Zavier had so many questions concerning everything he had just witnessed. It irked him that he couldn't talk about it with Alissa. Upon further thought, Zavier discovered that in actuality, he couldn't speak about it to anyone at all.
With no one to share his findings with, Zavier assembled his thoughts and began to see things more clearly.
The first major conclusion he drew was that the malevolent entity seated deep in Alissa's consciousness was the primary reason she had been unable to gather mana. Like a ubiquitous cloud of darkness, it dominated every part of her subconscious. The poor girl was a living, breaking, ticking time bomb.
Zavier particularly thought it was unnerving that Alissa didn't know anything about it. Maybe she did, maybe she had repressed some childhood trauma. But there were too many 'maybes.' Too much was at stake here. Zavier knew he had to be intentional about this. There was no other option.
Zavier picked up his backpack that contained his essentials and headed back home after several hours of brooding by himself.
The path from the school that led to Zavier's estate was fraught with trees on both sides of the pavement.
The late evening breeze wafted lazily through the trees as if it was gently lulling them to sleep like a gentle lover.
Zavier would have loved to help Alissa with her issue, but the murder case took precedence first. Entombed in a thick fog of his own thoughts, the young man trudged on absent mindedly.
Unknown to him, another person was lying in wait for him. Literally around the corner was a different kind of trouble.
Zavier was so wrapped up in his scheme to catch the murderer behind the killer's death that he completely failed to spot the figure that had suddenly behind a tree just a few feet ahead of him.
Zavier walked right by the figure without even the slightest glance. Like the hand that drags out a child submerged in a tub of water, a very familiar voice called out his name and pulled him out of the sea of his own thoughts.
"Zavier!!!"
Zavier froze in his tracks. In an instant, he turned back sharply in a bid to put a face and a name to the familiar voice. His eyes quickly registered the impressive face hidden in the cloak before him, and immediately, the name came to his mind; Shiranui!
She was dressed differently. Wrapped in a cloak and a mantle, she looked completely different from the Shiranui he knew, it was no wonder Zavier couldn't recognize her. It was almost as if she was trying to go incognito.
Zavier didn't know what to say. He already had enough surprises for one day and he wasn't in the mood for any shenanigans.
"Look, if you're looking for trouble…"
Shiranui didn't wait for him to land. With an iconic quickness, she walked a few steps to him and silently dropped a small green vial in his hand.
With that, she took off in an unknown. It had all happened so fast. Suspecting foul play, Zavier quickly looked at the small package in his hands to investigate.
He lifted it up to the sun to take a closer look, he was shocked to see that it was a green healing potion trapped in a small vial which had been encased in a pouch.
If she hadn't been in such a hurry to leave, she would have known that Zavier was already healed.
Zavier finally arrived home after a very eventful morning. He barely got a minute to himself before Nadia began to smolder him with a blanket of care. She shrieked the moment Zavier walked through the door;
"Zavier!"
Zavier turned towards his cute little cousin and beamed a tired smile as he dropped off his satchel.
"Hello little one!"
Zavier said warmly.
Nadia wasn't all smiles as she usually was. Ever since the incident with Shiranui that fateful day, she had been shadowing his every move. Her intentions were pure, but it was more of pestering.
"Where have you been Zavier? You know you're not supposed to move around too much!"
Zavier teased her playfully;
"It's fine doctor, I promise not to move around too much…"
Nadia's eyes blazed in excitement.
"Please stop calling me doctor. You know I also want to be a rich business woman!"
Despite his overbearing thoughts, Zavier managed to play around with his cousin before retiring to his room.
Having escaped the energetic Nadia, the sweet privacy of his room welcomed Zavier with metaphorical open arms. The candlelight highlighted the coziness of his room.
This comfort was something Zavier had truly appreciated during his first days here. But right now, it was the last thing on his mind.
Right now, Zavier needed his privacy more. So, in order to perfect the illusion that he was already fast asleep, Zavier quickly put out all the candles in his bedroom and bolted the door firmly. He calmly waited for a few more minutes just in case someone wanted to stop by.
But no one came, so he walked over to the side of his bed and sat down in a meditative position. One thing was on his mind and one thing only. He mumbled it on his lips and in his mind till it became a chant of sorts;
"Necromancer System! Activate!"
Immediately it responded in his mind. He could feel its immense power tugging at the far reaches of his mind.
The hazy, vague frame of the necrobiome emerged out of the blue. It was almost like a virtual reality game. The resurrected form of the killer could be controlled by Zavier like a game character. This excited Zavier in a sick fashion.
Just like Zavier would do in a real game situation, he chose a name for it- Mr. Killer. It was as crude as it was apt. Satisfied with his achievement, Zavier pressed on to the next stage with the necrobiome.
The Multisystem had gifted Zavier a very peculiar remote control. This feature enabled him to control the necrobiome (also known as Mr. Killer).
So, equipped with a firsthand view (through Mr. Killer's eyes, Zavier could see just about everything it could see and hear. As an added bonus, he could control it's every move. In essence, it was like an extension of Zavier himself.
The necrobiome was like the ultimate proxy, and Zavier fully intended to make the best of it. Under the full control of its master, Mr. Killer opened the window and jumped down fifteen feet to the ground. The undead creature landed with a disturbing finesse.
Back in his room, Zavier smiled. The adventure had begun. Zavier struggled to rein in his excitement as he used the remote control to lead Mr. Killer out of the estate ground and onto the main road.
Zavier had a plan. It would be illogical to simply wander about hoping that a connection would be made between Mr. Killer and his supposed collaborators.
So, Zavier headed to the very place that seemed like a good start- the underground exchange. As the necrobiome trotted through the black night, Zavier made sure to keep him out the main roads. Soon enough, he chanced on his destination.
The underground exchange was a watering hole for the most unsavory characters. Like rose petals to bees, it attracted the scum of the earth.
Here, one could easily find anything they needed. From an assassin, to a skilled thief, to conmen who worked in groups, it was almost impossible not to get one's darkest desires here.