As Naomi's eyes shot open, Michael immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere, he quickly rushed to his sister. It looked like she was in danger and he knew he had to act fast.
But before Michael could reach Naomi, she suddenly raised her hands to stop him from approaching her. Michael wanted to disobey her, he wanted to go to her, but what happened next changed his decision.
Naomi took a deep breath and all of a sudden, she was alright. Her breathing became normal and her expression was calm, she was totally fine.
Michael took a step forward and looked at her deeply, worry rooted in his eyes. "Are you okay? What happened?" he asked
Naomi smiled. "I'm fine, I just got caught up in the energy. It was a really strong one," she said
But Michael wasn't convinced, it looked like she was going to die earlier. And all of a sudden, she was fine. She was even smiling for fuck's sake, who smiles after a near death experience?
"Are you certain?" he asked
Naomi chuckled. "Ofcourse I am. Why are you being so worried? It's not like there's anything in the world that can kill me. Lighten up, little bro," she said with a smile
Michael smiled and nodded, she was right, their family were the unkillable Immortal family. There was not a single thing that could kill them permanently.
"So, did you identify the third energy?" he asked
Naomi's expression immediately changed to that of concern. "No, I couldn't. It was unlike anything I have ever felt before, it had so much evil. The only thing I could sense was... Death," she muttered softly, her voice carrying a hint of fear. She was frightened.
Michael wanted to comfort his sister, but once again she quickly switched back to her usual, playful self.
"Alright, so I guess this case is partially solved. Thanks to me, of course," Naomi said with a smug smile
Michael raised both eyebrows. "Huh?" he muttered. He was both confused and surprised. They hadn't even fully figured out how Winter disappeared, and yet Naomi claimed the case to have been partially solved.
But before he could speak up, Naomi moved from the spot again. This time she went beside the table. "Okay, so it begins like this," she muttered, acting like a detective trying to explain how a crime scene came to be.
"Winter was sitting here, writing in her journal. Right?" she began
Michael nodded, trying to follow along. "Um, Yes," he replied
Naomi nodded in agreement. "Correct," she muttered, before walking up to another spot, one located in the middle of the room.
"So right here," she pointed to the ground. "Was where the demons showed up, probably through a portal.
Naomi pointed to another spot in the room before walking there. "And this entire area," she said, spreading her arms to a certain length. "Was where the battle took place,"
Michael was now deeply confused at this point, he was lost. "I'm sorry, battle?" he asked in confusion
Naomi nodded. "Yes, a battle between Winter and the demons. Try and keep up, Michael," she scolded, forgetting that not everyone was a detective like she was.
"Oh right. Yes, the battle. Carry on, sister," Michael quickly composed himself, he nodded, pretending to have suddenly understood everything she was trying to say. But in reality, he didn't understand a single thing.
"Good," Naomi smiled, just before moving to another spot. "So, Winter adapts the physical properties of an elf. But! She uses her ice ability to fend them off,"
Michael wanted to simply nod and lie that he understood, but this was too much. Ice? Where? How the fuck did she know that?
"I'm sorry, Naomi. But did you say Ice?" he asked in shock
Naomi frowned, she really did not like to be asked questions when stating an hypothesis. It was one of the many reasons she would never fair well in the teaching field.
"You'll have to forgive me, sister. But you're forgetting that I'm not as... Gifted as you when it comes to figuring things out," Michael added with an apologetic smile. "Not to speak of actually describing how an entire scenerio happened,"
Naomi sighed. "Alright then, I'll just do a summary of the whole thing," she said, before the leaving the spot again
"Merci bien," Michael replied with a smile
Naomi nodded and walked towards the spot where she had felt the unknown, deadly energy earlier. "So after Winter takes down all Five demons, she returns to her seat to continue her writing. Which explains why the pen had a residue of energy left after the fight," she explained, motioning to Michael if he understood
Michael nodded in agreement, he had truly understood this time. But there was just one slight part he couldn't quite grasp; How the bloody hell did she know that the demons were five in number?
But he didn't say anything, he dared not. She would lash out at him, so he simply remained silent and enjoyed the rest of the lecture.
"Good, now here's where it gets tricky," Naomi continued.
"So as Winter continues to write, another portal opens right here," She motioned to the spot where she stood. "And emerging out of it was something... Something ancient, mysterious and probably too powerful for her to defeat,"
Michael took a deep breath, taking in everything Naomi had explained. "Well, sister. Once again, you have managed to prove to me that you are the world's greatest detective. I think Sherlock Holmes might be in for a competition," he chuckled
Naomi snickered. "Pleasee, Holmes wouldn't stand a chance. I bet he can't even solve the mystery of what came first between the egg and the chicken," she chuckled
Michael laughed slightly, his sister was terrifying. Everything she had just said was probably accurate... maybe even too accurate. But it still didn't explain how Winter had disappeared or where she had disappeared to.
"So how did it go down? Did the mysterious thing take her? Or did she run?" he asked with an optimistic expression. They were actually quite close to solving the penthouse mystery.
Naomi shook her head with a bitter expression. "I'm afraid that's all I have, I can't really tell," she muttered softly, but she hadn't given up yet. She shifted her focus to the ground and began inspecting it
Michael sighed deeply. "And there's no way of truly knowing, because all the footage of this room were strangely missing. I couldn't find it," he stated. But Naomi didn't respond, she seemed to have once again gotten lost in the realm of clues.
Her gaze were fixed on a particular spot on the ground, she was scrutinizing something deeply. Something Michael could not even see.
Michael wondered what his sister could have possibly discovered on a polished marble floor. But before he could ask, Naomi called out
"Michael. Get over here, quickly," she said
He walked over to her, and she motioned to a spot on the ground in front of her. He sighed, following her gaze to some sort of tiny yellowish, powdery substance on the floor.
His brows furrowed as he crouched, reaching for it. But before his fingers could touch it...
"Don't." Naomi's voice was firm.
Michael hesitated, glancing up at her.
She stepped closer, her expression sharpening. "Look closely. I think it's what I think it is."
Michael narrowed his eyes, he examined the substance well. After a few seconds, his eyes widened in shock. The powder wasn't just a normal type of particle, it was crystalline in nature.
"Sulphur" he muttered in disbelief
"Maybe." She exhaled. "Or worse... Mystified sulphur,"
The silence stretched between them, heavy with possibilities. But only one was most plausible, one that even Michael couldn't argue with.
It had now, with no doubt been confirmed. Winter hadn't just disappeared, she was taken.
*******
Richard frowned as he pressed his phone to his ear. "What do you mean, she was kidnapped?" His voice was sharp, disbelief laced in every word. Naomi had just called, relaying what she and Michael had discovered at Winter's penthouse.
"How is that even possible?" Ronald interjected, having overheard the conversation. "She's one of the most formidable beings in the universe. Who the hell would even dare to challenge her?"
Naomi exhaled through the receiver. "Based on the residual energy signatures I picked up... demons were present before she was taken," she stated.
Richard's jaw tightened. "Demons, huh?" His fingers curled into a fist. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's find a gateway to the NetherRealm and get our sister back.
"The demons don't have a leader anymore, so clearly they're doing this to mock us. Why don't we teach them some manners," he added with a frown
"I don't think the demons are the actual culprit," Naomi countered. "I mean they could be, but..."
Richard's brows furrowed. "But what?" he asked
Naomi took a deep breath. "There was another energy present," she admitted. "Something different, not demonic. It felt foreign... and ancient,"
Richard's expression darkened. "Which race?"
"I don't know," Naomi admitted. "But from what I could piece together, Winter defeated the demons and returned to her seat. That's when another portal opened... and the mysterious person arrived,"
Ronald folded his arms. "So there were two assailants. The first wave was demons, but the second... an unknown enemy."
"Exactly," Naomi confirmed.
Richard wasn't convinced. "How sure are you that this 'mysterious' figure took Winter? "And more importantly, how could they even have bested our Immortal sister?" he questioned
"I don't know for sure," Naomi admitted. "But their energy was the last thing I detected before everything went dark. That's the best lead we have."
She hesitated for a second, then added, "As for how she was taken... Whoever the kidnapper was, had used some sort of weapon made or coated with the only thing in the world that can serve as a weakness... Our weakness,"
Richard's frown deepened, he already knew what she was talking about. "Sulphur,"
"Yeah." Naomi's voice was grim. "Michael and I found traces of it in the penthouse. Not enough to affect us, but just enough to confirm it was used."
Richard sighed. "So the culprit knew how to neutralize us." His mind raced. "Which means it wasn't demons. This had to be someone more intelligent."
"Agreed," Naomi said. "It could be anyone... vampire, werewolf... or even human. We'll still have to check every realm."
Richard smirked. "Good thing we're already here." His gaze shifted to the towering basilica before them, a building known to be the most famous in all of Rome.
"Perfect," Naomi said. "You and Ronald continue to proceed searching in Vulkanis. Michael and I will meet up with Aunt Carmilla for her raid."
Richard chuckled. "Got it. Keep us posted." With that, he ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket.
Ronald let out a dramatic sigh. "I really thought we wouldn't have to engage these crucifix-loving racists anymore,"
Richard smirked. "Relax. They're just a bunch of rocks wrapped in robes." His tone turned cold. "And I'll crush them if they refuse to cooperate."
Ronald snorted. "I hope they do. Last time I was here, I pretended to be on their side... then kidnapped the Pope." He grinned at the memory.
Richard chuckled as he stepped out of the car. "Good. Maybe they'll be too focused on hating you to see me coming."
With that, the two strode toward the church, ready for whatever came next.