Davidson exhaled heavily, his hand rubbing his bald head in frustration. "Initially, I found nothing, but about six months later, a similar incident occurred—a murder case where the killer attempted to frame Dion. However, it was a sloppy job, as if an amateur was behind it. I conducted another round of investigation, yet still came up empty-handed. How could the murderer behave like an amateur but leave no trace? It didn't add up. Something was definitely amiss."
Abby took a deep breath, her focus sharpening as she sensed the presence of something fishy.
Davidson's gaze fell upon the table, his voice laced with a hint of frustration. "Five more cases followed, all revolving around Dion. Yet, despite the involvement of other officers, we couldn't find any leads on the elusive perpetrator. That's when the names 'murderer-no-murderer' and 'psychopathic Dion' started circulating among the investigators. Of course, these were unofficial titles, used solely among themselves in secret. He was a murderer, and at the same time, innocent."
Davidson then stared at Abby in the eyes. "I continue to observe Dion throughout the whole bizarre murder case. With the way he was involved in killing, there is a high possibility he will become a psychopathic murderer. All those events are capable of messing a kid's head and it did to Dion."
"It did?" Abby arched an eyebrow.
"After three murder cases, we forced him to attend school and a rehabilitation center to keep his mental state stable. However, Dion goes back to the street after school. And I observed something changing about him — slowly, he became withdrawn to himself. If before, he was a normal but untrusting kid, he became silent. He only had three friends in the street. However, one last thing happened between him and his friends. The event made him quiet and detached from humans. You can read that up in what I will give you." Davidson sighed and slouched into his couch.
"What happened after?" Abby asked.
"When he became thirteen, he met a lady, Ivy Kalispar, who both of them rolled together." Davidson noticed Abby giving him a strange gaze after he spoke.
He snapped at her, "What are you thinking with that dirty mind of yours? He was Thir-teen! Besides, they lived far from each other with Dion barely visiting her." Davidson calmed down and narrowed his eyes. "But the bizarre thing is that after he met Ivy, the murder around him ceased. That was how the case about him closed without end."
"Now, let's talk about you and forget about him." Davidson pointed and locked gaze with Abby. "Do you want to take up this case? Do you want to dig out the murderer? Because it seems the murderer is back with a different style."
Abby turned silent for a moment. "What about Rocky Peters?"
"Another person will take up the case," Davidson said.
While Abby mused silently, Davidson stood up and walked to his office seat to give her some time to make up her mind.
But before he could reach his seat, Abby spoke up, "I will take up the case, Chief."
Davidson halted, turned, and smiled. "I knew I could count on you. Now, let me give you a short briefing."
He walked to his seat and retrieved a flash drive from within his desk.
Handing it to Abby, he said, "This contains all the information you need about Dion."
Abby reached out to take the flash drive, but Davidson hesitated, not releasing his grip.
"Before you proceed," Davidson's eyes hardened, his tone becoming serious, "let me give you a stern warning. Once you've read it, you must immediately destroy the flash drive. Secondly, you will be investigating Dion under the guise of Rocky's case. Thirdly, you must ensure that your investigation doesn't disrupt his private life. This means you won't be wearing your uniform and will only use your ID card when absolutely necessary. Remember, proceed with caution in this case."
Abby nodded but Davidson warned again, "Be ca-re-ful! This is unlike regular murder cases or serial killers. Watch your back and don't go in aggressive. Proceed with caution."
Abby immediately knew things were more serious than she thought. She nodded with determined eyes.
Davidson finally let go of the flash drive. "Here is the key to the house beside Dion. You will live there and try to get close to him. Try… to find out about his life in the orphanage and his past."
Abby took the key, saluted, and turned to leave, but she abruptly halted. She turned her head and asked, "Do I need a facial disguise?"
Davidson laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to worry about disguises. You've already made an impression on Dion, so he'll recognize you no matter how hard you try to hide. When I tried to disguise myself, it took him five days to figure out my true identity, and he was just eleven years old at the time. Now that he doesn't trust people and has grown, except his skill has declined, he will fish you out in three days."
Abby nodded, but Davidson could see the skepticism in her eyes. He didn't bother explaining further, instead shaking his head in resignation.
Once Abby left, Davidson sank weakly into his chair. His gaze drifted unfocused, fixated on the ceiling above. 'Is this the right thing to do? Chief, I don't know why you've been wanting me off this case but I will dig into it this time. That thing I saw… it wasn't a figment of my imagination. What is the motive behind this never-ending circle? Why Dion? And that orphanage…'
He shook his head as the puzzles threatened to drown his sanity.
–––
Meanwhile, Dion just came out of the station and was walking home. The street was deserted with few cabs. He did not carry any money… or food has exhausted his remaining money, so his legs were performing the job of a cab.
His mind was lost in thought and his anger was bubbling beneath his calm exterior. 'That was nine million dollars cash! I lost it. If I had it, the first thing I would do is drop out of school and buy a house in a quiet place. Combining school life plus being a realm wanderer is too stressful. Sigh! But who is that person with Nixara bloodline? Nixara, or should I call it Cat Bloodline? Their speed–'
A honk made him flinch and disrupted his thoughts. Dion spun around and he saw a pink car parked beside the road. He saw it before but didn't think much.
The black tinted window lowered and Dion saw Ella in the driver's seat with sunglasses covering her eyes.
She lowered her glasses down to her nose and smiled. "Hey, handsome. How much do you charge for a night?"
Dion's jaw dropped for a moment before he shook his head and entered the car.
Ella sped off.
"So, why are you out early? I thought I was going to use Karen's connection to get you out," Ella asked with her eyes focused on the road.
"Because I'm innocent. I just told them that I didn't do it and they let me out." Dion shrugged.
"Just like that?" Ella snapped her head to him.
"Just like that. Right, before I forget…" Dion passed her the phone.
Ella parked the car and meticulously inspected her phone for any signs of abnormality before resuming their journey. "We will crash in Karen's house tonight. She mentioned that you never return home in Aeon, meaning you've left your physical body in the forest."
"I've left it in a secure cave I discovered while out hunting. I've been observing it for some time now, and no beast has ventured near," Dion explained.
Ella let out a mischievous giggle. "But have you observed it at night? I'm sure you've never hunted during the night. That means you have no way of knowing if it's the lair of a nocturnal beast. It's currently night here, so it's daytime in Aeon. However, as day approaches here, the night will fall in Aeon. Hehehe!"
Dion sweated when he thought about a beast coming to meet his unguarded body. He would just be like a delectable treat that fell from heaven for the beast.
"Don't think about it. When we get to Karen's, you can sleep and void shuttle. Right, tonight you were cool…" Ella began her ramblings on how cool Dion was.
Dion turned and fixed his eyes on the scenery outside the window and ignored the chatterbox.
Soon, they arrived in front of Karen's house. The gateman was quick in opening the gate after a honk.
Dion couldn't help but ask as Ella drove into the mansion, "What about Karen's parents?"
"If you mean the parents here, they are out of town." She slowed down in front of the garage.
She stopped the car in the garage and stepped out of it.
"Parents here?" Dion turned to Ella in confusion.
Ella ignored him and stretched her body while her bones made squeaky noises, then she walked away.
Dion saw many cars in the garage but he quickly chased after Ella.
When the main door opened, Ella stepped into it. As Dion stepped inside, a powerful force seized him by his shirt, forcefully yanking him into the room and pressing him against the wall.
"You didn't obey the orders," a deep voice roared in his face.
His eyes met the piercing gaze of a pair of grey iris that emitted an eerie glow.
'Wolf bloodline!'
Dion's entire body tensed as his pores seemed to constrict, and his heart clenched in his chest. Each breath became shallow as if the air itself had grown thin, suffocating him.
Unable to contain it any longer, Dion coughed out blood, crimson droplets staining his lips. The presence before him felt towering, overwhelming, as if a weight pressed down upon him. The pressure was real.
The eye intent made him cough blood! It seemed to physically harm him.