Enigma of Darkness ✨

Secrets in the shadows

Lucian entered Araki's office and took a seat opposite him. Araki studied Lucian's face, trying to discern any signs of discomfort. Since the incident three days ago, Lucian had decided to head home, and they hadn't met since. Their occasional phone calls were brief, merely checking in on each other's well-being. Araki, preoccupied with dealing with the aftermath, hadn't found the time to reach out properly. Today, however, he asked Lucian if he wanted to accompany him to Elian's funeral.

Lucian agreed, but when they arrived at the venue, he chose not to go inside. Instead, he kept his distance, quietly observing as people entered and mourned alongside Elian's parents and siblings. Araki had asked if he wanted to go in, but Lucian declined, saying he preferred to watch from afar.

That day, after the incident, Lucian returned home and received an email from an unknown source. He hesitated to read it after seeing the sender. The email seemed timed to arrive at that precise moment as if the sender knew the future. Lucian glanced at it and guessed who it was from, deciding not to read its contents. He feared that whatever was inside might further shatter his already fragile spirit.

After staying outside for a while, watching people emerge from the venue wiping their tears, Lucian decided to leave. Araki, however, asked him to accompany him to the office, and Lucian agreed.

In the office room, Mr. Han bowed to the two of them and approached with a tablet in hand. After scrolling through the document, he began to narrate the report that Araki wanted Lucian to hear.

This was one of the reasons Araki had asked Lucian to come along. Though it was against the law, he felt Lucian deserved to know about the investigation since he had lost his friend and had almost been in danger himself.

Mr. Han informed him that one of the trustees and a board member of the school, who also served as the Vice Principal, had orchestrated the incident.

She wanted to change the school's rules to block outsiders from entering or exhibiting on the school premises. Her niece had tragically lost her life due to the existing policy that allowed outsiders to visit the campus to explore the grounds where their ancestors had taken refuge.

Though the culprit was punished by law, she wasn't satisfied with just that. She wanted to permanently close the school premises to outsiders. The board members were unwilling to support her, and after unsuccessfully appealing to various authorities and trust members, she was approached by an investor with a plan. They decided to plant fake bombs and cause chaos in the school to threaten the authorities into complying with her demands.

She was unaware that a harmful chemical had also been planted, posing a danger to the students. She allowed the culprits to enter the campus without any security check and let them access various floors to plant the fake bombs. However, she did not know what happened in between, or how Elian was involved in the situation.

Mr. Han looked up from the screen at the two in front of him. The room fell into silence, but before Lucian or Araki could speak, they heard a sigh from the AI, followed by its comment, "What kind of craziness is this?"

Lucian shot a sharp gaze at Araki, who looked embarrassed by the outburst from the AI. He cleared his throat and commanded the AI to be quiet. Despite its complaints, the AI quickly obliged. Lucian then turned his attention back to Mr. Han.

"What did you find out about Elian?" Lucian asked. Mr. Han glanced at Araki, and after receiving permission, he opened another file and began to inform them.