Of Shadows and Mystery

Chapter 3: Shades of the Past ( English Version)

FAEX

It was exhausting.

Officee Alvarez almost drained my energy on this day

seeking comfort in the familiarity of my room. The events at the mansion lingered in my mind, an unsettling reminder of the shadowy apparation I had witnessed. I can't deny that I have been too excited with my first field activity as an intern, and that may be the unwanted results.

A damn straight mystery and paranormal encounter? What a blast of experience is that?

I slumped onto my bed, hoping to find respite in the pages of my favorite book.

As I flipped through the worn pages, my eyelids grew heavy. The words blurred before me, and the book slipped from my grasp. I blinked, trying to fight off the drowsiness that enveloped me. Just as I was about to succumb to sleep, a strange sensation jolted me awake.

My gaze shifted to the wall, and there it was – my own shadow, cast by the faint glow of the lamp, had crept onto the surface. But something was different. It stood facing me, its form distinct against the wall. Two piercing white orbs illuminated from within its shapeless figure, locking onto me.

My heart raced as a wave of unease washed over me. I blinked several times, hoping it was a trick of my tired mind, but the shadow remained, fixed and silent.

Then, a voice echoed in my head, resonating with an otherworldly tone that seemed to bypass my ears. "What year is it?" the voice asked, its timbre haunting yet strangely familiar.

" What year is it?

I was slightly flinched by his sudden voice. It is almost like a somber whisper, cold enough to freeze my body. Hairs on my nape started to stand, and I was still hesitant if wether I would answer the thing or I should start running for the door. But, as if on autopilot, I stammered...

" It's February 16th, 1998 "

"1998? "

The shadow seemed to pause for a moment, the glow from its eyes pulsating softly. "So it has been ten years," it whispered into my mind, a statement laden with an inexplicable weight.

" W-what are you talking about? Ten years since... since what?" I questioned, feeling a chill crawl down my spine.

"It has been ten years since I died," the voice replied, each word ringing with an ethereal resonance.

"Died? Who... who are you?" I managed to utter, my voice trembling.

The shadow's form seemed to flicker, wavering between solidity and obscurity. " Who am I? I have seemed to forgot."

" Ahh, I remembered. My name is... Azazel. Azazel Mysterium. " it declared, its voice carrying a sense of longing and sorrow.

The name resonated in my mind, evoking memories of a renowned detective who had deceased a decade ago. The enigmatic figure who was adorned for solving the most intricate cases before perishing under mysterious circumstances.

" The detective?! But... but you're just a shadow," I stammered, disbelief coloring my words.

" So it seems. But this form of mine carries my will from the past, my stream of consciousness. And my resolve, that transcend even in the realm of the living," the voice explained, its tone wistful and sadness.

My mind raced with mixed emotions – fear, curiosity, and a strange sense of connection. Detective Azazel Mysteryium, the legendary sleuth whose death had left a void in the world of crime-solving, was communicating with me through my own shadow.

I sat there, shaken and bewildered, contemplating the significance of this spectral encounter. Detective Azazel Mysterium's words echoed in my thoughts, leaving me with a haunting realization that the shadows harbored secrets far beyond my understanding.