Sycamore rushed past the media outlets and into the small barricaded corner.
Amongst the towering garbage bags on the pavement lay a pair of clothing, undergarments, shoes, and the woman's purse, including her wallet and ID cards. Forensic officers flocked to the scene to gather evidence.
Sycamore clenched his teeth. "Check for any foreign DNA, and run an on-site analysis," he instructed Cindy, who immediately began the task.
Almost two hours had passed, and the search area was widening with no other leads in sight. Sycamore headed in Quill's direction just as Pierrot arrived.
A voice called from behind, "Detective." Sycamore turned to see Jon Handel. "You need to follow up on the search parties."
"Bryan is handling that," Sycamore replied.
"The CCTV footage," Jon pressed.
"Kit is on that one."
"They're not Sycamore Yoo, Sergeant."
"Lieutenant," Sycamore paused and sighed. "There's clear demon involvement."
Jon's expression turned serious. "Follow me, Syca. To the search parties."
"I'll go to the priests and report back to you later." Sycamore turned and ran without looking back.
"You clearly know what this means, right?!" Jon shouted after him, sighing. "This punk..."
──────────
Sycamore followed behind Quill and Pierrot as they trailed the smoke, which dispersed through a small lake, leaving them confused.
"We were too late," Pierrot muttered.
Quill looked back at Sycamore, frustration evident on his face. "You should have called us the moment you got here!"
"How the hell would I know?!" Sycamore shot back. "Only black blood is my clue here, alright?"
"Can we check the available footage?" Pierrot asked.
"Will they be seen on the cameras?"
"Not much, but if it has thermal, it's possible," Quill replied.
"Then let's go to Kit."
"Both of you go, I'll keep following any traces I find of the smoke," Pierrot said, placing a hand on his abdomen and taking his white form.
Sycamore and Quill began running. "That sight is still freakishly new to me. But where are the other priests?" Sycamore asked as they headed toward the district patrol station outside the residential streets.
"Roy is on a case out west. The new member is dead asleep after training. Gibbous is on standby alone," Quill answered, huffing.
When they arrived at the station, Kit was reviewing the footage with a few officers.
"Detective, we're still locating the nearest CCTV," Kit said, standing up to give Sycamore the seat.
Sycamore took the seat. "The fourth street on this corner, facing the narrow street, should be visible."
"Go to Bryan and help with the search. I'll handle things here," he added.
"Yes, Detective," Kit said as he exited the station.
"Where are today's folders?" Sycamore asked the operator.
Sycamore took hold of the mouse and searched for the relevant footage. He fast-forwarded through the video until a scene appeared: two women running.
Quill watched intently as one woman was lifted by an invisible force, the other dragged away at unimaginable speed.
Sycamore traced the CCTV footage to where it could lead, but no other cameras caught the discarded clothing or any other leads. He leaned back in his seat.
"That's all we got. So it's a possessed person."
Quill took a deep breath. "Possessed people are usually still visible on camera. This one's physical form has channeled its powers," he said.
A phone's ringtone set off, and Sycamore checked. It was Jon, and he rejected the call.
"What do you mean by that?" Sycamore asked.
"It means it's more dangerous. It's a named demon. They're powerful," Quill explained. "And so is that human body. To withstand that, he must have consented."
"Consented?" the detective asked.
"Most likely a deal," Quill confirmed.
As Sycamore's phone continued to ring, he finally picked it up.
"Lieutenant?" he answered.
Over the phone, Jon said, "We had a match. A man in his 30s, muscular build, around 6 feet."
"What..."
"The chief ordered to make the case public and on high alert. There will be an announcement of a wanted man, a murderer, and an abductor. It's still within golden time, we can make it."
"No, Lieutenant, it's a possessed person. There's footage," Sycamore interjected.
"The public is already outraged online. Find the man ASAP."
"Lieutenant!"
"Not all monsters here are demons, Syca. Now follow orders, or both of us will be in trouble." The call cut off.
"Shit."
"What's wrong?" Quill asked.
"They only close the cases for possession when it's fucking convenient," Sycamore ruffled his hair aggressively.
Quill's phone beeped, alerting him to the news. "It's already on high alert. The man is wanted."
"Screw this. Let's go."
When he got up, Cindy was at the door. "Detective."
Sycamore stared at her, his expression blank. "So you found DNA without letting me know."
"Yes, I was the one who sent the information directly to the lieutenant," Cindy did not back down from the staring game. "Get yourself together, detective. Give us proper orders."
"Get myself together?" Sycamore scoffed. "Don't forget who's the senior here... kid."
Sycamore walked past her, and Quill followed.
"Can you really do this?" Quill asked.
"Or what? Follow a non-existent man?"
The two ran back toward the scene and got into a car. They followed back to where Pierrot was, who was now at the mouth of the forest area.
They got out, running toward him. "Pierrot, it's a named demon," Quill immediately said as he reached him, running out of breath.
Pierrot, who was sitting down, didn't look back at him and continued to stare at a plant.
"What's wrong?" Sycamore asked.
When Quill caught his breath, he followed Pierrot's gaze. His face dimmed as he saw black blood traces. When Sycamore realized this, he took photographic evidence.
"Should we follow it up?" Sycamore proposed.
"It's pointless," Pierrot finally said. "The smoke's completely gone."
"Is that true?" Sycamore asked Quill, and the Malach nodded.
The three were silent. Sycamore let out a sharp exhale, turning to Pierrot.
"What can we do?"
"For now... nothing." Pierrot stood up and began walking back to the car, the two following behind. "Not until the body transforms again."
"So it's a failed golden time in the first place," Quill added.
Sycamore paused. "How will we know when the demon takes over the body again?"
Pierrot looked back at him, a serious expression on his face.
"I know this demon."