Written by Downie Jung

It all started from the death of a young man.

I became pretty famous after I solved the Stonegard serial murder case. I began to get cases even from Talandre. One of the cases that interested me was a mysterious murder case at Herba. I examined the victim's body as soon as I got to the scene. This victim, Edgar, was a large and healthy man. His head and torso were heavily damaged by hooks and daggers, showing signs of torture before he died.

People said Edgar was a good swordsman, but from the looks of his sword, he obviously didn't have a chance to fight back. The sword had black stains on it though, and when I showed it to a number of wizards, they all said that the black liquid was something that was "dead but alive."

That was not the answer I wanted, but there was a useful information as well. A wizard recognized the mark on the dead man's sword; it was the Crimson Family's crest. So I headed to the Crimson Mansion for more clues. On the way to the manor, I heard a horrible scream. It was the village graveyard. The bloody ground was glistening under the moonlight.

At the end of the bloody trail, there was a pile of dead bodies, and a man with a torch. When the man saw me, he picked up a hook and charged at me. I parried the hook with my sword, but it shattered the only weapon I had. I thought I was done for sure. But then, something unbelievable happened. The dead bodies rose, and bit the man with their teeth. The man tried to fight back the dead bodies, looked at me, and pointed at the torch. I picked it up and threw it at the dead bodies.

The man must have poured oil on the dead bodies. They all burned to ashes. Then I searched the vicinity, and found a bag with documents. The man who attacked me was a member of the Crimson Family. Crimson was actually a professional assassin, and he had a secret lab where he could run experiments on people with new weapons and such.

This man was on a mission to find the escaped Immortus and burn them. The document said that anyone who was bitten by Immortus would come back to life and become one of them. On the next day, I heard a news that Edgar's body disappeared. Also, the number of mysterious monster attacks on people near the Crimsons' estate has increased ever since. I will sneak into the Crimson Mansion to continue the investigation. I might have to risk my life, but I can't let this murder go on.