"Is that... a hospital?" Noah muttered with a bit of curiosity... but also caution.
What he saw on Sophia's phone screen was a large, white-colored building with the faded word 'HOSPITAL' and a distinctive red cross mark above it.
He couldn't exactly make out the actual building itself through the phone's screen, but he could at least tell that the facility had been left to ruin by the peeling paint and how some of it had already been overtaken by the flora...
"That's right, junior~," Sophia chimed with a smile, "this is the old abandoned hospital in the most southern part of Havenbrook. It was built, like, half a century ago...!"
"Huh, that's... interesting," he murmured, looking closer at the picture of the decrepit structure, "but why was it abandoned, though? The building looks pretty operational to me, honestly..."
Sophia let out a chuckle, delighted to know that her junior was showing interest.
"That's the neat part—nobody knows exactly why~."
"Wait, what...?"
"The hospital was suddenly closed down without much of a notice nor explanation," she explained with eerie enthusiasm, "but rumors and whispers about how there was a case of corruption and even malpractice had happened in that very place..."
She swiped the screen of her phone, showing snippets of old articles relating to the hospital.
"...And what's more: the director of the hospital and even the chief physician at the time had suddenly disappeared without a trace," she added with a chilling smile, "...it was as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth...!"
"Well, ain't that just eerie..."
She swiped again, now showing pictures and brief descriptions of the inside of the hospital as Noah observed each image with interest.
Then there was Evangeline—
"Fascinating..." she murmured softly, drifting closer as her crimson eyes reflected the glow of the screen... thought she was more intrigued by the device itself.
"You mortals have such interesting tools... Hmm?"
But then... something caught her attention.
She leaned in further, staring at the set of photos from the inside of the abandoned hospital—her crimson eyes narrowing ever so slightly... as if focusing on something neither of the two mortal humans could perceive.
Meanwhile, Noah continued browsing through the pictures beside Sophia, unaware of Evangeline's sudden shift in demeanor.
"Well... that's intriguing, but anyway—I'll take my leave now. I still have other clubs I wanna check out, senior," he announced casually, though his expression softened just a bit for Sophia. "If I can make time tonight, I'll swing by for this investigation thing."
"Really...?! Okay~!" Sophia beamed with excitement once again. "Then I'll see you later, Noah~!"
"Yeah, yeah. No promises though," he replied with a faint smirk, before turning to Evangeline with a whisper, "come on, Eva."
"...Yes..."
He turned, finally walking away from the booth.
Trailing silently behind him, Evangeline glanced once more over her shoulder—toward Sophia and her PRC booth... as her expression grew tense.
"Mortal, wait," she called out to him quietly, "there is something about that hospital that I found rather odd..."
"Hmm...? What's wrong, Eva...?" he asked; confused but also... concerned.
"...When that wretched mortal woman showed us those pictures inside of that mortal device of yours... I saw—"
Noah listened carefully to Evangeline's explanation... before his eyes narrowed in alarm.
"...Are you sure about this?" he muttered, his tone tightening as he took a glance back at the booth.
Evangeline hesitated... but then slowly nodded, a grim look shadowing her face. "I am certain. And if that mortal woman still wishes to continue this foolish 'investigation'..."
Both she and Noah turned toward Sophia, who was still cheerfully trying to attract more potential members to the club...
"...That woman would die."
< | X | >
Night had fallen on the mega metropolis city of Havenbrook... as the city slowly came to life with its vibrant nightlife.
But for Noah and Evangeline... they weren't planning to enjoy any of it—they had an appointment with a certain eccentric paranormal enthusiast.
They both had been riding the bus toward the southern edge of the city.
But, the farther they traveled...
The more the scenery changed.
The bright, tall towers faded into dim, aging, run-down apartment blocks and shops... along with cracked roads and even sidewalks on the side—both riddled with old stains and littered with trash.
And these broken surroundings reflected in its denizens—people who walked with tired eyes, stiff shoulders, and steps that felt a little too heavy for a place still technically part of the same city.
"...What a pitiful little realm you mortals have built," Evangeline commented with dry curiosity, watching the streets slip by from the bus window. "The contrast between those pristine districts near your academy and these forgotten ruins is quite... stark."
"Heh, yeah... this is part of the 'Outer Circle' after all," Noah muttered with a faint hint of melancholy.
"Outer Circle...?"
"It's basically the unofficial "ring" that separates the fancy parts of the city from the parts nobody wants to deal with. This is where people who couldn't afford to stay in the main districts end up."
"Is that so...?" She hummed with mild intrigue, but then narrowed her eyes as a thought crossed her mind. "Then why did you not try to live here, mortal? I recall you saying you were searching for a cheap accommodation, were you not?"
She eyed one of the many shabby apartment buildings they passed by.
"...I would assume these would have sufficed, would they not?"
Noah let out a low chuckle at her blunt observation.
"Yeah... not gonna lie, I did consider looking around here, but... I found your apartment first. And it was way cheaper—way, waaay cheaper than even here because of your damn haunting session~."
"How rude of you, mortal."
"Haha~, well, at least it worked out great for both of us, huh?"
Evangeline let out a sigh at his remark... but a gentle giggle escaped her lips. "Hehe... indeed it did."
Eventually, their bus rolled to a stop, and the two stepped out onto the uneven pavement.
They walked deeper into the neglected district... where the streetlights grew fewer, and the distant sounds of the city faded into a dull hum.
And soon... they arrived at their true destination—
"Hmm? Ah! Junior~! Over here~!"
Sophia called out from a distance the moment she spotted Noah approaching from where she stood—
Standing in front of the rusted, half-broken gate of the abandoned hospital...!