Ryne, Nini, Fonmi, and Prauza had managed to return to the city safely. As they went closer to the entrance, Ryne took a long look at the high, dark gray walls that surrounded the whole of it. He was half-expecting to suddenly see a moat around it, but he knew that would be too much.

“I never quite noticed that it looked so… grim,” said Ryne to the others in a whisper. “Perhaps I was that distraught while I was leaving.”

“You’ve been away for a long enough while,” said Nini, who had peeked out of the bag. “Now I miss the outside, even though we haven’t stepped in yet.”

“I guess so.”

As Ryne made his way inside, he felt as if he was going to be eaten by the large gate. The moment his whole body was within the city limits, he felt a chill go up his spine.

“I… I think I remember now what I felt back then, before I left this place,” he said, seeing again part of what he had feared for so long, back when he was younger. Numerous spirits and other beings mingled silently with the rest of the population. Much more than what he saw in the suburbs.

“What is it?” Nini asked, not quite understanding what was going on while inside the bag.

Ryne was going to answer, but he took a closer look around him and realized that they weren’t as overwhelming as he had thought when he was younger. Maybe because he also got used to seeing them outside?

“I felt afraid, because everything was unfamiliar. However, now, these other beings I could see, they’re not as… scary anymore.”

“Other beings?” asked Prauza. “What kind?”

“Oh, right… You can see spirits and such, can’t you, Ryne?” said Nini.

“That is most interesting. I want to see them too!”

The other cats went out of the bag and looked around the same way Ryne did. To their surprise, they gradually saw faint ethereal glows, traces of what the human-form cat could see other than the physical plane they were walking in.

“Amazing… I haven’t noticed them before…” said Nini in awe.

“Wow…” Fonmi was also feeling the same.

Ryne was surprised. “You can see them?” he asked.

“It may simply be because you’re here, with us,” Prauza hypothesized. “As if it’s some sort of magic.”

“I… I don’t know how to control this, though. I apologize if you’re in any way spooked.”

“As long as it’s gradual, I think we could manage,” reassured Nini. “Still, it’s… I could only imagine how you felt when you first saw them before. No one else was able to.”

Ryne felt a sense of relief knowing that he could actually share this ability of his. But is it just me, or I can actually do more than I thought I could? he thought. What… am I, exactly?

Nini, remembering their mission, asked Ryne, “So, what do you suppose we should do first?”

“Ah, yes…” Ryne was brought back to reality from his thoughts. “We should probably go to the police station first. I may not be able to ask directly about any possible stray cat deaths, but I can at least ask about any unusual activities that may be related to it.”

Being mostly unfamiliar with the human part of the city, it took some time, and a bit of asking around, to get to the station. As soon as they arrived, a large dog started barking at them and went to sniff them, or rather, Ryne. It barked once and went back to its doghouse beside the station building.

“Well, that’s surprising. He usually doesn’t do that with strangers.”

It was one of the police officers, possibly the one who took care of the dog.

“Really?” asked Ryne.

“Truly,” said the officer. “The only ones it does that to are the officers, Mr. Miller of the Spiritbooks company, and Mr. Bennett of the Mayor’s office. Speaking of which, you look somewhat like Mr. Miller.”

“That is unusual.”

“Ha! And speaking of the Mayor, Sir Whipplesnaps here doesn’t like him at all. Barks like mad. I wonder why?” the officer continued. “Anyway, you’re not from around here, are you? Haven’t seen you before, despite the resemblance. You need directions?”

“Ah, about that… I know some people here in the city, and they’ve asked me to ask about any unusual happenings regarding cats.”

“Cats, huh? Well, there has been a jump in missing pet reports lately.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. In fact, that lady over there’s one of the people who filed one.”

The officer pointed to an athletic-looking lady with blonde hair in a ponytail, who was just going down the stairs of the police station. She looked at the two of them, who were also looking at her.

“Um, may I help you?” the lady asked as she approached them, curious about their gaze.

“Sorry for the bother, miss,” said the officer. “This young man here’s been asking about unusual events related to cats.”

“I see…”

“May I ask you some questions, Miss…?” asked Ryne.

“It’s Ella. Ella Allen,” answered the lady. “If it helps someone, sure, why not?”

“Thank you. So… What happened with your pet, exactly?”

“Well, it’s not my pet, per se. It’s my friend’s.” Ella started to tell her story while showing Ryne some of her pictures. “He’s a cat named Percy. My friend was going to feed him when she couldn’t find him. We tried looking all over the house and asking the neighbors, but he wasn’t anywhere, and the neighbors were missing their cats as well.”

“It’s just cats?”

“Yes, from what I can gather. My dog, Brownie, is still at the house. I think some other dogs in the neighborhood are also still around, at least.”

“I see… Was this… Percy still around yesterday?”

“Yes! I remember greeting him as soon as I got home from class yesterday.”

“Hmm… By the way, have you seen anyone suspicious going around? Like someone wearing some kind of heavy cloak?”

“No… Not that I know of.”

“A suspicious man, you say?” asked the officer, who was listening in to their conversation. “Did your… acquaintances see anything of the sort?”

“Yes,” answered Ryne. “In fact, they saw one taking a cat. But it was a stray, so they were afraid no one would bother to hear them out about it. They don’t even know if the person was a man or a woman.”

“Oh dear…” muttered Ella in shock.

“Either way, this is a new lead for us. Thank you, young man,” said the officer as he began to go up the stairs. “Are there any other details that you know?”

“No. That’s about it, Officer.”

“Thank you, then.”

The officer went back inside the station with the new information in hand. Ryne and Ella were left outside to talk.

“This is interesting and rather mysterious…” said Ella.

“It really is, huh?” Said Ryne.

“What’s your name, by the way?”

“Ah, it’s Spencer Smith.”

“I see. You know, this situation hits much closer to home than any mythologies I usually dig up.”

“Mythologies?”

“I love studying myths and legends of places, and would like to write books about them someday,” said Ella. “In fact, I applied for a grant from Spiritbooks with a paper on this city’s lore recently. Did you know that this place, this modern city, has mystical roots to it?”

“Really?”

“Really. Well, it’s been nice meeting you, Mr. Smith. Do you mind if I call you Spencer?”

“No, not at all.”

“Great,” said Ella happily. “Oh, if you find out more about this odd situation, could you give me a call? I’ll also give you a picture of Percy so you can keep an eye out for him.”

“All right. Let’s exchange numbers, then.”

“Yes! I’ll also let you know if I find out anything new from my end.”

Ella ran off to her home, leaving Ryne and the cats, who were hiding close by, near the station.

Ryne told the other cats about what he had discussed with the police officer and the lady he had just met.

“I see…” said Nini. “So it’s not just strays that are involved… Who knew?”

“It seems to be the case,” said Ryne in agreement.

“It really is much bigger than what we first thought, then,” noted Prauza.

“Maybe we should go and check on the strays’ side of things… I’ve become quite worried,” said Nini.

Ryne agreed, but didn’t say much after that. He didn’t quite know how he was going to show his face again to the group after he left, especially to Hugma, who had ordered his exile. He knew that that character, in particular, didn’t like him much, and would likely want him out as soon as he appeared.

Still, he had to. It was for everyone’s safety, after all.