The hours dragged on until the sun dipped below the horizon again, painting the quiet town in a soft orange glow completely at odds with our growing exhaustion.
"Nothing again?" Theo groaned, rubbing the back of his head like the lack of progress was a physical ache.
"That's to be expected," Chief Silva replied without looking up from her notes. "Do not let frustration cloud your judgment. For the sun doesn't let emotion cloud its judgment either."
She said it with the confidence of someone quoting scripture.
Theo and I exchanged a glance that said, There she goes again, before rolling our eyes in synchronized, well-rehearsed defeat.
Theo muttered under his breath, "I swear she practices these at home."
"I heard that," Silva said flatly.
He froze. "...Respectfully."
Before she could lecture him, Mira cleared her throat. "Actually—speaking of nothing happening, when we split up earlier, some of the older townsfolk told us about an urban legend."
I blinked and stared at her.
Urban legend?
What?
'Why's she making stuff up now?'
[She's not lying, my friend!]
'What—'
Mira continued, oblivious to my confusion. "Apparently there's a story about a mermaid—or something similar—that lives deep within the lake. They called her The Lady of the Shore. Long hair, pale skin. Said she would sing soft lullabies at night and people would follow the sound if they weren't careful."
Theo raised his eyebrows. "A folktale about a humanoid deep-sea creature… huh." He said it like he was filing it away next to Bigfoot and tax fraud.
I crossed my arms. "Interesting. Why hasn't either of you mentioned this earlier?"
'Because I don't remember any of it?!'
Aetherion hummed pleasantly.
[Oh, delightful. It seems the anomaly has begun affecting you. Shaping memories? Muddling recall? I'm intrigued. Perhaps I should offer this mermaid a… business proposition.]
'Absolutely not.'
I forced myself to ignore him and spoke as evenly as I could. "I… kind of forgot about it. I only remembered after Mira started talking."
Chief Silva lifted her head slowly and stared at me. Silent. Studying.
She blinked once. Twice.
'Is she expecting me to continue? Say more? Make a speech? Apologize to the sun for clouded judgment?'
"Ahem—" Mira stepped in, shifting awkwardly. "I also forgot about it. Until just now, actually."
Theo frowned at both of us. "Wait, what do you mean you both forgot? You're talking like this is some grocery list you forgot about."
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
Mira looked equally lost.
Theo leaned in closer. "Guys. Seriously. Did you hit your heads? Both of you?"
I wished that were the answer. Being concussed would be easier to explain.
Silva exhaled slowly, closing her notebook. "A shared lapse of memory is notable."
"That's one way to put it," Theo muttered.
The chief ignored him. "Urban legends often originate from a place of truth—however distorted. We'll look into this 'Lady of the Shore' tomorrow. Cross-reference with recorded disappearances."
Mira nodded, though she looked unsettled. "Right."
Theo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, at least it's something. Beats walking around all day getting politely brushed off by retired grandmas."
I rubbed my temple, trying and failing to conjure the memory. "I swear, I don't remember hearing anything about it today."
[You really don't,] Aetherion said with an irritating flourish of satisfaction. [Fascinating. And worrying. But mostly fascinating.]
'Fantastic. Glad someone's enjoying this.'
The sky had already surrendered to night, the last traces of dusk bleeding away as streetlights flickered awake one by one. Their glow cast long, warped shadows across the quiet town, and with every passing minute the streets felt more deserted, more hollow. Another day nearly done.
We were heading toward the church to pick up our daily supplies from Ezikiel when a voice slipped out from the dark behind us—smooth, deep, and so calmly spoken it somehow cut through the evening air like a blade.
"Investigator Silver."
I turned just as a man stepped into view.
He moved with the sort of measured ease only someone highly trained—or quietly dangerous—ever mastered. At first glance, he looked relaxed. Detached, even. But the second his eyes swept over us, that illusion shattered; there was nothing casual about the way he analyzed the area, or the faint tension coiled in his posture like a hidden wire.
Ash-blond hair tied loosely at the back, a few stray strands falling over his face. It should've softened him. It didn't. His expression held a cool, unreadable calm that made the stray hair feel… intentional, somehow—like camouflage.
His entire outfit was black: turtleneck, perfectly pressed slacks, polished shoes. But the coat—long, draping, shifting around him—made him seem like he carried a living shadow on his shoulders. Even standing still, he radiated readiness. Prepared for violence at any second. When his gaze flicked briefly to mine, a strange prickle slid down my spine—not fear, but… acknowledgment. He had already sized up every threat in the area, including me.
"Agent Vern?" Chief Silva stepped forward. "What brings you all the way here?"
'Agent?' I shot Mira a look that said "Do you know him?"
She shook her head with a shrug.
Vern and Silva exchanged a firm handshake before he spoke.
"One of our Security Department members was on paid leave," Vern began, voice calm but clipped at the edges. "He chose to spend the time in his hometown. However, his leave ended two days ago, and he hasn't returned."
He paused, the faintest awkward cough slipping out. He looked aside, rubbing the back of his neck as if vaguely embarrassed—or at least pretending to be.
"He's not fully stable yet," he admitted, "so I've been assigned to retrieve him."
'Security Department…?'
Julian's words resurfaced immediately.
'All Security members were contaminated. Severely, even.'
'But this guy looks composed. Controlled. No different from any other guy.'
[A fascinating contradiction, my friend! Either his contamination is frighteningly well-restrained… or his fashion sense is so bland it suppresses anomalies by sheer mediocrity.]
'That's not how that works...'
[Black on black? Truly the color of creativity's death.]
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Theo crossed his arms. "So let me get this straight—one of your agents was on leave, and then he just… vanished? Or what, lost control?"
Vern eyed Theo up and down, clearly unimpressed. "It's not that he lost control." He sighed, sounding tired. "He probably thinks he's protecting this town from whatever anomaly you're investigating."
[A noble fool sacrificing his vacation days for the greater good. I approve! Someone should immortalize him in a novel. Preferably one with me on the cover.]
Silva cleared her throat. "Speaking of which… have you seen or heard anything suspicious around town since arriving?"
Vern tilted his head, eyes drifting upward as he thought. "Mm. Actually… yes. Earlier, I saw someone wa—"
He stopped mid-word. Froze. Blinked twice. His jaw tightened ever so slightly.
Then he exhaled. "Nothing, I'm afraid. I only arrived a few hours ago. But I can keep you updated."
'…That shift wasn't normal.'
'Aetherion?'
[Yes, yes—no need to thank me for my expertise. His mind was tampered with. Quite abruptly. That reeks of the Pale Shore. Or he has very poor short-term memory, though the former seems more likely.]
Silva must've sensed it too; for a brief second her brow furrowed before she resumed her professional calm.
"That would be helpful. Let's—"
"Uh—Silva, we're running late with the supplies," Mira whispered, trying (and failing) to make it subtle.
Silva checked her wristwatch.
"Mira and I will remain with Agent Vern to exchange information and outline cooperation." She handed me some money. "You and Theo handle the supplies. We'll meet at home afterward."
"Roger that!" Theo saluted with unnecessary flair.
I simply nodded.
We parted ways, Silva, Mira, and Vern heading deeper into the plaza while Theo and I turned toward the church.
The town felt even quieter than usual as we walked — the type of quiet that wasn't natural but imposed, as though something just beyond sight was listening in.
Theo shoved his hands into his pockets. "Man… first missing townsfolk, now missing Bureau agents? What's next?"
[A missing sense of fashion.]
'Aetherion please.'
[What? Someone has to keep morale high.]
I let out a slow breath.
"Let's just get the supplies," I muttered. "Before anything else decides to go wrong."
And the two of us continued toward the church at the center of town, the soft thud of our footsteps swallowed slowly by the night.