Unfortunately the paperwork that was essential in order to allow Baekhyun full integration into the case was backlogged by numerous other requests the higher ups had received, which meant that the team were incapable of doing anything else while their application was still being processed. Chanyeol had spent the time organising Baekhyun's notes, thankful that the student had compiled them so that they wouldn't have to spend valuable time trying to read the novel. As he read through the handwritten notes, Chanyeol was able to determine just how dedicated Baekhyun was to not just his studies but also this case, having wanted to provide a situation conclusion that would be worthwhile listening to despite how crazy it might have sounded. Chanyeol could only wish that he had allowed himself to reassure the student that his thoughts were more valid that he believed them to be.

"You seem different," Minseok smiled, sitting himself down in the swivel chair in front of Chanyeol's desk. He rested his head delicately on the palm of his hands, lips having been pulled back into a bright smile. "Does this sudden shift have something to do with the student you were interviewing?" His tone was teasing but even Chanyeol had to admit that he was right, something he certainly didn't like doing.

"You know what I'm like with him.." Chanyeol sighed, closing the blue notebook and placing it back into its allocated spot on his desk. Minseok eyed it with a smirk developing on his lips, his Captain deciding to ignore it. "And now that he's given us our first lead in days I can't help but feel like this.."

"I know that you're worried that he might get hurt because of our line of work, but now that he is going to be involved surely this may change things hmm?" Chanyeol shook his head and Minseok knew that there was no way he would be capable of continuing the conversation, Chanyeol was shutting him down before they even addressed his emotions -a situation the medic had found himself in time after time. "That's fine," he continued, studying the documents that lay on the left-hand side of Chanyeol's desk. "I don't mind communicating with the wall, at least it's easier than drawing blood from a stone."

"Minseok.." Chanyeol warned, the vein in his neck pulsing rhythmically beneath the skin draped over it. The medic held up his hand, palm side up. The Captain eyed it through a narrowed glare, his medic seemingly delighted to have drawn the reaction out of him as he jumped up from his seat and rushed back to his own further down the room.

A knock to their office door had the five men immediately turn to face the intruder, their chief stood in the threshold face completely drained of colour. Yet the presence of a smaller figure next to the chief had Chanyeol's heart picking up pace in his chest. "Gentlemen," their chief announced, urging the boy into the room before stepping inside after him. He paused to shut the door behind him, going as far as closing the blind above the small window embedded into the door. "I have asked Baekhyun here today because there seems to have been a new lead on the case."

Chanyeol immediately stood up, rushing to stand by Baekhyun's side. The student blinked up at him through waterlogged eyes, his grip tight on the overnight bag Chanyeol had told him to pack a couple days ago. A part of him was delighted to have Baekhyun with them, knowing that his sudden presence meant that he had been cleared to join the team, and yet there was another part -a larger more profound part of him- that knew that Baekhyun's arrival here would only bring bad news. The rest of his team filed around them, creating a small semi-circle around the Chief who sent them all a glance before taking a much needed deep breath.

"I have gotten word that Commander Song has been found dead in his office at the university." Chanyeol's heart stopped pumping in his chest, his nostrils flaring as they sucked air into his lungs. His head automatically fell on Baekhyun, the student sniffling quietly into a tissue he had produced from his sleeve. "Campus security altered the local police but once they realised that he was a part of our case they immediately contacted me, I sent for Baekhyun right away."

"I brought my bag with me to class as I wasn't entirely sure when you would call me, the officer who picked me up was delighted to know that I was set to go. I called my roommate and told him that I wouldn't be home for a few days as I was going home to visit a sick family member. The officer said that it would be best if I lied since not many people should know that I'm a part of this case." Baekhyun explained to him, pausing throughout his explanation to sniffle. Chanyeol wished that he could pull the boy into his arms, embrace him to lift some of the burden from his shoulders but duty came first. Thus he had no choice but to turn his attention back to his chief.

Once they were alone and settled into their personal van, Chanyeol allowed himself to show his vulnerable side, choosing to sit in the back with Baekhyun and allowing Jongin to be the one to lead them back to campus. The student cried against his nape, snuggling into his warmth and allowing Chanyeol to gently console him through the whole ordeal. Sehun, Minseok, Suho and Jongin could only watch from the front and middle seats, their lips pressed into a thin line as they listened to Baekhyun's heartbroken cries. There had been some concerns in regards to Baekhyun's inclusion in the sighting of the crime scene but the student was quick to justify why his presence was necessary; with his intense knowledge of the Commander and the story he had gifted Chanyeol Baekhyun was the most logical person to bring to the site. Even the chief of their unit couldn't find a reason to deny the student's presence and thus allowed it despite his distasteful comment about paperwork.

Baekhyun had managed to get a hold of himself before they entered the campus through a back exit that limited the amount of students who would have seen them. The corridor that they had walked down on Friday night looked completely different with police officers lining the hallways, according to one the group met in passing the classes that were scheduled to take place there today had been rescheduled and students were moved to allowing them sole custody of the building.

They were led back to the office of the Commander, Chanyeol taking a moment to wait outside with Baekhyun while the others addressed the scene. Crime scene investigators were there inspecting the scene but once Chanyeol's group entered wearing their military uniforms everyone complied to their request and rushed outside, gently bowing their heads to Chanyeol who recognised some of them from previous cases. With the coast clear, Baekhyun was granted access, the student taking a deep breath to calm himself down further before stepping over the threshold, Chanyeol following him from behind.

As expected the room didn't appear to have any significant markings, though the presence of Commander Song's body bent over his desk indicated just how strange the victim's death circumstances were. As Medic to the team Minseok took it upon himself to search the body for any obvious markings, though it was an agreed thought that he wouldn't find anything apart from the marking the other victims possessed. As the rest of his team followed through with their usual activities, Chanyeol decided to stick close to Baekhyun watching as the student glanced at the body before snapping towards the bookshelf on the opposite wall. With a quick glance at the spines Baekhyun seemed to have noticed something strange, his legs carrying him to the structure. He struggled to reach towards the top shelf, so Chanyeol quickly made himself useful, stepping behind the student to slide the book out. He shyly held it out to Baekhyun, the student blushing at the proximity between them, he stepped back and turned his attention back to the cover. It was at this moment Chanyeol recognized what had grabbed, now that the book was resting in Baekhyun's hand everything fell into place.

"He had a copy," Baekhyun explained, showing the cover to Chanyeol confirming what he had already thought. "Chanyeol, he read the book I showed you. I wonder if he managed to draw the same conclusion that I did."

A glance over to the corpse, Chanyeol noticed two things. The first was that the Commander hadn't had the opportunity to change out of the outfit they had last seen him in which meant that Chanyeol was most likely the last person the Commander had seen before his demise. Bile mixed with the chemicals he was naturally producing, created a sickening feeling in the Captain's stomach. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had stayed with him for a few hours longer. The other thing Chanyeol noted was that the Commander seemed to have been writing something at his desk upon his death suggesting that his demise was quick as he was unexpecting of it.

Baekhyun was left alone by the bookcase, the student taking time to read through the spines of his teacher's books while Chanyeol strolled over to the table. He bowed his head in greeting to Minseok, the medic sparing him a glance before he returned back to his work, locating any oddities on the victim's body. It was a strange sight having to conduct an investigation on someone they all knew, though the only peace they could get was the idea of finding out what had happened and hopefully allow their Commander's soul to rest peacefully.

Every fiber in Chanyeol's body sparked with something familiar, a feeling he had only experienced whenever he was out in the field. Goosebumps quickly prickled against his skin, shivers continuously flowed down his spine shaking him out of what he had originally been searching for. In a desperate attempt to find the source of his panic, Chanyeol's head snapped around the room, eyes taking in the sight of the officers and his teammates. Sehun and Jongin seemed to share his urgency, their eyes meeting Chanyeol's despite the distance between them. Like clockwork the three of them turned towards the bookcase where Baekhyun last stood. The boy remained, still studying the piles of books his professor had scattered amongst the shelves completely oblivious to the figure looming by his side.

Dressed in a tattered white dress, stood a seemingly young woman with hair so silver Chanyeol was surprised he hadn't noticed her before. Her hands laid by her sides, fingers long and thin with sharpened nails blackened at the tip. She seemed to have found interest in Baekhyun, simply studying him as he viewed the shelves before him. Normally Chanyeol would allow spirits to go about their business without interfering with them but there was something that didn't sit right with him with this particular being, which is why he quickly rushed to Baekhyun's side placing himself between the student and the apparition. Now that he was closer to the being, Chanyeol's blood ran cold in his veins.

The figure raised her head, her silvery strains tumbling off her cheeks and to the side of her face. Her skin appeared tight and leathery, stretched painfully over her skull allowing the Captain to see each curve and indent in her bone structure. She possessed no eyes, bringing a shiver to Chanyeol's spine as he stared into the empty dark sockets. The skin around her lips appeared tighter still as it showed her uneven teeth. Once she seemed to notice that Chanyeol could see her, the Captain was stunned further as he watched in awe as the being's jaw unhinged and fell against her prominent collar bones. He had just enough time to wrap his arms around Baekhyun's waist and pull the student against his chest before she released a bloodcurdling scream. A series of shouts got drowned out by her scream, the ground beneath them shook and the windows dotted throughout the room shattered from her blood rattling cry.

When the noise was over and the glass had settled against the ground, did Chanyeol allow himself to pull away from Baekhyun, the student shaking against his frame. A glance to their side reassured the Captain that the being had disappeared, leaving behind shattered glass and terrified souls. Baekhyun's tongue slipped out and swiped at his dry lower lip, his eyes coursing throughout the room, taking in the sight and trying to process everything that had happened.

"What just happened?" He asked, not truly expecting an answer. Still, he gazed up at Chanyeol, the Captain visibly shaken by what had just unfolded. Baekhyun regarded him for a moment, watching him as his mind wandered back to minutes before the ear piercing scream and the broken windows. Chanyeol had been reviewing something by the desk and yet he managed to get to Baekhyun with time to spare before the incident. "You saw something," he concluded, drawing Chanyeol's immediate attention. "Otherwise you wouldn't have protected me."

A slight tilt of his head allowed Chanyeol to notice that the bookcase was right next to one of the windows that had got caught in the blast, had he not pulled Baekhyun against him at the right moment he didn't want to think of what may have happened, the idea of glass protruding out of Baekhyun's skin would truly make his stomach feel weak.

"What was that?" Sehun wondered, appearing by their side a moment later. The ringing in Chanyeol's ears finally subsided, though the noise of the chattering police officers outside the room was overbearing for him. He groaned and held his head, Baekhyun's cool fingers reaching up to gently massage his forehead. His touch stopped Chanyeol's heart dead in his chest, the student offering him an apologetic smile for speaking with him before he was ready to communicate. He should have known that because of Chanyeol's actions, the Captain would need a minute to pull himself out of the situation.

"You saw her too?" Chanyeol wondered, watching with a pleased sigh as Sehun nodded his head to confirm. A quick glance to Baekhyun concluded that the student had no idea about what they were talking about, having experienced nothing but the loud scream and the scattering of the windows.

"Me too." Jongin joined their conversation, face a little paler than they were used to seeing. "It freaked me the fuck out and after everything we've seen in this job that's saying something!"