The Dark Gate

Eve bared her pale wrists, where several wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was a recovery as eerie as Lorenzo's. Her expression was tinged with terror; though she did not understand how Lorenzo had managed it, she knew clearly that this was something ominous.

"Am... am I tainted?"

The girl was somewhat afraid. She should not have told Lorenzo; given his personality, if she were truly tainted by a demon, he would surely kill her on the spot. Yet, Eve also understood the danger demons posed, and between the two, she chose honesty.

"Not exactly..."

Lorenzo stared at her, and it was a long while before he spoke slowly.

"Demon taint requires many conditions, and those who are tainted usually twist and mutate immediately, just like Sabo. But you haven't... your state is very stable... just like me."

"Like you?" Eve asked tentatively.

Lorenzo did not speak. He stood up and walked toward Eve, his pupils gradually igniting with flames as the power known as Secret Blood awakened within him.

After a long time, the flames extinguished, and Lorenzo sat back down, though this time his eyes were filled with confusion.

"There are only a few outcomes after coming into contact with demons, so your condition is actually quite easy to judge, but..."

Hearing that "but," Eve panicked and sat up straight, like a student.

"Eve, you know that there are some things that, once you touch them, you can never leave behind. Demons, for example.

In my knowledge, there is a criterion known as a Medium. Most people do not possess the ability of a Medium, and because of this, even if dark things approach them, they are usually fine. It is more accurate to describe this as two worlds; you can understand it as us living in the same world and the same city as the demons, but usually, the demons cannot see us. In their eyes, we are merely a mass of indistinct mist, and likewise, I cannot see them."

Lorenzo's voice seemed to take on a magical quality. Unbeknownst to them, something seemed to fill the room—it was omnipresent, yet impossible to distinguish.

"But if you learn too much dark knowledge, it will deepen the connection between you and them. You will become increasingly clear in the eyes of those monsters, and in turn, you will see them as well."

At this point, Lorenzo smiled slightly.

"Take myself, for example. I am a human Medium. With the help of just a little bit of herbs, I can activate Spirit Sight and see things that the living cannot."

"Eve, if you want to understand your own state, then you will inevitably learn that knowledge. You will sink into the darkness bit by bit. The demons in that mist will become clear to you, and you will gradually become a Medium, chased by darkness for the rest of your days."

Lorenzo looked at her sternly.

"So, the decision is yours. If you want to understand all of this, you will inevitably deepen your connection to the darkness. Perhaps after many years, that connection will break, but no one can guarantee what will happen next. I need your decision. The door to the darkness is right before you; whether you step through it depends on you."

Listening to Lorenzo's words, Eve fell silent. She understood his meaning clearly: it was forbidden knowledge. Once she understood it, she was destined to fall into that abyss.

"I have a few questions. Will I become one of those things?"

Eve asked.

"Assuming you don't come into contact with demons, the possibility is very small. After all, your state is very stable."

"Did this abnormality happen tonight?"

"No. The cause tonight should have been a sample of Secret Blood with low purity; it was what caused all the chaos. Your body's abnormality should stem from a long time ago."

A long time ago? That meant she had already had an intersection with these things called demons long ago?

Eve tightened her grip on her hands involuntarily, her knuckles turning white.

The girl stared fixedly at Lorenzo. The detective had returned to his previous state at some point; the feeling of a cold-blooded killer was gone, and he was curled up in the comfortable sofa like a piece of social refuse.

The decision was right before her—this was what a crossroads in life looked like. The girl thought about many things for a moment, and finally, she answered earnestly.

"Tell me!"

The girl's gaze was resolute, carrying a seriousness he had never seen before.

Lorenzo was stunned. He hadn't seen such a look in a long time. He remembered that the last time he saw it, he was still a priest in Florence. When those children said what profession they wanted to be in the future, they had this look—full of persistence, stubbornness, and innocence.

"I... can I hear the reason? If it weren't for the fact that one cannot choose their birth, I wouldn't want to deal with these monsters."

At this point, Lorenzo couldn't help but think of Sabo, who had died by his hand not long ago. No one could choose their birth.

Eve's expression dimmed slightly, but after thinking about it, she spoke. She looked very calm, or perhaps, terrifyingly calm.

"I have been having nightmares since I was very young. I don't actually know what they are, but I always dream of one scene, over and over again.

A woman is lying in bed, fast asleep. I can't see her face clearly, but I always feel very close to her. But suddenly, something crawls out of her stomach, just like the demons I encountered. It crawled out of that woman's stomach... I can't see that thing clearly, and every time I'm about to, I wake up in a fright."

"Actually, I stopped dreaming about this a long time ago, but I dreamed it again the day before my mother died of illness. Then she died the next day. I was young at the time, and I don't know if it was curiosity or what, but my mother was lying in a coffin filled with flowers, and I lifted her clothes when no one was looking."

Eve hugged her head and curled up on the sofa, muttering to herself.

"It was as if I were possessed. I lifted a corner of her clothes, and there was a hideous scar on my mother's stomach, as if some monster had once crawled out of her belly."

"Actually, I had almost forgotten all of this, but just as you said about the connection, as the connection deepened, everything I had forgotten returned. I think if I go deeper, I might be able to know something."

That was the nightmare that had always surrounded Eve. She thought she had forgotten, but sometimes it would suddenly come to mind, becoming clearer as she grew older, as if Death itself had crawled out of that scar and taken her mother's soul.

Eve had always thought this might be her own delusion, but after tonight, this eerie sequence of events was draped in the shadow of demons.

Lorenzo looked at Eve deeply. Everyone was like this. Eve thought she had the chance to choose, but in reality, that eerie darkness was like a swamp; it would not easily let go of anyone who stepped into it. She thought she had the chance to refuse, but just like fate, there would always be a reason compelling her to take that step.

"I hope you won't regret it."

Lorenzo said, beginning to recall the things he had sealed deep within his memories.