Holding the "Galilee Exorcism Society Members' Code of Conduct" and "A Look at the Descendants of Cain (Ghouls)" handed to him by Harvey, along with that flesh-colored folder containing just one pitiful piece of paper—;ast time it had a name and photo, now not even that—Ethan walked out. Fortunately, there was a witness, so it wasn't entirely hopeless.
Hex must have gone to the second floor, right? Ethan turned to look for the staircase, finding it at the other end of the hallway. He headed over and went up to the second floor. There were only two offices there—Veronica Zhang's and Phoebe A. Callisto's. The other two rooms bore no signs, but he knew one was used for detaining captured creatures. The last time, Hex had been locked in there.
Stopping in front of Callisto's door, he knocked. The door was opened by Hex, who was inexplicably wearing a black cloth over her head and holding a silver ring.
"Are you playing dress up? what are you a nun?" he asked. The girl stepped aside, revealing a woman of indeterminate age—more precisely, unrecognizable, as she was entirely shrouded in a black robe, her face obscured by a large-brimmed wizard's hat. She was crouched on the ground, drawing a large circle with salt.
At the nearly perfect center of the circle lay an assortment of objects: an olive branch, a dead pigeon, a bloody heart, a clay sculpture of a Greek goddess, an eyeball, a golden bull statue, and a small golden pyramid. These items surrounded a central banner with an emblem inscribed on it, Latin letters spelling out "GUSION."
"You must be Harvey's new assistant," the woman said. Her voice sounded young. After finishing the circle, she removed her gloves, revealing skin that suggested she might be between 20 and 35 years old. She then picked up a blue candelabrum, its flame filling the room with the scent of vanilla.
"I am. You must be Phoebe, right?"
The woman stood in a smaller circle connected to the larger one by a line of salt. She pulled a wand from her robe pocket.
"Hex, could you stand over there? And Ethan? Is that your name?"
She pointed her wand toward another small circle. Hex complied immediately, and Ethan nodded.
"Ethan, could you step out for a bit? This ritual won't take long."
The young man obliged, closing the door behind him.
Indeed, it didn't take long. About five minutes later, the door opened again, this time revealing someone who looked barely older than Ethan. Her face was painted with intricate red designs that conveniently covered the freckles on her cheeks, and she held the black robe she'd worn earlier.
"Sorry about that. Please, come in," she said.
Ethan entered, following her inside. Hex was sitting in a chair, but upon seeing him, she jumped up excitedly.
"She waved her wand, and then everything lit up! Then all the stuff disappeared, and I felt something crawling into my head! And then... and then she floated into the air!"
Hex's eyes, now glowing red again, sparkled with excitement. Phoebe waved her wand, and the salt on the floor floated back into its jar. A table pushed against the wall also reset itself to its original position. Magic, indeed.
Phoebe hung the black robe on a coat rack and sat behind her desk. She wore a white dress with a brown vest and a variety of necklaces around her neck. Her hair was tied into pigtails—or at least she had tried—but it was a mess, strands sticking out everywhere.
"You're here about the ghoul, right? Harvey mentioned it."
She pulled out a notebook identical to Leon's and scribbled something, tearing off the page and placing it in front of Ethan. It read, "GuanZhi Chan."
"Is this him?" Ethan asked.
"This is what divination revealed. Whether it's truly him, I don't know, but it's undoubtedly connected to this name."
"So, you can do magic?" Hex interjected.
"Anyone can practice divination. I just don't need to rely on external forces."
"So, you can do magic?"
"Yes, I'm a witch."
"Wow! That's so cool! Is this how you caught me last time?"
"Last time, I had your name and appearance. Divination was much easier then."
"What else can you do, Miss Witch?"
Hex was fascinated by the tangible magic, bombarding Phoebe with questions until Ethan dragged her out of the office, much to her reluctance.
Sitting on the tram, Ethan decided to visit the state library to gather information. While many books could be borrowed online, older maps and city archives were only available in physical form.
"Look at what she gave me! Hah... no wonder you can't get a girlfriend," Hex teased, showing off the silver ring Phoebe had given her. Ethan had also been given one and was now wearing it.
"She gave it to detect malicious entities. It's mentioned in the book I'm reading— Ring of Samael, standard equipment for exorcists."
"What's it got to do with me? I'm not on the job."
"So, all you do at home is watch anime, huh?"
"Hmph, none of your business."
She turned away, ignoring him. The tram swayed gently, nearly empty at this hour as most people were at work. The sun beat down mercilessly, pushing the temperature to 32°C. Ethan felt as though the heat would suffocate him whenever he stepped into the sunlight.
V: I've sent you the information on the ghoul.
Ethan's phone buzzed. He didn't even remember adding this person as a contact, but if he couldn't recall it, it probably hadn't happened.
E: You're Veronica Zhang, right?
V: Just call me V.
E: I didn't see you at the office earlier.
V: Going to snitch to Harvey? (◣ω◢)
E: No, no. I mean I didn't get a chance to greet you.
V: Just teasing. Don't be so uptight (థ౪థ).
V: Anyway, the Father wants me to investigate the Silverfang Alpha near Montreal's outskirts. After flying all day and getting grilled by Cardinal Strathcona, his mood is terrifying. (◞‸◟)
E: Bye then.
V: Bye-bye.
"I smell another woman's scent," Hex said, peeking at his phone before Ethan pushed her away.
"Have you fallen for someone else? Didn't you promise to love me forever?"
"Don't mess around. I'm working."
She mimicked his words mockingly, but Ethan ignored her, opening the file V had sent on their target.