Chapter 2 The Metaphysical Mess At The Station

• The interrogation room at the city police station reeked of damp mold. Overhead, fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered like they were gasping for air. Lena leaned against the one-way glass, her exhausted reflection staring back—dark circles under her eyes, a scabbed lip, and a bandage on her right shoulder seeping blood. It was just a flesh wound, but every move felt like needles stabbing her. She rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the lingering adrenaline from the dock shootout. That golden rift in the sky, the teal figure crashing down—it clung to her mind like a bad dream.
• “Done with him?” she asked, stopping Wang as he stepped out, her voice hoarse.
• Wang froze, rubbing his arm, his face a mask of confusion. “Captain Lena, this guy’s… weird as hell.” He lowered his voice, glancing back at the interrogation room. “I asked the suspect a few random questions, and he broke down, sobbing about how he spied on his neighbor’s bath as a kid. Kept muttering about ‘purging his inner demons.’ You think he’s got some hypnosis trick? Or…” He paused, forcing an awkward grin. “Maybe he’s just nuts?”
• Lena’s brow furrowed. Her gaze flicked through the glass to the man inside. He sat on the iron chair, head bowed, fiddling with his handcuffs. His slender fingers tapped the lock like it was some priceless artifact. His soaked, wide-sleeved robe clung to his frame, black hair a mess, yet it couldn’t hide his pale, almost too-perfect face. He looked up, as if sensing her, and flashed a faint smile, a dimple appearing on his left cheek. His eyes were clear, almost boyishly innocent.
• Her chest tightened. She forced herself to look away. “Hypnosis? More like a drama queen.” She snorted, shoving the door open. The iron hinges squealed, protesting the late-night chaos.
• The air inside was colder, thick with the sting of rust and disinfectant. Lena slammed the case file on the table, the chair screeching as she sat. She fixed the man with a stare hard as stone. “Name.”
• “Kai, Chief Talisman Master of the Great Liang Talisman Academy,” he answered smoothly, his voice clear as a mountain stream, tinged with confusion. “Why so angry, lady?”
• “Real name,” Lena snapped, swallowing her irritation. “Drop the costume drama act, cosplayer.”
• Kai tilted his head, as if genuinely pondering. His fingers traced the table, leaving a faint red mark—like cinnabar, but it faded instantly. “Every word I speak is true.” He met her gaze, calm as a still lake. “If you doubt me, ask one question. I’ll answer with honesty.”
• Lena scoffed, flipping open the file, her fingers tightening unconsciously. That red mark reminded her of the eerie green glow from the bronze artifacts at the dock—pulsing, alive. She took a deep breath, forcing focus. “Last night at the dock, how’d you show up? Don’t feed me that ‘void traversal’ crap.”
• “The Void Traversal Talisman malfunctioned, landing me here,” Kai sighed, like he was grumbling about missing a morning market. “The Great Liang Talisman Academy has never seen such a failure. Perhaps the talisman paper was subpar, or the stars misaligned.” He paused, a flicker of loneliness in his eyes. “This place… it’s not Great Liang. Do you know the way back, lady?”
• Lena glared, her headache pounding. This guy was either a master actor or certifiably insane. “Stop playing mystic,” she snapped, tapping the table. “Name, ID, address. Now.”
• Kai blinked, clearly clueless about “ID.” He lowered his gaze, muttering, “Address… the bamboo grove cottage behind the Talisman Academy.” His fingers sketched a complex pattern on his cuffs, then wiped it away, his movements delicate, like he was playing a zither.
• Before Lena could snap again, a low growl came from the next room. Through the observation window, she saw the fraud suspect, ‘A’, clutching his head, muttering, “I’m a monster… I even scammed my grandma…” He gripped a crumpled piece of yellow paper, its edges singed like it’d been near a flame. Wang stood beside him, jaw dropped, his pen clattering to the floor.
• Lena’s pulse quickened. She glanced at Kai. He was muttering to himself, lips curling slightly, like a kid lost in his own world. She rubbed her temples, wondering if exhaustion was making her see things. “What’d you say to him?” she hissed, her tone sharp.
• “Just a few true words to unravel his inner demons,” Kai said, looking up with a sly glint in his eyes. “You carry heavy burdens, lady. That shoulder wound still holds dark energy. Shall I assist?”
• “Shut it!” Lena shot to her feet, her cheeks inexplicably burning. She pressed her shoulder, the bandage stinging as she sucked in a breath. She glared at him, gripping the file until her knuckles whitened.
• The door swung open. Ya, the young officer, poked her head in, cheeks flushed. “Captain Lena, the chief wants you. ‘A'… he just confessed to the museum theft ring.” She snuck a glance at Kai, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
• Lena frowned, standing. As she did, she noticed the water cup on the table, its surface rippling faintly before going still. She rubbed her eyes, blaming the flickering lights.
• The chief’s office was a circus. Deputy Chief Zhang slammed the desk, his toupee slipping to reveal a shiny scalp. “Lunatic! Total lunatic! Get him to a hospital, now!” His spit sprayed the table, nearly toppling his coffee mug.
• “But he got ’A' to confess…”Ya mumbled, clutching her pen, sneaking glances at the monitor. On screen, Kai stared at the water cup, muttering, his fingers tracing invisible patterns in the air.
• Chief Li rubbed his forehead, his shirt collar damp with sweat. “Lena, what’s your take?” He glanced at her in the corner, his eyes expectant.
• Lena leaned against the wall, her shoulder throbbing with each heartbeat. She smirked. “Drama queen, hypnotist, or maybe a high-IQ conman.” She thought of the golden rift at the dock, her chest tightening. “But he knows too much.”
• “Exactly!” Wang piped up, gossip-hungry. “He asked ‘A', ‘Have you ever betrayed your kin?’ and the guy just lost it, crying and spilling everything! Captain, what if he’s some… master?”
• “Master?” Deputy Zhang snorted. “Superstitious nonsense! Li, you’re not buying this, are you?”
• Chief Li sighed, lighting a cigarette. Smoke curled under the fluorescent lights. “Belief doesn’t matter. Case clearance does.” He lowered his voice. “The dock was too weird—bronze artifacts, sky rifts. This guy might know something.” He turned to Lena, his gaze firm. “Keep an eye on him for a few days. Let him crash at your place. Don’t let him wander.”
• “Why me?” Lena clenched her fists, anger flaring. Her apartment was a shoebox, her fridge stocked with nothing but expired milk. Babysit a “lunatic”? No way.
• “You’re close, cool-headed, reliable,” Chief Li said, tossing her a set of car keys. “Just a few days. Observe him. If he’s crazy, we’ll ship him to the psych ward. If he’s got something…” His eyes gleamed. “Our station’s bonus depends on him.”
• Lena gritted her teeth, tempted to chuck the keys back. She remembered the dock—gunfire, blood, and Kai’s cryptic “dark energy.” She didn’t believe in ghosts, but those clear eyes unnerved her. “You really buy his act?” she asked coldly.
• “Don’t have to believe. Just try.” Chief Li patted her shoulder, grinning like a sly fox. “You always say no clue gets ignored.”
• At the hallway’s end, Kai crouched by the water cooler, staring at the stream like it held the universe’s secrets. A droplet lingered on his fingertip before falling with a soft plop. He looked up, meeting Lena’s icy stare with an innocent smile. “Lady, this water device… is it a mechanism?”
• “Call me Officer Lena,” she snapped, her voice cold enough to freeze the air. She glanced at his robe, its hem muddy and soaked, dragging like some displaced ancient’s. “Get up. You’re coming with me.”
• “To where?” Kai stood, his wide sleeves absurdly out of place under the fluorescents. He brushed his robe, graceful as if flicking off morning dew.
• “For now…” Lena paused, her throat tight. “You’re staying at my place.” She turned, stalking off, her steps faster than usual.
• Kai followed, his footsteps light, muttering, “No bamboo groves here, no talisman paper… Does your home have ink and brush, lady?”
• Lena spun around, glaring. “Shut up.” She gripped the keys, the metal biting her palm. Night air swept through the hallway window, heavy with post-rain dampness. Somehow, this guy was more headache-inducing than the dock’s gunfire.
• Ya passed by, blushing as she snuck a photo of Kai, the flash popping. She winked at Lena, whispering, “Captain, he looks like a historical drama heartthrob. Watch out, don’t fall for him at home.”
• Lena snorted, shoving the door open into the night. “Fall for him? I’d have to be blind,” she muttered under her breath.