30 minutes had passed since the police left when Haik received a letter from an unknown source. Written on the stained, yellow paper was a series of events, some of which had already taken place. Haik immediately noticed the insignia stamped on the bottom right corner of the letter - a red scythe backed by a hooded figure.
The presence of the insignia was enough to convince Haik that the letter was indeed legitimate. The events were listed vertically in the order of their occurrence, the first being that the police would arrive at Haik's door.
What confused Haik was the words that came after the event where the police left. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was reading it correctly, but the words did not change one bit.
"The bodies in the Vilhorm basement will be removed." He read aloud within the closed walls of his office. Haik wasn't flustered by the confirmation of the dead bodies in his residence, in fact, he knew this before the police themselves. He felt no remorse for the people who were killed since it was necessary to carry out his goals to the fullest. What shocked him, though, was the mention of a basement.
There were no basements in any of Haik's residences.
Meanwhile, Ray was strutting around outside the mansion, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice held tightly in his right hand. Since Schelo's disappearance, Ray's psyche had spiraled downwards into despair. Schelo's presence had acted like an anchor that held Ray from going adrift. Without Schelo, Ray felt empty.
It was clear that Schelo had meant more to Ray than just a teacher. To the boy who was mostly neglected by his parents, Schelo was the father-figure he needed the most. Schelo was more of a father to Ray than Haik ever would be, even though the time he had spent with him was a fraction of what he had spent with Haik.
Seeing the police leave empty handed infuriated Ray. His gut told him that they were here to inquire about Schelo, but he had no way to confirm any of that. Walking back to the marble ledge railings located in the south garden, Ray bent and plucked out one of the blue flowers from the bushes. He brought it up to his nose and the sweet fragrance brought a much needed tranquility to his disturbed mind.
He looked over the ledge and onto the vast open plains below. The moon shone down on the canopy of trees that cast a dim shadow onto the greenery below. Seeing the emptiness on the other side of the ledge made Ray feel claustrophobic standing near the mansion. Even though the gardens were large and open, something about the sheer vacancy of the other side called to him.
"Screw it!" Ray said as he threw his glass of juice down and jumped over the railings, sticking a perfect landing on the other side. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as a gust of cool wind hit his face. He couldn't help but laugh at how free he felt. It almost felt like he was out of his father's grasp now that he had crossed the marble boundary.
The cool air that calmed Ray was suddenly invaded by a vile stench that rose from below. Covering his nose with one hand while the other gripped tightly at the ledge, Ray leaned over to see what was causing this. He immediately stood back up as he felt the sweat on his palm slowly make him lose his grip.
With his curiosity piqued, Ray decided to make use of the techniques Schelo had taught him. He had been practicing for the past week even in Schelo's absence, hoping that he would have mastered everything by the time his teacher arrived.
Hovering one foot over the edge, Ray initiated [Air Crystallization]. The air under his foot solidified into an invisible platform, and Ray used it to support himself as his other foot left the ledge.
He put his other foot lower and formed another platform. Continuing this process, he fashioned a hardened air staircase that he used to walk towards the plains below. With each step, the smell got worse, and by the time Ray reached the plains it was unbearable.
The rancid smell of decaying tissue made Ray drowsy as the world around him began swaying. The tanginess that infected the air made its way into Ray's lungs, replacing most of the oxygen and suffocating him.
He fell onto the ground, staining his white pajamas at the knees. A revolting greenish-brown liquid bubbled out of the ground in front of him, making him crawl away from it immediately.
The darkness obscured everything around Ray and made it harder for him to escape to an area with fresher air. The corners of his vision slowly darkened and his limbs grew weaker as the sour smell stayed in his lungs. It clung to the inner surfaces of his lungs and wouldn't leave no matter how hard he exhaled.
His eyes felt heavy now, the eyelids slowly falling over half of the eye. His hands finally gave in and his head hit the mushy ground below, Increasing the vertigo caused by the smell.
With his face pushed against the mud, his eyes partially closed, hands not responding and lungs nearly shut down, Ray was at the brink of unconsciousness.
In what felt like his last moments, Ray imagined Schelo, wondering what the man would do in this situation. In an attempt to cling onto life his brain went into full throttle, using up the body's reserve fats to fuel itself.
Ray's eyes shot wide open and in that moment of fight or flight he immediately knew what to do to get rid of the toxic air that had made its home in his lungs. He was ready to perform this procedure no matter how life threatening it was. He refused to fall unconscious and possibly die in such a place without at least trying to get out.
Luckily his energy reserves had not run out by the time he came up with the idea and he directed them to his right arm. He pointed his index and ring fingers outwards and pushed them up his nostrils since they were the only ones that weren't muddied.
His plan was simple. Once his fingers were in the nostrils they were physically connected to the air within his lungs via the air in the wind pipe and other tubes. This physical connection would allow him to control that air using his wind magic and he could, in theory, pull out some of the toxic air from his lungs. He had to ensure that he left enough air in the lungs so that they wouldn't collapse due to the formation of a vacuum.
He laughed at his pathetic, weakened state. His pride as a royal was hurt as he was driven into this do or die situation. He slowly got back to his feet so he could make a run for it as soon as he removed enough air. He laughed once again, this time mocking himself for taking so long to come up with the plan.
As he closed his eyes he initiated the plan. Asphyxia hit him hard as he latched onto 80% of the air within his lungs using magic and pulled it all out. The muscles in his legs screamed in agony as he pushed forward, away from the whirlwind of toxicity. He eventually fell back on the ground, but was relieved that it was rock solid - a sign that he had escaped the marshy area.
The fresh air was a relief to Ray's dying lungs and after a few deep inhales and exhales he was back to normal. Facing the empty darkness he had come running out of sent a shiver down his spine. And in his paralysed, shocked state he vowed to return and investigate the place once the sun rose. He vowed to find the source of the foul stench that plagued the area.