Chapter 36.3: Phantom Blood

  The scene outside the hospital was absolute chaos. Reporters swarmed the hospital entrance, thrusting cameras and booms into the air like spears. Cameras flashed as reporters jostled for the story of the day – perhaps even the year. Police had sealed off the hospital grounds and were struggling to contain the surge of journalists and curious bystanders.

  Ace and Dante squeezed past the crowd. As they tried breaking through the perimeter, an officer surged up to them and barked, “Hey, you can’t enter! Authorised personnel only!”

  A stocky man jostled his way through the swarm of officers. He looked up and took a moment to regard Dante. "You've changed plenty, Higashino."

  “Detective Mikami,” Dante greeted. "How could you tell that it was me?"

  "The only thing that hasn't changed is your height. Still as tall as ever," Mikami said gruffly. "Come on in."

  The same officer who blocked them from entry protested but was silenced quickly. “Makishima-kun, let Higashino-san in. I called him here,” Mikami said.

  Ace followed Dante's footsteps and stuck firmly next to him. Mikami’s eyes swept over him a few times, not noticing him at first. Ace kept staring at Mikami until they locked eyes.

  “Wait, is the kid with you?” Mikami asked at last.

  “Yes. He’s my assistant,” Dante replied.

  That’s some promotion. Ace squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest, trying to lend credit to Dante’s statement. With a cock of his head, the detective let him pass.

  “Let these two gentlemen here enter the crime scene first,” instructed Mikami.

  The officer, addressed as Makishima, protested again. Ace found himself quite amused by two moles under Makishima’s right eye that moved animatedly as he made his complaint. “Huh? You are letting them in?! But forensics aren’t here yet, we can’t-”

  “Look here, kid. You and I know that whoever did this is not human! Do you think this will look good on us if we can’t crack this case?” Mikami reprimanded Makishima. “Now go! Tell the rest not to get in my way!”

  Makishima scurried away to relay orders.

  Ace surveyed his surroundings. Nurses and doctors were scrambling to redirect emergency cases to other hospitals. There were a few who were vomiting into paper bags and were being comforted by their colleagues. They should be the ones who found the bodies.

  The detective turned to Dante and Ace. “Three high-ranking staff members were killed,” he said gravely. “Dr. Kenshin Matsuda, the hospital’s director. Dr. Kamiko Akiyama, the assistant director. And Dr. Nori Iwata, Head of Surgery.”

  “They all died in the same manner?”

  “Ahem, yes.” Mikami wiped his brow with a handkerchief and let out a sigh. “Never seen anything like this in my whole career. Maybe it’s a sign for me to retire. It’s best to leave at the peak of my career, eh? Luckily, I only have my mother and myself to worry about. With what I have, I can retire comfortably after I close this case!”

  “Understandable.” Dante had nothing but disinterest written all over his face.

  “I’ll leave you to do whatever you need to do. My officers will take statements from the staff members.”

  One of the officers led them to Dr. Iwata’s office and handed them gloves and shoe covers. “Please only step on the foot plates we arranged,” she said.

  “Are you ready for this?” Dante asked once they had donned their protective equipment.

  “It can't be that bad, right?” Ace shrugged.

  Dante pushed the door open, only for a scene of carnage to meet their eyes. “EEYER!” Ace let out a gasp and covered his mouth.

  “Please refrain from making such noises even if you are not used to it,” admonished Dante. “It is not very respectful.”

  It was plain as day that a normal human would not be able to carry out such a heinous act. The body had been divided up into thin slices, and the sections were fanned out as if someone had spread cards on a table. What seemed to be the top half of the body was splayed across the table, with some sections having fallen on the ground. Strangely, the head was intact.

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  Whoever did this wanted his victims to be quickly identified, Ace deduced.

  “Who would do such a thing?” Ace winced, blocking his nostrils with a finger as the smell of old blood flooded his nose. It reeked of rusted metal, seeping into the countless documents strewn across the doctor’s table, rendering them nearly illegible.

  “Someone with a vendetta against these individuals,” Dante replied. “Or someone who would benefit the most if management were killed off.”

  “It could be both.” Ace stepped around gingerly like a cat balancing on its toe beans. He was careful not to touch anything. As he was looking through the bookshelf, a translucent figure caught his eye. The apparition hovered near the office doorway, its form flickering like a bad television signal. It was waving its arms frantically, desperately trying to catch the attention of the people around it who passed by unseeing.

  “Dante.” Ace jerked his chin sharply in the direction of the figure. “Is that Dr. Iwata?”

  “His death must have been rather sudden,” Dante noted, as casually as if commenting on the weather. “Roaming Phantoms form when they have not truly understood that their lives have ended.”

  “Should I tell him?”

  “You can, but you must exercise due caution. These phantoms can degenerate into Cursed Phantoms very quickly,” Dante replied. “Especially when confronted with the realities of their deaths.”

  “Can I take a picture of the scene?” Ace asked. "I'll delete it later."

  “Do whatever you deem useful.”

  Ace nodded and excused himself after snapping a shot of Dr. Iwata’s head. Better purge it once I'm done, he thought.

  Ace could see the white, pulsing core at the centre of Dr. Iwata's phantom form, beating like a second heart, radiating an otherworldly luminescence that made him seem like he was breathing. Dr. Iwata's head swivelled frantically, jerking from person to person as he tried to call out. Each time someone walked straight through him without so much as a shiver, his movements grew more desperate

  “Uhm… Dr. Iwata?” Ace inched closer, tightening his grip around his retracted staff, which he kept stuffed in his pocket.

  Dr. Iwata whipped around so fast his form blurred at the edges. “Finally! Someone who can see me! I thought I had gone mad!” he exclaimed, his voice trembling with raw relief.

  Ace swallowed hard, acutely aware of the curious glances from passing staff members who probably thought he was talking to thin air. “Could you follow me?” Ace beckoned for him to follow. He wound up escorting Dr. Iwata through the sterile hospital corridors to a deserted stairwell. The fluorescent lights hummed and flickered overhead as Dr. Iwata immediately began to pace. For a phantom, he was still as sure-footed as a human. He looked at Ace with wide, expectant eyes.

  How do I break it to him that he’s dead? Ace inhaled sharply and rubbed the back of his neck, which had grown warm. No matter what, he’s going to flip. I might as well use this moment to extract some memories.

  “Erm… Dr. Iwata, you…” Ace began hesitantly, stalling as he reached for the modified bomb he had been hiding all along. He had hoped it would come in handy someday – but never imagined it would be under circumstances like this.

  “What’s going on? Why are you hemming and hawing?” Dr. Iwata demanded.

  “Dr. Iwata,” Ace said. “Do you remember what happened to you before you realised that people could not perceive you? Maybe you could also think about the people you met during that period.”

  Dr. Iwata placed a hand on his chin and pondered. Swift and practised, Ace stuck the bomb into Dr. Iwata's arm while he was deep in thought. The device sank through his ethereal form like a needle through mist. With a push of a button, the extraction began immediately. A cold pull drew the Essence out in wisps of glowing energy. Ace's jaw tightened as he watched the device work, guilt roiling in his stomach.

  “Hey! What are you doing?! How did you…” The doctor pulled back his arm, his disbelief morphing into alarm. His words died in his throat as he stared transfixed at his arm. Where the device had punctured, his form rippled and distorted before slowly knitting itself back together, the translucent flesh reforming like water finding its shape.

  “You’ve been murdered,” Ace stated plainly while avoiding eye contact. There was no beating around the bush for this one.

  “Murdered?”

  Ace tucked the bomb into his bag, and he took out his phone. “That’s you,” he said as he showed him the photo of his corpse. “I’m sorry.”

  “What? How did I…” Dr. Iwata’s eyes widened. His mouth opened, but words came out in a jumble. The understanding that he had just died slowly sank into him. All the years robbed from him, as well as unfulfilled desires, collapsed into an infinitesimal moment. The core pulsed and started to darken.

  A part of Ace’s mind froze, mourning how the doctor had been struck down in the prime of his career, while another part screamed at him to act. Shaking off the paralysis, he snapped back to reality, drawing his staff and flooding it with Essence.

  Ace ended it with a simple stab to the core. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as death finally claimed the aggrieved doctor. He retracted the staff and breathed deeply, calming his rattled nerves and headed back to Dr. Iwata’s office. He met Dante in the hallway. Dante's whip slithered up his arm and looped back around his finger as a ring. “There were two other Roaming Phantoms that I had to deal with,” Dante said. “Was Dr. Iwata tough to deal with?”

  “A bit,” Ace fibbed. “He got me quite good.”

  “Not ubiquitous across Roaming Phantoms but also not unusual,” Dante said. “We will head to the other victims’ offices to gather more evidence. Brace yourself, it is not a pretty sight.”

  Ace looked down. A numbness had started to creep up his arm, but he shook it off as he steeled himself. “Alright.” He nodded firmly and swallowed. “I’m ready.”