CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 66 – THE INVESTIGATOR

She looked at him—not teasing, not stern, just... curious.

"How large is your spatial storage?"

His breath caught.

"...What?"

"Your space storage," she said, voice calm. "I assume it’s more than just a little satchel, judging by what you’ve been pulling out."

Kael froze.

Cold settled in his stomach.

"I... I don’t know what you mean."

She smiled slightly. Not mocking—just calm. "You don’t have to worry. I won’t tell anyone. I’m just... curious."

Kael said nothing.

But inside, his mind was spinning.

How does she know?

He hadn’t used storage in front of her. Not once.

Only Seris had seen it.

Did someone tell her?

Had she... been watching me longer than I realized?

Was she guessing?

Or—

Does she already know I’m not from this world? Does she know about the Dimensional System?

A chill ran down his spine.

Was that why she supported me so openly?

Kael stared at her, unsure if she was complimenting him... or testing him.

Or both.

He didn’t have the answers.

But something in her tone—so casual, so sure—left his heart pounding.

What does she know?

What is she planning?

And most of all—

Is she a friend... or something else entirely?

Earth

The road stretched endlessly before him—long, and half-swallowed by weeds. No road signs. No gas stations. No turnoffs. Just forest. Empty hills. The occasional power pole standing like a forgotten relic.

He’d been driving for five hours now, ever since leaving the capital before sunrise. The last proper building he’d seen was nearly sixty kilometers back—a roadside warehouse with boarded-up windows and a hand-painted sign that just read "CLOSED" in fading red.

Now, even the cell signal was gone.

Good. That meant he was close.

Blackwater Hollow wasn’t on most maps. The road that led here had been removed from satellite view five years ago. Even traffic apps showed this area as "restricted access." No explanation. Just a grey void.

Like it didn’t want to be found.

But Halden Cross made a living finding things that didn’t want to be found.

He pulled over as the gravel turned into a narrow dirt path, just wide enough for one car at a time. His old grey Toyota Land Cruiser rumbled forward, suspension creaking as branches scraped the sides like dry fingers.

He kept the window cracked an inch. The air smelled different here. Too clean.

He hadn’t seen a single other vehicle since he’d taken the turnoff. Not even a motorbike.

And that heavy silence—that kind that always meant something was wrong.

After driving a little farther, he parked the car in a small turnout off the side of the road. The sun was nearly set.

He opened the glove box and took out a worn notebook. Inside were pages filled with tight, meticulous handwriting—his investigation log.

He flipped to the latest entry:

Blackwater Hollow

300 km from capital

Pop. less than 100

No development in 50+ years

Declared "no-fly zone" without reason

No telecom towers

No satellite data

Roads: degraded, unserviced

Entire region blacked out on Google Maps

Ownership

Over 5,000 hectares

Was still under Theodore Lancaster’s name until recently

Now quietly transferred to Kael Lancaster

Not listed in official will

No court registration

Not taxed

Not disclosed to Lancaster Holdings board

Halden tapped the pen lightly against the page.

"If it doesn’t add up, dig.

If it still doesn’t add up—dig deeper."

And this?

This didn’t add up at all.

Why would someone like Theodore Lancaster—billionaire, kingmaker, legal genius—bury this much land? Hide it?

The government had cancelled every planned project for this region over the last four decades. Roads went unbuilt. Permits got revoked. Even telecom companies had withdrawn. It was like someone had drawn a circle around Blackwater Hollow and written: DO NOT DISTURB.

He adjusted his coat, pulled the hood up, and began walking toward the market.

It didn’t take long to find it.

Blackwater’s "town" was more like a leftover memory—just a few wooden shops lined along a cracked stone path.

He passed a vegetable stall—half-empty crates and a small chalkboard sign. The man behind the stall looked up. Late fifties, maybe older.

Halden gave a polite nod and stopped.

"Excuse me," he said, voice calm. "I’m trying to find someone. A boy named Kael Lancaster."

The vendor narrowed his eyes. "You from the city?"

"Passing through," the PI replied smoothly. "Heard there’s a big old house out here that used to belong to the Lancasters. Figured I’d check if anyone still lives there."

The man scratched his chin, suspicious now. "You a friend of the family?"

Halden smiled thinly. "Not exactly. Just... someone with an interest."

The vendor didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t argue either. "Ain’t much left of the family. Only one lives there now. Young man. Says he’s Theodore’s grandson."

"Is he home?"

"Don’t think so. I heard from Eli he went to the capital a few days ago."

Halden nodded politely, but his instincts flared.

Kael’s mobile signal had been off for days. But he never got on any train, bus, or road from here to the capital. And Eric had received no updates.

Either the boy had left without a trace...

Or he’d never left at all.

Still, Halden kept his reaction buried.

He thanked the vendor, bought a bottle of water to avoid suspicion, and walked back to the car.

By the time he turned onto the dirt road again, the sun had almost fully vanished behind the trees. His headlights swept across the uneven path, catching glimpses of old fence posts, wild grass, and thick shadows.

And then... he saw it.

The Lancaster House.

It is Large, but not flashy. Built from aged wood and stone, its paint long faded—parts of it stripped and under repair. Construction tools were neatly packed under a plastic tarp.

He stepped out of the car and walked toward the house slowly.

Over five thousand hectares of land... and not a soul watching it. No listing in the inheritance documents. No acknowledgment from the family.

Eric didn’t know it existed until Halden found it.

Even though it was the birthplace of someone like Theodore Lancaster, there was barely any information about it online.

It was like the town—and this house—weren’t supposed to exist.

And yet Kael now lived here—alone.

"This is the story no one’s telling," Halden thought, stepping closer.

"And I’m going to find out why."