CASE 1, ACT 2: MISSING
The doctors and servants could not speak and could not move.
The woman, who had just appeared from nowhere before them, observed the awestruck faces of her audience. She then turned around and observed the body beneath the chandelier. After a short pause to think, she faced the occupants once again, all of whom remained clueless on how to react.
She broke their awkward silence. "Greetings, everyone. I am Renka, Descendant of Cronos. It appears that this man has been crushed under a chandelier. Would anyone like to comment on this matter?"
The quiet continued on.
"Very well. Let us begin with the victim. Who is he?"
Yet again, no one said a word, and Renka grinded her teeth.
"No one invited a game of silence!" snapped Renka.
"He is Doctor Macarius," Jessun suddenly and coldly replied. "He is, or he was, the head doctor at the Macarius Healing Center, and the owner of this castle."
"Thank you." Renka was slightly relieved that someone said something. "And you are?"
"I am Jessun, this castle's manager. Flesuna here is the head maid, and Melia and Sevius are the castle's servants. These three are Macarius's colleagues, Doctor Cartelie, Doctor Barlu and Doctor Rhesus."
Renka nodded to the occupants. "And who found the body first?"
"I… I did," muttered Sevius, his hands awkwardly in his pockets.
"I see." Renka read the awkwardness of the hall. "I am sorry for your sudden loss. Please, leave this place. I must analyze this crime scene at once."
Jessun quickly nodded. "Come, everyone!"
He coaxed the others to leave, and everyone made their way back to their dorms.
Renka watched each guest closely.
Jessun stood in one place and reassuringly put his hand on the backs of the others as they each walked past him.
Sevius kept his hands in his pockets, and avoided all eye contact.
Flesuna focussed her gaze to the ground.
Melia was more difficult to read. Her speed was certainly slower than the others, but her face showed no emotion.
Barlu and Cartelie hurried back to their dorms with haste.
Rhesus wiped a tear from his eye.
Renka viewed them all as potential suspects who could have had a part to play in Macarius's death.
After everyone had closed their dorm room doors behind them, Renka begrudgingly took another look at the crushed body. She hid her feelings well before, but she could not hide them any longer. She closed her eyes tight and breathed deeply, before opening them up again to absorb the horrifying sight before her.
She lightly covered her mouth and nostrils with her forearm, then knelt down besides the body.
Upon inspecting the broken chain attached to the fallen chandelier, Renka noticed that the tip of it was still slightly smoking, as if it had been melted. Renka looked up at the remaining broken chain hanging from the ceiling. The tip of that was smoking as well.
Renka's eye twitched. The stench of foul play was potent.
She stood up and clapped her hands three times. Another sphere of light appeared, and out of it emerged an older teenager with short blonde hair and an aqua blue himation cloak which matched her graceful eyes.
She bowed to Renka.
"Good evening, my lady.". She immediately noticed the body, and leaned closer to it. "Hmm? What do we have here?"
"Give me your first impressions of the victim, Sol," gently commanded Renka.
"Yes, my lady." Sol walked around Macarius, looking closely at his body and the chandelier. She stopped, placed her elbow in her hand, and pinched her chin.
After a short pause for thought, she spoke. "It appears that the victim was severely injured when the chandelier fell onto him. The chandelier's chain has been burned or melted somehow, and also…" Sol crouched down and looked closer at the chandelier itself. "One of the crystals is missing!"
"Interesting," said Renka, checking the chandelier to verify her assistant's observation. There was indeed a crystal missing from one of its sockets.
Renka looked across the floor. "Even if it fell off during the impact, the crystal is not around here."
"I will perform further tests on the remaining crystals on the chandelier. Sometimes they are made of a precious substance, so perhaps the missing crystal was stolen."
"That is certainly possible. I will also ask the servants if they picked it up while cleaning the hall. It may have fallen off some time ago, and was never replaced."
Sol put out her open hand, and her wind powers swept through the hall. It scooped up a lit torch in the wall, and transported it through the air into Sol's hand. She held the flame close to the stone floor, close to Macarius's head. Sol then walked a few steps away from the body whilst scanning the floor.
"It appears that the victim was dragged across the ground on his stomach. According to the trail of his hairs across the floor, he fell down here, and was then moved over there," deduced Sol.
Renka also eyed the ground. "I see. It does not appear that any blood was cleaned from the floor where you are standing."
"Indeed, my lady," responded Sol as she looked up from the floor to Renka. "It is possible that he was made unconscious first, and then dragged underneath the chandelier before it fell onto him."
"The impact of the chandelier was very accurate," noted Renka. She looked up. "Whoever stunned him and dragged him across the floor probably knew about the chandelier's weakened chain."
"There is also the possibility that he died before being dragged," said Sol. "At this stage, we do not know whether he was stunned or killed before the chandelier fell."
Renka's eyes then returned to Macarius. "I agree. There are no other visible injuries to the body apart from the ones caused by the chandelier. Nothing suggests he was made unconscious by being struck on his head, and I cannot smell any poison on the body. Search the hall for any more evidence, then transport the body to our temple to perform an autopsy. We'll perform tests on the chandelier later on."
"Yes, my lady."
"In the meantime, I have more questions that must be answered."
Renka walked along the hall, then ascended the stairs to the West landing. She gazed upon the wall of doors, and recalled which person entered which room.
She approached a door and knocked. "Sevius," she called. "A moment of your time, please."
After a few moments passed, the bolt lock moved, and Sevius opened his door with a gloved hand.
"Greetings, Sevius. May I come in?"
The servant nodded, made way for Renka to enter, then closed the door behind them.
Renka faced the solemn-looking Sevius. "Thank you."
"You are most welcome, Descendant."
She quickly dove into her questioning. "Sevius, there is a missing crystal from the fallen chandelier. When you found the body first, did you notice any broken-off crystals lying on the floor?"
Sevius tensed his lips as he searched his mind.
"No, I did not. There may have been something, but to be honest, I was too busy focusing on the dead body of my master."
Renka paused. "I see. Have you known Doctor Macarius for a long time?"
"Hmm… Only for five years or so. It does not seem like such a long time. I remember reading a job request in his health center one day, and, before I knew it, I was running around this old place. He may have been slightly unrealistic at times, but overall, he was a good man."
"Do you know anyone who may have wanted to harm him? Any rivals or enemies, perhaps?"
Sevius stopped and searched his memories. "No. There were people who disagreed with his ideas, of course, but no one comes to mind as to who would want him… dead. You should ask Doctor Rhesus about any enemies. Out of all us here, I believe he has known Doctor Macarius the longest."
"I will. Thank you for speaking with me."
Renka bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
She went over to the walkway banister and peered into the hall below, curious to see if Sol had any success in her search for the crystal.
Sol, with her hands on her hips, looked up at Renka and shook her head.
"Very well," said Renka. "Take Macarius's body to the temple."
"Yes, my lady."
Sol opened her hands to face Macarius. She focused her energy, and Macarius's body turned into a human-shaped light. The light vanished, leaving only the chandelier behind. Sol clapped her hands twice, and she too vanished in a light.
Renka descended the stairs and entered the dining room. She began searching the area for the missing crystal.
"We are all in grave danger," remarked a voice. Renka turned to the door, and saw Jessun enter the room. He walked over to the window and looked outside. Renka did the same.
Outside lay a disheartening sight. The castle was sat on a mound, and the mound was now surrounded by rushing flood waters. It was as if the building was now on a small island in the middle of a river.
"It seems we are trapped here for the time being," observed Jessun. "But no need to worry, we have plenty of food and wine for everyone. Including yourself, of course!"
"Thank you, Mr. Jessun," responded Renka, exchanging a pleasant smile, before returning to her serious face again. "I must ask you about the chandelier. Those are not very common in Greece."
"Indeed. I believe it was purchased from Italy a few years ago."
"And as for the chandelier falling, could that have been an accident?"
"That is impossible, Descendant," said Jessun. "We checked the whole castle through and through before the celebration, chandelier and all. Why, every check was passed by myself!"
Suddenly realizing his words had cast him in a bad light, Jessun swallowed and broke eye contact with Renka.
"Mr. Jessun," began the Descendant. "Is there anyone who would want to tarnish your name?"
Jessun, unsurprised by the question, did not react. He took a moment to think, before facing Renka.
"No-one comes to mind. None of the servants would want that, at least. They know better than to turn against their superior."
Renka walked over to the center of the dining room as she absorbed her surroundings. She placed her hand on the large table, admiring the beauty in its antiquity. "With Doctor Macarius's passing, who now owns this castle?"
"Well, the answer will be in his will, of course," responded Jessun. His eyes then widened. "But, if I remember it correctly… I believe this place now belongs to me!"
Renka curiously looked at him.
"I see. And have you now gained an asset or a liability?"
"Oh, an asset, of course!" he remarked, fidgeting with excitement. "Flesuna needs funds to pursue her medical studies abroad. Doctor Macarius was kind enough to raise my wages so I could help her to an extent, but with the gold from selling this castle, Flesuna can now enroll into one of the more… elite institutions!"
Renka's curiosity quickly turned to doubt.
She crossed her arms. "Where is the will?"
"Ah, yes," said Jessun as he calmed down his breathing. "It will be in the safe over here."
Jessun went over to a small painting on the wall which portrayed two young girls playing in a field.
He took it down from the wall, revealing a small wooden door in the wall. Jessun then opened the door, and took out one of the papyrus scrolls. It was yellowed and aged, with neat writing on its center and a wax seal stamped on the bottom.
Jessun and Renka read Macarius' will together, and it indeed confirmed Jessun as the new owner of the castle.
"The gods have blessed me," he announced, pulling the scroll to his chest. "My reputation is harmed, but at least my goddaughter can now ascend in the world!"
Renka tried to not be touched by Jessun's care for Flesuna. After all, the will provided a strong motive for both he and Flesuna to murder Macarius.
"I will need to speak to Flesuna," declared Renka.
"Yes, of course," replied Jessun as he quickly put the papyrus back into the wall's hole. "Descendant, I realize the light that Flesuna and I are both in, but I assure you we are both innocent. Please, come this way."
Jessun closed the wooden wall door and hung the small painting over it again. He showed Renka out of the dining room, and they entered the hall.
Jessun noticed that Macarius was missing.
"Do not be surprised," Renka reassured him. "My assistant has taken away his body to perform an autopsy. We have the Government's permission to perform such a task."
"I see," acknowledged Jessun. "Well, the room is just up here."
Jessun led Renka up the staircase, and they reached Flesuna's room on the walkway.
He knocked on the door. "Flesuna, dear, Descendant Renka wishes to speak with you."
The lock on the door was undone, and it opened to reveal an unkempt Flesuna.
"Greetings," said the head maid. "Do come in."
Flesuna led Renka into the room. It was decorated with antique furniture and fresh flowers in clay vases. Renka was silently impressed with Flesuna's decoration skills, as she appreciated the balanced contrast between the old and new items in the room.
On the bed sat Melia, emotionless and silent.
"Greetings, Melia," said Renka. "I assume you're both here together as comforting friends?"
Melia nodded.
"She cannot speak, Descendant," explained Jessun. "There was a curse placed upon her throat."
Renka nodded, then used sign language to communicate with the servant. "How did that happen, may I ask?" signed Renka.
"I neglected my faith in the gods, and it became something I now regret," signed Melia, followed by a voiceless sigh.
"Doctor Macarius was working on a cure for her," added Flesuna. "But after the events of tonight, we may have to start the research all over again."
"Was he the only one working on the cure?" asked Renka.
"No," Flesuna replied. "Doctor Rhesus was also helping him with it, but I do not know how involved he was."
"I will ask him, as well as find out what else he can do for you, Melia," offered Renka.
Melia smiled and nodded.
"Were you both together like you are now when the chandelier fell?"
"Yes, we were, Descendant," responded Flesuna. "There is not much to do in this castle, so we usually just meet in my room and trade our jewelry."
Renka looked at the dressing table, and saw a purple jewelry box with various earrings, bracelets and necklaces with gems. They were each made of various metals, from steel to silver to gold.
"They are beautiful," noted Renka. "Have any of these adornments been swapped out recently?"
"No. They are all mine. We were going to trade some tonight, but we were, as you know… interrupted."
"Very well. Thank you, all. I will speak to Doctor Rhesus alone."
"His room is the last one near the balcony," said Jessun. "Melia, please go back to your room for now."
Melia nodded. She exchanged an emotionless look to Flesuna, then left the room along with Jessun. Renka bowed to the head maid, and left as well, closing the door behind her.
On the walkway, Melia and Jessun went back into their respective rooms.
Renka advanced along the walkway.
On the way, she stopped as she heard Cartelie and Barlu talking in their dorm. Although Renka could not make out what they were discussing, she could feel a sense of dread from their voices.
Renka then re-focussed her eyes on her first priority, and she walked up to Rhesus's dorm.
Renka knocked on the door.
"Doctor Rhesus, this is Descendant Renka."
After a few moments, the door opened.
"Ah, good evening, Descendant." Rhesus gave a heavy sigh. "I must admit, this business is very unfortunate."
"I know. I am sorry. May I come in?"
"Yes, please do," the doctor replied with a light smile.
Renka entered, and was greeted with a standard guest room with antique furniture dotted around. In the corner were two folded himation cloaks and an open leather bag containing a papyrus scroll.
"I hear that you and Doctor Macarius were close," began Renka.
"Yes, we were," confirmed Rhesus. "He was my mentor from when I was a junior doctor until now. My career never would have moved forward without him by my side."
"And now that he is gone, what will you do?"
"Why, I will carry on with my work!" announced the doctor as he thumped his heart with his fist. "As much as I admire and respect Doctor Macarius, it is time for me to progress on my own. No more crutches to lean on. No more safety nets beneath me. I will use my own accord to guide me!"
Renka's eyes glistened as she admired the doctor's determination and excitement, but she quickly sharpened her gaze.
"I also hear you were working on a cure for Melia's curse?"
"Oh, that," said Rhesus, regaining his breath. "Well, there is no 'curse', of course. What she has is a powerful virus that mainly affects her vocal cords. Occasionally, Macarius did show me a few notes on his progress for the antidote, but everything was taking much longer than expected. The ingredients required were very rare and expensive, and the tests he conducted were… concerning."
Renka leaned forward. "What do you mean, doctor?"
"Well, the antidote is called Natron, and its main ingredient, a neutral substance, turns into a burning acid around five minutes after it is exposed to oxygen. For it to work on Melia, it would have to be poured onto her throat and left for around four and a half minutes to take effect, then quickly cleaned off before it heavily burns her. The contention is that the five minute delay is an average. Natron can burn within one minute, five minutes, or sometimes even more. There is currently no way to accurately predict its reaction time to oxygen, and, as we both know, a terrible injury to her throat can be fatal."
Renka paused to take in Rhesus's words.
"Regardless… Does the antidote work?"
"I believe so. One of his notes said that he had captured some rats which had the same virus and had lost their voices. But, after applying then cleaning off the Natron substance, they all squeaked again."
"So, Melia could get her voice back…"
"After taking a terribly high risk, yes," added Rhesus sharply.
"I see," said Renka hastily, trying to contain her excitement for such a breakthrough in medicine.
She took a deep breath. "In any case, it is not worth potentially killing Melia for the sake of her voice."
"I agree, Descendant. But, if all the notes from Macarius are correct, then there is no need to continue working on the antidote. It works. The only thing left is to control the timings of the antidote's reaction to oxygen, and us mere scientists have no control over such an element."
Renka's eyes widened.
"But I do," she remarked. "If I become a part of the administration process, and slow down time after the antidote touches Melia, I can wash it off myself as soon as I see it heating up."
"Naturally," said Rhesus. "Melia may, inevitably, suffer some mild burns to her neck during the process, but it should not be anything too serious. Once the application and clean up is successful, she will be able to speak again."
Renka went silent. She knew that the plan had a high chance of success with her involvement.
She raised her chin, then announced, "I will help you, doctor. I will solve the mystery of Macarius's death first, then we will administer the antidote on Melia."
Rhesus nodded.
"Thank you, Descendant. I apologize for proposing your help with a medical matter during your investigation, but I must also fulfill my duty to cure the unwell."
Renka smiled, before focussing herself back on the task at hand.
"Doctor Rhesus, could Natron have been used to burn the chandelier's chain?"
"Hmm... Yes, I believe so. Natron should be strong enough to burn through metal. And furthermore, it completely evaporates after it becomes too hot. If it was used, then there would be no traces of it remaining anywhere."
Renka's eyebrows tensed up. "Who else in the castle knows about Natron and its properties?"
"Well, only myself and Macarius, of course. But I imagine he would have sometimes updated Melia on his progress."
"And can anyone vouch for your whereabouts just before the chandelier fell?"
Rhesus fell silent, and he shook his head.
"Unfortunately not, Descendant. I was here… all alone."
Renka nodded.
"Thank you, Doctor. That will be all."
The Descendant bowed, and left the room. She closed the door behind her, and stopped to think.
Renka knew the Natron used on the chandelier chain had to be somewhere in the castle. Furthermore, she knew that someone, somehow, had placed the antidote on the chandelier's chain.
Renka walked to the edge of the walkway, and looked up at the broken chain still hanging from the ceiling. The question ran through her mind as to how someone managed to get the antidote onto it in around five minutes without being seen, even though it is too far from the ground and the walkways.
She observed the walkway itself, as it was the most logical place to get the antidote onto the chandelier's chain, as opposed to doing it from the floor.
Lining the walkway were clay vases of flowers resting on wooden tables, with one set standing between each dorm door. She noticed something strange. She walked over to one of the vases, and noticed that the roses inside it were slightly unkempt compared to the other vases. There was nothing suspicious inside the vase where only the flowers and water lay, but the messy nature of the flowers was strange. Renka looked again at the broken chandelier chain, then back at the vase. With that, a few potential deductions crossed her mind.
Renka then briskly strolled down the hallway, knocking on everyone's door as she went past each of them. Renka stopped at the end of the hallway before the stairs, then faced everyone as they exited their rooms. Flesuna, Melia, Sevius, Jessun, Cartelie, Barlu, and Rhesus looked upon the Descendant with confusion.
"Attention, all," Renka began. "There is a crystal missing from the chandelier. If anyone has it, then now is the time to tell me."
Everyone stayed quiet, and some glanced at one another in confusion.
"Just as I thought. Keep all of your dorms unlocked, for I will now slow down time and search this entire castle for the crystal. Does anyone have any objections to what I am about to do?"
Another awkward silence occurred. Renka did not react, for she knew that the killer would not reveal themselves now.
"Very well. I will reappear in five minutes' time."
Renka clapped her hands, and those five minutes to the occupants became five hours to Renka, and she vanished from the occupants' eyes.
As Renka had greatly sped up her own time and slowed down the time of everything else around her, she began moving around the castle at a speed faster than the naked eye could see, all the while emitting a soft golden glow as she engaged her god-like powers.
Firstly, the Descendant went into Macarius's room and searched through it.
Renka could see that the bed had not been slept in. Perhaps there may have been something on Macarius's mind which had kept him awake in the night?
Renka then went into the dorm of Sevius, the prime suspect in withholding the missing crystal. He could have obtained it while cleaning the chandelier, or taken it after he discovered Macarius's body?
Renka could see nothing of significance in the room. It was a plain-looking sight, with a slept-in bed, and a wooden table with a clay oinochoe of water and an empty clay cup on top.
Renka then searched every other room, and could not find the crystal anywhere. The same disappointment was gained when she searched the main hall, the dining room, the kitchen and all of the other rooms inside the castle.
Renka still believed that the crystal was close by. It must have carried some value in order for it to be stolen, and there was no reason for the thief to throw it into the floods outside and lose it forever.
Renka went back into the dining room, and walked up to the painting of the two girls which covered the wall safe.
Renka then recalled that there was another large painting of the same two young girls on the other side of the room. Renka went up to the door-sized painting. She carefully unhooked the heavy decoration from the wall, which took all of her strength to do so, and looked behind it to see if anything was there.
Behind this painting was a rectangular hole in the stone bricks. Renka slid the painting to the side, and rested it on the wall.
She inspected the bricks around the hole more closely. They were held together with newer concrete, which suggested that they had recently been built into the wall.
It was as if there was once a door there…
Renka opened her hands, then placed her palms onto the new bricks. She pushed her hands forward, and the new bricks began to glow. Renka closed her eyes as she used her powers to vastly speed up the time of the bricks themselves, and the bricks decayed away until they were nothing but dust.
A passageway was revealed in the wall, and on its other side lay a descending stone staircase leading into the castle's underground.
Those steps lead toward darkness, yet the eerie sight did not deter Renka. She was more focused on the chance that the crystal was down there. Renka never saw anyone enter the dining room alone, and Sol never reported seeing anyone go in there when she searched the hall. "It was possible that someone had removed the crystal before the chandelier fell," she thought.
Renka took one of the lit torches from the wall, and began cautiously heading underground.
As Renka traversed the steps, she pondered what they would lead to. A castle of this age would perhaps require an underground section for storage, a hidden treasure, or an escape route of some kind.
She reached the bottom of the staircase, and upon looking around her, she found herself inside a narrow stone walled corridor.
"Hmm… An old escape tunnel?" she murmured to herself.
Renka surmised that the entrance she used was walled up to prevent any annoying draft, and the tunnel would lead to an exit leading outside. The fact that the area was not yet filled with water concerned Renka. After all, the external exit could cave into the pressures of the outside floods at any moment.
Renka moved her torch across the dusty ground in search of the missing crystal. She noticed that there were many stones on the ground.
Renka crouched down, and began carefully moving her free hand through the stones. Suddenly, Renka felt something unique. She clenched her hand, stood up, and opened her hand to see what she had acquired.
Alas, in Renka's hand, was the missing chandelier crystal!
Renka smiled in relief, but her joy soon vanished.
A disturbing rumble emerged from the depths of the cavern. The sound was elongated and distorted due to the time around Renka being slower than her own.
So she could hear the sound in its true form, Renka clapped her hands and returned her own time to normal.
Her breathing was now heavy, and her brow was covered in sweat. She had already exhausted a lot of her power by speeding up time, thus had only a slither of power left to fight the source of the sound if it was hostile.
From the darkness came a large flood of water, which hurtled toward Renka at lightning speed. The external exit of the corridor had given way. Exhausted, Renka could not speed up her time again to save herself from being flushed away.
Instinctively, she clapped her hands twice.
A bright sphere of light appeared, and Sol came into view. Reacting swiftly, Sol held up her hands to the water, and generated a teardrop-shaped wall of wind around herself and Renka, with its apex pointing at the incoming flood. The flood struck the pointed side of the wind wall, and split into two streams which gushed besides Sol and Renka instead of washing them both away. Sol concentrated all of her powers to protect herself and her mistress from the water.
The wind wall blew out Renka's torch, leaving the only light source emanating from the top of the staircase.
Renka placed her hand on Sol's shoulder. "Move to the side!"
She slowly guided Sol closer to the staircase beside them.
When they got close enough to the steps, they jumped onto them and ascended away from the raging river below.
"Have you accomplished your task, my lady?" asked Sol as she ran up the stairs.
"Indeed, I have," Renka replied, as she followed closely behind.
"I will find out what it consists of, my lady," offered Sol. "After we get out of here, of course!"
Renka smiled as she and Sol raced up the steps, and into the light ahead.
