's gaze moved across the guests, and the sight still made him uncomfortable. He had become accustomed to knowing that the flames were there, but seeing so many distorted faces together was something he could not easily ignore.
Cassian noticed him looking around.
"Are you all right?"
Damon gave a small nod.
"Just keep watching."
His attention finally reached the front of the church.
The bride and groom stood beneath the decorations, their faces partially concealed by their veils. Damon tried to recognize them, but their features remained difficult to distinguish.
He looked at their appearances more carefully.
Something was different.
The groom's build did not match the man who had stood there yesterday. The bride's figure and movements were different as well. Although their clothing and positions seemed familiar, the people beneath those clothes were not the same.
Damon glanced toward Cassian.
Cassian had noticed the difference too.
Their eyes met briefly.
Neither needed to explain what they had just discovered.
Damon then looked toward Father Alastair, who stood near the couple and continued conducting the ceremony. His expression remained calm, and his movements appeared as ordinary as they had the previous day.
There were still no dark flames around his face.
Cassian followed Damon's gaze.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the priest.
Damon gave him a small warning with his eyes.
Not here.
Cassian understood and immediately looked away.
They remained among the guests until the ceremony reached its conclusion. Damon continued observing the people around him, but he avoided staring at anyone for too long.
When the guests finally began moving around, he quietly signalled their friends to approach.
Rowan, Mira, Lyra, and Owen came closer.
Cassian instinctively shifted nearer to Damon when he noticed their faces. The dark flames still disturbed him, although he tried not to let his discomfort interfere with what they needed to accomplish.
Damon lowered his voice.
"Cassian and I need to go somewhere after the wedding."
Owen looked between them.
"Where exactly are you planning to go?"
"We need to check something connected to Father Alastair."
Mira immediately glanced toward the priest.
"Did you find something about him?"
Damon nodded slightly.
"But I don't want anyone noticing us. We need to follow him without attracting attention."
Rowan understood the seriousness in his voice.
"Do you want us to follow you?"
"No. We need you to remain here and keep the guests occupied. Make sure nobody becomes curious about the corridor or follows us."
Lyra looked toward the side passage.
"Are you planning to enter one of the rooms?"
Damon briefly exchanged a glance with Cassian.
"We will explain everything when we return. For now, just make sure nobody interferes."
Owen looked unconvinced.
"You two keep discovering things and then asking us to wait without explaining anything."
Damon gave him a tired look.
"Would you prefer that we explain everything while standing in the middle of this church?"
Owen opened his mouth, then glanced around at the guests.
"All right. That probably wouldn't be very clever."
Mira gave his arm a light push.
"Then stop asking questions and help."
Rowan looked toward Damon.
"We will take care of the guests. Just make sure you both remain careful."
Damon's expression softened slightly.
"Thank you. We won't take unnecessary risks."
Cassian glanced toward the corridor.
"We should move before he leaves."
Damon nodded, and the two quietly stepped away.
Behind them, the remaining teammates exchanged a few uncertain looks before returning their attention to the guests.
Father Alastair eventually moved away from the gathering.
Damon noticed him immediately.
The priest walked toward the same corridor he had used the previous day, maintaining the same unhurried pace.
Damon leaned closer to Cassian.
"He is going toward his room."
Cassian followed his gaze.
"Are you certain that is where the concealed door leads?"
"I watched him enter his room yesterday. I am certain."
"Then we should follow him."
They waited until Alastair had moved farther down the corridor before leaving their position. Cassian walked first, while Damon followed a short distance behind him.
They were careful not to draw attention from the guests.
Meanwhile, Rowan and the others began carrying out their part of the arrangement.
Mira approached a small group near the entrance and started asking questions about the wedding. She appeared genuinely interested in the ceremony, giving the guests little reason to leave the conversation.
Lyra joined another gathering and began discussing the decorations. Her questions were simple, but she managed to keep several people occupied without making the conversation seem forced.
Rowan remained closer to the side passage, watching anyone who approached it.
Owen, unfortunately, had a different method.
He noticed one guest leaving the gathering and beginning to walk toward the corridor.
Owen quickly stepped into his path.
"Excuse me! Someone was asking for you outside."
The guest stopped.
"Who was asking?"
Owen glanced toward the entrance.
"I didn't get a proper look. I only heard someone calling."
The guest looked uncertain.
"Was it someone from my family?"
"I think so, although I cannot say for certain."
The guest considered the matter before turning toward the entrance.
"Perhaps I should check."
"Yes, that would probably be best."
Owen gave him a polite smile and began asking about the ceremony before the guest could change his mind.
Rowan noticed the exchange from a distance.
He shook his head slightly, although he was relieved that the guest had moved away from the corridor.
At the end of the passage, Cassian and Damon finally reached the room.
They stopped near the window, keeping themselves out of direct view.
Damon carefully looked inside.
Father Alastair entered the room and closed the door behind him. He did not appear hurried, nor did he show any sign that he suspected someone was watching.
He walked toward the wardrobe.
Cassian leaned slightly closer to the window.
Alastair opened the wardrobe and moved something inside. A moment later, a narrow section of its wooden structure shifted.
A concealed opening appeared behind it.
Cassian's eyes widened.
The priest stepped through the opening without hesitation.
The hidden door closed behind him.
For several seconds, Cassian remained completely still.
He looked at the wardrobe, then at Damon.
"So you weren't mistaken."
Damon shook his head.
"I told you that I saw him use it."
Cassian's expression hardened.
"That door was deliberately hidden. He clearly doesn't want anyone discovering where it leads."
"Exactly."
Cassian looked toward the closed wardrobe again.
"Then he is connected to everything happening here."
Damon watched him carefully.
"That is what I believe. But we still need to understand what he is hiding behind that door."
Cassian took a slow breath.
"We should enter the room and examine it."
Damon immediately glanced toward the corridor.
"Not so quickly. We need to think about what happens next."
Cassian turned toward him.
"What do you suggest?"
Damon looked toward their friends, who were still keeping the guests occupied.
"You should bring them here."
Cassian frowned.
"Why should I leave you alone?"
"Because we need everyone together before we continue."
"And what will you do while I bring them?"
"I will enter the room and look around."
Cassian's expression changed immediately.
"No. What if someone sees you?"
"Father Alastair has already entered the concealed passage. He won't return immediately."
"You cannot know that for certain."
Damon understood his concern, but he also knew they were running out of time.
"Our friends are keeping the guests occupied. Nobody should have a reason to come this way."
Cassian shook his head.
"That still doesn't make it safe."
Damon looked at him for a moment.
"Then do you want me to bring them here instead?"
"That would be better."
A faint, tired expression crossed Damon's face.
"Do you honestly think they will listen to me?"
Cassian did not answer.
Damon lowered his voice.
"They would rather believe the poison you offer them than drink the ordinary water I give them."
Cassian's expression softened.
He understood that Damon was not merely complaining about their earlier misunderstanding. Damon was reminding him how difficult it had become to earn the trust of people who had once stood beside him.
"That doesn't mean I should leave you alone."
"I know."
Damon placed one hand against Cassian's arm.
"But we cannot keep wasting time. Someone has to bring them here, and you know which button to press on your academy badge."
Cassian glanced toward the badge attached to his clothing.
His expression remained reluctant.
Damon continued more gently.
"Bring them here, and we can continue together. I won't do anything unnecessary."
Cassian looked directly into his eyes.
"You had better not."
Damon gave him a small smile.
"I promise."
Cassian still seemed unhappy with the arrangement.
He looked toward the room once more before returning his attention to Damon.
"Do not enter until I return."
Damon nodded.
"I will wait."
Cassian held his gaze for another moment, clearly wanting to say something more. Eventually, he stepped away and began walking toward their friends.
Damon watched him leave before turning back toward the room.
Cassian approached the others while they were still occupied with the guests.
Rowan noticed him first.
"Everything all right?"
Cassian gave a brief nod.
"Come with me."
Mira looked toward the corridor.
"Did you find something?"
"I will explain later. Just come quietly."
Owen frowned.
"At least tell us whether something happened."
Cassian glanced toward the people standing nearby.
"There isn't enough time for questions. We need to move."
His serious expression made Rowan stop asking.
Mira exchanged a quick look with Lyra before following Cassian. Owen looked toward the guests one last time, then hurried after them.
They moved toward a quieter section of the church.
Once they were sufficiently away from the gathering, Cassian stopped and took out his academy badge.
Mira noticed it immediately.
"Are you contacting the professor?"
"No."
Cassian examined the badge and pressed the necessary buttons.
A faint pulse passed through it.
Rowan looked down at his own hand as his strength suddenly began to weaken.
"What is happening?"
Mira tried to steady herself against the wall.
"Cassian, what did you just do?"
Cassian stepped forward and caught Rowan before he could fall awkwardly. Lyra and Owen lost their balance moments later, and he carefully helped them settle against the nearby wall.
Within seconds, all four had fallen unconscious.
Cassian looked at them with a troubled expression.
"I'm sorry. We don't have another choice right now."
He carefully arranged them away from the main passage, ensuring that nobody would accidentally stumble across them.
Then he checked the badge again.
Ten to fifteen minutes.
That was the amount of time Damon had expected them to have.
Cassian looked toward the corridor.
He hoped Damon would follow his instructions and wait.
More than anything, he hoped that nothing would happen before he returned.
Damon remained near the window.
He watched the corridor, occasionally glancing toward the concealed entrance behind the wardrobe.
Nothing moved inside.
The room remained quiet.
He looked toward the church entrance once more. The guests were still occupied, and none of them appeared interested in the passage.
Damon finally decided that he could not keep waiting outside.
He carefully opened the room's door and slipped inside.
After closing it gently, he stood still for a moment and listened.
There were no approaching footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing that suggested someone was returning.
He moved toward the wardrobe.
The concealed door was closed, just as it had been when Father Alastair disappeared through it. Damon examined the wooden structure, trying to understand how the mechanism had been activated.
He checked the edges.
Then he examined the section that had shifted earlier.
There had to be something that allowed Alastair to open it without attracting attention.
Damon moved a little closer and studied the narrow space beside the wardrobe.
He was concentrating so carefully that he almost missed the faint sound behind him.
A small movement.
Not from the wardrobe.
From somewhere inside the room.
Damon stopped.
His fingers slowly tightened.
He turned his head slightly, trying to identify the source without making unnecessary noise.
For a moment, he heard nothing more.
Perhaps it had been the sound of the building settling.
He began turning back toward the wardrobe.
Then he sensed someone standing behind him.
Close.
Much closer than anyone should have been without his noticing.
Damon's body stiffened.
He began turning around.
But before he could see who was standing there, something struck the back of his head.
A sudden, heavy impact.
His vision blurred immediately.
Damon reached instinctively toward the wardrobe, trying to steady himself, but his hand failed to find a firm hold. His knees weakened, and the room seemed to tilt beneath him.
The original case file slipped from his fingers.
It struck the floor with a dull sound.
Damon tried to turn toward the person behind him, but his vision had already begun fading. He could no longer distinguish the furniture from the shadows surrounding it.
His hand moved once more.
Then his strength gave way.
He collapsed beside the wardrobe.
For a brief moment, the room remained completely still.
The person who had approached him waited until Damon was no longer able to move.
Then the room fell silent again.
Damon was taken away.
Cassian looked down at his academy badge.
The waiting period had finally passed.
He pressed the necessary button again, then immediately turned toward his teammates.
Rowan stirred first.
Mira slowly opened her eyes, followed by Lyra and Owen. All four looked confused, and it took them a few moments to understand where they were.
Owen rubbed his forehead.
"What happened?"
Cassian stood before them.
"Get up. We need to hurry."
Mira looked around.
"Why are we sitting here?"
"I will explain everything later. We need to find Damon."
That name immediately caught Rowan's attention.
"Where is he?"
"He's waiting for us nearby. Come with me."
Cassian started walking before anyone could ask another question.
The others quickly followed.
Owen struggled to keep up.
"At least tell us why you made us unconscious!"
Cassian did not turn around.
"I said I will explain later."
"That doesn't answer my question!"
"Then ask me again after we find Damon."
Owen closed his mouth.
Whatever argument he had prepared could wait.
They moved quickly through the corridor, avoiding the guests and reaching Father Alastair's room. Cassian had not explained what he and Damon had discovered, and the others still had no idea why they were being brought there.
Cassian reached the entrance first.
He knocked once.
"Damon?"
There was no answer.
He tried again.
"Damon, it's me. Open the door."
The silence continued.
Cassian's expression changed.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room appeared empty.
His eyes immediately moved toward the wardrobe, where he had last seen the concealed entrance. It remained closed, just as before.
Then he noticed the original case file lying on the floor.
Cassian stopped.
For several seconds, he simply stared at it.
He remembered Damon holding that very file earlier. He remembered their conversation, Damon's promise to wait, and his own decision to leave him alone while bringing the others.
Rowan entered behind him.
"What happened?"
Cassian did not answer.
He moved farther into the room, checking the space beside the furniture and looking behind the open door.
Nothing.
"Damon?"
His voice sounded different this time.
Mira stepped inside and noticed the file.
"Isn't that the case file you were carrying earlier?"
Cassian turned toward her.
"Yes."
"Then why is it on the floor?"
Cassian looked down at it again.
"I don't know."
Lyra glanced around the room.
"Where is Damon? You said he was waiting here."
Cassian's jaw tightened.
"He was supposed to be here."
Owen looked toward the doorway.
"Could he have gone somewhere else?"
Cassian did not answer immediately.
He examined the room once more, searching for anything that might explain Damon's absence. His gaze eventually returned to the wardrobe.
He knew what was behind it.
He knew where Father Alastair had disappeared.
But the others knew none of those things, and Cassian had no intention of confusing them with explanations before understanding what had happened himself.
He slowly picked up the case file.
Something was wrong.
Damon would not have left it behind without a reason.
Rowan approached him.
"Cassian, tell us what is happening."
Cassian looked toward the others.
"Damon was here with me. We were checking something connected to Father Alastair's room."
Mira's expression tightened.
"Checking what?"
"I will explain everything, but first we need to find him."
Lyra looked toward the open doorway.
"Did someone take him?"
Cassian's fingers tightened around the file.
He remembered leaving Damon alone.
He remembered how reluctant he had been to go.
And he remembered Damon promising that he would wait.
Cassian looked toward the empty room again.
"Someone might have entered while he was alone."
The others exchanged worried looks.
Owen stepped closer.
"Then we should search immediately."
Cassian nodded.
"Rowan, check the corridor and the rooms nearby. Mira and Lyra, look around the church entrance and the surrounding rooms. Owen, check whether anyone noticed Damon leaving."
"What about you?" Rowan asked.
Cassian glanced once more at the wardrobe.
"I will check this room and follow after you."
Nobody argued.
Rowan immediately moved toward the door, followed by Mira and Lyra. Owen took one last look around before hurrying after them.
Cassian remained alone.
He placed the case file on the table and slowly approached the wardrobe.
His eyes moved across its wooden surface, searching for any sign that someone had disturbed it.
Nothing immediately caught his attention.
He examined the concealed mechanism, then looked toward the floor again.
Damon had disappeared while he was away.
And whoever had taken him had left the original case file behind.
Cassian closed his eyes briefly.
He should never have left Damon alone.
When he opened them again, his expression had hardened.
He stepped away from the wardrobe and headed toward the corridor.
There was no time to blame himself now.
He needed to find Damon.
Damon was gone.
— by Aurea;
They had come closer to uncovering Bellgrave's truth, but before they could understand what it meant, someone had taken the person who discovered it first.