Giving Up and a Question

After activating the Pure White Eye, Abner first examined Xio. Only after confirming she was not a fake created by a Faceless's ability did he relax a little.

Then again, Xio wasn't wearing lifts right now. She was only 1.5 meters tall... Even Klein couldn't manage that height, let alone Qilingus, who was a little taller than Klein...

As he grumbled inwardly, Abner hurried into his storeroom and took out the Book of the Dead. He intended to use its distinctive aura in a ritual to forcibly simulate a Spirit Medium's ability and communicate with nearby spirits.

Once he had arranged everything, he chanted in Ancient Hermes:

"Spirits wandering near this neighborhood,

"Weak beings that can be commanded by others,

"Visitors drawn by the aura of the Book of the Dead,

"I command you in my name: bring back the auras of suspicious people near this house."

Xio was puzzled by what Abner was doing at first. Then something clicked, and she quietly watched him perform the ritual.

The ritual was soon complete. Wisps of aura gathered around Abner. He "extracted" them one by one, then "analyzed" and "rewound" each in turn.

A minute later, Abner closed the Pure White Eye. With a slight sigh, he told Xio, "As I thought, you were followed... Five different people passed by on the street outside, but they all had the same aura."

"The Faceless's ability... Creeping Hunger, the item you told me about? Qilingus?" Xio had suspected as much, but she still could not hide her surprise. She felt both guilty and relieved.

She felt guilty for bringing danger to Abner's doorstep... but relieved that she had not gone home. At least Fors was safe.

But why hadn't Qilingus seized me right away?

Xio voiced the question: "If he'd already spotted me...