Soul Digger-Chapter 64: CRUEL PERSONAS

Rolan pressed the edges of the paper, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. The written message was as confusing as it was terrifying.

The people were fading.

Rolan had to break down the sentence and analyze the meaning of each word just to fathom the message. The people he saw, met, and interacted with could most likely be fakes, puppets, or clones.

Out of the whole sentence, the words "we’re fading away" squeezed his chest like a lime; the words fuzzed in and out, the gravity pressing down on Rolan where he stood. Worst of all, he could neither react nor show emotion, as the strong feeling of being watched grew increasingly present. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Rolan laughed hysterically. "What a joke."

He tore the paper into tiny shreds and tossed it into the waste bin at the corner of the street. Without a second glance, he tucked his hand away and brushed off the message—or so it seemed.

’Is this related to that being I released in any way? What was its name again...’ Rolan pondered as he walked back. ’Oh yeah, Neataruzo!’

’He did something similar to Arthur. Was the North Pole affected by its reality warping?’

Rolan tried hard to construe the situation; many reasons flashed through his mind, yet he was still rather ignorant about the supernatural world. Thus, making any assumptions was a reckless mistake. For the time being, he had to play along.

"Rolan!" A familiar voice called from behind. It was close; the person was right on Rolan’s heels.

He turned back and saw Snider panting, his clothes damp with sweat. "I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Cole!... I mean, Rolan!"

Rolan arched a brow with a stoic face. ’I forgot Snider was still suspicious of me.’

"What is it?"

Snider barely had the strength to muster words. In a dry voice, he whispered in a panic, "There are no bodies in the inn!"

Rolan’s expression switched to something between shock and bewilderment. "How is that possible?" he asked in a harsh yet low voice.

"We don’t know. The others and I cleared the rubble, but we didn’t find anything—no corpses, body parts, or any sign of burnt flesh."

Both of Rolan’s brows shot up his forehead, and he gritted his teeth in suppressed rage. ’No way!’

’Is he really Cole Raden?’ Snider wondered, studying his reaction to the news. Rolan covered his gritted teeth and stretched his lips into an excited smirk.

"Things seem to be getting interesting."

Rolan blurted this out—a farce of course. He changed his direction towards the left road; from there, it was a straight path to the Western Nickel side, a shortcut he was vaguely accustomed to. Rolan dashed off, his speed greater than a sprinting athlete’s. At first, Snider watched him scurry off with a lost expression.

As Rolan’s figure thinned due to the distance, Snider swiftly followed like an obsessed shadow. Each turn, leap, and curve Rolan made was almost perfectly replicated by Snider. The snow graced their clothes and skin with its powdery white appearance.

Rolan hopped over a tall wall; using his hand like a grappling hook, he tossed himself over and landed with high proficiency. Snider copied him thoroughly yet stumbled at the top of the wall, slamming his back against the thick snow filling the ground.

Behold, they arrived at the scene of the incident. Rolan had to see it with his own eyes, yet he was still embraced by a sense of disbelief. Each piece of wood, iron, and aluminum was separated accordingly, leaving only a few standing planks and short pillars. Ceaser and Nagita were also present, skepticism etched into the core of their faces.

Rolan rubbed his eyes and paused his breath; the letter’s message tormented him like a haunting melody. The silence birthed from the shock made the words echo loudly in his head, repeating like a broken record.

’Help us Indulgers, WE’RE GOING TO FADE AWAY.’

’HELP US INDULGERS, WE’RE GOING TO FADE AWAY!’

’HELP US!’

’WE’RE GOING TO FADE AWAY!’

A small tug from Snider drew Rolan’s dispersed thoughts back together. His mask was slowly cracking; the biggest proof was his watery eyes and a drop of sweat sliding down his face. Snider caught on but feigned ignorance.

"Are you doing okay? You seem to be drifting into space."

’So he is Cole Raden.’

Rolan’s mind went into full gear trying to formulate a believable response; the intense stare Snider gave him made it difficult to generate one.

"I was just wondering..." Rolan steadied his lips as he spewed his next set of lies. "...If there are no bodies, what could have caused the fire? And what about the girl and her brother?"

Snider inhaled a sharp breath impulsively. Rolan’s response was well thought out and believable, but he still held doubts.

’This bastard human! I know for a fact, you are indeed Cole Raden.’

"The girl is still unconscious," Ceaser answered from the front. His body sat sadly in place like an abandoned puppy. Nagita seemed to be piecing things together right beside him; not a single peep escaped her lips as she analyzed the scene with a simple stare.

"As for the fire, there was an old steam machine inside. Its iron pipes were rusted; on top of that, it was set to high gear." He spoke with a somber, clearly strained voice. "According to all the evidence gathered, the machine exploded and the flames spread through the wooden interior."

’I don’t know why, but this can’t be the cause. There’s more to it.’

A male rookie from Ceaser’s team asked with a shaky voice, his brown hair a plaything for the wind, "Does this mean... their deaths were a result of negligence from the staff?"

Ceaser rolled his lips back until he nearly swallowed them, pressing his eyes together as though fighting to hold back vomit. With a stern yet sullen voice, he responded, "Yes, that’s what the evidence suggests, at least."

Bitter as the words may have been, it was the only conclusion solid enough to be regarded as "The Truth." As for the staff, nothing suggested they had fled. All the doors and windows in the inn had remained locked since the 11 o’clock curfew enforced by the rules. The presence of the charred door key remaining in place was the biggest proof.

Still, that much remained speculation.

Snider quietly continued observing Rolan’s body language; nothing seemed out of place. Rolan wore a stiff, calculating look similar to Nagita’s.

’Big Shaggers, Aunt Augusta, the missing citizens, and the people’s behavior are all connected to the trial. I was afraid of this,’ Rolan contemplated. ’If this is true, it makes even less sense to send freshmen here as a task.’

’Are we being used as scapegoats?’ The mere thought shot an uncomfortable feeling down his spine. The drowning sensation he had felt before resurfaced; this time, it felt like he was submerged in mercury—a warmish, wet yet dry feeling caressed his body.

On the outside, he looked deviously unperturbed. Rolan smoothed his hair back with both hands and sharpened his gaze. "Where’s the girl?"

Ceaser dimmed his demeanor and went into a melancholic slump as the cold wind swayed his features. He maintained a heavy pause at Rolan’s question, building up as much tension as the situation allowed.

"Why would you like to know?" His gaze shifted slowly towards Cole like a rusted door.

"For the sake of the investigation."

Ceaser stretched a faint, lingering frown as his stiff brows merged with his dangerous expression. "The investigation is closed. The fire was caused by negligence." His tone was eerily low.

Rolan barely heard it from the distance but grasped the full idea. "Are you sure you want to do things like this, Ceaser?"

"If anything happens, I’ll bear the full brunt. That’s why I’m in charge."

They locked eyes for a moment; the cold snow felt absent in the presence of their heated glares. Snider spectated, a smile twitching on his face.

Nagita ignored them, focusing on the remains of the inn. She pressed her fingers against her lips and narrowed her eyes. ’Some things don’t quite add up.’

"If you say so, I guess." Rolan stepped back. "You’re the leader, after all."

"Is this your smart way of requesting to join my group, swindler?"

Rolan smirked and threw up both his hands. "Absolutely not."

"You do you, and I do me. In the end, the only thing I really care about is completing the trial." He continued.

"And this place’s people?"

Rolan scoffed at the question and adjusted his shirt. "They’re all litter blocking my road. Even if I had to sacrifice all of them to complete the trial, I gladly would. I don’t really care for them, and my aunt is missing; what reason do I have to pity them?"

Ceaser furrowed his brow, wrinkles drawing on his face from rage. Despite how much he combed his mind, he couldn’t find an answer to Rolan’s question.

"There are no corpses to bury nor mysteries to solve. I have no need to associate with you amateurs; you lot aren’t serious about what you want." His words blended with his movements. "Unlike you, I aim to become a full-fledged Indulger."

"And kill Cole Raden, that bastard accomplice."