Warrior Training System
Chapter 87: Ghost of a happier time

"Women like assertive men, Cassian. Make your needs clear, and they'll understand and stop pushing you around..." Robert said with a confident smile as they finally reached the office.

"You mean Sergeant Dallas would understand if I told her I don't want to run her errands?" Cassian asked with a grin. Robert, who had been smiling, suddenly stared at him in shock and blurted, "Wait—don't tell me the women you were talking about are Detective Alix and Sergeant Dallas, just because they make you run errands?"

"Yeah, and a few others..." Cassian replied, making a somewhat awkward face as he nodded.

Robert looked at him with a mix of disbelief and exasperation, letting out a sigh. "What else should I expect from a kid..." he muttered, then added, "The advice I gave only works with women who are close to you. Don't even think about trying that with Sergeant Dallas—she'll eat you alive."

"Let's see what errands we'll be running today," Robert muttered with a tired expression as they made their way upstairs to their special unit office. Aside from Julius and Cassandra, the rest of the team was already there, including Sergeant Halley and Detective Killian in their offices.

The two "errand boys" greeted their seniors, and soon Julius and Cassandra joined, marking the start of the meeting.

"There's not much in the report, except that on the night of the murders, people nearby heard sounds of fighting. The scenes were a mess, with broken furniture and signs of a struggle, so we can confirm there was a fight. Whether it was between family members or an outside group, we don't know yet.

But in two of the scenes, there were no signs of a struggle at all, and in both cases, a child is the missing family member," Alix explained as she shuffled through Robert's notes.

Cassandra and Dallas sifted through Cassian's notes and nodded. Cassandra spoke up, "It seems like all of the families were religious. Neighbors mentioned that a pastor or some nuns would visit their homes, and they occasionally held religious gatherings. But strangely, none of the families seem to know each other or have any contact, despite being religious."

"They might not follow the same religion," Julius suggested after a moment of thought.

"Let's look into that after we go through the scenes. Hopefully, they're still as they were at start," Alix said, and everyone nodded in agreement. The team then divided the scenes among themselves—six locations with a total of 19 murders, each scene involving anywhere from two to four victims.

"This is going to take until evening to go through all three scenes," Cassandra said with an annoyed expression.

Sergeant Dallas also looked irritated, which made Cassian wonder if they even cared about the victims or if they were just in it for the merits and the power that came with their positions.

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Not that he was one to judge—he hadn't joined the department out of some deep sense of justice. He hadn't even known that law enforcement divisions like this existed until he came to the city. Back in the slums, it was only the royal army that ever showed up, and even then, only for major incidents like mob wars or massacres. They never bothered with the everyday struggles there.

"Almost all the murder scenes are near the city walls," Sergeant Dallas remarked, adding, "Do you think there might be some connection?"

"I'm not sure..." Cassandra replied as they boarded a carriage heading to the first murder scene.

Cassian followed them closely, jotting down notes on anything he considered important while they talked. After all, that was his job.

The carriage rattled to a stop near one of the city's entrances. The scene was just a short ten-minute walk from the gates and only a hundres or so meters away from the looming stone city wall. The afternoon sun cast long shadows along the walls, giving the area a cold, eerie feel despite the bustling life of the city not far away.

Sergeant Dallas stepped down from the carriage first, glancing around the scene. She took a moment to survey the area, the weathered buildings, and the quiet atmosphere that still lingered with the aftermath of violence.

"How many people were killed here?" she asked, turning to Cassian as he followed behind.

"Three," Cassian replied, flipping through his notes. "It's the only scene with three victims. The missing person is the mother." He gestured toward the small house, cordoned off with a few worn-out ropes.

It looked like any other home in the area—modest, with chipped paint and a creaky door hanging slightly ajar—yet strangely inviting from the outside, despite the grayish atmosphere created by the shadows of the towering city walls.

"Both the husband and wife worked, right?" Cassandra asked as they entered the house.

From the outside, it had appeared lively, but the interior told a different story. The moment they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere shifted. Sunlight streamed through the grimy windows, illuminating swirling motes of dust that hung in the air like tiny stars trapped in a forgotten universe. The once-vibrant colors of the decor now seemed muted and sad, each item a ghost of a happier time.

The living room was a chaotic blend of what had once been a home—overturned chairs, broken furniture, and scattered toys hinted at the lives that had filled the space with laughter and warmth. Cassian's heart sank as he surveyed the devastation. Dust-covered remnants of a family's life lay strewn about, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere they had expected to replace.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the sight of a shattered picture frame that had once held a joyful moment, now just a piece of broken glass reflecting the dim light.

As they moved further in, the cheerful decor faded away into a scene of violence and chaos. The once-cozy home now felt like a mausoleum, its silence punctuated only by the faint creaking of the floorboards beneath their feet. Dark stains of blood marred the once-inviting floor and the walls, and three larger pools of blood marked the spots where the bodies had lain before being moved.

"Yes, the husband worked as a laborer repairing the city walls, while the wife was a server at a local restaurant," Cassian replied. Cassandra nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are the bodies still in the morgue?" Dallas asked, breaking the heavy silence.

Cassian shook his head, his voice low and heavy with the weight of the situation. "No, this murder happened about a month ago. The bodies were cremated since they can't be stored for that long. The autopsy report indicated they were killed with a blunt object, most likely a hammer or a heavy pan."

As he spoke, Cassian felt a lump form in his throat. The thought of what had transpired in this once-vibrant home filled him with a profound sense of loss. He glanced around the room again, the rays of sunlight filtering through the dust and illuminating the remnants of a family that had once shared their lives here, now reduced to memories and shadows.

Dallas nodded as she surveyed the house, her gaze lingering on the framed paintings. Most depicted a single person, bathed in light with a warm smile, and Dallas remarked, "Is this the god they prayed to?"

"I think so..." Cassian replied, rifling through his notes. "There's no mention of it in the reports..."

"Look for anything related to their religion or this god in the house," Dallas instructed. Cassandra added, "And while you're at it, check for any other signs of blood beyond this area."