ASEYANA CAME KNOCKING at our door two days later. And my mom was so happy to see another beauty visiting us in our little abode. Seriously. She was obsessed with marriage. Now, she was obsessed with beauty.
"Feel free to eat whatever you want," my mother offered kindly. "Look at this house like it's your home."
"Yes, aunt," Aseyana nodded happily. "Thank you!"
"Alright, mom. We have something to talk about," I said, shoving my mother out of my room. "We'll let you know if we're done."
"Okay. Call me if you need more food!"
"Yes, we will!"
I shut the door and faced Aseyana with a smile.
"Hey," I started. "Thank you for coming." I sat on the bed—- beside her.
"No need to thank me. And," she leaned on, "I have good news for you."
I blinked. "What is it?"
"These past few days, when you were away, Principal Stonefield and I did a ton of research." She opened her palm, and a book suddenly appeared. That was amazing! With such a spell on hand, you won't need to bring a bag everywhere you go.
"What is that?"
"A grimoire," Ase answered while shuffling the pages. "This is one of Principal Stonefield's ancestor's collections."
"They aren't witches, though. Why are they collecting something like this?"
"As long as it's significant, people will collect it. This grimoire is more than a thousand years old. It contains spells, especially the lost ones. And," she looked at me excitedly, "We found a spell that could turn you into a human! A real human as you wanted!"
My eyes widened in surprise. I must be dreaming. This was fast. And easy, if I may add.
"What—- what should I do? Do I have to do anything while performing a ritual or whatnot?"
Ase shook her head. "I'm still trying to figure this spell out," she said. "It's ancient. There's a lot of words that don't make sense. Some ingredients are hard to find as well. So, it might take a while before we can do the spell." She looked at me apologetically.
"Hey, no need to feel bad. I am already grateful that you're taking my case seriously."
She smiled. Then, closing the grimoire, it vanished. "I heard Uncle Magnus is here. Where is he?"
I scratched my cheek. "I don't know. Two days ago, we talked about calling you for help. Then, he didn't come back after that."
"He might be resting back in Grandi Valentina," said Aseyana.
"Should we go there?"
She looked at me. "We will need those brothers and sister's approval before going there."
"Isn't that a street here inside our subdivision?"
"No," she gave me a confused look, "Grandi Valentina, in today's vocabulary, is a lost city. We need a portal to enter it, and it could only be opened by my father and his siblings."
That stunned me!
"But," I hesitated, "I saw it."
"Then, Uncle Magnus might have led you there." Her confusion turned into curiosity. "I didn't know you and Uncle Magnus knew each other that well."
I shook my head. "No," I said. "The first time I met him, he had his knee injured. I helped him walk until we reached this castle-like home."
Aseyana's gaze turned even more profound. I couldn't even understand what it meant anymore.
"He's an undead. He might get injured to the point of slow regeneration, but it didn't mean he was so weak that he couldn't walk anymore—- not to mention it was a small thing like an injury in the knee." Then, she shrugged. "Anyway, fill me up with this case in your town. I need to know the details."
I wanted to know more about Magnus's deception, but Aseyana changed the topic fast. And the case was more important, so I didn't delay. I told her everything that happened and Magnus's tale about the Morois.
"I want to see the shop owner's body."
I frowned. "That would be hard," I muttered. Then, I remembered Officer Ecclestone. I have no idea if she was willing to let me pass authority again. Regardless, it was worth the try. "Let me call someone."
I called Officer Ecclestone. To my surprise, she agreed. She was so helpful!
Aseyana and I didn't waste any time. We left the house right away. When we arrived at the station, we saw Officer Ecclestone waiting at the doorstep.
"Let's go," she said, gesturing us to follow her. We followed her in her car. I sat in the passenger's seat while Aseyana was at the back. "The body's in the laboratory." She started the engine. "Tomorrow, they will deliver it to the morgue."
"No one claimed it?" I asked. "How about her son?"
"The man yesterday didn't tell you?" she scoffed. "The shop owner's son killed those innocent people, but he was no longer human. He's a living dead. A monster, to be more precise."
So, he was the Moroi!
"A month ago," Officer Ecclestone added, "her son died because of a car accident. The shop owner was devastated and did a ritual in the cemetery." The car turned left. "The keeper called us due to her disturbance. Hence, we were there when her son rose from the pit!" She sighed. "We lost three of our comrades at the time."
Dang! No wonder these police officers didn't care about the shop owner. The latter might feel guilty, but it didn't change the fact that she started all of this!
"Is she alone? Did she do the ritual without anyone's help?" Aseyana asked.
"No one was there except her and the keeper."
"Odd," Aseyana muttered. "She's not supposed to succeed in that ritual. She could feel the spirit, but she's not a witch."
"You can know about the person without seeing her?"
"You're a witch as well?"
Officer Ecclestone and I asked at the same time.
Aseyana looked at us. "I could seek help from the spirits to get some information. And yes, I'm a witch."
"Well," Officer Ecclestone smiled. "That's a helpful ability. Why not try to become a police officer in the future?"
Aseyana's eyes brightened. "I'll take that into consideration!"
I turned to the officer. "No wonder you didn't find things like this as odd," I said. "With that experience in the cemetery, I don't know who wouldn't become a believer."
Officer Ecclestone chuckled. "My comrades who witnessed that took a month of leaves, actually. They even thought of resigning. I'm only open-minded about these supernatural events because I grew up from it."
"Really?"
"My sister has a weird ability," she explained. "And things happening in the family are way odder than this."
"Is she a witch too?" Aseyana asked curiously. I was feeling the same way.
Officer Ecclestone shrugged. "Maybe?" she said. "Or maybe not."
—
Not long after, we arrived at the laboratory. We were walking towards the room when I asked, "Won't your higher management admonish you for letting us in?"
"You have nothing to worry about," she assured me. "The higher-ups won't be happy with my actions, but I have a connection they can't fight against."
My mouth twitched. She was proud of it.
Then, I heard her harrumph. "I gained that connection because of my skills and wit. It has nothing to do with my family."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
I caressed my cheek. Yasha was right. I needed to work on my facial expression sooner or later. It didn't feel right that others could read me just by looking at my face.
"We're here."
We stopped in front of a metal door.
Officer Ecclestone then looked at the two of us. "You have an hour to do whatever you have to do. I will guard the door."
"You won't be coming with us?" If I were her, I would gladly watch a magic unfold.
She waved her hand. "I would rather help you keep the door inaccessible to others," she said, totally uninterested in our agenda. "I only hope this case will be over. Humans can't fight this force. But I won't stay still and let people die again and again just because we can't do anything about it. Since you're here, willing to help and can stop this from happening, I will gladly provide you my assistance."
I smiled. "Thank you!"
Aseyana and I entered the room. I didn't go near the table where the body was. But Aseyana did. She took off the white cloth without batting an eye. And without hesitation, she chanted. The wind started to blow out of nowhere. It was cold and heavy.
Hopefully, we will get something from this.