As the sun climbed higher, its rays painted the surroundings a warm golden hue. The air became thick with the scent of smoke—as chimneys atop every building released plumes of grey into the atmosphere. Amidst the bustling city, the Asbranne National Library stood tall and mighty.

     The Asbranne National Library boasts a towering structure with three grand floors and a broad dome that stretches towards the heavens. The clouds obscure its peak from view, no matter how much one tilts their head. The foundation is made of sturdy grey stone, and the exterior walls are a blinding white, reflecting every sunlight and making it almost painful to look at directly.

     Oliver stands in awe of the magnificent architecture before him. His jaw drops open, tilting his head as he tries to glimpse the peak of the gigantic dome. After taking in the sight, Oliver and his adoptive father walk on the stairs leading up to the broad entrance.

     Upon entering the library, the towering bookshelves that stretch into the horizon greet Oliver and Frederick. The vast interior holds only a few people but houses an ocean of books. Oliver and Frederick's jaws gape open as they tilt their heads.

"Remind me again... how can the library help us?" Frederick's eyes wandered around the library as he questioned.

"The library is home to a vast collection of records! We can start by checking out this aisle," Oliver responded as he looked around before walking forward.

"Alright," Frederick uttered, gazing around the library's spacious interior.

Oliver led the way towards a section between the towering bookshelves as he spoke to his adoptive father. "Alright. Let's find books about elements, materials, and rare substances. Then, we can look for any that resemble the substance found on the corpse," he stated.

"What does the substance look like again?" Frederick inquired.

Oliver scanned the endless rows of books before responding. "It looks like ink," he mumbled while peering at the bookshelves. "But... it doesn't appear like liquid," Oliver added.

"So... it's like a coal smudged on the corpse?" Frederick's eyes roamed around as his glance darted at the books.

"Somewhat similar," Oliver thought, placing a finger under his chin.

Frederick immediately pulled a book from the towering bookshelves, flipping through the pages as he narrated, "Coal... coal is a sedimentary rock with a black colour, formed from the accumulation of organic matter. Coal's chemical elements vary depending on where it comes from. But it commonly consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen!"

"Hm," Oliver murmured, looking down at his right palm. He then closed his hand and reopened it, revealing tiny bits of coal he had summoned. "...Interesting fact. But... the substance I saw had a dark, reddish-violet hue..."

Frederick closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. He then grabbed another one. "A-ha! The purple dye is the rarest colour. Thousands of marine snails must be boiled for a long time to extract this shade. However, it only produces a few amounts of it," Frederick read.

"No, it's a dark reddish hue with some bits of 'violet', not purple," Oliver replied as he flipped through a thick book. "...Dad, you lived in a time when witches were common. Do you think they could have used that type of shade in some sort of... ritual?" he asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Frederick responded. "I was a mayor, not a witch. Besides, witches were more popular in the sixteen-hundreds. I, on the other hand, was born in seventeen sixty-two."

"Hm, if we're talking about time, then let's head to the history aisle of the library," Oliver said, scratching his head.

     Oliver and Frederick wandered around the library. Taking a few turns, they walked on an aisle of bookshelves. Swiftly, Oliver grabbed a heavy, dusty book with a brown leather cover and flipped it open.

"Okay, history of magic," Oliver read as his eyes scanned the text.

"Ah, I know that book. Go to page four hundred two," Frederick beamed.

Oliver quickly flipped to the requested page and read aloud, "John Podeshire: How Humans Acquired Elemental Powers Like Keans."

Frederick grinned. "We can read it later," he whispered.

"Well, I can't wait to finish this investigation," Oliver smirked as he returned the book to the shelf.

Frederick grabbed another book and flipped its pages. "How Cults Shaped History..." he read the title.

"Cults!" Oliver exclaimed, stepping beside Frederick.

"Cults have existed since—" Frederick read, flipping through the pages. "Well, no need for a brief introduction."

"Try going to the records of cults that existed in the seventeen hundreds," Oliver requested, peering over Frederick's shoulder.

Frederick hurryingly flipped the pages. "Alright, here we go. Let me recite the cults that existed in the seventeen hundreds..." Frederick narrated. "The White Rock Congregants... the Order of the Anti-Podeshire Alliance—"

"Excuse me?"

Frederick abruptly stopped as he glanced at Oliver. Frederick then cleared his throat and continued. "...The Covenant of Oceania... the Church of the Crimson Moon... the Holy Circle of the Luminous Eagle!? Wow... hm... the Blue Flame Brotherhood... the Order of the Sisterhood..." Frederick sighed. "Hm... that's all."

"How about the eighteen hundreds?" Oliver asked.

"This book was published in eighteen ten, so I'm not sure if it has records about the cult we're dealing with today," Frederick stated. "Anyways... let me read the lists of the cults recorded in the early eighteen hundreds..."

"Forget about it. Let's check out the other section instead," Oliver said, patting his adoptive father's shoulder.

"Let's go," Frederick responded, returning the book to the shelf.

     As Frederick walks between the towering bookshelves, Oliver follows closely behind. Suddenly, Oliver halts. His gaze locks on the floor before shifting to the book Frederick has read. Oliver snatches the book and begins flipping the pages. He unexpectedly gasps, alarming Frederick.

"What's wrong?" Frederick turned around and walked towards Oliver, standing before him.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I was just curious about the Order of the Anti-Podeshire Alliance," Oliver replied.

"Don't read it. It contains too much prejudice," Frederick said, trying to pull the book from Oliver's hands.

Despite his adoptive father's warning, Oliver persisted and clutched the book tightly. "The Order of the Anti-Podeshire Alliance is a group of individuals who believe the execution of the Podeshire family in seventeen-o-one was a divine act of the gods. Most of its members originate from Geveria, while those from Asbranne are mostly those related to Liam Podeshire's victims," Oliver read aloud.

"Stop reading it," Frederick pleaded.

"Geverians believe that keans who interbreed with humans are guilty of sexual immorality and deserve death. The Podeshire family, being of human-kean descent, is a prominent example of offspring born from such a union. Ancient Geverians abhorred the Podeshires' popularity, for they saw them as nothing more than creatures consumed by evil," Oliver continued to read.

"Very well, read on. But do not come to me crying into my bedroom at night if you are overwhelmed by the world's judgement," Frederick grunted, placing his hands on his waist.

"Wait, Geverians believe in this mythical creature called... uhm... how do you pronounce this? Je... je... fir... oh, here it is in our language," Oliver read slowly. "...The Pyrovoidians...?"

Frederick raised a brow. "Huh...? What're those?" he questioned.

"...The Pyrovoidians are said to be created underground, often beneath the depths of lakes, as a result of human and kean interbreeding. The first of their kind to spawn beneath the surface is... the Pyro Void Rex. In the beginning... the Pyro Void Rex brings misfortune to the family produced by a human and kean union. It also gives birth to minions known as Pyrovoidians, who willfully take the lives of the innocent. Their base colour is ink-black with reddish-violet magma-like stripes. There are no depictions or further vivid descriptions of what these creatures look like. However, Geverians believe they exist in various forms..." Oliver narrated.

"Black and reddish-violet, you say?" Frederick queried, his curiosity piqued.

"...Dad? You won't believe this..." Oliver gulped. "But... I believe we may have discovered something," Oliver said, locking his eyes on Frederick.