Apart from being an investigative assistant at the agency, Lily is one of the few friends Maya can trust in her life! And it is not just for the sake of saying it, Lily has proven herself to be her best friend in Maya’s hard times. Lily is trustworthy enough that Maya could consider opening up to her about the miseries that she has been facing for almost a month now.

Lily is not a very open person. She joins the meeting only when her presence is necessary and talks to the people only when it would be of some avail. She is the kind of person who would leave you alone for months and only help you or even talk to you when you need her the most. Many people would call her arrogant and dismiss her existence because of this weird habit that she never seems to fix. Or maybe she just doesn’t want to fix it. She likes being left alone and works in silence, mostly. 

Anyway, Maya considers it is worth taking a chance. She goes to Lily’s cabin and sits down on the chair in silence. As always, there is Lily... working, and there is… silence.

To break the ice, Maya starts talking, “So, you seem very alive to me. Didn’t hear from you at all! Thought you were dead.”

Lily looks at Maya in annoyance and answers, “Here’s my response… Ha… Ha… Ha!”

Maya smiles and then continues, “So, how are you these days? Busy?”

Lily looks a bit uncomfortable since she doesn’t want to carry out any conversation at all. But she senses the need for a conversation in the air, so she says, “Well, you know. All the same. Me, my computer, and myself. Sometimes some other anomalies but most of the time, it’s me and myself with my personality that wishes to stay away from all formalities of the world!”

Again, a smile breezes through Maya’s face and she continues, “I see. But I need to discuss something… personal. Got some time?”

Lily looks blankly at her for a second or two. Then she looks at her schedule and then clarifies, “You know what? I can leave at 7 today. Maybe I can invite you over to my house. Do you want to stay the night? You can say your thing and I can listen.”

Maya adds, “And respond too.”

Lily nods and approves, “Yes, that too.”

Maya smiles in agreement and says, “See you in the parking at 7. You drive.”

Lily nods in agreement and gets back to her computer as if Maya doesn’t exist anymore. 

“I’ll let you get back to your world then,” expresses Maya without expecting any response in return. She leaves the cabin with a sign of relief and a calm expression on her face.

Evening happened and Lily came to Maya’s cabin, reminding her that she was off the work. Maya was a bit busy so Lily had to wait an hour before they both went to Lily’s house, which was practically in the same direction. To put it simply, they both live in different societies in the same area.

Lily and Maya enjoy their last meal of the day and go to bed by 10. Lily snuggles herself in a warm blanket. Maya is on the recliner that is tightly placed on the left side corner of the bed, but her feet are straight on the bed, relaxed inside the blanket. She is enjoying the bliss as she is experiencing the warmth and company of Lily around her. It has been a long time since she felt any contact with someone who could be considered a friend.

The conversation starts, and Lily is as attentive as she needs to be. She did not deny any facts. She agreed and understood everything. A bit like AI, but more human than that. But, the most important thing is the fact that Lily doesn’t judge Maya for making choices that might be questionable to some. She doesn’t try to push the doctor on her, since it is clear that she is struggling with the idea. She subtly mentions the help-seeking option but only as if this option is on the side shelf. Maya’s conversation continues the whole night that day. And it did help with her stress levels and anxiety. The morning sun came with a lot of hope and calmness. Maya has found someone who she could rely on. Her mental health is on decline, but this is an instant relief in her anxiety.

Martha Murder Case Investigation: Day 22

New Murder Case Investigation: Day 2

The next day, the interrogation with the mysterious man continues, and Maya takes part in it. And it happens again! The person she imagines is of the same face but a much different demeanor. The guy says 1-2 sentences and then Maya wakes up in a different cabin, just to find out that she isn’t part of the conversation at all. She comes back to reality, but this time she writes down what she heard, or what she imagined.

The sentences were:

You are being childish, to no avail. Stop this foolishness if you wish to stay safe and… alive. 

I, Stygius, am true to my words. You will not live long if you continue with these acts.

She does write down the conversation. But she doesn’t know anything else other than this. Of course, she knows his name is Stygius, as he blatantly boasted that in his sentence, and he is trying to stop her from something, claiming that it is for her own safety. 

But this time, Maya doesn’t stop there. She goes back to the interrogation room where the person is sitting with his arms crossed, looking down on the ground and saying nothing at all. Daniel is there, sitting and hoping he will say something. He is asking multiple questions, trying many methods, but none of it worked. Until Maya shows up in the interrogation room and this time it feels… different. It feels real and to ensure that she won’t lose her consciousness this time; she wore a bracelet that leaves small electric shocks every 30 seconds. These shock bracelets are intended to wake a person up on time and are used during interrogations, or unconventionally, even in general, to… you know… keep one awake on the night shift. And it helped and this time she was able to stay in the present moment! 

She looks at the person who is calling himself Stygius in her imagination. Oddly enough, when she asks a question, the man answers almost too quickly, leaving Daniel stunned at the change of the situation.

“What is your name?” Maya enquires, hoping that her imagination was merely a fragment of her delusional wish that this man would say something. But that doesn’t go as well as she hoped.

He immediately answers back, “I have told you that already, haven’t I? I am Stygius.”

Daniel is looking at Stygius and Maya, back and forth, as if he is saying, “Am I missing something here? When did it happen?”

“What do you mean? Told me? When?” Maya asks, her voice shaking slightly.

Stygius chuckles, and Maya felt a surge of anger rise within her. She doesn’t appreciate being toyed with like this. And Daniel is in a complete “out of context” situation. He is seeing a man who is completely different from what he was seeing from yesterday, or even a moment ago.

“You’re playing a game with ones you don’t understand,” Stygius answers back with pure calmness in his face. “You think you’re just investigating a murder, but there’s more going on here than you realize.”

“Tell me something that I don’t know,” replies Maya with a cold demeanor, claiming her authority back in the situation.

Stygius looks at her and stands up, hunching down towards Maya, making her scoot a bit backward. He declares, “Be careful. The Devil is watching your every move.”

With that, he sits back and goes back to his earth-gazing competition. This time, Daniel too witnesses the shift in his personality. His expression changes back to normal, as if the mysterious man inside him disappears into the shadows. Maya and Daniel look at each other for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.

Stygius’s words have left her bothered and unsettled, and she can’t shake the feeling that something sinister is at play. There is no real proof of anything, even after weeks of Martha’s case and a few days have gone by since the second case happened.

They have to leave Stygius on warning, since there is no real proof against him to suspect him of anything. Daniel and Maya are in Rebecca’s cabin, waiting for her arrival. Still a bit dazed by what had happened in front of their eyes. It is a shock for Maya too because it was not her imagination, so she couldn’t brush it off to her delusion.

Rebecca enters the cabin, greets both with gestures, and sits down before asking, “So, anything is on the case? Did he say anything?”

“Nothing of use,” they both said in unison and then Daniel continued with the rest of the story. Rebecca is not that shocked with it, since it was hard to explain what actually happened. And the gravity of the situation that theyexperienced could not be put into words at all. No words would do justice to what they experience. It would always look a bit gimmicky and mental on paper.

As they end the explanation of today’s events, Rebecca says, “That didn’t help. But I received a background investigation report today on this man. What was his name?”

Maya suggests, “Stygius.”

Rebecca nods and confirms, “Yes, Stygius. That report opens up a few other chapters.”

Daniel questions, “What did you find there?”

Rebecca opens her computer, opens a file, and turns the monitor towards them. It states: Name: Stygius / Nona Age. Occupation: Alcohol dealer and researcher. Claims to be a medium, “psychic” and studies such phenomena. Dwells in the deeper studies of telepathy and telekinesis. Studies the course named “Psychic Phenomena and Telekinetic Arts” in “Aetherium University of Psychic Phenomena and Mental Arts”.

That made more sense. It meant that he was learning these kinds of arts, and most probably, he was acting during these interview days. But what does it solve? They both look with questions in their eyes and Rebecca adds, “You know what makes it a better lead?”

Both shake their heads, waiting for Rebecca’s revelation on the lead. She continues, “Well, our beloved friend, Caius, comes into the picture here. Again. He is the professor in this university. And the second victim, Lara Beyer, was “getting a scholarship and educational help” from this university. She was very fond of Caius. And, this Stygius guy is one of his private students who never misses his lecture, and often takes online classes from Caius in the name of practice and education. God knows what they are learning, but it is not something that we do in our day-to-day life.”

Maya and Daniel both are stunned. They stay silent for a moment and then Maya takes the lead and questions, “How can this be a coincidence? This guy, Stygius, seems to be involved in everything. And Caius is involved with him. Can he still be the innocent sheep?”

Daniel agrees and adds, “He seems way too eager to help. Maybe an ulterior motive or just straightforward endless confidence in oneself.”

Rebecca nods and justifies, “Whatever the case, seems like we won’t be staying too far from this from now on. We need to invite Caius for a quick interview. Maybe he is too comfortable in his home. Let him take a bit of pressure, maybe thenhe will lose his cool and say what we wish to hear.”

Maya and Daniel agree, and a letter is sent to Caius for assistance in the investigation. And as expected, he agrees to it right away. Tomorrow will be the day when his side of the story will be revealed. Hopefully, he stays as cooperative as he has been even after hearing what we have to say! Things have circled back to the beginning. Let’s see where it goes from here!