Chapter 8: The Waterfront Murder

 Jujutsu High 

The air inside Elle’s office felt heavier than usual.

No sunlight slipped through the blinds, and the scent of old paper and cursed energy filled the room.

Cyan stood between Kevin and Megumi, arms crossed, watching as Elle traced her finger through the air. 

A faint shimmer appeared—then bloomed into an image projected onto the wall.

A man’s body lay slumped near a glass railing, the city lights of the V&A Waterfront glittering behind him. Two small puncture wounds marred his neck.

“Arthur Abrahams,” Elle said quietly. “Was a Member of Parliament, and a special-grade sorcerer of Jujutsu HQ. Found dead two days ago.”

Kevin whistled. “Damn. Waterfront’s supposed to be a date spot, not a murder scene.”

Elle ignored him. 

“Two cursed needles were found in his neck. The technique is... familiar.”

Megumi frowned. “Familiar how?”

Elle’s jaw tightened. “Because one of my ex teammates used something similar to this. He was a Liebert.”

Cyan’s head lifted. “Liebert? Like… one of the big 3?”

Elle nodded. 

“They possess a cursed lineage. The Liebert family’s techniques revolve around manipulation. They can inject cursed needles into their targets or touch to manipulate them, or copy their techniques. If this murder was done by one of them...” She trailed off.

Kevin grinned. “Then we find this creep and tear him apart. Easy.”

Elle’s palm slammed against her desk. The cursed image flickered from the force. 

“This isn’t a sparring match  Kevin! This man was a veteran sorcerer,and he didn’t even have time to fight back.”

That shut him up—for about three seconds. 

“Okay, fine, I’ll be careful. But if we run into this guy, I’m not backing down.”

Cyan rolled her eyes. “You never do, and  that’s the problem.”

He shot her a grin. “Aw, you worried about me now?”

“Worried? No. I just don’t want to scrape what’s left of you off the pavement.”

Their bickering filled the silence until Elle raised her hand again.

A pulse of prism-like light pressed them all to the floor for a heartbeat before she released it.

“Listen to me,” she said. “If you underestimate a Liebert, you won’t even realize when you’ve become their puppet.”

 Her voice softened. “Your mission isn’t to fight. You’ll go to the Waterfront, collect intel, speak to witnesses, and analyse the situation. Megumi—” she turned to him

“—you’re leading this mission.”

Megumi blinked. “Wait, what? Why me?”

“Because you’re the only one here with common sense,” Elle said flatly.

Kevin burst out laughing. 

“Yeah, sure, the guy who hides behind rules gets to boss us around.”

Megumi sighed. “I swear, Elle, you’re trying to kill me.”

Elle smiled faintly. “I’d prefer you didn’t die. But if you did, at least make it meaningful.”

She handed Megumi a sealed scroll.

 “You’ll leave by dusk. And remember—this wasn’t just a murder. It was a message.”

Cyan’s eyes lingered on the frozen image of Arthur Abrahams. The twin punctures on his neck seemed to stare back at her.

Cutaway

Somewhere far from the city, deep in the quiet of a candlelit room, a man sat cross-legged.

A dozen cursed needles floated around him, gleaming like silver fangs.

Aiden Liebert smiled as the whispers reached him—voices of the ghosts that was released days ago.

They told him what he wanted to hear.

“So… the vessel has surfaced,” he murmured. “The little prodigy finally shows herself.”

His voice carrying the faintest trace of boredom — or anticipation.

It was hard to tell.

He plucked one needle from the air, twirling it between his fingers.

“Let’s make this interesting.”

The candles flickered, shadows stretching like claws across the walls.

 

The Waterfront Murder (continued)

The night breeze at the V&A Waterfront carried the faint scent of salt and blood.

The usually vibrant pier was now sealed off by yellow tape and Jujutsu barriers.

Lantern-like seals hovered faintly, humming with quiet cursed energy.

Cyan, Kevin, and Megumi stepped out of the black SUV, joined by a woman in a black jacket with her hair tied in a loose ponytail.

She couldn’t have been older than twenty.

“Amanda Petersen,” she introduced herself, flashing a badge. “I’m a Semi-First Grade sorcerer. I’ll be your handler for this mission.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Semi-grade? We’re moving up in the world.”

Amanda shot him a look that could curdle milk. 

“Keep talking, and I’ll move you down to zero-grade.”

Cyan snorted. “I like her already.”

Megumi ignored them both, scanning the cordoned-off area.

“Elle said the murder happened on the third-floor balcony of ‘La Mer’. Let’s start there.”

They climbed the stairway, passing waiters whispering behind closed doors and tourists filming the police barriers from afar.

Two investigators stood near the railing where the fall had occurred. Blood stains had long since dried into a dark smear.

Amanda approached one of the witnesses—a middle-aged waiter, pale and shaken.

 “Can you tell us what you saw.”

The man hesitated.

“It was strange. The gentleman—was sitting with another man. Suddenly, he stood up, stiff… like he wasn’t himself. He just walked to the railing. Looked over it.

 Then—” He gestured helplessly. “He jumped.”

Megumi’s eyes narrowed. “Did you notice anything around his neck? Or anyone touching him?”

The witness shook his head. “No. But… for a second, I thought I saw thin threads. Like wires. But when I blinked, they were gone.”

Megumi and Amanda exchanged a glance.

That was enough confirmation.

“If he looked possessed but had no marks… the control must’ve been external. Cursed puppetry, maybe.” Megumi added.

Meanwhile, Cyan had wandered away, scanning the perimeter. Kevin followed her, hands in his pockets.

“You always wander off,” he said.

“I think better when I’m moving.”

He watched her crouch near a wall, fingertips brushing faint traces of energy only she could sense.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why’d you eat the finger?”

Cyan froze, caught off-guard by the bluntness.

She exhaled slowly.

“When I fought Johan Venter that day. Thought I was strong enough. Turns out, I wasn’t even close. I almost died.”

Kevin frowned. 

“Still. You have that Shadow Garden thing—most sorcerers would kill for that.”

She gave a small laugh. 

“Jujutsu isn’t just about power or techniques, Kevin. Fighting Johan, then Dean… watching Elle and Jaden—they’re strong because they think ahead. They see every move three steps before it happens.”

A brief smirk tugged at her lips—but it vanished just as fast. Kevin caught the flicker of pain behind it.

Before he could say anything, Cyan straightened. “Wait.”

She extended her palm. A faint shimmer ran through the air—like light bending around invisible energy.

“Residuals. It’s faint but it’s there.”

Kevin squinted. “I don’t see it.”

“You’re not supposed to. Feel it instead,” she said quietly.

Megumi and Amanda joined them.

 Amanda crouched, placing her hand on the floor.

 “It’s faint, but yeah… someone used a cursed technique here.”

Megumi nodded. “Definitely sorcery.”

Amanda rose, glancing around. “If this is a Liebert’s work, we keep it quiet.”

Kevin frowned. “Why? Shouldn’t HQ know?”

“Because,” Amanda said, her voice sharp.

 “if word gets out that a Liebert’s responsible, it’ll start another conflict between the Big Three families—and could lead to a full-blown war.”

Cyan folded her arms.

“She’s right. My family always talked trash about the other two. I always got bad vibes from the Abrahams & Lieberts.”

Megumi looked at her. “Didn’t you have a friend from the Liebert’s?”

The question froze her.

Cyan’s gaze fell to the floor.

“…Yeah. Lisa.” Her voice softened, distant.

 “She was my best friend. She’s the reason I wanted to become a sorcerer.”

A sad smile crossed her face. “She was killed by the same person doing this now.”

Kevin’s tone shifted, quieter. “Then we’ll find them.”

Megumi asked gently, 

“And when you do—what will you do?”

Cyan didn’t answer.

Her eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the flicker of cursed light from the Waterfront lamps.

The silence that followed said more than words could.

The hum of the BMW 325i filled the quiet as it cruised down the N2, headlights cutting through the night.

Cyan sat in the back seat, fiddling with the collar of her new all-black uniform.

The fabric felt strange —  too heavy, too official. 

She adjusted the collar- Lisa always said black didn’t suit her.

She’d never know now.

She leaned her head against the window, watching the blur of streetlights.

When they were kids, she and Lisa used to sit under the willow tree behind Mowbray Estate, talking about what kind of sorcerers they’d be.

Rival families.

Different bloodlines.

But the same dream.

“One day, we’ll both wear black.”

Lisa’s voice echoed faintly in her mind.

Cyan smiled sadly.

“Guess I made it… just wish you did too.”

From the passenger seat, Amanda broke the silence.

“Our next stop’s Bellville. Stikland Cemetery.”

Kevin frowned.

“Cemetery? That doesn’t sound like a follow-up to a murder case.”

Amanda kept her eyes on the GPS.

“There’s been sightings of a boy hanging around ghosts. Every witness mentioned the boy was repeating something. Like… a chant.”

Megumi glanced over. “A chant?”

Amanda’s tone dropped. “Someone chanting to the dead.”

The word hung in the air like a curse.

Kevin leaned back slowly. “So, a corpse user.”

Amanda nodded.

“That’s our guess. And if the same presence connects to the Waterfront murder…”

Cyan straightened, her gaze shifting to the dark highway ahead.

“Then whoever did it isn’t done.”

The BMW sped through the interchange onto the R300, streetlights streaking by in gold blurs.

 

Far from the highway — deep within Stikland Cemetery, under the blue glow of the moon — a figure sat cross-legged atop a cracked tombstone.

Ethan.

Seventeen, dressed in a torn hoodie and beads around his wrists.

His eyes were closed, cursed energy pulsing faintly beneath his skin. Around him, dozens of pale spirits drifted like smoke.

One of them shivered, turning toward the distance.

Ethan’s lips curved into a grin.

“…Found her, huh?”

He pressed two fingers to his temple and whispered into the receiver in his ear.

“I found her, Aiden. What do I do next?”

A distorted voice answered through static — calm, composed, and chillingly confident.

“Capture the vessel,” Aiden said. “I’ve added new cursed techniques to your corpses, but use them wisely.”

Ethan’s grin widened, shadows rippling around him.

The spirits began to whisper, their hollow voices echoing across the graves.