Kalvin leaned back on his throne in the mysterious place of the Blue Mist. The Blue Mist was silent. Kalvin stood up from his throne. Then he returned to the real world from the Blue Mist. He spent more time in the Blue Mist than usual. Kalvin entered the Blue Mist at noon and now he has returned to the real world in the mid-afternoon. Kalvin lay down on his bed. His intention was to open their cafe tomorrow. For this, he rested for a while. By then, Stella woke up. Stella came into Kalvin's room with sleep in her eyes. Stella saw Kalvin getting ready to go out, wearing a black coat, a round hat that detectives wear, and a cane in his hand.
Stella asked him where he was going. Kalvin replied, "I'm going out for a little stroll outside." He patted his sister's head and said, "I'll be back by night." Stella said, "So late! Take care of yourself." "I will," he replied. Kalvin joked a little with Stella, "Keep some food for me tonight, don't eat all the food." Stella pouted and said, "Go away! Devil. Who cares about you." Kalvin smiled slightly and left his sister alone at home, heading towards the market. James Smith had told Kalvin to go to a fortune teller's shop and say a password if he needed to meet him. That way, he could meet him.
Kalvin was now on the busy streets of the city. His figure, wearing the round hat and black coat, stood out from the crowd. The cane in his hand sometimes gently touched the pavement, and sometimes simply rested as a weight on his hand.
He did not walk directly towards the market. His first destination was the very old part of the city, where the alleys were narrow and even the daylight seemed afraid to reach. It was in this area that the place for his meeting with James Smith was supposed to be—that mysterious 'Fortune Teller's' shop.
After walking for a while, he finally stopped in front of the shop. Dust had accumulated on the shop's signboard, on which 'The Crystal Eye' was faintly written. The shop's glass windows were so dirty that nothing inside could be seen. A broken wooden chair lay outside and an old lantern next to it.
Kalvin gently tapped on the door with his cane. There was no sound. When he tapped again, the door opened slightly, and the darkness and a faint scent of incense wafted out from inside.
He stepped inside. The room was small, with a dirty carpet on the floor. In one corner of the wall was a small table, with a crystal ball placed on it, and behind it sat an old woman. The old woman was wearing dark clothes and thick-framed glasses. She looked as if she had been sitting there for hundreds of years.
Kalvin did not look directly at the old woman. He said the secret password instructed by James Smith: "Black night fear of dreams, crimson moon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old woman smiled faintly. Her smile was strange, as if she already knew everything. She took her eyes off the crystal ball and gestured towards a heavy curtain at the back of the room.
"Wait inside, Kalvin," the old woman whispered, "Your friend is waiting."
Kalvin nodded. He pushed aside the black curtain and entered the back room. The room was larger than the previous one but even darker. James Smith was sitting there, leaning back in a single chair. His face was covered in shadow, but Kalvin recognized his familiar keen eyes.
"Not late, Detective," James Smith said in a cold voice. "You've come to me sooner than I expected. Come, sit in the chair in front. James Smith, so tell me why you came to see me?" Kalvin, "I want to start the investigation work right now. Do you have any case?"
Kalvin sat down in the chair. The coat and hat further clarified his detective persona. His gaze was fixed on James's shadow-covered face. The experience of the Blue Mist still somewhat preoccupied his mind, but he wanted to focus on the current task. The Blue Mist was his very personal secret, which no one else in this world knew, not even James Smith.
"I don't want to waste any more time, James," Kalvin said directly. "I'm ready. Have you arranged any case for me? Something that will require my intelligence and... special skills."
James Smith sat up straight in his chair. His eyes were sharper than the darkness behind the curtain. A long, silent moment passed.
"I have a case for you, Kalvin. A very strange case," James said, a tone of caution in his voice. "The son of the wealthy businessman and industrialist Robert Hamilton, Alistair, is missing. There has been no trace of him for the last three days. No ransom note has arrived, no eyewitnesses, no clues. The boy seems to have suddenly vanished into thin air."
Kalvin tapped his cane once on the floor. "The police can also look into a missing person case. Why did you come to me? Is this just a disappearance, or is there some other mystery behind it?"
James Smith leaned slightly forward. "The police searched Hamilton's mansion thoroughly. They assumed it was a case of ordinary running away or kidnapping. But I know, Kalvin, you can see beyond the ordinary." There was a forced belief in his words. "Because you are a nexus of the Oracle Pathway. Those who can see much more than the ordinary."
"Something was found on the window sill of Alistair's bedroom—a very small, blue piece of glass. It looks like it might be part of some ancient artifact. And one more thing: the day before he disappeared, Alistair was talking to his father about some strange things—darkness, whispering sounds, and a place where time stands still. His father thought the boy was tired, but... now I have my doubts."
Kalvin's brow furrowed. The description of the blue piece of glass and the strange place reminded him of his experience in the Blue Mist, although he instantly shook off that thought. It could just be a coincidence. "Blue glass. Strange place. Where is Hamilton's mansion?"
"On the northern edge of the city, near the forest. A very isolated place. I have put some preliminary information and that blue piece of glass in an envelope for you," James took out a thick envelope from under the table and handed it to Kalvin. "The case is yours, Detective. But be careful. I feel you are about to face something that is outside the familiar bounds of this city."
Kalvin took the envelope. A suppressed excitement appeared on his face. "I was hoping for that, James. Ordinary things are not for me." He stood up from the chair, his cane in hand. "Then I will start with the mansion.".....