On the other side, Feshikha and Mr Jaya, along with three others, were taking shelter inside a circle of salt in the middle of the mansion's hall. They sat quietly, waiting. With Haidar, Henry, and Helena missing and their condition unknown, Feshikha was starting to feel a bit worried, especially considering how much time had already passed.
"Excuse me, are we going to be safe staying here for too long?" asked a man with a thin mustache.
Feshikha looked at the man, trying not to show her concern and choosing instead to believe that Haidar would return with Henry and Helena. Facing something beyond reason like this wasn't new to Feshikha. In the past, she and Haidar had survived something just as life-threatening. That thought helped ease her worry—because she knew what her partner was capable of.
"You're Mr Yana, right? As long as we stay inside this circle, we should be safe," Feshikha explained.
"But Officer Feshikha, your teammate and Mr Henry have been gone for quite a while. And on top of that, we can't contact them or reach anyone outside," said Mr Jaya with concern.
"I understand, but believe me, right now this circle is the safest place to be," Feshikha replied, trying to reassure Mr Jaya.
"I don't get it—how can a circle of sprinkled salt be safer than just getting out of here?" asked Mr Yana.
"You'd be surprised at what salt can actually do. And Haidar once said that now the doors might take us to places we shouldn't go," Feshikha explained.
Mr Yana seemed confused by what she meant, and simply sat back down in silence, occasionally glancing around the room. Feshikha then checked Haidar's briefcase—just in case. She was planning to prepare herself in the event something dangerous showed up. Inside the briefcase, Feshikha found several bottles of laceration fluid, an injector, some tools, a dagger, a supply of silver-colored bullets, and some documents.
Feshikha drew her pistol from the holster on her right hip. She paused for a moment, examining Haidar's silver bullets and comparing them to her own pistol. Unfortunately, the silver bullets for Haidar's revolver had a different diameter than the ones her pistol used. Fortunately, aside from the revolver ammo, Feshikha found several magazines fully loaded with silver bullets. She quickly ejected the magazine from her pistol and replaced it with one of the silver-loaded ones.
"SHK-KLAK!" The pistol was loaded perfectly, indicating that the magazines she found were compatible—and almost seemed like they had been prepared for her specifically.
"Hmm… He should've just given me these from the beginning," Feshikha muttered with a sigh while checking her weapon.
She holstered her pistol again along with a few spare magazines. Then, she took one of the silver daggers from the case. Examining it, she noticed the grip was made of a dense, rough-textured black material, and the blade itself had a metallic sheen that felt distinctly different from other weapons she had handled before. She made sure the blade was sharp, and after confirming its quality, she swapped out the dagger on her left holster with Haidar's silver one.
"How is she?" Feshikha asked, referring to the unconscious woman in a chef's uniform lying nearby.
"Oh, Maya's not seriously hurt, but she still hasn't woken up," replied the woman with short bob-cut hair.
"And how about you? Sorry—what was your name again?" asked Feshikha.
"My name's Tita. I'm more worried about madam and the gentlemen who've gone missing," Tita said with a worried tone.
"Haidar left with Mr Henry. For now, we just have to trust him," Feshikha replied.
"Yes, I believe they're alright. By the way, Officer Feshikha, this doesn't seem like the first time you've faced something like this?" said Tita with an optimistic tone.
"Hmm... More or less just as chaotic as now. Sometimes when I remember it, it feels like a dream," Feshikha replied.
"What happened?" asked Tita.
"A few of us had just completed our training and education. We were confident, having graduated with honors. Our blood was hot, and we were full of energy. We carried out our duties while constantly trying to outdo one another. Before long, we became somewhat known—and to be honest, a bit annoying too," Feshikha explained, ending with a faint, bitter smile.
"I think I get it—that fresh optimism after graduation, thinking everything at work will go smoothly," Tita said with a faintly melancholic expression.
"Ha ha, you're right. In short, my teammates and I were living and working well... until we were assigned to a rather horrifying case," Feshikha continued.
Tita listened carefully. She noticed Feshikha's expression grew serious when she mentioned the terrifying case she had faced. Mr Yana and Mr Jaya also began to listen in, both drawn to the story as it echoed the strange phenomena they were experiencing now. Meanwhile, Maya remained unconscious nearby.
"During that case, we also met Haidar. There was some conflict because our superiors ordered us to stop the investigation and hand the kidnapping case over to Haidar and a few mysterious individuals," Feshikha said, her face showing regret.
Tita noticed the change in Feshikha's expression. A mix of guilt, anger, and sadness clouded her features.
"We were naïve and went ahead on our own. We followed the kidnappers' trail and ended up at an old building far outside the city. But before I knew it, I was injured, barely conscious, leaning against a wall… some of my teammates had been torn apart brutally, while the others who survived were too shaken to fight back. They just sat there in fear," Feshikha continued.
"What really happened?" Tita murmured.
"That was the moment I was introduced to another side of the world. The creature we faced was not something that should exist near humans. Just when I thought it was the end, luckily Haidar and a few others showed up. 'Too late,' I vaguely heard Haidar say before everything went black. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital, surrounded by my family and relatives—it brought me a sense of peace," said Feshikha, ending her words with a soft, content smile.
The feeling of gratitude from surviving such a critical moment and waking up surrounded by loved ones painted a joyful look on Feshikha's face. However, that smile quickly faded as she continued the rest of her story.
"I was lucky to come back… but not all of my teammates did. Some didn't survive and died on the spot. Others were seriously injured and couldn't return to duty. A few had their minds so shaken, they were never the same again. In the end, only three of us returned to work—and I was the only one who went back to the field. The rest chose administrative positions or transferred to other divisions," Feshikha said, her voice carrying a tone of defeat.
"After I was discharged from the hospital, I stopped by Haidar's house to thank him in person. I didn't expect it, but his house wasn't far from mine. We met and talked about the case we had faced together. I admitted that what my team and I did was a mistake—we should've listened to Haidar and backed off," she continued, her gaze lowered, her voice steady but filled with regret.
"There were no comforting words from Haidar. He simply agreed with what I said. From the start, we had sensed something strange about that case. But in the end, Haidar also blamed the higher-ups—the ones in charge who gave us that case—because apparently, it had already been specially classified from the beginning," Feshikha explained.
"Special Label?" asked Tita.
"Yes, like a classified file or something," Feshikha replied.
"Wait, are you even allowed to tell me about that case?" Tita asked in a slight panic.
"Ha ha ha, relax. Everyone here is already part of the Invisible Case," said Feshikha with a sinister smile that almost looked wicked.
"Invisi—ugh, it just got so cold," Tita said, shivering.
The mansion's grand hall where Feshikha, Tita, and the others were waiting suddenly turned freezing cold—cold enough that their breath turned visible in the air. Feshikha stood up, scanning the surroundings with sharp focus and heightened alertness. Mr Jaya pulled out his Halo token and began praying for protection, while Tita and Yana looked clearly anxious.
Feshikha's eyes turned cold and serious, locking onto a specific direction. A mass of flesh appeared on the wall near the right staircase. From an opening in that fleshy growth, the large creature that had attacked them earlier began to emerge. The creature gave a disturbing smile, exposing rows of sharp fangs stretching across its mouth—it almost looked pleased.
Seeing the creature, Yana, Jaya, and Tita quickly moved behind Feshikha.
"We're so dead," Yana muttered in fear.
"Officer?" Tita called out to Feshikha, her voice trembling as she stepped closer.
"Don't step outside the circle," Feshikha commanded firmly.
"What? Are you serious? Do you see that thing?!" Yana asked in terror.
"Trust me. Besides, do you really think you can outrun that thing?" Feshikha replied, reinforcing the gravity of the situation, her eyes never leaving the creature.
While Mr Jaya kept praying earnestly, "GRRAAAARRRGHHH!" the massive creature let out a roar and charged straight toward Feshikha. "THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!" Its heavy footsteps echoed, carrying immense force and threat toward its target. It didn't take long for the creature to reach Feshikha and the others. In an instant, it pulled back its right arm, ready to strike.
Feshikha stood completely still, unfazed—as if she knew the creature's attack wouldn't do any harm.
"THWAMM–ZRRMMM!" The heavy blow struck something invisible and was immediately repelled, sending the creature stumbling backward.
Tita and Yana ducked and shut their eyes in fear.
"Tsss-tsss!" Mr Yana, still praying, noticed the salt circle around them was letting off small wisps of smoke, and some parts had started to turn black. In front of Feshikha, a faint shimmering field could be seen—blocking the monster's attack.
Feshikha smiled at the creature, which only provoked it to launch another attack. Once again, it was pushed back by the protective barrier surrounding Feshikha and the others. The beast struck over and over, but every attack was deflected. The harder it tried, the further it was thrown back.
Yana and Tita slowly opened their eyes again, shocked to see the creature being blocked by some kind of shield. Mr Jaya kept chanting his prayer, eyes fixed on the monstrous figure as it continued its assault. Meanwhile, Feshikha was calmly preparing a silver dagger and a bottle filled with laceration fluid.
"This is amazing—officer Feshikha was right, we're safe in here," said Tita, clearly relieved.
"Yes, it's incredible! That stuff you scattered around us is actually working," Yana added, smiling.
"It's still too early to celebrate," Feshikha said coldly.
"What do you mean?" asked Tita, starting to look afraid again.
"For now, we're safe, but this barrier won't last forever. See how the salt is slowly burning and turning black?" said Feshikha, pointing at the darkening salt.
"So if the salt all burns out, we'll be slaughtered instantly," said Yana in a panic.
"For the moment, don't worry. With the amount of salt I used, this barrier should buy us time. What we do need to watch out for is how limited the protected area is—it's only within the circle we made. Also—" Feshikha paused, gripping the bottle filled with laceration fluid.
Just as the giant creature lunged forward again to attack, Feshikha was already bracing for it. Once the monster was at just the right distance, she hurled the bottle of laceration fluid toward its head. Strangely, the barrier that had been blocking the creature didn't react to the thrown bottle—it passed right through, heading straight for its target.
"CRASSHH–SPLUUSH!" The bottle shattered, and its contents splashed all over the monster's head.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" The creature recoiled, howling in pain as it grabbed at its face. Its skin began to blister and melt, oozing red fluid, as if the liquid was boiling hot or acidic.
"One of the perks—we can still attack from inside," Feshikha said, finishing her earlier sentence.
"Sshhkkrrkk..." The protective salt began reacting more aggressively—the hissing got louder, and more smoke started to rise. Feshikha sensed something strange about the salt's heightened reaction, but her attention quickly shifted back to the creature, which had now recovered from the pain and was staring at them with furious rage.
"Change of plan," said Feshikha.
"What's wrong?" asked Yana.
"It looks like we really can't just sit around and wait here," said Feshikha.
"Wait, didn't you say we'd be safe as long as we stayed inside the circle?" asked Tita.
"You are safe inside the circle, but wouldn't it be even safer if that thing was gone too?" Feshikha replied while preparing her pistol, dagger, and Haidar's briefcase.
"Wait—what are you thinking?" asked Tita, realizing what Feshikha was planning.
"Don't step outside the circle," Feshikha said firmly.
Without hesitation, Feshikha dashed out of the protective circle and charged forward. The massive creature didn't hold back and rushed at Feshikha in return. While running, Feshikha raised her gun and took aim.
"BANG! BANG!" Two bullets shot toward the monster's head. Reacting quickly, the creature stopped in its tracks and shielded its face with both arms.
SPLAT! SPLAT! The bullets hit its thick arms, and its eyes grew sharper, locking onto Feshikha with deadly focus.
Now closer, Feshikha launched her second attack. She hurled another bottle of laceration fluid straight at the creature's head.
KRASSHH–SPLUUSH! The bottle shattered, but the monster blocked it with its left arm. A hissing steam burst from its skin, and the arm began to blister and melt, red fluid leaking from the wound.
Taking advantage of the creature's moment of pain, Feshikha rushed to its left side and slashed behind its knee.
SLASH! The deep wound spilled thick red liquid. The monster lost balance and leaned to the right, trying to hold itself up.
Feshikha moved quickly behind it. With calm precision, she raised her pistol, pointed it at close range, and without hesitation "BANG! BANG!".
To be continued