"The case regarding Ananya was already settled as a minor dispute within Apostle," the President said, his tone quick, as if he wanted to get rid of the topic as soon as possible. "We even had partial involvement from the Ethereal Court—personally handled by Oyuzen Tengeriin, rather than the full jury. As you all know, the Ethereal Court values efficiency and pragmatism over blindly following tradition."
"Why was she arrested in the first place?" Uriel Luminara crossed her legs, her hands gesturing as she spoke.
"Strictly speaking… Treason against the organization."
"Oh? And what exactly does that entail?" A sly smirk appeared on her lips.
The President exhaled sharply. "Why are you so interested in this? This case neither concerns nor benefits you in any way. Instead of wasting time on it—" He flashed a grin. "—why don't we move straight to the point of this second conference?"
Lady Qin, still smiling softly, tilted her head. "So, Elder Sister Oyuzen was the one handling Ananya's trial… without Ananya herself being present?"
Saurav stiffened. "Y-Yes…." He nearly frowned. "Lady Qin, I apologize, but perhaps we can discuss this matter another time? I have crucial information to present."
Dodging the question, huh? Luv narrowed his eyes at the President, suspicion flickering in his gaze.
Qin, still unfazed, simply nodded. "Then present what you have to say. I'll hear about Ananya's case from Elder Sister Oyuzen myself."
"Sure. Now, let's get to the point." Saurav's eyes locked onto Uriel's, both of them practically glaring at each other.
"Madam Luminara… this is about you."
"Me?" Uriel flinched, completely unprepared for the sudden shift. She had been off in her own world, barely paying attention, and now the President had yanked her back into reality. "A-And what about me?"
All eyes turned to Uriel.
Surprise flickered across everyone's faces—why had she suddenly been brought into the discussion?
Saurav's gaze sharpened. "Your secrets are no longer hidden."
Uriel's heart skipped a beat.
Then, the words that followed sent a chill straight down her spine—
"Mishi's Inn."
Her breath hitched. "A-And what about it?" Her eyes darted across the room, scanning the faces that now held doubt and curiosity.
Saurav didn't break eye contact. "It's about the Luminara Halcyon farm production."
The blood drained from Uriel's face.
The President continued, nodding slightly. "There was a sealed room on the ground floor of Mishi's Inn, covered in talismans. Over the years, multiple cases of girls disappearing near or inside the Inn were reported. Police dismissed it as a supernatural phenomenon—there were no physical traces, no logical explanations. So, the Apostle got involved in the case and officially investigated it, the sealed room was found to be empty. The owner, Mishi, insisted it was paranormal in nature, so it was left alone."
"So what?" Theo Varyon cut in, clearly losing patience. He tapped his finger against his crossed arm, brows furrowed.
Saurav smirked. "The case has now been solved. And the truth is far more complex than we initially thought."
Theo exhaled sharply. "By whom?"
Qin raised her hand fan to her lips. "Yes… Who uncovered it?"
Saurav's smirk deepened. His gaze flicked to Theo. "Kaia Verelith. The very person you just called powerless, Mister Chairman."
Theo's expression twisted slightly. "And how exactly was a normal human able to find something that we couldn't?"
Saurav's grin widened. "Let's put that aside for now. Kaia is gifted—though her abilities don't seem to align with the conventional mana we know." He glanced down at the documents in front of him.
"Kaia was able to find a hidden chamber—one that had been sealed by those talismans. The reason we couldn't sense anything… and she could… is because the place contained mana. But not the kind we are familiar with."
He paused.
"It was another form of mana entirely… mixed with black magic."
"What did she find inside?" Oz asked, his fingers clasped together, his tone calm but expectant.
Saurav leaned forward. "An old, discarded place… but also a familiar one. Any guesses?"
Luv raised his hand lazily, his elbow propped on the table. "The place where Yona was discovered, right?"
"Correct."
Theo's hand slammed against the table, the force rattling the glasses on it. "How are we making assumptions already? How are those places even connected?"
Saurav didn't flinch. "I'll make that clear too," he said coolly. "The place Yona was found—it resembled an orphanage. Classrooms, fields, bedrooms… but also torture rooms. Rooms Yona was personally subjected to." His voice dropped slightly, the weight of his words pressing against the room.
"But something about that place was… unnatural," he continued. "It had what we call the Mana-Cancellation Effect—a phenomenon so rare in our world that it immediately caught the attention of the Cosmic Hollow. The moment the young Splinter appeared in that anomaly, a passage opened, allowing them to find her. But they weren't the only ones there."
His gaze darkened.
"There were human-looking puppets. Attacking Apostle members. Hostile, dangerous. They had to be destroyed, but Yona was rescued—just barely."
A silence hung over them before Luv spoke.
"A few days ago, I personally investigated Mishi's Inn," he said, voice calm but edged with something unreadable. "And I found those same puppets."
The words sent a visible jolt through the room.
"But there was something different this time," Luv continued, tapping a finger on the table. "Their layout. The pattern of their magic." His eyes flicked toward Uriel. "It's a technique unmistakably linked to the Luminara Clan."
Uriel's lips curled. "Just what are you trying to conclude, detective?" she hissed.
Luv's expression didn't waver. "Yona. I remember every detail of her case—across my past incarnations." He leaned forward. "She spoke of a blonde woman—one whose description matches you."
Uriel stilled.
"And let's not forget," Luv went on smoothly, "when Yona became a Splinter, you avoided her. Why? Because you knew she had seen your face. But memory fades, doesn't it? She forgot." His voice turned sharp. "And back then, we had no evidence. But now?" He smiled coldly. "We do."
The President's voice cut through the tension. "We now have the proof that the Blonde Woman back then… was you."
Uriel's fingers twitched. "Your 'proof' is useless." Her voice dripped venom. "How is Mishi's Inn even connected to me?"
Saurav exhaled, unfazed. "Because of what Kaia found." His fingers tapped against his laptop as he connected the pendrive the member had given him earlier.
"The room Kaia discovered—it was identical to the one from Yona's past." He paused for effect. "But different."
Uriel's nails dug into the table.
"You know what I'm talking about," Saurav said, his voice low. "That room… looked more like the real place of the incident rather than the one we assumed before."
He turned toward the presentation board, the screen flickering to life as he clicked the file open.
The lights shut off.
A stillness.
Then—
"This is what Kaia found there."