Shine of the Dark Moon

Chapter 6

Esmeray slowly opened her eyes and found herself in the dimly lit interior of I.M.P's office, disoriented and confused. The room trembled as aftershocks from the unleashed power of the grimoire reverberated through the walls, sending shivers down her spine and knocking her to the ground.

The atmosphere in the room gradually quieted down once again. Esmeray reached out and tightly gripped the edge of the front desk, using it as a support to pull herself up.

Esmeray carefully surveyed the office, noting the stillness that permeated the space. Every detail seemed to be in its rightful place, contributing to the serene and undisturbed atmosphere.

"Dad...?" Esmeray called out, her voice echoing through the empty room. The stillness seemed to envelop her, yielding no response to her call. Frowning, Esmeray's gaze wandered around the room until it settled on a door adjacent to the front desk.

The door had the words "BLITZØ OFFICE" written in big crimson letters, Esmeray couldn't recall a time when she had ever gotten a chance to see the inside of her Dad's office.

Esmeray was engrossed in her thoughts when she suddenly heard a low, vibrating sound emanating from inside her Dad's office. Intrigued, she slowly made her way to the door, her hand reaching out to the golden doorknob. With a gentle tug, the door creaked open, revealing the stillness of her Dad's empty office. The sunlight filtering through the window highlighted the stationary desk, casting long shadows across the unoccupied space.

Esmeray approached her Dad's desk, drawn by the vibrating sound. As she looked closer, she saw her Dad's phone lying on the desk, with the words "Stols ❤ ️" displayed on the screen, accompanied by the gentle vibration.

Esmeray stood there, her gaze fixed on the phone as seconds ticked by like hours. Suddenly, a notification flashed across the lock screen: "73 missed calls from Stols ❤️". A second notification quickly followed: "73 voicemails from Stols ❤️". Feeling a rush of emotions, Esmeray reached for the phone and attempted to unlock it, only to be confronted with a pentagram symbol, the phone required a password.

Esmeray paced back and forth in the room, racking her brain for her dad's password. Suddenly, her dad's phone rang with an unknown number flashing on the screen. Despite her hesitation, Esmeray mustered her courage and answered the call. "Hello?" she said, only to be met with a sinister chuckle on the other end. "If you know what's good for you, Sweetheart, you'll stop searching for your rodeo clown of a dad before someone gets hurt," the voice taunted, its southern drawl adding an extra layer of menace.

Esmeray's jaw nearly hit the floor as her courage turned to irritation. "Who is this? And how did you get this number?" she demanded, storming out of her dad's office. She checked the windows, half-expecting to see the mysterious caller standing outside. It was bewildering how he knew she was looking for her dad, let alone that she was in his office at that very moment.

"Let's just say I'm an old acquaintance of your dad's, and as to how I got this number... well, I have my ways," the man's voice oozed with smugness. "But let me ask you something, little lady, does your dad even know you have his fancy-ass book, or that his disgrace of a daughter left home to go play detective even though she's way in over her head?" The man's voice mocked Esmeray, and she felt a strong wave of anger take over her senses.

The man's voice sneered, "Aww, is the little Goetian princess gonna cry?" Esmeray felt anger welling up inside her as she fought back tears. "Well, as much fun as this little conversation of ours has been, I didn't call to chit-chat about how much of a joke you and your pathetic excuse of a family is. I called to say tell your blue-blooded dad that if he doesn't show up in wrath for the harvest moon festival, you're never gonna see your Dad, Aunt, Uncle, and Step-Sister again. And just to make sure your dad doesn't get cold feet or thinks I'm bluffing." In the background, there was the chilling sound of a gun being loaded and muffled screams, as if multiple people were trying to yell at once to no avail.

"I'll cut off one of their limbs and mail it to him just so he knows I'm not playing any games." The man on the other end of the line let out a dark and menacing chuckle as Esmeray stood there speechless and horrified.

Esmeray was frozen in place, feeling like the floor had glued her to it. "And one more thing," the man added as the muffled screams on his end faded into the distance. "The next time you want to go out and start playing detective, don't." The call abruptly ended, leaving Esmeray in complete silence, trying to process the intense conversation she had just experienced.