The officer turned just in time to see the window fly open; right before his eyes, Irina was far past its threshold. Everything happened so quickly that by the time he moved, she was nowhere to be seen.
When he finally reached the window, he looked down and spotted her clinging to a thick branch just one floor below. The officer tried to call out to her, but the howling wind swallowed his voice completely.
Third floor. I can survive a fall from the third floor. Maybe.
The sound of cracking wood was just loud enough to reach her ears, and her tilted view began to shift once again.
Right?
Another sharp snap rang out, and suddenly, she was falling again. Irina grabbed at every branch she could, and when she finally hit the ground, the impact was softer than expected—at least as soft as a person covered in scratches, drenched, and wounded could be.
She lay there for what felt like ages, eyes shut, letting the cold raindrops and falling leaves hit her. She was most definitely catching a cold in the middle of summer.
I'm alive. I guess...
Irina stayed on the ground just long enough for the officer to come rushing down the stairs and find her. "Lady Irina, can you hear me? Oh, my Goddess, I can't believe I let a new member of the Nighthawk die on my watch!"
She finally opened her eyes and glanced at him. "I'm not dead—yet. But I am freezing. Care to give me a hand? Or better, an arm? I'm quite pissed as of right now."
Whoever caused me to fall is getting thrown behind Chanis Gate the second I get my hands on them. I can't believe this is the second time I've fallen from such a height.
The officer quickly bent down, helping her stand up. "There's an infirmary in the first block. Let's get you there. You look mostly covered in mud, but we should make sure you're alright."
I am everything but 'alright'.
With the officer's help, Irina made it to the infirmary without falling again. The nurse examined her and found no major injuries—despite being covered in scratches from head to toe, nothing was life-threatening. After bandaging her up, the nurse even provided a change of clothes, as her own were torn and filthy.
The officer eyed her with concern. "Are you sure you want to go back? It's dangerous—"
Irina cut him off. "Which is exactly why we're going back. Ouch—whatever's causing these anomalies is clearly—ouch—getting stronger. Ouch—oh, damn it! When is this painkiller going to kick in? I can't work like this. Now let's go—the sooner we're done, the sooner I can take a nice, hot bath at home. OUCH—"
Now dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants, Irina returned to the 'cursed' office. A cold draft hit her as soon as she crossed the threshold. The lamp was still out, and the floor was slippery from rainwater. The rhythmic banging of the windows echoed through the room as the wind pushed the tattered curtains around, almost fully obscuring the main desk. Creaking shelves and scattered papers completed the eerie scene.
Still bruised and irritated, Irina pointed at the room and shouted, "Listen here, you little shit! This is my first official job, and I'm not letting a fall from the third floor stop me. If you want to take me down, you'll have to try harder, because I will find you, whatever you are!"
The officer, standing behind her, grew even more concerned as she yelled at an empty room. Before he could say anything, she turned to him and ordered, "You—go find some strong people. We're moving everything in this room. If it's the last thing I do, I'll drag the source of these anomalies behind Chanis Gate."
Snapping to attention, the officer straightened up. "Yes, miss!"
He rushed out, leaving Irina alone. She stayed near the doorway, scanning the room with her spirit vision while keeping a safe distance from the window to avoid another fall.
That desk looks off. It's the only thing with a slightly darker shade of yellow. I'll start with that.
Half an hour later, the officer returned with three students, or at least that's how Irina identified them, given their clothes, which resembled hers but without any clear markers of authority. Age aside, they looked perfect for the job.
"Move that desk," she instructed. "I don't care where, just make sure it's nowhere near its original spot."
The students exchanged puzzled glances but followed her orders. As the wind picked up, one of them got dangerously close to the window. Irina had no choice but to stop him. "Don't. The wind is strong enough to throw you out. Some of your classmates already fell down the stairs, right? Imagine falling from the third floor instead. Not something I'd recommend."
The brown-haired student turned to her, confused. "Recommend? Don't tell me you've fallen from a window before."
Guess.
Irina's face grew serious. "Not just a window—that window." She pointed behind her with irritation. "Now move, that was a workplace accident so I should be home, and not here trying to fix this mess."
Only then did they all notice Irina's appearance, bandaged head to toe, with patches of bloody gauze peeking out from under her clothes. Outside, the storm was intensifying, and the gusting wind forced even more rain into the room, soaking the floor and making it slick. Books and papers were drenched, and more continued to fall from the shelves.
As the students began lifting the desk, both the window and the door slammed shut violently due to the wind. The window shattered upon impact, scattering sharp shards across the floor.
The deafening crash startled the students, causing them to nearly drop the desk. Irina was shoved forward by the slamming door and almost lost her balance, but she quickly regained composure and barked, "Ignore it. Move the desk—now!"
Nervously, they complied, eager to be done and leave the cursed office. As they lifted the desk and moved it toward the window, Irina noticed one of them nearly slipping on a piece of glass.
"Stop!" She commanded, her voice sharp.
As the students halted, Irina spotted something unusual. Beneath the desk, a strange glow was visible.
That's not yellow—it's orange. And it's coming from underneath...
"Flip it over," she ordered. "There's something underneath."
The students followed her instructions, and as the desk flipped, jagged glass shot out from beneath it, nicking all three of them. Blood trickled from small cuts, but Irina was too focused on the desk to notice.
Underneath, a dark piece of wood was glued to the bottom, covered in unfamiliar engravings. The wind whipped through the room again, more forceful than before, making the floor slick with rainwater and throwing the curtains wildly about. The door creaked open just enough for a cold gust to rush in.
Irina ignored it all, her attention fixed on the strange object that looked eerily similar to an Ouija board. She stepped closer, her mind racing. Those signs… I don't recognize the language, but the layout is unmistakable.
She reached the middle of the room just as the door slammed shut with a bang, startling everyone again. In that moment, Irina's spiritual senses flared, warning her of imminent danger. She barely had time to react before a faint metallic creak came from above. With a sudden leap, she threw herself against a bookshelf, narrowly avoiding the falling chandelier as it crashed into a thousand pieces.
The nerve of this thing!
Ignoring the new bruise forming on her arm, Irina sprinted back to the desk. She grabbed the wooden board and tried to pry it loose, but it wouldn't budge. "I need a knife!" She shouted.
The officer quickly drew his blade and handed it to her. Without hesitation, Irina wedged it between the board and the desk, using it as leverage. With a loud crack, the board came free, though the knife was now bent beyond use. She tossed it aside without a second thought.
She immediately started analyzing the item. Age: somewhere between 300 and 400 years. My senses are still going haywire. This thing is dangerous, no doubt. Carrying it around could be risky, I have to try sealing it before it causes more trouble. Then I'll take it to the security company and let them decide whether to lock it behind Chanis Gate or destroy it, if it is even possible.
Turning to the group, she issued her final order. "You're free to go. Leave the office, all of you. Officer, prepare the carriage, we're leaving as soon as I'm done here. It won't take long."
The officer nodded and motioned for the students to leave, making sure they carefully avoided the glass shards on the floor. Once they were gone, Irina began sealing the object using the techniques Old Neil had taught her. The result wasn't perfect, but it would do for now.
After completing the ritual, she left the office for what she hoped was the last time. She descended the stairs cautiously and reached the carriage without further incident. But as they rode toward the Security Company, she could feel the seal weakening with every passing minute.
"Keep an eye on the road," she warned the coachman. "There's a high chance of something going wrong."
True to her words, the carriage jolted to a stop several times as stray horses and even children seemed to appear out of nowhere, causing unexpected delays. Each time, Irina's tension grew, her eyes darting nervously toward the window.
Finally, they arrived at the company's headquarters. She wasted no time, jumping out of the carriage and sprinting toward the entrance, eager to get rid of the cursed board. She dashed up the stairs, her heart pounding.
Just as she reached the door, she exhaled in relief. But her moment of rest was short-lived. The door suddenly swung open with brutal force, slamming into her. The impact knocked her off balance, and she stumbled backward. Before she could regain her footing, she tumbled down the steps, her legs flailing as she reached for the ground that wasn't there.