That was entirely new.
A strange excitent bubbled within her. Her fingers twitched slightly as curiosity took over.
’What kind of effect would this have...?’ And more importantly... ’If this is only beginner-level... what would an interdiate version be capable of?’
Without wasting ti, she practiced until she could reliably create them.
Once she was satisfied, she gathered a large batch and headed straight to Monica’s police station.
.................
The mont Monica saw Lana walk in, she imdiately stood up and pulled out a chair. "Sit."
Lana chuckled lightly and took the seat, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before placing several talismans on the table.
Monica looked at them, confusion evident in her expression. "What are these...?"
Lana leaned back slightly, a faint smile forming. "Truth talismans."
Monica blinked.
Then her eyes widened in disbelief. "Truth talismans?"
Lana nodded.
Silence fell between them.
Monica stared at the talismans as if they might disappear if she blinked again. Her fingers twitched slightly.
"If I say I don’t believe this... will you believe ?"
Lana froze for a mont, then sighed, a helpless smile appearing on her face. "Why does this feel so familiar..."
Sowhere in her mind, she could almost hear Mr. Crow laughing. ’Karma really does co back around...’
She straightened slightly and said firmly, "I’m not lying. These are real."
Monica inhaled deeply before reaching out, her hand trembling as she picked one up.
Truth talismans...
Even high-level police stations struggled to afford them. Yet here Lana was, casually handing over more than a hundred.
Monica’s eyes softened, her expression turning emotional. "Do you have any idea how generous this is...?"
For a split second, she leaned forward, almost wanting to kiss her.
Lana’s eyes widened in alarm, and she imdiately recoiled, her face full of disgust. "Don’t you dare."
Monica burst into laughter. "Alright, alright."
Shaking her head, Lana waved it off before saying, "Since you’ve taken them... at least show how they work."
Monica nodded. "Fine."
Soon, they arrived at the prison section of the station.
This station didn’t just handle governnt cases, it also dealt with local incidents.
The prisoners ranged from humans to ghosts.
Though, most ghosts dissipated within seven days of imprisonnt, so their presence here was often fleeting.
As Lana stepped inside, her gaze swept across the cells.
So n were shouting. So were fighting. Others sat in silence, their faces hollow.
And then...her eyes stopped. There was one man.
He sat in the corner, completely still, his head slightly lowered. His entire presence felt... dim. As if the light inside him had already gone out.
Sothing tightened in Lana’s chest.
She frowned slightly, unable to look away. ’Why does he look like that...?’
Without realizing it, she reached out and gently tugged on Monica’s sleeve.
Monica imdiately turned toward Lana, following the direction of her gaze.
Lana lifted her hand and pointed toward the man sitting in the corner, his body slumped as if life itself were slowly draining out of him.
"Who is he?" Lana’s voice was low, yet firm.
Monica glanced over, then let out a small chuckle, though there was little humor in it. "His na is Vicky. He’s been here for almost two months now."
She crossed her arms, leaning slightly against the cold iron bars. "He’s been charged with the murder of his own brother."
Lana frowned, her brows knitting together as unease crept into her chest. "Has the investigation been completed?"
Monica nodded without hesitation.
"What did you find?" Lana pressed, her tone sharpening slightly.
Monica shrugged faintly. "All the evidence points to him. Every single piece. There’s no doubt, it was him."
Lana fell silent.
Her eyes lingered on Vicky, studying the hollow look on his face, the emptiness in his posture. Sothing about him didn’t sit right with her.
’No... this isn’t the look of a murderer.’
Her instincts stirred restlessly.
Finally, she spoke, her voice calm but decisive. "Since we’re testing the talismans anyway... let’s use him."
Monica raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. After all, Lana held authority here. "Alright."
.............................
The heavy iron door creaked open as they stepped inside the cell.
Vicky briefly glanced at them. Just a single, fleeting look.
Then his gaze returned to the empty space in front of him, as if nothing in the world could interest him anymore.
Lana stepped forward first, clearing her throat softly. "Hello."
Her tone was surprisingly gentle.
"I’m here assisting Monica," she continued. "I’ve heard about your case, and I want to test sothing. Will you allow it?"
Vicky’s eyes shifted toward her again.
For a mont, there was a flicker of surprise, perhaps at her politeness.
Then it disappeared.
"You can do whatever you want," he replied flatly. "I won’t stop you."
His voice carried no resistance. No emotion.
It was as if he had already given up on everything.
Lana’s expression tightened slightly. ’He’s completely broken...’
Without wasting ti, she glanced at Monica.
Monica understood imdiately.
She took out one of the truth talismans and flicked it forward. The paper slipped through the air and landed lightly against Vicky’s chest.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then...a faint ripple passed through his body.
Vicky stiffened slightly, his fingers twitching as a strange tingling sensation spread across his skin, like tiny electric currents crawling beneath it.
But he didn’t react much.
Perhaps he thought it was just another form of torture.
Lana stepped closer and crouched down to et his eye level.
"Did you kill your brother?"
Vicky looked straight at her. His expression remained blank.
Then he slowly shook his head. "No."
The answer ca without hesitation. "He wasn’t killed by . I believe so."
Silence. Lana froze. Monica froze.
The air itself seed to tighten.
Monica stepped forward abruptly, disbelief flashing across her face. "If it wasn’t you, then who did it?"
Vicky’s lips parted slightly. "It was that cursed mirror."
The mont those words left his mouth, both Lana’s and Monica’s expressions darkened.
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