*Click-click-click*
The sound of cameras filled the air, mixed with hushed whispers from the crowd. Around the lifeless body of a young man, strange symbols were carved into his flesh.
"Please step back! The station is closed for the day," one of the officers announced, sealing off the area with yellow tape and ushering people away.
"Hmm... what's this?" A calm, collected figure appeared, his hair white as moonlight, his golden eyes glinting. Dressed in a beige trench coat, a fedora, and sharp black shoes, he approached the scene with a curious expression. The officers turned sharply, glaring at him.
"Kid, who are you? This is no place for a child!" one of them barked.
"I'm not a kid!" he shot back, straightening his hat. "I'm Junior Linxi, detective from Team JADE."
That's right. The person standing here isn't just a boy. I'm Junior Linxi, a prototype robot abandoned by the family who created me. But my true self? I'm Leon Keith, an ordinary boy who died of cancer. Now, I'm in a completely different world—this isn't Earth or some story I've read. This world, Arcadia, only has basic magic and knows nothing about robots. And yet, this world is heading toward its end. The family that abandoned me... no, Linxi... they will soon launch their attack.
"Junior Linxi?" an officer asked, confused.
I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled. "Sorry, I got distracted. Now, let me take a closer look at the body."
The victim was tortured—his insides destroyed, burn marks across his skin, his blood drained. My gaze stopped on the carved symbol: the mark of them. The family. Baphomet.
"So... they're preparing for war," I muttered. Troubling, indeed.
"Hey, kid, who are you?" A new voice broke through. Turning, I saw a man in his early twenties. His deep purple hair shimmered like the evening sky, and his sharp green eyes studied me. He wore a casual yellow shirt, a denim jacket, and dark jeans, complete with pristine white sneakers.
"This is..." I cleared my throat. "I'm not a kid! I'm Junior Linxi, detective! And who might you be?"
The man raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "Linxi, huh? So you're my new partner. I'm Nicholas Talon, detective from Team NEON."
NEON? I blinked, baffled by the naming sense of these teams. Who came up with this—some bored writer?
Nicholas studied me for a moment, his sharp gaze like a hawk sizing up prey. I held his stare, determined not to appear weak. After all, I wasn't here by chance—I had my reasons.
"Partner, huh?" I repeated, folding my arms. "I didn't agree to that."
Nicholas chuckled, the sound low and dry. "You don't have to agree. Orders from above. Looks like you and I are stuck together, Junior."
"Detective Linxi," I corrected, narrowing my eyes. "And if you're my so-called partner, maybe you should let me work instead of calling me 'kid.'"
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn't argue. Instead, he stepped past me and crouched by the body, his demeanor shifting from teasing to serious. "These symbols," he said, tracing a gloved finger just above one of the carvings, "look familiar. Ritualistic, maybe? Ever seen anything like it?"
I hesitated, crouching beside him. Of course, I recognized them. But revealing how much I knew about the Baphomet Clan would raise too many questions. "They're not just symbols," I said carefully. "They're a warning from the The Baphomet clan... a clan I once knew from the past, they wanted everyone to know who they are."
Nicholas glanced at me, his emerald eyes gleaming with curiosity. "And you figured that out just by looking at them?"
"It's called deduction," I replied dryly. "You might want to try it sometime."
His laugh was short but genuine. "Alright, Linxi. I'll bite. What else do you see?"
I leaned closer to the body, scanning for more clues. The burn marks were precise, almost surgical, and the drained blood pointed to something far more sinister than a simple killing. "The victim's blood wasn't just drained—it was collected," I said. "Look at the patterns around the body. They're too clean, too deliberate. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."
Nicholas frowned, nodding slowly. "You're saying this wasn't just murder. It was preparation."
"Exactly," I said, standing up. "Preparation for something big. And if we don't figure out what that is, there'll be more bodies like this one."
Nicholas straightened, brushing off his jacket. "You're sharp, I'll give you that. But you've still got a lot to prove. If you want to keep up, you'd better be ready to get your hands dirty."
I smirked. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."
Before Nicholas could respond, another officer approached, holding a small evidence bag. "Detective Talon, we found this near the body." Inside the bag was a small, intricately carved amulet. It bore the same symbol etched into the victim's skin.
Nicholas took the bag, his expression hardening. "This just got a lot more complicated."
I stepped closer, studying the amulet. The craftsmanship was exquisite, almost too perfect. "This isn't just an ordinary trinket," I murmured. "It's enchanted."
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "Enchanted? How can you tell?"
"I just can," I said, dodging the question. "This kind of magic isn't common. Whoever made this had access to resources most people in Arcadia can't even dream of..."
Nicholas gave me a long, searching look, but he didn't press me. Instead, he slipped the bag into his pocket. "We'll take this to the lab, see if they can figure out anything else. In the meantime, we need to follow up on the Baphomet angle. If you're right about this being a warning, there's more coming. We need to be ready."
"Agreed," I said, my mind already racing with possibilities. The Baphomet Clan wasn't just planning an attack—they were sending a message to anyone who dared stand in their way. And now, Nicholas and I were caught in the crosshairs.
As we left the crime scene, the weight of what lay ahead settled over me. This wasn't just about solving a murder. It was about stopping a war before it began.
I look up at the blue sky as I whisper to myself "Mother... Is this your decision...?"
.
.
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_TO BE CONTINUE_