"So, it really is the same place."
Just as Nicholas had suspected, this was the exact same cemetery connected to the drainage tunnels—the first sight he had laid eyes on upon arriving in this world.
He gazed at the hills ahead, covered in a sea of gravestones. They were arranged in neat rows stretching as far as the eye could see. It was almost hard to believe that a town this size could have such a staggering number of deceased.
"The number of graves has grown quite a bit… Looks like the past few years have been worse than I thought."
Piers remarked, unable to hide his concern as he surveyed the landscape. From what he knew, the city's death rate had risen sharply over the past few years—almost as if something unnatural was taking place.
"The undertaker's hut should be just up ahead. Before anything else, we should try asking him a few questions first."
Nicholas and Evelyn nodded. If anything unusual had happened here, the first person to notice would surely be the cemetery's caretaker. Besides, trying to locate Cody's coffin among so many graves without guidance would be far too difficult.
When they reached the hut, Piers, who was leading the way, knocked on the door and waited for a moment—but there was no response.
So the three of them decided to let themselves in and take a look inside.
Since the windows were closed, the inside of the small hut was dim, making it difficult to see clearly.
"Looks like no one's here," Nicholas said as he stepped inside.
With his ability, if someone had been present, he would have immediately sensed the aura produced by their emotions.
"No malevolent spirits." Evelyn added, after scanning the room.
As Spirit Mediums, their vision in the dark was far superior to that of ordinary people. After a short while, their eyes adjusted, allowing them to see their surroundings more clearly.
…And that was when the stench of decay hit them.
A shadowy figure sat in a chair in front of the fireplace. The coals inside had long since died out, suggesting it hadn't been lit for quite some time.
Piers approached the figure and studied it for a moment. Then he removed his black glove and reached out to touch the man's neck.
"He's dead." Piers said as he put his glove back on.
"...This is definitely the undertaker of this cemetery."
Piers's confirmation solidified one thing: everything that had happened was definitely not just a hallucination born from Juan's imagination.
Nicholas looked down at the caretaker's remains. Though the body was still relatively intact, it was visibly swollen and discolored, already beginning to emit a foul odor. Had he not witnessed his fair share of autopsies during his days as a lawyer, he might have vomited everything in his stomach right then and there.
"Judging by the condition of the body… he probably has been dead for about two to three days," Piers said after examining the corpse for a moment.
"Do you know the cause?"
"Hard to say. No external wounds and his expression show no sign of struggle, as if he simply... passed away." Piers replied to Evelyn, his voice tinged with frustration. Without the proper equipment or time for a thorough autopsy, the cause of death remained a mystery.
With their key source of information already gone, this investigation had just become even more complicated.
"Is it just me, or is it getting darker out there?"
Nicholas couldn't help but speak up as he noticed the change around them. Earlier, sunlight had been streaming through the open door of the hut, but now, not even a sliver of light remained.
Seeing this, the three of them quickly stepped outside, only to find that the landscape had now completely transformed.
It was barely before noon when they arrived; the sky should have been ablaze with the midday sun.
And yet now… the sun was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it had been swallowed by dark, looming clouds as though a storm were about to break.
At the same time, the cemetery was now covered in thick fog, making it impossible to see their surroundings clearly.
"It seems Juan's story was true."
What was happening now matched Juan's testimony perfectly, which made their situation considerably more tense.
"With fog this thick, it'd be easy to get separated. We shouldn't move recklessly for now… Evelyn."
Piers warned, then signaling Evelyn. She nodded in acknowledgment before chanting something in the Ukati language.
At that instant, Nicholas felt a strange shift—as if something had been opened. Two small orbs of white light emerged from an empty space, slowly drifting toward Evelyn. She whispered something to them, and the two spirits split apart, floating off in opposite directions.
"Pure lingering spirits," Piers explained to Nicholas as he kept a wary eye on their surroundings. "They are harmless and difficult for most threats to detect. Spirit Mediums of Dío level or higher can communicate with them. To be safe, I had Evelyn send them out to scout the area First. Let's wait for their report."
Fifteen minutes later… A streak of white light descended and stopped before Evelyn. After receiving the spirit's report, she turned to the others.
"The other one we sent to search for a way out hasn't returned yet. But this one has located Cody's grave. Should we wait… or head there first, old man?"
Between these two choices, Piers, who was currently the team leader, had to make the call.
After pondering for brief moment, he spoke.
"We don't know how much longer the other soul will take. In the meantime, let's check the grave. Maybe we'll find some clues to explain what's going on… Stay close. Don't lose sight of each other."
Nicholas and Evelyn nodded before all three began moving, following the guiding white light.
There were several moments when Nicholas nearly lost his way, but fortunately, the spirit's glow kept them on track. In the end, no one was separated from the group.
"It's just ahead," Evelyn signaled.
After walking a little further, they finally saw the gravestone ahead, engraved with the name Cody Roche.
Naturally, when the three of them looked down at the grave, they immediately noticed that it was completely different from the others.
The dirt that had once covered it had been torn open into a hollow. The wooden coffin beneath now had a hole large enough for a person to crawl through. From the way it looked, it was clear that this hadn't been caused by someone digging the body up from above—But something had clawed its way out from below.
"Well, that settles it."
Even without Piers saying it outright, they could already guess—this case almost certainly involved an Abomination.
…Though the odds weren't absolute, everything seemed to be pointing in that direction. At that moment, the other spirit they had sent out returned with its report.
"It says it found a way out," Evelyn said after listening.
"Even if we've confirmed our initial suspicion, the situation is still unclear. It might be better for us to head back, report this then bring reinforcements…" Piers said, weighing their options carefully.
Though an Abomination wasn't usually a major threat, the abnormalities surrounding this case made Piers cautious.
"…We're pulling back."
It would be better not to do anything reckless. Nicholas also agreed with this decision.
...However, it seemed luck wasn't particularly on their side.
After following the Lingering Soul's lead for a while, sounds of tearing flesh and chewing became increasingly distinct. As the fog thinned, the horrifying scene unveiled itself before them.
The smell of blood hung thick in the air. Corpses of wild animals—along with swarms of insects—were piled everywhere. Amid the fresh blood and crawling maggots was the body of a man wearing a torn striped shirt.
His hair had fallen out in clumps, leaving only sparse patches on his scalp. His skin hung in raw, tattered strips, exposing the pulsating veins beneath. Around his neck hung a silver necklace... The figure was busily engaged in biting and devouring the carcasses of animals and their internal organs in a revolting manner.
…And there was no doubt—it was Cody.
"An early-stage Abomination… not too bad," Piers murmured, rubbing his chin.
'You call THAT "not too bad"?!'
In Nicholas's mind, the scene was leagues away from anything remotely acceptable.
"We'll have to pass through there to reach the exit," Evelyn said, her eyes fixed on the monstrous figure ahead.
"In that case, we have no choice but to charge straight through," Piers said, thinking for a moment before pointing at the creature.
"Want to give it a try, rookie? With the Spirit Bullets I gave you, you should be able to handle an early-stage Abomination like this one."
Though he said it casually, Piers wasn't simply dumping this burden on Nicholas. In truth, he could have dealt with the creature himself without much difficulty.
But the strange changes in the surrounding atmosphere still remained unexplained. Therefore, he had to stay alert in case something unexpected happened.
Nicholas understood Piers' reasoning, but even so, he couldn't help letting out a sigh. After a moment of mental preparation, he rose from his crouching position.
He drew the revolver—already loaded with Spirit Bullets—from its holster and stepped forward.
Looking on the bright side, this might be a good chance to test the power of the compass he had received from completing his mission.
It seemed Nicholas's movement made the Abomination, which had been preoccupied with eating, become alert. It snapped its head toward him and let out a low, threatening growl. Its face twisted with madness and smeared with blood. One look was enough to tell Nicholas that not a shred of humanity remained in the creature.
The moment it locked eyes with Nicholas, the beast lunged straight at him with terrifying speed!
'Let's see what this thing can do.'
His right hand gripped the revolver, while his left slipped into the pocket of his coat. Inside, he held the old compass tightly in his palm.
If he remembered correctly, according to the gray mirror's description, all he had to do was focus on a living being within his line of sight and press the button on top of the compass to swap positions.
Nicholas fixed his gaze on the Abomination rushing toward him. Then, without hesitation, his thumb pressed down on the compass hidden inside his coat.
Click!
But to his surprise— Nothing happened.
He remained exactly where he was while the Abomination was getting closer and closer.
'Why isn't it working!?'
Nicholas frantically mashed the button a few more times, but still, nothing changed.
At that moment, something clicked in his mind.
Abominations were beings that had been consumed by its own power, stripped of its soul and consciousness. They were nothing more than walking corpses existing solely for the purpose of killing.
Which meant… they weren't considered "living beings" under the compass's conditions.
And if they weren't living beings—Then the compass wouldn't work on them.
'Crap.'
The beast was already too close for him to take steady aim, and he had zero confidence in his ability to tank a direct hit or evade it in time.
In a split-second blur of survival instinct, Nicholas suddenly turned toward Piers, who was currently standing watching from a distance.
Then without hesitation, he slammed his thumb down on the compass button.
For an instant, Nicholas felt his body lift, as if suspended in midair. His balance faltered—And in the very next moment, when gravity returned, he found himself several meters away from the Abomination's attack range.
But before he could fully process what had happened—He heard a cry from the one who had taken his place.
A heavy thud rang out as Piers's body was sent tumbling across the ground. The Abomination lunged after him immediately, not giving him a moment to recover. Piers barely managed to brace himself, using both arms and legs to hold the creature back.
"Damn it! I misjudged this thing!" Piers roared, straining against the creature's snapping jaws. "This Abomination seems to have some kind of ability to swap positions with its target! Cody might not have been an ordinary man—he could've been Extraordinary. You guys be careful!!"
His voice was noticeably more tense, indicating the severity of the situation. But he still tried his best to warn the team.
Nicholas, meanwhile, could only force a dry smile.
'Sorry, old man... but that was actually me.'
He had originally planned to show off his Cursed Object's power to the team,
But for now, it might be better to keep this "talent" to himself for a little longer.
09.11.550
Nicholas Parlay
Spirit medium (Éna)