Cecilia stood in the middle of the road, her hands behind our back as she waited for their guests to arrive.

Before long, the sound of hooves reached their ears.

Cecilia never took her eyes off the road as the group from the Investigation Authority rode into view. The guards of the Royal Academy stood behind her, their halberds at the ready.

Her golden eyes flowed, signifying to everybody that she was ready for a fight. Fortunately, the contingent slowed down before it ever came to that.

The horses neighed, their hooves digging into the ground as they stopped.

"Welcome, Lord Rowe, to the Royal Academy." Cecilia said.

"Figures. I always knew Kael was a rat, but I didn't think he would stop so low as to send you here to welcome me." Lord Rowe said, dismounting from his horse. Behind him, the rest of the contingent also dismounted.

Cecilia could see Osiris, and for the first time in her life, concern flickered through her in relation to him.

The man looked haggard, as if he was barely keeping it together. His usually sharp eyes seemed dull, as if there were a million thoughts trapped in his head, trying to break free.

Cecilia felt a momentary sense of pity for the man before squashing it. She was here as an enforcer, not a guide.

"I'm sure you're all aware of the rules." She said. "Your mounts shall remain outside the academy grounds. Your investigations cannot, under any circumstances, disrupt the learning of the students. This means you shall only move within the bounds of your investigation. Understood?"

"Stop wasting our time," Osiris snarled, his eyes lighting up as if he had just come to life. "Take me to my son."

Cecilia nodded. "Very well. Follow me."

She turned, tilting her head in a signal at the guards. They stepped back, allowing the contingent to follow behind her.

She led them through the academy grounds, the students who saw them on the way, pointing and whispering behind their hands.

By this time, the news of what had happened to Galahad had spread. And somehow, the students now knew that his father would be among the officials coming to inspect and investigate the crime.

Lots of theories had already been floating around campus. Some say he had been murdered by a monster. Others said one of the kids he had bullied had come back for revenge. Ultimately, they were never able to settle on one concrete theory.

In a few minutes, they arrived at the second year Gold-tier dorm room. The place was packed, with a lot of students standing outside, watching the spectacle.

While Galahad's floor had been cleared, all students living in the dorm had been rounded up, with each one to be questioned by the Investigation Authority agents.

Cecilia kept her eyes on Lord Rowe, who followed behind her, a smile pasted on his lips. By this time, she'd been expecting that he'd have demanded to see Noah. Maybe she had misjudged him.

"Here we are," she said as the lift arrived on the second floor.

Their footsteps echoed ominously as they made their way down the hallway to the door.

"Step back." Lord Rowe commanded his agents. They all stepped back in unison, except for Osiris, who didn't even seem to hear the command.

Lord Rowe shot a smirk at Osiris, and that was when Cecilia realized the man's intentions. The reason why he hadn't demanded to see Noah. This was it.

Osiris took a deep breath, his hands trembling at his side as he took a step forward.

His hand touched the door knob and he paused, as if gathering himself.

Then, with another deep breath, it twisted the knob and pushed open the door.

The smell was the first thing that hit them. The air was dry, with an acrid scent from the burning flesh. Tiny dark particles floated lazily in the air around the room.

Then, Osiris' eyes landed on the body. Everyone present could almost see the shock passing visibly through him.

He staggered back, his eyes wide, unable to believe the sight before him.

His son's body had been badly burnt, but that was not the strange part.

The first strange detail was the fire. It didn't burn like normal fire. Instead, it stood as a solid dark whole, only the edges flickering as it burnt.

The second was the body. According to the reports, the body had been burning for a long time. However, only the skin and the top, visible parts of the flesh were actually burnt.

It was as if the fire had burnt all those, and had decided to stop there, but had decided not to go out.

"It's an ever burning flame." Cecilia said, answering the question on all their minds. "It seems to be an A-rank spell, as the spells we have available haven't been able to put it out. The principal would have put it out, but he decided to wait for you guys to arrive and decide what to do with it among yourselves."

Osiris walked to his son, eyes wide and legs unsteady. His expression was blank, as if you couldn't decide what emotion would be appropriate for the situation.

He knelt before the body, rage slowly building in his gut.

"Who did this?" He asked under his breath. "Who killed my son?"

Now that Galahad's body was before him, his thoughts settled. He was angry, yes. Not because he lost a son, but because he lost what belonged to him.

He just lost a piece he had been cultivating for more than 19 years. And that was not a loss he would take lying down.

He stretched his hand, casting his most important spell. The mana in the atmosphere rushed into him, bolstering his reserves into S-rank.

And with a snarl, he cast the only S-rank spell he knew, Soul Pyre, overpowering and smothering the ever burning flame.

The fire went out, and his son's body was left bare.

Taking a moment to examine it, he stood, his eyes going cold. He turned back to look at the enthusiastic Lord Rowe and the rest of the agents. "It is time to begin the investigation."

That was when Lord Rowe stepped forward.

"No."

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