[Riiiiiiiiiiiiing.

Perfect timing. Allen mentally praised whoever was calling exactly when he needed to locate his phone. He would have done so himself if he had a second one on hand; too bad he couldn’t predict the future. Although, to be fair, he had never quite lost his mobile device like this before, where he didn’t even have an inkling of where it could be.

Rumble. Crack.

Shadows danced in the dark hallway, lit up by the intermittent flashes of lightning spilling through tall, arched windows. The stone floor felt cool under his bare feet. Allen paused at a window, staring out at the sea of trees blanketed in a light layer of mist. The moon shone brightly in a starless sky. What was he doing again?

Riiiiiiiiiing.

Right. The phone. Allen returned to the path, continuing forward towards the ringing that was increasing in volume. The storm had since settled since he started this journey, and the lights flickered back to life. Nice, one less thing for him to worry about.

In a newfound happy mood, he hummed a soft tune under his breath as he strolled down the wooden path, careful to avoid all the creaky spots in his memory. Almost there.

Allen stopped in front of a door. Was it here? He waits for the sound.

Nothing.

Hmmm, maybe not. Was he mistaken? Well, since he was already here, might as well check. He pulled on the door, and it smoothly opened. It was a dark room with not a single window. A solo desk stood center in the room, and a familiar rectangular shape lay on its polished surface.

‘I’ve found you.’]

 -

Alice

 

“Found you!” Alice smiled as she extracted a milky white bead from the newly arrived shipment of items. Checking it off her list, she placed it in the jewelry section. Even after years of working here, this was still one of her favorite aspects of the job. There was something satisfying about being the first to sift through the trinkets and gadgets and place them in their designated spots.

Her knees clicked as she rose from her squatting position. Stretching her stiff body, she decided to take a break. The store had been closed for a few hours, and she would usually be home by now on a regular day. Considering the extra pay for after-hours work on stocking day, she didn’t mind.

“All right, time to get the last bit of this done and go home to a warm dinner.” Alice hopped off her stool and refocused her attention before the procrastination urge took hold and settled in. “I’ll reward myself with a slice of cake tonight.”

Boom.

Startled, Alice jumped and whirled around at the sudden noise. Heart pounding from the scare, she called out in a higher tone, “Donovan? Is that you?”

No answer.

She grabbed a decorative sword from its display, fighting the urge to flee. It's from the back, so it’s not a break-in. Also, imagine if Donovan was hurt from a bad fall and she just left. Forcing her legs to move towards the noise, she called out again. “Donovan? Boss, are you alright?”

Stopping in front of the door at the back that she was forbidden to enter, she hesitated. This was the only rule he ever gave her. No, I have to, what if he’s badly hurt?

“DONOVAN! Please let me know if you’re alright! I will be opening the door if you don’t answer!”

She had just placed her hand on the handle when a familiar voice finally sounded from inside. “I-I’m alright. You may l-leave early tonight.”

Alice frowned. He didn’t sound alright, but it's also not her place to inquire about his personal matters. They had an unspoken rule to respect each other's private matters, and the strict commitment to this rule was the foundation of their work relationship.

I’ve done my part. Making sure to lock the front door before she left, she made a mental note to arrive early tomorrow to finish the work…and just to be safe.

-

Unknown

In a very ordinary room within a standard house, a candle flickered weakly on the round table in the center before sputtering out.

“Another? How many is that in just the last couple of days?”

A few robed figures gathered at the table, with one standing out as the tallest and broadest, wearing a golden pin on his chest. The rest of the figures maintained a respectful distance.

The first to speak was a short and stocky figure. “The Watcher rang the alarms for the first one not long ago. We have yet to locate the body if there is one. However, our search was hindered due to the high alert and lockdown of the city.”

“The dogs are closing in and rooting out our locations, “ another added. “There might be a mole or a rat.”

“Identify the rat and eliminate all associated with it. Rats can’t help but stick with their own. The rest can only blame their bad eyesight when choosing whom to trust.”

“Sir, would that not be a waste of resources? Perhaps we can first detain them and decide from there?”

The leader stared at the thinnest figure who had just spoken. The ensuing silence added a different type of tension to the atmosphere. “Are you questioning me?”

“No sir! My apologies. It will not happen again, sir.”

After another prolonged period of tense silence, the leader finally averted his penetrating gaze. “The organization does not tolerate waste. If they fell for a mole once, they would fall for it again. Remember this clearly: never allow an opponent the opportunity to rise again when you can take care of it from the start.”

“Yes, sir.” The three figures replied in unison. They backed out of the room, each returning to their assigned tasks.

The leader remained in his position, unmoving from his spot. Another robed figure materialized out of nowhere and emerged from a shadowy corner of the room. “Very unlike you, my lord.”

“How so?”

The new figure moved towards the leader with a relaxed posture that was completely different from the three that had just left. “You are not the type to give second chances.”

“And I’ve just learned you are the type to snoop on other people’s conversations.”

“Now, why would you say that?” The figure lowered her hood to reveal a flawless face. Her heterochromatic eyes shone like jewels despite the dim lighting. “Are you perhaps moved by her beauty?”

“Are you jealous?” The leader grasped her wrist and pulled her towards him. “She still has value, so she must remain alive for now.”

The brunette woman pushed his chest firmly to release herself from his embrace, turning to leave. “Well, I hope so as we still have a lot to do. I just can’t help seeing... the resemblance to her.”

A palm slammed into the place beside her head, closing the door she had just opened. She didn’t turn around, as if she expected the reaction.

“How dare you…”

“Why? You cling to your failures so desperately, but I can’t even mention her? Perhaps she made the right decision after all.”

A fist slammed into the wooden door, creating a hole despite it being reinforced through many means. The woman had disappeared as mysteriously as she had appeared. The man was left alone in the room. Nobody appeared despite the commotion.

“...did she…?No rush…I will show them all the consequences for going against me.” His giggles echoed in the empty room.

-

James

 

"...They had all escaped long before we arrived. We fear there might be a leak of our information. A list has been compiled of the people who were privy to the news."

James nodded in approval as he glanced over the list, his gaze pausing on a couple of names. "How is the interrogation?"

“Professor has taken over the case as you instructed.”

"Then there should be news very soon. With his…methods, we should be able to save a lot of effort. Even if he is a low-level pawn who doesn’t have access to important information, he should be able to point us in the right direction."

"It appears that most things were wiped from his memory. There are traces of the forgetfulness pill."

"The Cult of Lost Memories?" James raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Are there still active members remaining in these parts?"

“It could be a pill brought from further south or one saved from a while back.”

Rubbing his unshaven chin in thought, he pondered the implications of this news. "All that for a disposable pawn? Why not just kill him?... What are your thoughts on the matter?"

Sam stared at his clipboard with an intense gaze. After a moment of silence, he shared his thoughts. "It is possible we simply found him first. After all, not everybody has access to her and is also willing to pay the price. And the pill… perhaps he has somebody in a high position behind him, or it could belong to him. There should be descendants of the original cult members still alive. The Saint pardoned the family members back then."

“Of course, she did. That sounds just like her.” James returned his gaze to the list. “Guess whose name is also on here?”

Sam did not reply.

James laughed. “Of course. You compiled the list, so you already know. Let’s go pay our good old friend a visit, shall we?”