The Adventure of the Century-Long Turnabout

Prelude to Turnabout

June 21, 4:00 pm

Kura'in International Airport.

It was just like any other day, sunny but not too hot, the perfect weather to go and walk. Plus, Kura'in is a good place to wander around all day without getting bored. This is exactly what the Wright Anything Agency were thinking as Phoenix, Trucy, Athena and Simon were walking in the street, ready for their vacation.

Apollo had invited them since he had a ton of work and couldn't afford to travel, but still he was excited to see them again.

The Wrights went to buy some snacks first, leaving Athena and Simon to join Apollo.

" Justice-dono is quite popular, huh?" commented Simon.

" I'm kinda jealous. But look! He has a cool dragon on his office's sign!" she stared at the colorful sign, she never expected to see Apollo's name all alone. Mr. Wright was very proud of him but for her it had felt so quick and weird. She still expect him to come at the Agency like every morning, pour on some coffee and maybe scream for a while, the office was so quiet since he left...

"Let's see if he's in there" Simon rang the bell, but after some minutes there was no response. He tried again and even hit the door a few times but not a single sound answered to him. As they started walking away Athena noticed that a window was broken.

Something was wrong...

Phoenix and Trucy were approaching.

" Athena, go with Trucy" said Simon, ordering more than asking.

" What? Simon, I can help!"

" I need you to watch over the young girl."

Athena felt a shiver running down her spine, what they could find inside the ruined office may not be pretty. She aproached Trucy and talked to her trying to not scare her, but Wright knew something was amiss. Simon pointed the window to him and he got close, entering the office trough it just a moment later.

The office was a complete mess, it seemed like someone had emptied all the furniture and dropped all the insides over the floor. There were glass shards from the window.

"Whoever dropped all the papers did it before the break in, the glass covers the paper" thought Phoenix, but then a small moan caught his attention. As he looked at the source of the sound he felt his entire body going cold... "Apollo!"

Apollo was slumped on his chair, right in front of a desk, his head low and his arms full of cuts hanging limply by the sides, but what made the scene horryfing was the long sword sticking right out of his chest, making his vest turn a sick deep red tone. But he looked so pale...so...dead.

Phoenix ran to him and checked his pulse by his neck. There was still a faint beat, so slow that it made Phoenix's hands shake. Apollo opened his eyes a little and looked at him, his gaze clearly pained and glassy.

" Mr...Wright..." he tried to speak but his voice was weak and he coughed, his lungs were making a rattling sound.

" Don't speak Apollo, you will be fine, just hang in there!"

Simon called an ambulance. Phoenix needed to keep Apollo alive but he couldn't think on how to stop the bleeding when the sword was still in there.

" Oh god, who could have done this?" Phoenix was talking to himself, but Apollo listened.

" Hound..."

" W-what?"

" Jour...journal...red...book..." Apollo was making his best to talk, like he needed to say something. Phoenix thought he was delirious until he looked at the desk, finding a small red notebook. "Take...it...police can't...see it..."