080 A Rose On The Heart

Erebus turned into his wolf form at the sight of the shoe, and the whole world turned from red to blue.

No scent.

There was no obvious scent around the shoe, not even like someone throw it here, more like, it appeared there from thin air.

But it didn't belong to Kitty either. It was clearly a children's shoe.

Confused, Erebus started to look around that area, only to find another dead child, not too far from the shoe, leaning on the foot of a tree. It was a little boy, and while he was wearing similar shoes like the one Erebus found on the ground, he had both his shoes on his feet.

Erebus sighed and looked around. The scent on the single shoe was very fresh, the owner should not be far. But there was no trace of him, or her, whatsoever around there.

Erebus was gonna howl and call out to the other wolves, when he noticed that the boy had a backpack beside him. If there was anything that could indicate the boy's identity, like a name, or anything else, Erebus might be able to know whether he belongs to the missing kids' list.

He shifted back and reached out to the backpack, and that was when he saw--

In the dark, scarlet glow, there was another dead boy right by the side of the dead boy, coddling his cold body.

He had only one shoe on.

Erebus froze in shock right there, staring at this spooky scene.

The two boys not only dressed alike, but also looked alike. Looked like they were brothers, but somehow Erebus could only see one of them when he was in his wolf form.

Why?

What was more important, was that he didn't even pick up the boy's scent, when he was right over the boy's body. Yet he could see the shoe of the boy, like somehow the red world hid him from the blue foggy world, and erased his trace all together.

He remembered seeing a pair of brother's names on the missing list of the seven kids. Tylor and Mason Frost -- if they WERE them, the body was too decayed to be sure.

Could they be?

Erebus pulled out his phone and called Metis, while going through the boy's back packs, looking for anything that could indicate a name.

"My Lord." Metis's calm, trustworthy voice came through.

"Metis, the missing kids' list. Could you pull out their parents' information? I need the info of the parents of Tylor and Mason Fro--." Speaking in a fast tone, Erebus suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"My Lord?" Metis asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Erebus said in a sullen voice, staring at the notebook he just pulled out from the boy who was missing a shoe. In a child's crooked handwriting, there was the name, "Mason Frost" right there on the cover, "Their parents?"

"Yes. The mom is a writer, while the father a firefighter. They both are local people, have been there all their lives--"

"The mom. Is she a known witch?" Erebus cut her off.

"Oh, I see." Metis was obviously a bit shocked, but she quickly adjusted and didn't let out much of a hesitation or confusion, "I need a moment."

"Call me when you know." Erebus hung up on her, and squatted by the side of the boys, looking close at them.

There was a dead rose on the chest of the boy missing a shoe.

Someone put it there? This thought alarmed Erebus sharply--

Who could it be? Whoever it was, it complicated the situation.

The rose must had been put there after the kid was dead. Otherwise, it won't be still on him. Whoever saw the dead boy didn't went through his back pack to look for information, didn't try to alert the authority, and wasn't even in shock, it seemed like. They took the time to find a rose, which wasn't any near the site, and put it on the dead boy's chest.

Was it a symbol of mourning? But if so, wouldn't the right thing be returning him to his parents? Or maybe, this someone couldn't get out themself? But if so, how could they had survived for so long?

Or maybe, it was the little boy's dead brother who did that, right before he died by his side. Could it be? Then why didn't he get himself one as well. And, where would he even get a rose in the first place?

Too many questions and possibilities. Erebus robbed his hair and decided to reach out for the rose to take a closer look when--

His phone rang.

"Metis, speak to me." Erebus stopped reaching for the rose as he answered the phone.

"You are right, my Lord. She's a known witch." Metis' voice had a shred of surprise hidden, "And she was assigned there, by the King."

"When?" Erebus asked.

"Some years ago, but the order had the queen's shadow in there." Metis knew right away the hidden meaning in Erebus's questions: did the King had his clear mind by the time he gave that order.

"So she's here on the mission of the queen." Erebus said.

"Or the Queen hated her that much to exile her here. Let's face it, even out of the tower, the whole city is actually penal colony." Metis disagreed.

"I see." Erebus said in a dark voice, "Do you think a witch mom could have two kids but gave only one of them the blessing of magic?"

"I personally have never heard of any specific case like that." Metis said, "But I think it's possible. Because not every witch's kid has magic."

"I think you are right..." Erebus mumbled, "Thanks, Metis. You did well today."

"Anytime, my Lord. Did you get in some trouble?" Metis said, and for the first time today, her tone had a shade of worry, "Do you need me to come over?"

"It's okay. I'll handle it." Erebus shook his head a bit, "Talk to you later."

"Be careful my Lord." That said, Metis waited until the busy tone rose before she put down her phone.

Erebus put away his phone before he reached out to the rose again, and his movement froze the moment he touched the rose --

The rose was grown out of the boy's chest, not put there.