When Lucas had stepped foot in Valeria with Belle, he felt the eyes and presence of someone who had been tailing them for a while. Of course, he never turned around and went to find who it was. From what he had heard from Edith, that the Grim reapers and hellhounds who had been unleashed into the land of the living to find anything and everything that was a free soul without a body including the fallen Grims, he had been careful.

There had been times where death reapers themselves had turned to mortals, walking amongst the people in this land until they were caught and sent back to the land of the dead for punishment.

Though there had been other pressing matters, Lucas had taken Belle out to shop, to eat and to watch the play in the theatre as any other couple would. Though part of the reason was to fulfil Belle's dreams, the other part was to stray the person who had followed them. The moment Belle's eyes had opened, he had found out that it was not her but Portia who had taken hold of her body and in the end, he had used her.

Right now, Lucas sat on the bed with Belle.

"I thought he would drag you back with him," whispered Belle.

"Crane is not the kind of person to do it. Even though he and the other Hawverts have sent out word of order, he wouldn't himself drag me back. Crane will first take away things that are important to me. Stripping it away one after another that I care for until there's nothing else to do but to go to him," replied Lucas, "He must have been satisfied with killing you. Portia I mean."

"Does that mean he won't come after me?"

"Unless he doesn't notice you, no," and Belle nodded her head. As Lucas was a Grim reaper, Crane had ruled out the option of bringing back the soul from the land of the dead.

Belle was glad that Crane hadn't sent Lucas away. It would have been the worst time where she would have returned to the land of the living to only find Lucas gone.

"You said good news. Was there a bad news?" she asked him hesitantly. Before going to bed in here, Belle had thought that she and Lucas had a good break from everything that had been surrounding them but then she died, Belle thought dryly to herself.

Lucas took Belle's hand in his, "Geroge was killed because of his involvement in the case the involved with witches. There are too many black witches but there are also white witches."

"What do you mean?"

"The white witches are helping the black witches in whatever ritual they are trying to complete. George must have been killed because he found out something he was not supposed to know."

"Do you know what kind of ritual this is?" asked Belle but he shook his head.

"I don't. Two days ago, I noticed something very strange at night when I was taking a stroll. After a particular time, there was no one outside on the streets. Not because it was night but the timing was uncanny," he explained to her, "You will see tonight."

"Will it be safe to step out?" Belle was worried that Crane would appear again.

"I heard he went back to the land of the dead. It's safe," assured Lucas. By the time night arrived, Belle and Lucas stepped out of the inn after most of the people appeared to sleep in their houses. The streets and alleys were left deserted. Belle had worn a warm coat that was black in colour, enough to camouflage herself in the dark. Because of the snow on the ground, their footsteps went unheard.

When she breathed air, Belle could see the fog coming out of her mouth, "Isn't it usual for families to huddle back inside their houses during the time of the Winter?" her eyes moved across the houses where the doors and windows were shut close.

"It is only six in the evening. The shops and other public places have closed themselves. No lanterns either," pointed Lucas as they continued to walk at the side of the street, "Let me show you something very interesting here."

Belle followed him. Seeing how he was looking for a particular house and then finally stopped by one of the house's window. Bringing up his hand that was turned to a fist, he wiped the snow and the moist water to clear the surface of the window. She took a few more steps to go and stand next to him.

"Take a look," he stepped away for her to see.

Belle gave him a look before she turned her eyes to peep inside the house through the window. At first, everything was dark and she couldn't see anything except shadows. But going close enough to the window where her nose touched the window pane, Belle saw there were people inside. With no lanterns burning in or out, she would have guessed that the people in the family were asleep but she could see them in the dark. Some standing, some sitting with their eyes open but they didn't move.

Somehow this felt creepier than the things she had seen in the land of the dead.

Moving away from the spot, she turned around to meet Lucas' eyes, "What happened to them?"

"Probably petrified for a few hours before the sun rises again. I have never seen anything like this before," he confessed to her.

"I don't think I have ever heard about it," she replied back, "If it is the witches, why are they turning them to statues? To keep them inside the houses?" it was strange, thought Belle to herself.

"The witches are probably trying to do something but it won't work," he said looking down at the pocket watch he had pulled, "Everyone is going to live."

"That's good to know," she said before asking him, "Do you know who killed George?"

"I might."

"Do you think we could visit the person?" and on her question, Lucas raised his hand forward, offering it to her, to be held.

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Do consider voting with your power stones~

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