Chapter 1 the Case

(1458… Friday… the 13th)

Newspaper: “A few weeks ago… a family was found dead… slashed open… torn apart and completely at the end… only the girl was found alive… apparently the daughter.”

(1478… Friday… the 13th)

In the realm of Dehls… the murders had become more and more frequent lately… especially in the capital Big Bens… of course, the police are responsible for such matters and are doing their best… for this case, there is a certain detective… her name… is Fiona Hamilton. Welcome to Grimmshorths, a world full of mysteries… and riddles.”

Fiona: “(…I hate… people… you’re probably asking yourselves… why did I become a detective then?… well, that’s simple… I was raised by an academy specialized in this… and passed… math… S, For language … S, sports… S, physics… S, chemistry… S, biology… B because of the whole sex stuff that I don’t understand anyway, and… ethics… S… let’s just say… I’m good at many things… oh and of course magic and sorcery, I got an S in that too).”

Guard: “Miss Hamilton, there you are.”
Fiona: “Mhm… victim?”
Guard: “Uhm… Liam Stewart… known pedophile… abused children and even traded them…”
Fiona: “Why wasn’t he caught?”
Guard: “Every time it happened… the relatives let him go and forgave him… I think they were threatened, his father is well-known and rich.”
Fiona: “I see…”

She took her staff. Fiona was a very well-known woman… she had white hair and purple-colored eyes, wore a black suit, a hat that one would imagine a female detective wearing, and a staff because her right foot wasn’t strong. She also wore a monocle, never really showed emotions… her parents were murdered, dismembered, and eaten before her eyes… many believe that’s the reason why Fiona often looks tired.

Fiona: “Okay… are there witnesses?”
Guard: “No…”
Fiona: “(Of course there aren’t… who would want the police or guards to save him… a child molester… several underage girls took their own lives because of him…) hmm… what’s that…”

She pointed at his hand.

Fiona: “Look… he was holding his chest…”
Guard: “Was he struck in the chest?”
Fiona: “No… no… there’s no blood… no blood… and… still… a hole in his chest…”
Guard: “That’s… strange.”
Fiona: “Is this a human… or a Nemesis… (Nemesis are spirits born from human fears, negative thoughts, wars, murders…)”
Guard: “It can only be Nemesis.”
Fiona: “Hmm… no… look closely… his hands… they’re so broken… as if… he fought back… look at his fingernails… he clung to something… something…”
Guard: “An object?”
Fiona: “Do you see any box… or anything here?”
Guard: “No.”
Fiona: “So… you see… (…madness… a hole… in the chest… without blood… how does one do that… is it magic?… no… the hole comes from… a sharp object. But… that doesn’t explain why there’s no blood… how… does she do it…)”
Guard: “So… uhm… does this mean… the Townstone detective organization will take care of it?”

Townstone… a well-known detective organization… specialized in both supernatural and normal cases. What makes them special… they use magic… and… not only that… they are armed.

Fiona: “Hmm… looks like… that’s the case… who might it be… well… doesn’t matter… we’ll take care of it… boy.”
Fiona looked at him.

Fiona: “Is something wrong…?”
Guard: “No… not really… it’s just… I noticed your umbrella and your hat…”
Fiona: “These are Bob and Crane…”

Her partners. Bob is the umbrella… well, he lives in the umbrella… while Crane is the hat.

Fiona: “Anyway… tell your boss… if he ignores this again and interferes… then there will be more victims…”

She took out her card. Each card contains the nickname of a person. Fiona had the card of the clock, and a person before the clock… that’s why they gave her the name Lady Mystery… because that’s what is written on the card… mystery… in English… mysterious.”

Fiona: “Hahhh…”

She possessed a special ability for such cases.

Fiona: “I guess I have no choice… it would be…”

She took a pistol… and shot herself in the head.

(Bang!)
(Tic… tic… tick…)
(Dong!… dong!)

Fiona: “Ugh!”

She saw her body lying on the ground.

Fiona: “Hmm… looks like it worked… my ability is simple… by shooting myself in the head… I become a ghost… that way I can ask the spirits in the cases if they know anything…”

She left the place.

Fiona: “Hmmm…”

She went to the crime scene.

Fiona: “Alright…”

She removed her monocle… her eye gained a clock hand that began to turn.

(Tick… tick… tick… tick)

Fiona: “…here… exactly… there…”

She saw the victim… looking at his own chest… the hole… suddenly appeared.

Fiona: “I understand…”

She looked around.

Fiona: “…no traces… but the killer… isn’t a Nemesis… there’s magic involved… hmmm?”

She saw a coat… moving quickly.

Fiona: “Hmm?”

She grabbed it, but it was just a coat.

Fiona: “…wait a minute…”

There was blood inside.

Fiona: “…blood… a hole… matches the size of the victim…”

She smelled it.

Fiona: “Hmm…”

She looked around.

Fiona: “It’s strange… what kind of magic does the person have to be able to do this…”

She looked at the clock.

Fiona: “Damn… time’s up.”

She returned to her body.

Fiona: “Guhhh… hahhh… hahhhh… hahhh…”

She stood up.

Fiona: “Hahhh… that was close… otherwise I would have stayed a ghost…”

Her nose was bleeding.

Fiona: “Hmm…”

She wiped it and looked at her hand.

Fiona: “…hahhh… time to sleep… Townstone will take care of it.”

She took off her jacket… and her gloves. Laid down on the bed.

(16 years earlier)

Fiona: “Huh… where am I?”

(Gulp!)
(Click!)

Several eyes and mouths appeared.

Mouth: “Hello, my child…”
Fiona: “Who are you… what’s happening to me?”
Mouth: “You fainted when your parents were murdered before your eyes.”
Fiona: “What… my… parents…”
Mouth: “You must know… your parents were well-known magicians…”
Fiona: “Ugh… no… and… who are you?”
Mouth: “I am… Frau Holle… a witch…”
Fiona: “What…”

(Alarm clock!)

Fiona: “Guh!”

She woke up quickly.

Fiona: “That dream… again… hahhh…”

Fiona stood up, using her staff.

Fiona: “Hahh… to walk with a staff at 20… not exactly cool…”

She left the building.

(Ah, you’re awake)

Said someone suddenly — it was the leader of Townstone.

Fiona: “Lady Natasha…”
Natasha: “Hehehe… as I heard, we have a new case… I want you to learn more about it.”
Fiona: “Mhm.”
Natasha: “Alright… tell me… did you find anything?”
Fiona: “The victim had a hole in his chest… but… there was no blood… also, this was one hundred percent the work of a human… he fought someone before his death.”
Natasha: “Hmmmm… could the fight not have been before?”
Fiona: “Possible… but not something I can really imagine.”
Natasha: “Haha… I see… good, I trust you… Lady Mystery…”
Fiona: “…hahhh… thanks.”

She walked on.

Fiona: “Hmmm…”

(6 years earlier)

Sorceress: “I see… you want to know… your ability.”
Fiona: “Exactly… I want my card…”
Sorceress: “Alright, alright.”

She laid out several cards and shuffled them.

Fiona: “Hmm.”
Sorceress: “In these cards… are the abilities of the six guardians: the witch Beatrice, the Clown, the Fool, Medusa, the Ring, and of course… the witch of death… Holle…”
Fiona: “Ugh…”
Sorceress: “But that’s absolutely impossible — she is an evil guardian. Well… not really… she’s just a witch… who rules over the dead magic… let’s see.”

She shuffled the cards again.

Sorceress: “So… choose.”
Fiona: “Mhm.”

She took a card.

Fiona: “Uh…”
Sorceress: “Hmm… ugh!”

It was the card of the Mysterious… this card… this ability belongs to the witch of death… Frau Holle.”
Sorceress: “Hahh.”

The sorceress fell to the ground.

Sorceress: “This is… completely impossible… this can’t be… it’s been more than 300 years… why… why do you get the card of the Mysterious… you… you will be cursed… your entire life…”

She stood up and walked toward Fiona.

Sorceress: “Get out… get out… and don’t you dare really use that card… find another job… forget this detective business…”

She threw her out.

Fiona: “Ugh… what… have I done now…”

Suddenly another woman appeared.

Sorceress: “What are you doing, Mifa… this won’t do… she’s still a client… forgive me… please come back inside.”

She went back in.

Sorceress: “Alright… I’ll tell you the words you must say… to receive the ability.”
Fiona: “Okay.”
Sorceress: “Ash to ash… fall to the ground… the eyes of the cursed… the grinning mouths… and the voice of corruption… I call upon you… witch of corruption and of… death… Frau Holle. Say this once you’re home… understood?”

(A few minutes later when she got home)
Fiona: “Ash to ash… fall to the ground… the eyes of the cursed… the grinning mouths… and the voice of corruption… I call upon you… witch of corruption and of death…”

Suddenly Fiona fainted… and collapsed to the ground.

(Click!)
(Gulp!)

The eyes appeared… and the mouths too.

Frau Holle: “Hello… my dear.”
Fiona: “Oh… you’re… the woman from back then, when I was a child…”
Frau Holle: “My dear… finally we meet again… as I see… you have received my ability…”
Fiona: “…uh.”
Frau Holle: “One of them… but… for that, you will be cursed, are you aware of this?”
Fiona: “I never even wanted the card… why did you come to me back then…”
Frau Holle: “Hehehe… because your parents… died because of me…”
Fiona: “What…”
Frau Holle: “Hehehehe… your parents… wanted to perform a sacrificial ritual… this is forbidden magic… that kills the sacrifice… it requires a child under five years old…”
Fiona: “And that child…”
Frau Holle: “Was you, my dear.”
Fiona: “Ugh… what… my… parents… wanted to kill me!?”
Frau Holle: “Exactly… they wanted to sacrifice you to serve the organization they worked for… the forbidden library of Rapunzel…”
Fiona: “Huh… what…”
Frau Holle: “Hehe… that doesn’t mean I’m kind… in truth, you should be dead… but I saved you… from your parents… I didn’t have to… but I did… even I don’t like seeing children die, especially not by their own parents’ hands.”
Fiona: “Ugh.”

Fiona fell to her knees.

Fiona: “Mama… Papa… why…”
Frau Holle: “Now to the important part… you are now cursed, my dear… for this power, the power of the card of the Mysterious… I take… your left eye and the strength of your right leg…”
Fiona: “What…”

(Splop!)

Fiona: “Huh.”

She touched her left eye… blood poured out.

Fiona: “Aaaaaaaaarghhhh… my… my eye…”

She clutched it in pain.

Frau Holle: “Hahahahe… it’s fine… everything will be fine, my dear… this won’t take long…”
Fiona: “Ghhhhh… my leg… aaaaaarghhhh…”

(Gulp!)

She opened her eyes.

Fiona: “Ghhh… ghhhh…”

(End of the memory)

Fiona: “Hahh…”

She looked at her hands and pulled out the card of the Mysterious.

Fiona: “…hhhmmm.”

She sighed.

Fiona: “Since that day… I stopped smiling… and started getting used to it… not trusting other people… especially after finding out that my own parents wanted to kill me…”

She walked on.

Fiona: “There’s only one thing that makes me happy.”

(Click!)

Ice cream vendor: “Hello, Miss Fiona… let me guess… ice cream with two scoops, flavor strawberry and coffee… sweet and bitter… first the sweet, then the bitter…”
Fiona: “Yes…”

(Ding!)

Fiona: “(Eating ice cream… if there’s something I like… it’s ice cream. It manages to feel so good… whether sweet or bitter… a crazy invention… I must say… if there are people I want to save… it’s the ice cream vendors… the others… I don’t care…)”

The moon… after all… in the world of Grimmhoth… it is always dark… there is no… morning…”

Fiona: “Hahhh… after the ice cream… straight to the case… what else…”

(Meanwhile)

Unknown man: “No… no… no… urk… raaahhhh… aaaaaaaaaarghhhhh”

(Splach!)

He fell to the ground… once again… a hole in the chest.

(Grin)
(Hehehehe)

(A few minutes later)

Guard: “You’re back again, Miss Fiona…”
Fiona: “Mhm.”
Guard: “So… the killer once again… is a noble…”
Fiona: “I can already tell… without you saying it.”
Guard: “Hmmm…”
Fiona: “H… hhhh…”

(Dong!… (Dong!)… (Dong!…)… (Dong))

Fiona: “Hmmm…”

The guard coughed.

Fiona: “Hmm?”
Guard: “Uh… don’t worry… it’s just cold.”
Fiona: “Who said I was worried… but you’ve got something… on your cheek.”

She leaned very close to him.

Guard: “Hehehe… (blushing) (damn, she’s so beautiful… she smells like strawberry…)”
Fiona: “Uh… oh… looks like a wound… sorry…”

(Dong!)

Fiona: “Hmm…”

(Dark feelings)

Fiona: “Hmm?”

She turned around… looked toward the roof… but no one was there.

Fiona: “(Apparently… someone is watching the scene…)”

(Splop!)
(Hehehehehe…)