The scent of lavender and ash lingered in the corners of Rin's clinic.
She hadn't slept. Her hands were ink-stained, and the fire in her hearth had long burned down to embers. But her mind was alight—filled with the Silver Lotus, with whispers of rituals that should've never existed, and with the silent threat left at her doorstep.
She was folding the letter back into its hiding place beneath the floorboard when a knock echoed through her chamber again.
Not soft this time.
Sharp. Direct.
Rin froze.
The sound of boots followed. Heavy ones. Too measured to be a messenger or a patient. She gripped the edge of her worktable, heart steadying itself before her voice followed.
"I'm closed."
The door creaked open anyway.
Kael Renjou stood on the threshold, dressed in his black investigator's uniform, a silver chain fastened across his chest, and his expression unreadable.
"I didn't ask for permission," he said.
Rin narrowed her eyes. "And I didn't ask for a visit."
His eyes flicked around the room, sweeping over the notes on her desk, the scattered scrolls, and the single jar of preserved moonroot still sitting beside the open journal. "You've been busy."
She said nothing.
Kael stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.
"I know about the second body," Rin said. "Same alchemical mark. Same warmth. You came to ask what I've found, or you wouldn't be here."
He studied her, not moving.
"I came to see if you're still hiding something," he replied.
Her mouth tightened. "If I were, would I let you in?"
"Maybe. Maybe you want me to find something."
They stood in silence for a long moment. The fire crackled softly in the hearth. Kael's gaze moved to the sealed black note sitting on her desk.
"You got one too," he said quietly.
Rin hesitated, then nodded.
"Same seal?"
She nodded again.
Kael's expression darkened.
"I had someone follow me yesterday," he said. "Three men. Not palace guards. Not imperial. But trained. And they knew how to disappear." He paused. "You're not the only one digging into something dangerous."
Rin crossed her arms. "You want help. But you don't trust me."
"I trust that you want answers," Kael said. "Same as I do."
That was enough.
It wasn't friendship. Not yet. But it was honesty.
Kael reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed document.
"Autopsy order," he said. "Third body found this morning. East District. Noble-born. Similar signs."
He looked at her.
"I want your help. Officially."
Rin blinked. "That's not a request I expected from an imperial investigator."
"It's not a request. It's a deal. You help me with this investigation, and I won't have you arrested for tampering with evidence and stealing imperial property."
She scoffed. "Is that what this is? Coerced cooperation?"
Kael leaned in slightly. "This is survival."
Rin hesitated.
If she worked with him, she'd be inside the case. She'd see the truth firsthand. She could trace the connections herself, not through half-burned letters and forbidden texts, but through the evidence the empire was already collecting.
But she'd also be watched. Closely.
Kael studied her face. "I've read your files. You studied at the Empress's College of Natural Sciences. Specialization in bio-alchemy. Expelled for violating ethical standards."
Her jaw tensed. "I was trying to save a patient. A child. Using techniques the college hadn't approved."
"Unlicensed blood manipulation," Kael said softly. "I know. I also know you were the only one who could've saved him."
She looked up sharply.
Kael's tone changed. "I'm not interested in judging your past. But I need your mind now. And I need it focused."
Rin stepped back, her expression unreadable. She opened the drawer, pulled out her gloves, and nodded once.
"I'll do it," she said. "But if I find out you're using me as bait..."
"I'd never waste good bait," Kael said, almost smiling.
The tension cracked just slightly.
---
They walked through the quiet streets, avoiding main roads. The East District was older, with buildings huddled close together and shadows that clung to alleyways like secrets. Kael didn't speak much, and neither did Rin.
When they reached the examination chamber, the third body had already been brought in.
Another noble. Mid-thirties. Pale. Still warm.
Rin pulled on her gloves in silence as Kael watched from the corner.
She examined the corpse carefully, noting the same alchemical marking—though this time, it looked slightly... different. Sharper. More recent.
She made her first incision and flinched.
The blood inside shimmered faintly. Not red—almost silvery.
"What the hell…" she murmured.
Kael stepped closer.
"This isn't just blood. It's mixed with something. Like an infused mineral. But it's reacting like... it's alive."
Rin took a sample and held it to the light.
The silver threads in the blood pulsed slowly, rhythmically. Like a heartbeat.
Kael frowned. "What does that mean?"
Rin's voice was soft. "It means someone didn't just alter the body after death. They altered it before."
"Before?"
She nodded. "Whatever this ritual is—it starts before they die. That's how the body retains warmth. That's why the soul doesn't fully leave."
Kael looked at the corpse again.
"We're not chasing a killer," he said quietly.
Rin met his gaze.
"We're chasing someone who thinks death is just a step in a longer process."
They stood there, both of them realizing the same truth.
The mark wasn't the end.
It was the beginning of something much worse.
---