A residue..

Back at Tama Lake.

The water had returned to an unnatural calm, its surface smooth enough to reflect the floodlights set up around the perimeter. Raven Guild members moved methodically along the shore, boots crunching against damp soil, scanning for anything that didn’t belong. Whatever had happened here had been contained quickly—but containment never meant erasure.

Hawk crouched near the edge of the lake, his sharp eyes fixed on something half-buried in the mud. As an A-rank Assassin-class mage, he was used to noticing what others missed. This was no exception.

He reached down and carefully lifted the object.

“…What in the world… Is this…?”

Its blade was twisted, warped along unnatural angles, the metal darkened and veined with something that pulsed faintly under the floodlights. 

The handle had partially melted into the blade, the entire object bent into a shape that looked more grown than forged in fire by a blacksmith..

The thing in his hand had once been a kitchen knife.

That much was barely recognizable.. but, it still doesn't feel like something that was used to chop onions.

The mana clinging to it was unmistakable. Demonic.. and dense. 

It distorted the air around the blade, twisting the flow into slow, crawling eddies that made Hawk’s skin prickle.

“Hey,” Hawk said, standing up slowly. “You would want to take a closer look at this…”

Several Raven Guild members gathered immediately, keeping a careful distance as Hawk set the knife down on a tray.

“Where did you find this?” 

“Lake bed,” Hawk replied. “About three meters out.”

“Ah man.. this is awful…”

No one reached for it.

No one wanted to be the first to examine it.

They stared in silence, eyes wide, breath shallow, instinctively aware that touching the alien, deformed object would be a mistake. 

Even without direct contact, the thing radiated a presence that made them uneasy.

The blade seemed to hum faintly, like it is alive and breathing.

The Raven Guild followed protocol.

The ‘kitchen knife’ was sealed inside an anti-mana container, layered with suppression wards before being sent for further research to the Magic Guild Association.

There couldn’t be any forensic studies in the traditional sense.

No fingerprints.

No DNA.

It had been submerged in the lake, warped beyond recognition, its physical history has been long erased.

But mana trace was a different matter.

The flow of energy around the deformed object lingered, twisted into a pattern that could be studied, mapped, and compared. 

This mana pattern, the echo of what shaped it, could be traced back to demons or mages with a close enough match to that exact pattern.

The discovery sparked immediate debate.

“A powerful demon must be lurking out there…” one muttered.

“That can’t be possible,” another snapped back. “A demon strong enough to do this would’ve left a bigger trail.”

“So there must be a demon out here, concealing its presence as a human..?” 

"There’s no other explanation for it!” 

“Why would a demon kill its own kind??” Hawk interrupted. 

“I don’t think a demon would spare its own kind,” another replied. “We don’t even know if it’s capable of thinking like we do…”

“That’s…”

The sentence trailed off, unfinished.

In the end, the Raven Guild settled on a theory.

Some demon was out there. And it was killing its own kind.

**********

Akio Tsukishiro, Akira's father, stood at the edge of his neighborhood street with his phone pressed loosely in his hand.

He had noticed it earlier—noticed the inconsistencies in Akira’s story.. 

The way his son had spoken about the warp gate. How he claimed he’d hidden inside the house like everyone else..

Akio knew better.

He didn’t confront him.

Not yet.

Instead, he took out the SIM card from his phone.

The emergency alarm application was still open on the phone. He switched the device off completely, fingers steady, he snapped the SIM card and broke into two pieces.

After a moment’s consideration, he stepped off the sidewalk and threw the phone high into the night sky, sending it arcing far beyond the rooftops.

It vanished into the darkness.

Anyone tracing back to question Akira, 'the one who had sounded the alarm' would now have to spend time locating the phone first.

He adjusted his jacket and began walking.

After a while, Akio arrived at the scene near Sayama Natural Park.

The area was cordoned off with barriers and floodlights, police officers stationed at regular intervals to keep civilians away. The hum of mana in the air hadn’t fully dissipated yet, leaving the atmosphere tense and alert.

“Civilians are not allowed.” a police officer said, stepping into his path. “Please go home, dude.”

“Public Task Force Detective, Tsukishiro. Move away.” Akio produced his identification card without hesitation.

The officer’s eyes widened. “I-I’m sorry, Sir! Please go ahead!”

He saluted immediately.

Akio waved him down with a small gesture. “Brief me on the situation here, newbie.”

The officer blinked, then nodded quickly, falling into step beside him as they entered the park.

“The area hasn’t been cleared of all evidence by the Raven Guild members, Sir!" the police officer replied. "But the general word has it that this sudden warp gate was handled by a powerful demon which is hunting its own kind for unknown reasons!”

“Please.. drop the sir, will you?”

“I-I’m sorry, Sir!!”

Akio sighed.

They continued walking, the lake coming into view beyond the tents and equipment. The police officer lowered his voice, glancing around nervously as if afraid the demons might still be around.

Spotting a tent near the lake bed, Akio paused and knocked on it.

“May I?”

“Oh! Detective Akio!” a voice called from inside. “Please come in.”

Velvet Don, leader of the Raven Guild, greeted him as Akio entered inside the makeshift tent. 

Velvet Don was middle-aged, fair-complexion, with transparent goggles resting atop his black hair. His posture was relaxed—but his eyes were sharp.

“This is still in our jurisdiction.” Akio said. “When are you going to clear?”

“Please give us a moment of time.” Velvet Don replied calmly. “I think we have found something that might be of interest to you, Detective.”

He reached beneath the table and pulled out an evidence box, placing it carefully between them.

“What is that?” Akio asked.

“You tell us..” Velvet Don replied.

Akio studied him for a moment.

'There's no way this bastard knows anything at this point..' Akio thought to himself.

He neither rose to the provocation nor acknowledged it. 

“Please, take a look.” Velvet Don gestured, smiling.

The evidence box opened with a muted click, its anti-mana insulation humming softly as the seal disengaged.

Inside lay a warped, twisted object.

Sealed.

Inert.

Akio knew what it is from a glance.

“Interesting.”

Velvet Don smiled faintly. “Indeed, isn’t it? We never seen anything like this before, Detective. It’s… strangely demonic, yet human.”

“I can’t say for sure.” Akio replied. “But you may be on the right track.”

“I’m honored!” Velvet Don said, closing the box. “We’ll clear the area and submit our report by morning. Allow us to continue investigating for now.”

Akio turned his back and walked out of the tent.

“Suit yourself.” He replied and left for home.

On the way, the police officer kept making small talks to Akio until he reached home.