Hide could not believe one week of investigation would turn up this much juicy info.

His decision to get as buddy-buddy as possible with Loukas turned out to be a lot more pleasant than he thought. Kinda thought he would be hanging out with a whiney wet blanket for that entire day. The boy still was to an extent but he got his charm.

They have hanged out before, but this activity outside the manor without Carly made him forget his reason for suggesting it. All he wanted was to get the boy relaxed and talking, but what he got instead was a movie, a lunch and some cool threads.

He honestly forgot how nice it was to hang out with another person like that.

However, the guy’s weird creepy interest in his mom brought him back down to the reality of the situation.

Ugh, he got some terrible Oedipus vibes from the whole damn thing. Loukas was... nice... Too nice. Unsettlingly so.

Sweet, kind of fun to hang around and mess with. The man blushes way too easily for his own good making him a treat to tease. Loukas must have always been that way, even whilst he was chatting with him to get information on the manor itself for his escape. He was sweet and genuinely enjoyable.

It's been a while since he had just relaxed and not felt bored. In fact, these past few months were, as much as he disliked all his co-workers, were fun.

He was, of course, too smart for those pencil-pushing ass-kissing dipshits at his new job, but he... He liked the time he spent with Carole and Loukas.

Carole was an uppity girl who he enjoys messing with, but if he was, to be honest, they got on the same level of understanding too many times to count. Too bad she does not want to admit it. There was also that minor fact about the little angel that made him realize there was more to her than at first glance.

He instinctively flattened his annoying fluffy ears once his mind went to the thought of him gathering up his money and ditching this shitty manor. It was something he had been planning for years and still planned to do now.

Why was he hesitant now?

He got nothing here. Despite his goat-like features giving him away as something lesser, he knew outside of Ildens would have better prospects for people like him.

He had a criminal record he could get rid of, and ass-hats he can ditch with no issue or worry of them following him.

But when he thought about leaving those two, he felt... Empty.

Damn it, Carole better reply to his message soon because the boredom is messing with his common sense.

The little goat-man laid on his bed, waited by his phone to ring with a reply. He tried to enjoy the momentary sun rays that beamed through his window as he allowed his ears to flick and his tail to wag in peace.

He sent in all the information he gathered from both Loukas and his solo investigation, so there was not much more for him to do.

He in the meantime had to program a safe system to store all the information they obtained for organizational reasons. He also had to do the boring task of guess what? More research. Carole already called dibs on researching the church itself.

Bitch gets the fun part.

That place always seemed to provoke an odd reaction out of her. So maybe it would reveal something else for the duo to look into.

Disliking physical labour, as per usual. He looked into the one thing that was honestly made him uneasy ever since his abduction by these creeps.

The dog statues all over the place as the religious imagery of Orbis.

Hide shamefully had to admit in his youth he was a highly religious boy and researched every day in all aspects of Orbis so he could one day become a preacher. That was before he realized what an impossible goal it was for a man like him. So that career dropped for sex and fun stuff.

Still, the imagery was one he had never seen before and was the one thing that had most caught his eye.

What branch is this cult, Averlive or Dodssyp?

What’s with the dogs?

He knew his usual technology-focused communities would have little to offer in that knowledge. So he went on to the more religious focused forums whilst he researched via normal means on another tab. He slipped in as a fake account and asked the simple question.

“What does the dog represent regarding Orbis?”

As expected, a flame war ensued as Hide, despite it being a waste of time, read on in amusement at the back and forth. Some members claimed many lovely things. His personal favourite was “in with the gay conspiracy.” Sounds like a cute thing to join, but it’s probably full of lame idiots, anyway.

However, once he felt bored pretending to be an ignorant innocent internet heathen, he found a specific reply that caught his eye. It was so similar to what he found elsewhere. The dog represented Orbis themselves.

“That is what blasphemous evil cults used to represent Orbis, you idiots! These places worship animal sacrifices, witchcraft and-”

His eyes glazed over the post as he continued his search.

Dogs were occasionally used to represent Orbis themselves in ancient texts. Easily retrieved text for him to "access" from museum resources and sites.

Old idiots need to update their cybersecurity.

Sometimes Orbis was the dog creature, other times they had a dog head, sometimes a simple human with a dog mask, but all had the same thread of connecting them.

All represented Orbis themselves. A figure throughout his religious childhood and was told as taboo to even illustrate or imagine a name and a face.

As interesting as this was, he could not find what that has to do with the smog or the colder temperatures.

A different interpretation of religion has little to do with the temperature changes of a city.

Just as he was about to roll off his bed groaning with boredom his door suddenly opened causing him to turn his eyes towards the sound meeting that angel girl with notes in her hands, a pen behind her ear, messy hair and a face full of indifference.

He knows he can get those sullen lips of hers to crack a smile he just needs to do his killer moves.

“Caaaaaarly, I’m sooo bored,” he whined as she walked in and sat on his bed.

“Stop being bored,” She said, “It's not that hard.”

He pouted, swinging his legs behind him, “But you barged into my room without knocking. I could have been dressing, pervert.”

She tilts her head to the side showcasing how unbothered she was by his remarks and pats his shoulder and said dryly, “You shouldn't project your traits onto others.”

To anyone else, this would seem like two people making jabs at each other, especially when her face and tone did not change as usual.

Actually, it was two people making jabs at each other, but Hide at this point knew her better. Even though her facial expressions are poor and her tone flat, he knew she was joking along… in her own way....

Maybe.

So he smiled cheekily at the girl poking his finger onto her cheek, “Aw, that’s why you love me.”

He expected her to tell him to screw off or a flat, very sarcastic agreement, but she was more focused on her notes.

Rude.

He felt the tinges of concern and something else he refused to acknowledge. He was aware of those feeling what they were. He was not an inexperienced teen anymore, anyway.

He flops down beside where she sat as she glanced at him, “You know Carly, I’ve gotten some supplies and some online connections. So maybe I can make a better brace on you, cus clearly, one you wear is complete shit if you’re still in chronic pain. Like damn complete trash,” He swung his legs behind him as looks up at her.

The corners of that Glasgow smile twitched as she simply closed her eyes and said, “Nice offer. This is not about my pain issue.”

“Typical has to be all cryptic and shit.”

In response to his remark, she flopped on his bed and raised up, in her hand, a little black conical shaped devise, the size of a guitar pick. Her intense eyes focused on him and it may be just him, but the dark circles underneath her eyes may have gotten darker.

“Found this while snooping in that church… underneath the angel wings,” She pulled out a note from her pocket, “Also this note... Don’t worry, this is just a rewrite. The original note’s still in its original position.”

Hide gave her a curious look as he looked down at the note himself as it said the following;

"Symptoms and observations to look out for in the future heirs of blood and protocol to follow."

So… this oddly shaped flash drive contains the file for this kind of shit.

Without another word, Hide pulled out his laptop and once he made sure the device did not contain a virus to mess up his baby he carefully plugged it in.

Password-protected, not anything too hard with his skills. Once he had access, he opened the files and read the contents within. Carole, as curious as he was, set her cane aside as she forgot her aversion to people in her personal space as she breathed down his neck as they read the files.

Yeah, disrespect his personal space, boo.

The blood of Fer-Carosan drip-fed to one whose blood he most runs thick through. The servant of Wisdom, Flesh and blood. The ideal age for this process is 10-14. By then we should have slipped in the first dose into the host meal to initiate the process.

The next step needs the host body broken down and mended back to perfection. The teeth and jaw are where we begin, making sure the change has occurred despite the host resistance. Their gift will allow them to live through the process.

Eventually, our host will be fully physically altered by the past sins of Fer.

The destruction of flesh allows for the blood to take effect. The host will not die. Drip feed the blood of them until they crave the flesh of man. It is inevitable, thus we have planned for it.

The homeless, the rejects of society no one would miss.

Finally, the host, by the time of maturation, will allow the smog to continue to spill free of its original impurities and keep Ilden’s from collapsing in absence of Orbis. Bodies shall be the fuel, the host shall be the conductor.

The host by the time they have come of age would be mentally passive enough to continue with the production of ventis until their bodies cannot handle the blood and stress. Do not weep for the child who had to die for the process to begin, do not feel sorry when the thing that took their place begs for mercy. There's no other way, the thing is a monster.

Females are preferable hosts. In absence of female heirs start the process at ages 7-8 for males and wed them as soon as possible to provide for another heir. Males do not seem to last long.

If the child suitable as an heir gets found too late in their life.

Start the process and don’t look back.

Orbis has abandoned us, God has abandoned us. Cursed every child in our line and this place. For wealth, for power for Ilden's existence

Update: 5 years ago

Monitor the new heir. He is too similar to our lady beforehand. Except, this time... he refused to eat flesh after we first initiated him. His fingertips already clawed without our interference...

Something isn't right... He doesn't remember anything...

With that, the message ends leaving the two staring at the laptop screen unable to say a word to each other with what they just read.

He was expecting a lot of things, but that was not one of them. If Loukas was going through that ever since he was 6, all so he can be... That... No wonder the guy is so off.

He had always known that the church was crazy. Orbis is dead? All this shit.

So that’s what the dog statues represented, not Orbis.

The dog is their interpretation of Fer, well Fer-Carosan.

The girl rested her gloved hand on his shoulder and said, “We have to send this to Lucky.”

He met her eyes and said as opened his laptop, “The best duo ever found some creepy ass shit, so your girlfriend better have something just as good or be ready to suck our dicks.”

Carole in her dry flat tone replied, “I can toss your laptop in the stable of horse manure.”

He smirked at her, as he sent the recent information to the girls, “why? cus you're full of shit?”

He did not like the feeling the files were giving off; He knew deep down that this whole situation goes a lot deeper and this may only scratch the surface.

However, a question popped into his mind that he had never considered before.

The ventis... The smog… Why is it being produced? Did Ildens ever have a moment in history free of this haze?

That Lucky girl eventually came through via video chat and like them, the information stunned her.

“What is this thing?” Lucky read over the files repeatedly as if the information would start making sense by the 18th reread. “Always suspected these rich weirdoes were up to something, but holy hell possession and child torture? I thought that was more horror movies kinda stuff, not real.”

“Great, we showed you ours now show us yours,” Hide said to her as he felt rightfully proud of himself.

Lucky jerked her head from her reading towards them, “Oh yeah. Well while you guys were busy I was looking through the city’s history and there was always this smog.”

No shit.

Lucky continued as she ignored Hide's obviously unimpressed expression, “and even more strange, the last angel born here never really was all that public and… disappeared completely by the time he was 30.”

Carole's eyes focused intensely on the screen as she rolled her eyes, “Don’t tell me he ascended or something. Its death... that’s what happens when angels disappear… they die. Really that title is more a word for us having a genetic mutation.. we're more closer to beast-kin...”

Hide winced at her. “Sheesh at least allow the kids to have something mythical to hold on to Carly,” Hide said, kicking his legs lazily behind him.

Carole folds her arms, “I just don’t have time nor energy to entertain a myth... angels are... at best humans with wings a bird-like appendage and an ability or talent.”

Hide smirked, "I have a talent with tech. am I an angel too?"

Carole strangely gave him a blank stare before she let out a sigh, "More one than me at this point."

Huh...

“Well, Ascension is more an Orbis belief. Completly of religious origins.” Hide knew the girls at that moment looked at him in both interest and confusion of him suddenly serious analysis. “We both know the abilities of angels are highly exaggerated. Being born to a small farming community, an angel may at best just make some damn good crops better than the rest of their town."

Hide did not like her tone and her dismissal of herself. As much as she got on his nerves, it annoyed him more to hear this 'not an angel bullshit'. He did religious studies from primary to secondary school. It was his second love next to machines. He had to continue, "The worship, scriptures and stories are more just dull ceremonies of having someone with above-average skills. There's a reason why secular cities tend to rarely give much a damn about whose an angel and whose not. Only people who care are idiots and wrinkly old men."

Hide noticed Carole's normally disinterested gaze sharpened as with interest.

I'm not so much an asshole now aren't I Carly Warly?

"Overall, who gives a shit of this angel BS. Not one help be for a good 99% of my life so fuck it," Hide grinned ending his thesis to his satisfaction.

Not that he blamed her for her Debbie downer attitude. If he found out, he did not get his invite into the cool powers club, he would get very pissed. Screw them.

But then what Lucky said next…

“Huh.. I guess but as far as I know, all angel powers and roles are in the public record regardless. However, Ilden does not have that... no matter how far we go back. It’s almost as if this place never officially had an angel… Maybe that’s why these people have turned to... this kind of thin-”

The sound of a cane dragging across the floor interrupted the bubbly girl, and with a pounding thump, the scrapping ended.

Hide, and Lucky turned to the source.

Carole despite her calm outward demeanour had eyes much sharper than they ever were before. “I realise I have work to do…”

“Carly?”

“Carole what’s wr-”

“A lot to process... I guess Ildens shouldn’t exist, anyway," she shrugged with indifference.

Her tone was as monotone as usual, but Hide knew better.

Lucky seemed to flinch with discomfort at the girl's sharp rise from her seat, and with that awkward silence, she turned to him and said. “When you get more information, call me.”

And with that, she left the room, leaving them alone.

Lucky grew sombre as she watched her leave.

After a bit of silence.

“Sheesh. Was she always like this?” Hide asked, his eyes narrowed, "also ever read a room before sweetheart."

"She was...," Lucky frowned, “I'm... sorry for bringing that up. She.... was always a little sad... sad and alone.”

“Yeah, and she got you to murder her creep of a caretaker,” Hide’s little remark caused the two girls’ eyes to turn on him, while Lucky’s own turned to one of abject fear.

“How... How did you?”

Hide tilted his head and gave a grin, “Does it really matter? I’m curious about your side of the story. Don't worry, this mouth wouldn’t tell a soul.”

"And you're super shady." Despite her reluctance, Lucky held her hands together on her lap and said, “I... back when Carole wasn’t um… going by that name, I um met her and we became good friends... I didn’t realize she was an angel. I just thought she had ocular albinism or something. At least that's what she said it was. Over time, I figured out... what her teacher was like because she told me... I didn’t tell anyone cus I thought it was... was…”

Lucky’s voice wavered, "She is kinda weird... Mostly mentioned asking about what to do if someone was doing something wrong. I remember her interest in poisons and asked me to research the best one... The next day I came to her house and got inside... The guy was on the ground gasping for air... Carole was not there.”

Lucky seemed on the verge of tears, “I was so scared, so I... I was afraid if he lived... Carole would get in trouble so with a knife... I..” She bites her lower lip and looked away. "You probably know the rest, and Carly came home... with the weirdo's groceries."

“Like Carole did not mention it afterwards but was grateful. But I was like 16 and a mess for so damn long and that.. kinda messed me up... She’s not a very romantic person, very casual in that aspect... but wherever she went, she trusted me after that.”

Lucky groans, "need something sweet"

“Just eat a big bag of sugar then, problem solved” Hide said, listening to the girl's recollection, "My special sausage can make something filled with so much sugar. for cute girls" He let out a smile and The girl caught up on his gross innuendo.

Lucky shook her head laughing, “Sorry, but I’m not a fan of guys or perverts.”

Unfortunately, she went back to her frown and continued, “It all ended after my lowest point."

Lucky took a deep breath, “I set fire to our apartment. It burnt her hands... said some hurtful things...”

Lucky gave a sad smile, “It was a crappy sort of relationship... from beginning to end. I'm surprised she doesn’t hate me more.”

Yeesh.

Lucky gave Hide a stern look, “This place is not where she should stay thou. As someone who cares… She should get as far away as possible… for her own sake.”

.... wow...

That was way more than interesting.

A girl who seemed to want a purpose, someone, something in life to follow. Someone like him never craved such things, purposeless existence suited him just fine.

Hide however said, “What if she wants to stay? It's her choice.”

His grin grew, and he said, “And by the sounds of it, I almost think you may still have some feelings for our little angel. You still care... don't you?”

Lucky looked startled at the claim, cheeks blushed red. “W-well that’s a bit of a j-jump you know. Me? come on. Carly’s probably over it. Haha.”

Shitty liar.

“Well, if she wants to stay...so be it... nothing more we can do,” Lucky said with a shrug.

Good answer.