Sebastian, who had been hovering close by and listening to their exchange, walked over and addressed Joseph with a note of curiosity in his voice.
"You two plan on heading over there tonight?"
Joseph turned to look at him and nodded. "Yes, I was going to take Charles to the Hidden Domain."
A thought crossed Sebastian's mind, and he quickly spoke up. "No need, Joseph. You can head home and rest tonight. I'll take Charles myself. I have business in that area anyway."
Joseph looked surprised. "Are you sure? It's no trouble?"
"Really, it's fine," Sebastian replied, waving him off. Then he turned to Charles. "So, Charles, how about it? Come with me tonight. We'll have time on the way for me to explain things in more detail."
Charles readily agreed, grateful for the chance to ask about yesterday's rituals. "Sure. Thank you very much."
Joseph offered his thanks to Sebastian for taking some of the burden off him.
Once they had all talked it through, Joseph and Charles headed to Edward Cavendish's office to discuss the plan. They found themselves once more at the door, where the same brown-haired secretary sat, diligently working at her desk. She glanced up, mild surprise flickering in her emerald eyes at the sight of the two men returning so soon.
Charles hesitated, remembering how he had behaved earlier. Feeling remorseful, he approached her desk.
"I'm sorry for my behavior before," he said quietly. "I lost my composure in front of you."
She offered him a small, understanding smile. "It's all right. Sometimes the job can really push our buttons. I understand how it goes."
"Thank you for understanding," Charles said, dipping his head in a slight bow. Then he turned to Joseph. "We'd like to see the boss again, if possible."
She nodded and opened her appointment ledger. "He's free at the moment. Go right ahead."
Joseph rapped lightly on the office door, waiting for Edward's confirmation before pushing it open with Charles at his side. The secretary returned to her own work, though a faint smile lingered on her lips.
Inside, Edward listened attentively as they explained their intention to gather information from the City Guard for the sake of the ongoing investigation. Without delay, he pulled out a letter of authorization from his desk drawer.
Charles took it from Edward with a grateful nod. Holding the document in his hand, he felt a pang of guilt. He recalled his earlier outburst and turned to Edward, speaking in a contrite tone.
"Sir, I really want to apologize for my behavior. I lost my temper at you when you have enough to worry about already."
Edward, well-accustomed to the frustrations of a stalled case, merely waved him off.
"It's all right," Edward said with a mild gesture. "I understand you want to close this case quickly. Sometimes our drive makes it hard to keep our emotions in check. It happens to the best of us."
Relief washed over Charles. He bowed his head once more. "Thank you for understanding."
Edward gave an approving nod. 'Charles is just as Joseph described,' he thought. 'Hotheaded but not foolish—and at least he admits when he's wrong.'
Night fell over the capital in a hush. The moon shone bright in the clear sky, exactly as they'd hoped. Charles guided a carriage with Sebastian seated inside, making their way to a cemetery located in the city's middle district. The clip-clop of the horse's hooves echoed against the cobblestones, marking a steady rhythm in the tranquil darkness.
Charles decided to strike up a conversation, partly out of curiosity and partly to pass the time. Casting a sidelong glance at Sebastian, he asked, "Mr. Sebastian, if you don't mind me asking, those ritual spells you used—where did you learn them? They're quite impressive."
Sebastian went quiet for a moment, as though weighing whether to tell the story at all. In the end, he decided there was no harm.
"Everyone in the special division already knows, so sharing with you is no big deal. Before I joined the Suppression Division, I was a member of an organization called the White Tower of Wisdom."
Charles's brow furrowed. The name was entirely unfamiliar, conjuring images of yet another mysterious group.
'White Tower of Wisdom? What's that? Another secret organization I haven't heard of?' he thought to himself.
Sebastian sighed, gazing out the carriage window. "They're a fanatical cult, really. Similar in nature to the Purging Order and the Script-Decipherers we've already dealt with—another dangerous organization. But the White Tower of Wisdom is different in that they want to elevate humanity as a whole…"
He trailed off, as though reluctant to continue, but after a moment he pressed on. "They believe in the coming of an apocalypse, like the Script-Decipherers do, and think humans must evolve to survive it. Unfortunately, their methods are cruel. They kidnapped people to experiment on them, twisting their bodies into monstrous forms. They never cared how many victims died in pain, so long as they reached their goals…"
Charles let out a low breath. Ever since he had joined the Department of Supernatural Suppression and Defense, he'd seen no end of horrors. Still, he couldn't help remarking inwardly, 'Each secret organization I encounter seems worse than the last—not a decent one among them.'
"That's... vile," he muttered.
Sebastian nodded gravely. A shadow of sorrow crossed his features. "Yes. Even among their own ranks, people were divided—those who endorsed the savagery and those who didn't. I was in the latter group, trying to negotiate for more humane approaches. But it was futile. They eliminated dissenters one by one."
"Eventually you fled and ended up in our special division?" Charles ventured.
A mirthless laugh escaped Sebastian's throat. "Exactly. I couldn't stand their brutality anymore—living in constant fear that I'd be their next target. So I risked my life, betrayed them, and alerted the Suppression Division."
He sighed, looking worn. "Our department offered me a deal: If I helped gather intelligence on the White Tower of Wisdom, they'd grant me amnesty and protection for others who opposed the group. We could either join the special division or live under watch. In the end, I chose to join. That was years ago. As for the White Tower's main base in this kingdom, they were taken down, much like the Script-Decipherers."
Charles listened until Sebastian finished, not quite sure how to respond. His mind buzzed with one more question, though, so he asked, "You say this kingdom's branch was destroyed, so that means the White Tower of Wisdom might still be active elsewhere in the world?"
Sebastian nodded, his voice turning resolute. "Yes. They're a large organization, much like the Script-Decipherers. They have numerous branches scattered worldwide. We managed to wipe out the main branch here, but they aren't gone entirely."
Charles nodded, beginning to grasp the global network of these secret factions. Then his thoughts returned to Sebastian's use of magic and ritual. He hazarded a guess:
"So it sounds like you learned most of your magic from the White Tower?"
"That's correct! Each clandestine group has its own strengths and quirks," Sebastian explained. "The Script-Decipherers are probably the most dangerous and mysterious, blending occult magic with Ascendants, giving them a wide range of supernatural abilities. The Purging Order has no Ascendants because they despise powers, so they focus on collecting weapons, cursed objects, and specialized potions to fight those with powers."
"As for the White Tower of Wisdom, they have more mages than other groups. That's why their knowledge of magic and forbidden arts is so advanced. Their research into special potions is particularly sophisticated."
He tapped his chest lightly. "I studied ritual magic from them. That concealment rite you saw me perform at the carpenter's shop yesterday—yes, that came from the White Tower. Care to know how it works?"
Charles, already intrigued, nodded eagerly. "I've been wondering exactly that."
Sebastian chuckled, clearing his throat before launching into a jovial explanation. "First, I had the City Guard spread that special powder around the perimeter. That marked the boundary. The shop lay within the powder circle, forming the ritual zone. Then, once inside, I set out that large sheet of parchment on the floor and sprinkled more powder in a ring—defining the area once again."
He raised one hand, gesturing as if illustrating the steps. "Next, I poured black ink into the center. That symbolized the 'cover' or 'veil' needed to hide the place. Then I picked up some wood scraps from inside the shop, placing them onto the parchment to link the ritual with the actual premises and its contents. After that, I started chanting the incantation..."
Charles listened intently, dividing his attention between Sebastian's words and the horse's reins. His curiosity soared the deeper Sebastian delved.
"Typically, when I chant, I'm borrowing the power of the deity I follow, rather than expending my own. I worship Mund Clavis."
Charles blinked in surprise; he had half-expected Sebastian to follow the more mainstream faith of Fatus Rex.
"In the arcane tongue, I invoke Him by a grandiose name—something like 'the Ruler of the Eternal Wheel of Existence, the One present everywhere'... Once the chanting is done, I cast another layer of powder, representing the final overlay that conceals and blurs the location. That's how the concealment is completed."
Charles nodded slowly, picturing the elaborate sequence. "So the incantation basically calls upon your deity's power, instead of using your own?"
"More or less," Sebastian agreed. "You can adapt such spells to rely on your own energy too, but it's the ritual structure that really matters. The reason I prefer to call on a deity is because a large-scale rite like that consumes an enormous amount of energy. If I tried to channel it all myself, I'd risk 'arcane cancer.' I'm not an Ascendant, so I can't tap into that level of raw power."
"Wait, so being an Ascendant automatically gives you a greater capacity for magic?" Charles fired back immediately.
"Certainly!" Sebastian answered, eyeing Charles—the newly elevated detective. "Once you become an Ascendant, even if you had no magical talent before, you unlock some ability to use magic. How far that goes depends on your power's specific nature and your rank, of course. But everyone gains at least some capacity."
It was new information for Charles. He felt as though each passing day opened yet another door to the hidden corners of this world.
"There's plenty more out there," Sebastian remarked, noticing Charles's thoughtful silence. "You'll learn a bit at a time."
Charles grinned and nodded, grateful. Meanwhile, the hooves of the horse pounded rhythmically as they drew closer to the city's central cemetery. With every word Sebastian spoke, Charles's curiosity about the secret supernatural realm only sharpened—though part of him still reeled at how dangerous it all truly was.
Their conversation faded into the hush of night as the carriage rolled into the graveyard, where a thin fog hovered between the tombstones. The place lay quiet as a whisper, so still one might hear their own heartbeat.
Parking near the gates, Charles and Sebastian dismounted carefully, turning to face the silent resting place for the dead—also a gateway to another realm: the Hidden Domain.