"First of all, you should know that the first time you came here, I detected something in you. At first, I thought it might be a joke, but now I think it's something far beyond that." Having helped her client calm down, Séraphine began chatting again about today's matter.
"What? How? I haven't seen you cast a spell on me or use any device," replied Elizabeth, who had taken out a handkerchief to wipe her nose and the mixture of tears and makeup that stained her eyes.
"You could say I have my methods, but I found a trace on you, like a mark. Maybe it's related to that lycanthrope woman," Séraphine said, pointing to the lower part of Elizabeth's torso, close to her pubic area.
"I thought at first that maybe you and your husband found some alchemical device for sexual purposes, and he marked you. You know how rich people are.
But who knows? It could be that he marked you without your consent. Or, worst-case scenario, you ran into the lycanthrope, and she unknowingly left that mark on you.
It's subtle, and I couldn't see it clearly because of your clothes. I can't tell you what it means, but if I were you, I'd let me check it out." Although she might have been exaggerating, Séraphine said these words for Elizabeth's benefit.
She remembered that, although lycanthropes cannot use magic directly, they possess certain abilities that require the use of aether. Depending on the capabilities developed by the woman in the video, it wouldn't be strange for her to leave a mark on her prey's wife.
If she could interpret the mark, she might find clues to help her improve her deductions because all her ideas about this case were mere hypotheses, some more terrible than others. As a detective, pessimism was sometimes the best course of action.
"Should I lift my dress?" Elizabeth asked, making Séraphine feel a little funny.
'You never know when your imagination will come true. Who would have thought it would be like this?' Séraphine thought, nodding to the lady.
"I suppose so, but it's all for the benefit of the case!" Séraphine justified, causing the lady to look at her quizzically before sighing.
"I already knew you noticed me. A woman like me is used to that kind of look, but at least you've been understanding. Well, I don't mind giving you a little benefit as long as you help my husband." Elizabeth's words made Séraphine stiffen for a few moments before she smiled.
"Who knows! Maybe your husband isn't in danger, and he likes those things. Maybe the three of you can form an odd relationship. It's very common in the capital," Séraphine joked, trying to alleviate her embarrassment, but her actions only caused a mischievous smile to appear on her client's face.
"By Mother Light, you are a virgin, aren't you? A virgin witch. This at least calms me down a bit." The lady burst out laughing. Although she had black makeup smearing her face, there was a hint of mirth in her reddened eyes.
Elizabeth was a socialite, so although she was in a situation that made her want to cry and scream, she soon grew accustomed to her runaway emotions and learned to keep them under control.
Seeing the witch in front of her try to give her a useless explanation while waving her arms around made her feel better. Elizabeth was still hoping her husband was okay. She could have some fun.
Since it was all as Séraphine said, she was a wealthy woman, and rich people often had hobbies. She did not doubt that if her husband had invited her to participate in his activities, she would have been interested.
But sometimes the world behaved in strange ways. Mrs. Schwan would soon be aware of this, but for now, she decided to lift her dress and show the virgin witch in front of her a bit of her body.
In no time, the client lifted her dress enough to show part of her abdomen, following the witch's instructions. Along the way, she exposed her long white legs, thick thighs, and black lace underwear.
After becoming slightly distracted by the lush pubic hair protruding from Mrs. Schwan's light panties, Séraphine focused on the mark covering much of the pubic area.
'Don't let your mind wander. Concentrate,' the witch reminded herself, allowing her perception to explore the unusual mark on her client's body.
Because of Elizabeth's nudity and proximity, Séraphine could feel the mark better. It was invisible to the naked eye and required a special spell or a camera equipped with a special lens to see it. However, the witch had an easier way to see it.
Séraphine's green eyes emitted a slight gleam, and reality lost its filter. The activation of the Vision unraveled everything in front of her. However, at that moment, her joy at seeing the beautiful woman's lovely body vanished when she saw the mark carved into her white skin.
It was a deep purple symbol with a faint, seductive glow. The figure formed by its smooth, intricate lines was that of an inverted cup. Each stroke appeared unique, resembling a root separating into different branches.
The cup's base started at Elizabeth's navel and descended almost to her pubic area. The root-like traces had small thorns and shapes resembling flowers.
At the mere sight of this symbol, Séraphine's back broke out in a cold sweat as she pulled back. The joyful and sexually charged atmosphere that had built up after Madame Schwan calmed down disappeared.
Although there was no corrupting aura or seductive voices, the mere sight of that symbol greatly upset Séraphine. It had no mystical power, yet she could not unsee it.
The symbol itself had no power, yet it seemed to convey a strange sensation. It hit Séraphine's mind hard, trying to trigger something inside her.
Her hands clenched tightly as repressed memories tried to surface, but something—perhaps her soul—repressed them. Only a vague sense of familiarity and a feeling of dread remained in the witch's heart.
'Why does it feel so familiar? My head hurts!' Séraphine deactivated her vision and covered her head due to the terrible pain. This migraine was different from the symptoms she experienced from magic abuse; it was strange and familiar at the same time.
Her breathing became agitated, and the world seemed to shrink into a claustrophobic space where she was alone. Her body trembled, and she was covered in sweat, but she couldn't do anything but suffer in silence until a pair of hands rested on her shoulders.
Although she could feel almost nothing of the outside world in this state, she vaguely felt someone guiding her to lie down on a bed. She heard some humming, perhaps conversations, or possibly her imagination. Eventually, her body relaxed until she fell asleep.
Her nap was not very long. During that time, she didn't dream, but the symbol of the inverted cup formed by purple roots appeared in her mind and would reappear in her life in the future.
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
Moments ago, just as Séraphine glanced at the strange mark on Elizabeth's body, Elizabeth noticed how the witch reacted. She felt fear and covered her body again.
"Séraphine? Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked. But the witch put her hands to her head and ignored her, raising the woman's level of concern.
Seeing the sweat on Séraphine's body and noticing how dissociated she seemed from reality, Elizabeth had an idea, but it seemed somewhat implausible.
'Is she having a panic attack? Is it because of the mark on me? Damn it! What did you get me into, Gerald?' Mrs. Schwan wondered internally before turning her attention to Séraphine again.
Knowing she couldn't leave her like that, Elizabeth left the office and headed for the reception area, where she met Tania. Seeing Elizabeth, Tania wanted to say something teasing, but noticing her nervous expression, she kept silent.
"Something is wrong with Miss Séraphine! It looks like... A panic attack? I can't tell. Please help her," Elizabeth said. Her tone was far from the attitude she had at the beginning, when the two women first met.
"What? How is something like that possible?" Tania asked, incredulous. But seeing how Elizabeth was constantly looking at the hallway leading to the office, Tania took it more seriously.
"Just help her! Isn't she your boss? She doesn't look good," Elizabeth said. This caused Tania to finally stand up and run to where Séraphine was.
Tania wanted to smack her forehead when she saw Séraphine's condition. She had hesitated and allowed her friend to remain in that state without supervision or care for longer than necessary.
What if Séraphine got hurt? Tania knew she would feel guilty for a long time, perhaps for the rest of her life. Her relationship with Séraphine was more than just being someone in the witch's life who provided VIP services due to Ronnie's influence.
Unlike her other companions, Tania had formed a friendship with Séraphine while the witch lived at Blume. It pained her to see her friend in such a state.
With the help of Elizabeth, who had also returned to the office, Tania led Séraphine toward the room the witch had arranged on the premises. They left her lying quietly on the simple cot in the room. Tania took Séraphine's hand and began to chat with her in a low voice.
"Come on, Séraphine. You're much stronger than this. You'll be fine. Just rest, okay? Everything will be fine after a good nap." Perhaps because of her words or the tone she used, Tania watched as Séraphine finally relaxed completely and fell asleep.
"She got like that after she saw something in me. Well, she checked me out and found something that only she could. Then she got like that," Elizabeth explained, unprompted, causing the brunette to sink into reflection.
"Will you tell me exactly how they came to that?" I can help. My actual boss has numerous contacts and channels. She could help if I ask her. She appreciates Séraphine a lot," Tania said. Elizabeth stared at her for a few seconds.
"Well, it all started with my husband, Gerald Schwan." With that introduction, Elizabeth explained the whole situation to Tania, who narrowed her eyes.
The stone embedded in the woman's forehead emitted a small, imperceptible glow as she heard the different hypotheses about what had happened to Elizabeth's husband. But Tania knew what she had to do: find the place where the lycanthropic woman operated.
For others, that might take days, but Tania picked up the phone, called Bar O'Connor, and had an address in less than 15 minutes.
Shortly after, Séraphine woke up, and anger stirred within her. She was angry about what had happened to her. But when she received a note from Tania with the address of the lycanthropic woman, a bloodthirsty smile spread across Séraphine's face. Elizabeth, who was still present, was frightened.
"Tania, Elizabeth, it looks like my first hunt in Blume will begin. It took six months to arrive," said Séraphine. She then thought about the weapon she had refused to use for so long.
"It's about time I use my rapier," Séraphine mused as she got out of bed and put on her witch's hat.
Séraphine Rohan was going to hunt and perhaps get some answers.
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
When Séraphine returned to her armory, she went straight to where her delicate rapier was kept. Although her green eyes showed some doubt, she remembered what she had just experienced, which led her to make a decision.
It had been a long time since she had felt so helpless and vulnerable. She wanted to know exactly what that symbol was and what its relation to her was.
When a witch 'wanted knowledge,' very few people were brave enough to stop her. Séraphine gently touched the sharp edge of the narrow blade, feeling the cold metal against her skin.
As a witch, she could not enhance her body to superhuman levels like warriors could. What obligated a mage to resort to spells so simply? As a modern witch, she always had options besides magic, such as guns or her rapier.
Having learned to fight with this weapon, Séraphine lifted the sheath belonging to her rapier, deposited it inside, and deftly hung it around her waist.
She also took a bunch of silver bullets and replaced the magazine of her revolver with them. She wasn't going to kill the lycanthropes, who were also citizens of Shattercrown, but she was prepared to incapacitate them.
"I might as well call those guys annoying. There are laws for a reason," Séraphine muttered, grimacing in disdain when she remembered a certain government agency in her country.
The Tower was the name that Shattercrown gave to the government department responsible for all things supernatural. Its agents were more like a group of bureaucrats who administered entities with power beyond the normal in the country.
Their duties included registration, census, licensing, scientific and mystical research, and, most importantly, managing legal matters related to the supernatural. They allowed all beings capable of great power to live their lives as long as they respected the laws.
They facilitated certain things, such as Warriors entering the military, alchemists joining research groups, and mages pursuing various interests in different areas.
They didn't have law enforcement agents; that was the police's job. However, they liked to stick their noses into any problematic matter, though they were generally very unconcerned.
For example, Séraphine didn't have to deal with them directly the night before when she solved the case involving the supernatural entity. Still, she knew the police would give the Tower a report detailing everything that happened because that was the Tower's job.
However, although they were much laxer and better than similar groups in other countries, no one liked dealing with government bureaucrats. Séraphine, however, was greedy for money and understood the three basic truths of the world:
We all die. Everyone pays taxes. Bureaucracy is always inefficient and tedious.
When Séraphine called the Tower, they quickly detected her call and transferred it to a certain person.
"Séraphine, I hope you're not going to cause trouble this time," a hoarse, distorted voice said, causing Séraphine to roll her eyes.
"Only once have I ever gotten into trouble! You know damn well it wasn't my fault!" Séraphine complained, prompting a sigh from the speakerphone.
"Séraphine, you pointed your gun at a lycanthrope boy who you thought was going to attack you. But he just wanted to pull a loose thread off your shirt. You know how that sounds, don't you?" the voice said accusingly.
"I was stressed out! Then, someone tried to blow things out of proportion by saying that I was discriminating against lycanthropes, but I wasn't. Why would I discriminate against them? Except for having a bit more hair, they're no different from humans," Séraphine replied, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.
"Yes, yes, the time of lycanthrope discrimination is long gone. However, some people never change. Anyway, even though it was a misunderstanding, you got upset and caused a lot of commotion."
I let you know to call us when something like that happens. What do you plan to do that needs us to call?" the voice asked, sounding somewhat anxious.
"I feel like I'm about to walk down the rabbit hole. I have a case that seemed simple at first, about infidelity. But everything has been going downhill very fast. Now, I've come across a symbol that gives me a headache.
It feels familiar, and it's a weird symbol. Something like a cult." Séraphine's words made the conversation sink into silence.