Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 47: CASE VIII - THE MYSTERIOUS FRIENDS OF LITTLE SLYVIA

Case 8: The Mysterious Friends
of Little Sylvia (The Digging
of Information Chapter,
Part Twelve)

ROSALINDA

"Do you hold any grudge against the victim?" I asked them, but they didn't answer. Nagulat sila sa pinakauna kong tanong, at napatingin sa ibang lugar. And I guess that's the answer to my question.

Nasa sala kami ngayon, sa ikalawang palapag, at nakasandal ako sa railing ng hagdan. Meanwhile, Dmitriy is standing in front of them, with the kids sitting on the sofa behind him.

"So, do ya?" pag-uulit ni Dmitriy nang ni isa sa kanila ay walang balak sumagot.

"I do have a grudge, and it’s been there for too long..." The woman, who we learned earlier during introductions is named Amanda, finally spoke. She is the older sister of the victim. "Dahil sa kaniya, mayroon akong ligyrophobia. If she just hadn’t provoked an organization before, sana walang namatay sa eskwelahan namin noong high school pa kami. I tried to stop her, but she kept provoking them, at hinahamon pa niya ang organisasyong 'yon."

"What organization was she provoking?"

"Ebon Consortium."

I gritted my teeth. Herald Mortiferum, huh?

"Ebon Consortium?" Dmitriy tilted his head. "I ain't never heard o' that organization before," pabulong niyang sabi sa kaniyang sarili. "So, you said that she provoked them? Can you tell us why, at kung paano niyo nahanap ang organisasyong 'yon?" Siya na ang nagtanong ng gusto kong itanong sa kaniya.

"We were just reading a book that time in the school's library, and then there was a map that piqued our interest because it looked so familiar," she said, crossing her arms tightly as though to comfort herself. Her body was shaking again as memories flooded her terrified eyes, a sign of the traumatic past she'd had since discovering the Ebon Consortium. "After we researched the map image from that fictional book, it led us to a rural area. Nalimutan ko na kung saan at ang pangalan ng lugar na 'yon, but because of her curiosity, she wanted to go there at pinipilit akong sumama sa kaniya."

Tumahimik saglit ang buong paligid, hinihintay siyang tapusin ang kaniyang kinukuwento.

She continued. "Since next week ng mga panahong iyon ay Holy Week, napagdesisyunan naming puntahan ang lugar sa third day ng Holy Week. When we arrived, we entered an abandoned school there. The school building and name in the story we read were similar to the abandoned school we visited. Pagkapasok namin doon, mayroong isang letter na nakapaskil sa tabi ng pinto."

"What did the letter say?" Dmitriy asked.

"We still have kindness within our hearts. If you don't want to die or for anyone to die—then please go back where you came from. Leave this place." She recited what was written on the letter. "But that's all I can remember. Alam kong marami akong na-miss na nasulat doon sa nakapaskil na letter. And yes, the letter was written by one of the members of Ebon Consortium, Lucifer."

Lucifer, huh. Now that she mentioned that name, I can't help but wonder who the man earlier was. I'm not saying that he is Lucifer, because we haven't met the other member who is part of their Seven Deadly Sins—Leviathan. Lucifer and Leviathan... I wonder where they are. But I hope they’re not lurking around.

"Lucifer?" Dmitriy repeated.

"Sinabihan ko siyang umuwi na lang kami, but she insisted on going further into the school. Kahit anong gawin ko, ayaw niyang makinig. She even said, 'This person who wrote this letter is such a coward! How about they face us, huh? And don't scare us with their creepy letter...' And then she laughed." Hinigpitan niya ang kaniyang pagkakayakap sa sarili. If only I knew how to comfort someone, kanina ko pa siya kino-comfort. But, I'm bad at those things. "After that, we met a kid—a little girl who was holding a revolver in her left hand and a pistol in her right. She was pretty, but we couldn’t help but be terrified when we saw she was covered in blood. She stared at us without any emotion. At that time, I thought it was the end of our lives. I thought she'd pull the trigger, but she didn't. She just stood there, staring at us as we escaped the place."