Soul's Requiem: B1 - 25. Ghost Of The Past (Patreon)

1:  Clover Emberfield

Soul's Requiem Index

Previous Chapter

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“Hazel, what is this transevil doing out of the experimentation zone?! [data lost] It doesn’t show any aggression, and [data lost] likes it… Transevil are not pets! [data lost]. Five months, and it still acts more like a helpful robot, fetching things than anything else. Hmm. [data lost]. She won’t stop crying about her doll? Fine. She can keep it since she’s getting stronger, but only if you are around, otherwise, return it to the facility.” - Clover, High Lady of Ice, The Lost Diaries, Vol. VII

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Passing through the doors to reach the back room, Clover noticed separate rooms to her left and a place to store goods to her right, where the exit was. Leaving the building, she mentally marked the loading area she entered; it would be better to access the hideout away from prying eyes, and judging by the look a few workers gave her, they knew to keep their mouths shut.

Her vision went to the darkening skies while proceeding to Jessica’s grandmother’s apartment. Laurence would have Lily make contact when she awoke, but someone else came to mind that she wanted to check up on.

Melissa’s face expanded, moving the 3D map to the background, and after a few seconds, the woman’s bright, rested face came into focus. “Clover! I heard you’ve been very busy; umm, I’m a little annoyed that the general let me sleep through most of it... I’m going to have to give Erin a piece of my mind, as well.”

“I’m glad they did...you look much better, and I see you’ve taken a shower by the look of that beautiful golden hair.”

“Thanks! I’ve been thinking about trying a new braid after seeing yours… Uh, but heh, is there something you want to talk about? Sorry, I’m just blabbing a little.”

“Mmh, not really. I wanted to see how you were doing and see what reports you’d seen so far.”

“Oh, uh-oh—am I missing something? It sounds like I should open my inbox to see the big reports... Oof, so many,” she winced. “I don’t typically sleep too long—that fight on my own really drained me, though…”

Clover’s eyes drifted between the flocks of people walking nearby; the streets were filled with people now, going about their tasks that were prevented because of the storm and SPU operations. It was a bit sad to see most bikes had carts attached, loaded with their possessions as they prepared to leave Hollow Veil.

Faith in the SPU’s ability to protect them in the town appeared to be hitting new lows after the news of the hidden base spread; she’d heard a few people talking about it on her path from Tamara’s hideout.

She waited for Melissa to scan through the documents, the blonde mumbling to herself to show Clover she was doing something, but a sudden shiver down her spine brought her on edge. Unease settled in her gut, and instinct flared—something wasn’t right.”

She spun in a slow circle, examining the busy road she was on; her sixth sense picked up a threat, yet it couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, and her mind instantly went to the jester.

Filtering out Melissa’s whispers, Clover flexed her left hand; she didn’t want to call her Spirit Armaments away from Yumi since this could be Castro trying to delay her items for his performance.

She figured the jester likely had some idea of the parties she associated with, and he may try to startle her to slow the crafting process down and play into whatever stage he was setting. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t interrupt the young woman’s study.

Her light-blue serpent irises illuminated as she subconsciously amplified her senses, drawing many unsure stares from the crowd moving around her; the long, braided platinum-blonde locks would obviously draw eyes, but the glow and slit pupils appeared to be the cause that made people nervous.

Clover’s mouth pulled in, her gray dress pressing against her legs as the wind picked up, and she continued to scan the throng. She was in a high-volume area since it was the quickest route to reach Jessica, yet her senses hadn’t been stimulated like this before—she was being watched—and unlike the citizens, this gave her cause for caution. 

“Is something wrong?”

Vision wandering the area, Clover’s sight lifted to the taller, multi-story buildings. “It’s probably nothing... Were you saying something, Melissa?”

“Oh, uh—I saw the file on the shapeshifter taking on the form of Castro, and ugh... I’m seeing the letter he sent you from the report the general linked to me, as well. How much time do you think we’ll have before he makes a move? Oh, and by the way, it’s a relief Isngneal is dead; did you get anything good from him?”

“Mhm... One second.”

Clover shifted directions, passing into an alley as the pressure against her chest increased—danger was near—moving to a less populated area where she could identify her pursuer was critical.

Unfortunately, an elderly woman was already in the back street, hobbling down the path on her daily tasks by the woven basket around her thin, shaky arm. Briskly moving to the left of her, the hair on the back of Clover’s neck stood on end—thunder cracked from the fog above.

Something’s coming…

Darting to the right, her arms came out, hand supporting the woman’s head as a boom resonated through the alley. She swept the shocked elder off her feet and jumped; a streak of orange sent a blast of kinetic force with the power of a tank smashing into the concrete where the woman had been, fracturing the ground.

A spear—and what’s with that blade?!

Twisting at the last second to take the brunt of the shrapnel, coral arcs of lightning ruptured the earth and created a charged field, ionizing the air as it parted the flowing mist; whoever this was, they were fast.

A stone sank into Clover’s gut as a figure wearing what appeared to be a tattered black-and-gold cloak phased into existence in the electrical storm, fingers closing around the shaft.

Clothed in a damaged, white-and-blue-themed full-body suit with the fingers cut and tennis shoes, the snarling fire-haired girl wore a helmet that allowed her long locks to exit in a high ponytail and hold her bangs out of the way.

Clover caught sight of a black metal chest piece that guarded her top as she slid the spear out of the ground in a fluid motion to engage her; she didn’t have time to think.

Kicking off the escape-route platform on the second floor and using her energy to reach the top of the four-story building as fast as she could, she barely dodged the streak of lightning that swept under her, burning part of her dress. The girl wasn’t done with them, though.

In the next instant, a dangerous-looking kite shield nearly the size of her body fell from above to beat them to the ground, forcing Clover to reposition to the wall. She thanked her sharp senses and reflexes while the woman screamed, basket long gone; the most troublesome job was maneuvering as she kept the elder stable.

“Grrah!” The teen growled in frustration, flipping her weapon around and making Clover panic; yet, instead of aiming it at them, she launched it into the heavens, causing a blast of rolling thunder that made Clover wince.

Expecting her to teleport high to throw another bolt from the sky at her, Clover propelled herself off the wall in the few seconds that had passed in their exchange to gain distance; she realized her mistake too late.

A savage grin split the girl’s cut and bleeding lip—her shield appeared behind the teen as she jumped, taking a knee on the bowed surface—in the next second, she tackled her at a speed Clover couldn’t believe; it knocked the air out of her lungs, making her see stars.

Hot energy burned both her and the woman in their rise above the town; there was no way she would survive that charge, yet...she was still whimpering and clinging to her. Why was she still alive?

No…

Carried high into the air, dread crawled up Clover’s spine as she forced the crying elder off of her, allowing the girl to kick her away and convert to energy, teleporting to her spear high above them. Fog obscuring the sky, a flash of orange lightning arced from above, blazing past Clover in a roar to meet the elderly woman.

Except...the woman was now suspended in the air, defying gravity, the sparking point of the weapon balancing on the edge of a playing card. Castro’s wrinkled lips parted in a sly smile, the elder’s brown eyes flashing with the neon glow of the shapeshifter.

Energy arced from the spear as the girl returned to the weapon, snatching the shaft with one arm to flip around and cut the hovering jester in two with the elongated blade—clearly meant for slashing.

“Will everyone just leave me alone—ack!” she screamed, yet the clown twisted with a snicker and kicked the girl’s abdomen, perfectly aiming between her chest piece’s front-lace straps and forcing the air out of her lungs.

Clover landed on a rooftop, alarmed as the girl gagged, fiery aura dispersing with her armor—she’d been knocked out of Hysteria—showing an even more tattered bodysuit than before. Castro flipped around as if gravity didn’t matter, punting her to the 4-story building below.

Clover only just landed as the girl tumbled across the rocky roof not two meters away. She was moments away from calling the Viper Blade until she got a full view of the coughing and curling-in girl, causing her brain to seize. The teen’s aura faded, flaming hair turning sparkling silver and whipping around her face in a tangled mess without her helmet—it was impossible—Clover only came to the one answer that made sense.

“Leora?!”

The clown revealed his true, ominous presence and took a bow with a gleaming smile. “Half of the gift, my lovely princess! What is to come?! Hehehe. To the next scene!” Twisting backward to enter the crowd below, blue flames gave him a new form to blend into the panicking crowd.

“Clover?” Melissa cried. “Clover! What—where are you—is someone attacking you; is that Castro?!”

Ignoring her frantic voice, Clover took a deep breath, chest heaving a little as all other thoughts vanished. Everything else faded as she ran to her niece to kneel beside her.

“Leora—a-are you okay—what in Rosa’s—”

The silver-haired girl slapped her hand as she tried to clean away her messy locks, spitting and coughing while stumbling back and glaring at her. “Don’t touch me! Y-You idiot! I... Idiot! Ack!”

Red patches covered parts of her body and torn suit, hatred in her niece’s bleeding face as she forced herself up, almost tripping before catching herself. Her javelin appeared in her hand again; it was as if she didn’t even recognize they were family.

Clover didn’t know how to respond, mind reeling as she got a better look at her face; she looked so similar to her aunt Seline that it was uncanny. Despite being her brother’s little girl, she was practically the reincarnation of her aunt, excluding her sister-in-law’s deep, sapphire eyes. “Are you really L—Leora, where are you...going?”

“Rosa’s heel, I had him! Ugh! Just...just leave me alone!”

Numbly, all Clover could do was watch as Leora threw her weapon, seemingly unable to summon her armor or shield; the throw couldn’t get her more than a few streets over, yet she vanished nonetheless, leaving her speechless.

Melissa was a muddied mess in her brain as her niece disappeared into the fog; perhaps the most alarming thing was that her energy smelled like Tyler’s, yet it was far more potent.

Is Leora alive? What if she’s not... What if this is another plot by Castro to mess with me?

Shaken to her core, doubts raged in her thumping heart, unsure how she should process the encounter. Cry? Laugh? She wanted to give chase but knew this wasn’t right—it didn’t make sense—she had to get answers. Someone was lying somewhere.

“Clover! What’s happening—I hear people screaming around you—thunder everywhere!”

“Give me a second, Melissa,” Clover responded, hanging up on her to glare at the jog, fingernails digging into her palms as she tried to settle her beating heart; she wanted to cry. “Could Leora actually be alive?”

She’s strong—definitely Class-3...possibly a bit stronger than me at the moment, yet she never once tried to hurt me... It’s like she didn’t recognize me at all, though. Does she know who she is?

“Ggrgm!” Her left fist struck the wall in irritation as she used it as a support, her legs feeling weak.

If Castro’s tricking me—it’s all a game to him—to have me princess carry him out of danger as I come face to face with my dead, little niece—I don’t know?! It’s disgusting to pull this on me; I can’t believe I fell for it! I was stupid... I allowed Leora to get hurt…

Hot steam passed through her teeth at the humiliation and insanity of the situation filling her breast, and now her dress was in bad shape from her niece’s lightning. At least it wasn’t raining anymore.

Jaw locked, she shifted her numb legs to the left to examine herself; her fingers were actually shaking, and three significant chunks had been taken out of her dress; the most agitating one was at her armpit, which included damage to her bra, but at least it held. A part of the bottom left side of her dress was blown apart, as well, and a line across her abdomen revealed skin.

Now that the conflict was over, cautious hope rose within her throat; taking a few breaths to ease her hot blood and trying to stretch her legs, she rubbed them to hopefully get the liquid flowing again or refocus her scattered brain—she didn’t know.

What should I do? I can’t just let that go if she really is Leora... How could I? She was supposed to have died with my dad, so…

Not wanting to even play with that string in her heart, she only focused on what she knew; her niece—not that it seemed she knew it or would care—may be alive. She might not be her child biologically, but she felt a maternal instinct for her—likely the only one she may ever feel otherwise. It took five minutes for her to settle the jitters in her belly, her legs feeling barely there; it felt like an eternity under pressure, but after calming down, she returned Melissa’s several repeated calls.

“Clover! Clover! You just hung up on me when you were under fire! I heard reports of lightning going everywhere in the northeast! What happened—your dress is totaled! What about that old woman I saw—is she okay—what about Castro?”

Once the spirit user’s questions passed, Clover puffed out a long stream of air, scratching her neck. “She was Castro in disguise... I was tricked into playing his game. Melissa... I might be going crazy, but I think...I think my niece—dammit, I don’t know what to think now!”

“Woah! Slow down,” she urged, stepping off to the side as soldiers rushed down the hall to respond to the disturbance in the area. “Help me understand!”

“I...think I just met my baby niece. Melissa... I’m going to call the general; I’m sorry, but I need to get proper answers. The threat is over on my end; I’ll call you back later.”

“Okay…”

Rising to put pressure on her leg, Clover stretched a little, balancing on each foot before making the call and staring in the direction she’d gone.

“Issues, Clover?” Laurence instantly asked, already smoking another cigar.

“You said there were two other people that exited the Void—one was a streak of orange lightning—and the shapeshifter likely can’t be one since we can now assume he’s been manipulating Isngneal over the last few days, leading him to Hollow Veil. Have there been sightings of anyone else?”

“Mmh... Well, I’ve already explained the orange energy spirit user to you, so you must be referring to the other one. We thought it was dark green, but on closer examination of the footage, the streak was swapping between green and blue…more in line with your Spirit Force—cyan-hued. Other than that, we haven’t found any trace of them from the landing site. Why?”

“Hmmgm.” Clover swallowed, scanning the still-anxious crowds below while trying to come up with a direction to take this conversation. “I’ve, uh...I’ve met your spear spirit user... You’re sure she fell from the Great Void—she’s not an old or hiding spirit user?”

“Why would they need to hide?” Laurence asked, and Clover figured it was likely him seeing if she knew about whatever happened to the previous spirit users. “Your clothes aren’t looking too hot, either.”

“Ugh. I don’t care about that right now,” she sighed, rubbing her burning forehead with agitation. “I have too many things to worry about.”

Laurence’s eyes narrowed as he sat forward. “Now I’m worried because you are the type of girl who is very concerned about her appearance. What’s happening, Clover? Something about this female spirit user has really upset you, and to a degree I haven’t expected.”

She doubled down. “You’re sure she fell from the Great Void?”

“Yes.”

“Okay... Okay.” Clover rubbed her neck, now pacing a little as she thought, unable to ease her tight muscles. “What would you say if I told you she looked exactly like she fell out of my family tree, was around my age, and takes after my aunt to an uncanny degree?”

Focus fixating on the tight-lipped man, she watched him process it and lean back, fingers resting in his lap. “What would I say? The bodies of your niece and father were DNA tested, Clover; they died three years after you went into the Void.”

Fingernails sinking into her palm, Clover rubbed her arm with her knuckles. “There would be dozens of reasons—a false report or planted evidence, perhaps breakthrough clone technology—I don’t know, and I don’t care. She looked exactly like what I’d expect Leora to look like...it was uncanny. I need answers, Laurence.”

He promptly asked the obvious, making her roll her eyes.

“Did you talk to her?”

“Of course I did! She, mmgh, wasn’t in the best of moods, and it looked like Castro had been hunting her to show her to me… What did he mean by only half the present? How would Castro even know about my niece, what my aunt looked like, or what characteristics to take from my sister-in-law that naturally blended with the Emberfield uniquely altered DNA that gives us our hair?”

“It could be. regardless, altered DNA?” the general muttered. “There always were rumors, but have you considered that the same process was done to another girl? I understand this is upsetting and that you want to hope your father may still be alive from this revelation, but we should be calm and approach this with a healthy degree of skepticism…especially with Castro in the picture.”

“I...know,” Clover grunted, rolling her neck to ease her tension and redirecting to distract herself from going crazy. “Okay, what about Lily?”

“Showing signs of waking soon, so far as I can see on her monitor.”

“Alight, have her call me when she’s ready for the operation; I have to call my other contacts to continue pursuing this lead.”

Laurence shifted his paperwork around to get to his keyboard. “I’ll do what I can from my end. As for Lily, I hope this plan works.”

“So do I... Can Melissa be there to heal her after I make the cut?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ending the call, Clover stared at the dark sky, clearing up as the wind increased to sweep away the last remains of fog. So many moving pieces… And why Leora?!

Jumping into the alley, Clover did her best to not be distracted by the looks she got and went down a few less populated paths to attempt to catch Castro following her again, but it didn’t yield any results.

She paused at a junction, fingers tapping her side as she debated going straight after Leona, but knew if it were her, she’d want time to cool off after someone ruined her day, much less an assassination attempt on the creature trying to kill her.

Needing anything to distract her from the incident to let her nerves settle, she stopped in front of her destination and knocked on the door. A rustling came from inside, and an elderly woman’s voice made Clover smile, recalling time with her own grandmother.

“Jess... Jess, I think someone’s at the door—no, my ears aren’t goin’ bad—I’ll prove it!”

Clover followed every step the woman took, practically being able to see the heat of her movements through the doorway as she hobbled to the entrance with a cane. It opened to show a rather tall woman, a few inches more than herself and likely the same as Leora.

Rosa! Stop thinking about her! I hate that I’m not sure if I should find her or not; what is Castro’s plan for bringing her to me?! 

Her attention snapped back to the elderly woman as her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Oh, deary, aren’t you a beautiful young woman? That hair is—oooh, my, uh... Lady Jose Emberfield?!”

“Hehe, I’m flattered, but you’re thinking of my mother; I’m Clover Emberfield, her daughter.”

“By Rosa. Oh...umm, would you like to come in?”

“Grandma, what are you—huh—who’s this? Ouch! Hey!”

The elder brought her cane around to smack the knees of the red-haired, blue-eyed woman that came up behind her; her appearance made Clover internally curse at how many things brought her mind back to Leora—that flaming hair was so similar to her changed form.

“Show some respect, Jessica; this is Lady Clover Emberfield! Please, if you could come in, Jessica will make us some tea and cookies; she may not be good at baking, but it’s edible.”

“That’s so mean—who’s a lady—I’m lost…” Jessica mumbled, pulling her hair to the side and bending down to rub her shins. “Woah, she’s pretty, but look at the dirt on her face and those clothes—ouch! Hey, I’m just saying—is she some damsel running through the forest or something?! Shoot.”

Clover giggled while entering and closing the door behind her, the elder berating her granddaughter. “Please, Ms.…”

“Mikay,” she happily replied, shooing Jessica to the kitchen to fetch the refreshments. “I must ask if there is anything we can offer you, Lady Emberfield. Ah, I know; Jess may have something to replace that tattered dress that she’s not using!”

Her divided brain reflected on the topic, making up her mind to pursue her niece after this since she couldn’t get the girl out of her thoughts and she knew she’d regret not following this lead; if she was going to meet Leora, she didn’t want to do it as she was.

“I...may take you up on that—I’m a spirit ruler now and was recently involved in a fight.”

“Eh—spirit ruler?!” Jessica piped up, poking her head out of the kitchen. “Wait, eh-heh, why would a new spirit ruler be here?”

Ms. Mikay teared up, plucking a handkerchief from a side drawer to dab her eyes. “Have your illegal activities caught up to you, Jessica—I’m so sorry for her dirty deeds, Lady Emberfield. Please, is there anything I can do?”

“Why are you instantly thinking it’s about me?! Woah, and way to rat me out, Grams!”

Laughter bubbled in Clover’s chest that she’d forgotten existed; in a way, she hoped to have a similar meeting with her niece. “I love your relationship. No, Ms. Mikay, I am actually here to recruit Jessica; Tamara has recommended you, and Parker gave me your address.”

“Parker!” the elder’s eyes brightened, seemingly accepting she was involved in the underworld without batting an eyelash. “He’s such a wonderful young man—hard working! Jessica’s engaged to him, actually.”

“Mmh, it’s off and on,” Jessica grinned, scratching the side of her head. “So, Parker’s finally broken down and is willing to apologize, huh?”

Her grandmother gave the woman a light glare. “Oh, he’s a good one—I bet it was your fault; you like to take too many risks, and he worries about you.”

“It was an easy run—everything was fine!”

Watching the two go back and forth, Clover took a critical eye to the young woman. She was two inches taller, had curly copper hair, and light-blue eyes; appearing to be in her early twenties, Jessica was reasonably attractive and seemed to have an outgoing personality.

What kind of a person would... No! Focus!

Clearing her throat, Clover held out her hand and spread her materials across the carpet, SF light making the two jump. “I was told to ask you to refine these to Class-3 materials. Do you have something I can pay you with?” she asked, directing their attention to her earrings as they projected the transfer method.

“Oh, perfect! Class-3, huh? Mmh, that amount is low for my usual rate—ouch, quit hitting me, Grandma!”

“That is Lady Clover Emberfield!”

“So? I don’t know anything about the Emberfields... This is business, Grams.”

Clover waved to grab her attention. “Really, it’s fine, Ms. Mikay.”

“Thank you, Lady Emberfield, but... I heard the news that you disappeared fifteen years ago—I was so stunned—oh, you were taken by the Voids,” she hummed, looking at the material, and a sad note touched her voice. “I’m so sorry about your family; the Emberfields were such an important part of bringing peace to Skydream.”

“I do appreciate the respect you’re showing, Ms. Mikay; it warms my heart to see people still love my family. I do have places to be... Something very important to me right now; otherwise, I would love to stay and chat, but there are threats to handle.”

“Yes—yes, of course, but please stop by again, Lady Emberfield... If you need answers, I’m happy to be of service. I’ve tried to follow everything that happened to your family. I know it might also be a sore spot, and I understand that; this old woman is here for anything you might need—your mother was there for me when I needed it.”

“My mother did love to do charity work,” Clover whispered, a small, sad smile on her full lips; if things did work out, maybe Leora and she could stop by to hear this old woman’s stories. “I would be honored to spend an evening discussing the past, Ms. Mikay.”

As they talked, Jessica ducked into the back to grab a wrist device to happily make the credit transfer. “Right, uh... I’ll get in touch with Parker; we have a lot to discuss!” she grinned. “I bet he’s panicking about what to get me—it’s just like him.”

Clover didn’t see Parker like that, but then again, she wasn’t in a relationship with him or knew the man that well, to begin with. “Alright. Yumi is already looking over my Spirit Armament, so you can give the products to Tamara or her.”

“Sounds wonderful,” she commented before giving a mischievous chuckle. “Trusting me, huh—what if I short you?”

“That wouldn’t be good business dealings when your golden goose only gets rarer materials out of having good products to kill stronger monsters.”

“Oh-hoh! Hehe, quite true! No, I’m not going to cheat your precious Lady Emberfield, Grams; don’t look at me like that!”

“You’ve been so rude, Jess—that’s not like you... Oh, you should go through your wardrobe to see if anything will fit her!”

“Eh—I earned all of those! Parker bought me a lot, too.”

“I would like a less...ruined outfit,” Clover admitted and forced a smile. “I can pay you later for something you’re not torn on getting rid of.”

“Mmh... No, no, Grams is right... I’m just a little annoyed right now. It’s nothing big—just a deal that went south. Umm, yeah, let me check.”

Ms. Mikay beamed with pride as she returned not long after with some old blue jeans, a black blouse, and several bras. “Uh—some of these are from the old world and don’t fit the best for me—my mom used some before she died, too... Rassi attack,” she muttered at Clover’s questioning look.

“Sorry.”

“It’s the world,” she shrugged. “I wasn’t here when it happened—I’m a Class-0 spirit user like Yumi—heh, not much use for me other than simple work for the Trade Union.”

Her grandma gave her a light glare. “Don’t sell yourself short, Sweetie; you have a very rare gift to process goods taken from the monsters, and you met Parker through it, so that’s something.”

“Not wrong, Grams,” she laughed. “I’m special stuff, huh?”

“Thank you, Jessica.”

“Jess, Jessy, Jessica, heh, Rosa, some people call me Cinna, like Cinnamon! Whatever works best for you.”

“I like using people’s full names.”

“Suit yourself! Ready to try them on?”

Being guided to their bathroom, Clover washed up on the elderly woman’s insistence, using their personal and illegally modified shower while sorting through her thoughts on what to say to Leora, not that she came up with much.

She learned in the process that typically, one apartment could use a set allotment of water, but theirs had some kind of addition Jessica had installed that bypassed the restriction but cut off access to hot water—the cold didn’t bother her, though.

Dressing in the new articles, she came out to compliments.

“Oh! Now, I can see the lady in you,” Jessica snickered, vision moving up her figure. “Hmm... I have a brown belt that could help—yeah, let me grab it, and some two-inch black heels my mom had might fit you, if you want—they’d be better than those atrociously generic SPU shoes.”

Clover smiled and giggled slightly. “You’re spoiling me; are you sure?”

“No one’s using them,” she shrugged, curly hair bouncing as she jogged back into a room to grab the items. “They’ll look darling on you, too! Ah, here we go!”

After finishing the dress-up game, Clover thanked the two and left the apartment, feeling much better after the positive experience. She paused before entering the street, fingers finding her hip as she sighed, resolving herself to confront the nervous jitter in her belly.

Lily still hasn’t woken up... I have so much to worry about, but...but Leora is my little niece, all grown up. I have a responsibility to her mother and my family to make sure she’s taken care of. Castro probably attacked her and has been trying to kill her since before taking an interest in me and discovering our connection... I can’t leave her alone!

Blood boiling at the thought of Castro harming her niece, she set out to track her scent, searching around the area she’d seen her leave; in the state she was in, Leora couldn’t have gotten far without rest.

She didn’t know if she should feel happy or nervous when she finally discovered her scent; her thoughts went to Tyler upon sampling the smell of her energy again. Her focus drifted to the man’s profile as her earrings showed one of the portraits of her captured memories of the successful banker.

Right... Maybe I can get some answers from him. How are the two of you connected? Could she have had the same experience as him? Despite what Laurence thinks, they aren’t spirit users... At least not the typical way, like Melissa.

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