Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1387

With the unconscious Hugo floating behind him, Sherlock made his way over to where Lilith had crash-landed after her battle against Betty. There, he found a 30m wide crater, fortunately away from any heavy population centers. Lilith had enough wherewithal to aim away from pedestrians so, while the battle had done a fair amount of damage to the surroundings, it was infinitely better than what would have happened if they fought on the ground.

Seeing Lilith carrying a battered and unconscious Betty with her tail, using it to choke the seemingly young girl, Sherlock showed a rare frown but, instead of rebuking her, he asked, "Is that necessary?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lilith immediately nodded her head, explaining, "That thing inside of her needs to be sealed away. Even if her unconscious state, it would still be able to take control of her body. If I let go of her or gave her any leeway to move freely, I imagine she will run away before we are able to get our answers."

Understanding Lilith's concerns, as Betty lacked an actual corporeal form, Sherlock just nodded his head before stating, "Wrap your tail around her body, rather than her neck. Restricting her arms is certainly better than walking around dangling her by the neck..."

Though she didn't completely agree with his assessment, as it was far safer to have the option to crush Betty's neck at a moment's notice, Lilith never refused the orders of her Master. Thus, with a number flick of her tail, she tossed Betty's unconscious body before catching it, this time around the body instead of the neck. To make sure she wouldn't wake any time soon, however, she put in a little more force than was absolutely necessary, causing a quiet cracking sound while forcing the air out of Betty's lungs.

Sherlock lightly shook his head upon seeing Lilith's actions but, despite his own misgivings on the matter, he wouldn't intervene. He had already underestimated Betty once, so, until he knew what it was that had been sealed inside her body, he couldn't afford to show her much leniency. She was a very serious threat and, if his speculation proved truth, she only existed when people were actively perceiving her. If she was able to escape, capturing her a second time would prove inordinately more difficult...

What Sherlock couldn't understand, at least for now, was why Betty had been allowed to freely roam, seemingly without purpose. Her words implied her association with the group that had appeared the previous month but, as they had yet to directly appear, it didn't make sense for them to let a childish girl wander around freely. The only rational explanation was that she was intended as nothing more than a distraction but, with the way Betty's ability manifested, this didn't seem likely. This meant they were either trying to get a feel for the Empire's ability to monitor the planet or, in the most troubling of cases, Betty was meant to serve as bait to draw them out...

Seeing as how nobody had appeared, even after the battle had completed, Sherlock reasoned that her allies were either late or, despite his instincts telling him this wasn't the case, they really were just trying to get a feel for the Empire's observation network. Assuming this was the truth, it implied that, despite coming from the future, their enemies were unaware of Chaldea. At the same time, however, this entire plot could just be a means to get one of their people inside an Imperial facility as, if at any point they stopped observing Betty, there was a very good chance she would escape...

Since there was no way of knowing to whole truth through mere speculation, Sherlock needed to gain more information. Betty herself could be a treasure trove but, with that darkness inside of her, it wasn't exactly safe to try and probe her mind. Thus, taking advantage of his unique Skills, Sherlock pulled out a pocket journal and began writing his hypothesis within. He could instinctually determine whether or not his speculation was accurate from writing it down but, as he enjoyed mental puzzles, it was rarely his go-to method.

Though it spoiled the game quite a bit, Sherlock discovered that all of his guesses were accurate, at least to an extent. This implied his enemy severely lacked information but, considering the fact they had hidden away for more than a month, this wasn't exactly news. What bothered him was the fact that Betty was meant to be used as bait but, despite several minutes having passed, neither he nor Lilith had sensed anyone.

Pulling out his pocket watch, Sherlock checked the time, finding it close to 21:00UTC. If they didn't show up before then, he would be forced to escort Betty to one of their extraction sites to come up with a method to monitor and contain her. Da Vinci would undoubtedly come up with a solution in the near future but, until such a time, it was his responsibility to prevent her from wandering freely...

With time passing uneventfully, Sherlock snapped his watch shut before saying, "We'll take these two to one of the Atlas Temple's facilities. Can you teleport with her in tow? It would be unfortunate if she was able to escape the moment we try to move her."

Hearing her Master's question, Lilith issued her characteristic giggle before unabashedly claiming, "Worry not, my Master. This girl's power isn't directly related to Space. I don't quite understand it but, so long as she is bound by my tail, her powers are effectively sealed~."

With Lilith's assurance, Sherlock waited for another three minutes before giving her permission to teleport them. Though it was somewhat disappointing that their other enemies hadn't revealed themselves, it at least provided him with more information. After all, if Betty was intended to be used as bait, yet her allies failed to appear, this meant they were either incompetent or, after seeing Lilith's powers, decided against intervening.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Sherlock noticed something that caused his expression to turn dour in an instant. The moment Lilith initiated her teleport, Betty's figure vanished in the blink of an eye. In the next moment, they were outside one of the Atlas Temple's sites, bereft of the young girl they had put so much effort into capturing...

From within a dark, dreary, and unnaturally moist room, a man with a long face, dour expression, and pitch-black eyes sat hunched over a writing desk. The shadows in the room seemed to coil about in an unnatural way and, despite being in the middle of a forest, the room rocked about, much like the cabin of a ship. There was a heavy odor of salt on the air and, from the roof, murky water droplets persistently dripped onto the barnacle and moss-ridden floor.

At the moment of Betty's disappearance, the man's pen, an ornate instrument carved from a strange black bone, came to a stop. Immediately after, the once-dark room became a perfectly normal, well-lit and cozy, cabin. Rather than a single gas lantern to light the entire room, there was a fire crackling in the nearby fireplace and, if not for the persistent odor of salt and fish, it would be impossible to associate this rather homely dwelling with the desolate scene moments prior.

Despite the change in his surroundings, the long-faced man's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, his eyes seemingly staring at something in the distance, far beyond what normal people could perceive. It was almost as if his expression had been frozen in time as, even after rising to his feet and staring directly at the fireplace, he never blinked. Instead, the flames flickered in his eyes for several minutes before he picked up the book he had been writing in, a strange leather-bound book with blackened hide stitched together on both covers.

Unlike a normal book, the one in the man's hands was covered in various runes and, despite how the surfaces seemed smooth at a glance, closer inspection revealed an intricate pattern that seemed to writhe about unnaturally. The longer you stared at it, the more it would seem to move about and, if you listened closely, even the sounds of breathing could be heard emanating from within...

Hugging the book to his chest as if he were afraid to lose it, the man walked to the closed door of his cabin. Once there, he just stared blankly for several seconds as previously invisible runes slowly came into view, each flickering with orange light, much like a flame. This phenomenon eventually expanded to cover the entire room, revealing tens of thousands of seals that had been put in place throughout the relatively small cabin.

Once the orange light faded away, the sound of several locks being removed could be heard on the other side of the door which, unlike normal rooms, locked from the outside. It was only after fifteen locks had been removed that the door finally opened, revealing a white-haired girl in a pure white dress. At a glance, this girl looked exactly like the Betty that had been captured by Lilith but, rather than ghostly blue eyes, she had pale-red irises that seemed to absorb, rather than reflect, light.

Though his expression somehow looked even dourer, as a result, the long-faced man smiled at the young girl before reaching out his hand to pat her head. At the same time, a shaggy-haired man, nearly hidden behind a mountain of books and documents, peered over to ask in a lazy tone, "How did it go? Were you able to lure out anyone interesting?"

Hearing the question directed toward him, the long-faced man looked directly at the shaggy-haired man, his black eyes somehow becoming even darker as he solemnly stated, "Sherlock Holmes and a demonic woman named Lilith. The latter was able to defeat the darkness...she is a true monster..."

As if he had fully expected such a response, the shaggy-haired man just gave a lazy nod before turning back to his own work and saying, "Take it easy for a couple of days. We'll let them stress out trying to figure out what happened. If that man is truly Sherlock Holmes, he won't be able to let this matter lay. Once things settle down, we'll draw him into a more comprehensive trap..."

Since he had been writing almost non-stop for the past five days, the long-faced gave a solemn nod in response before reaching out his hand to the white-haired girl, asking, "Will you read me another story...something pleasant?"

Though her expression didn't change in the slightest, the doll-like girl readily grabbed the man's hand with her own, answering in a soft and delicate tone, "Of course. You have worked hard. It would make me happy to read for you."

Hearing the white-haired girl's reply, the long-faced man released a sigh of relief. Though he hadn't expected her to refuse, it was comforting how quickly she agreed to his request. Her stories were like a ray of sunshine, brightening his dreary existence. Until he was once again forced to delve back into the dark abyss, he wanted to experience her light for as long as possible. It gave him something to hold onto when the darkness threatened to claim what little remained of his sanity so, despite being the elder between them, the man allowed himself to be pulled along by the girl. He was like an old and weary seafaring vessel being guided through a port by a tiny, yet steadfast, tugboat...

(A/N: This will probably be the only chapter today. My housemate brought the sickness into our apartment once again.)