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Chapter 524 117.6 - Second Mission

The silence was abruptly broken by the soft creak of the door opening. The Mayor looked up, his expression a mix of hope and anxiety. Astron Natusalune stepped into the room, his presence commanding despite his young age. The Mayor quickly straightened in his chair, trying to mask his unease.

"How was it?" the Mayor asked, his voice tinged with anticipation. "Were you able to find anything useful?"

Astron nodded, his expression calm and composed. "Yes, I was," he replied. "The investigation is finished."

The Mayor\'s eyes widened in surprise and relief. "You were able to find the reason?" he exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement. "Then, what is it? What\'s causing the blight?"

Astron remained steady, his gaze unwavering. "I did find the reason," he confirmed, his tone measured. "But before I explain, I need you to call a few people."

The Mayor\'s enthusiasm faltered slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "Of course," he agreed, his eagerness still apparent. "Who do you need?"

"Please call Miss Celia, Miss Maria, and Mister Damian," Astron requested, his voice calm yet firm.

The Mayor blinked, clearly taken aback by the names. "How are they related to all this?" he asked, the confusion deepening in his voice.

"It\'s important," Astron replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Please comply."

The Mayor hesitated for a brief moment, his mind racing as he tried to connect the dots. But seeing the resolve in Astron\'s eyes, he quickly nodded, the urgency of the situation overriding his questions. "Very well," he said, reaching for the intercom on his desk. "I\'ll have them summoned immediately."

As he made the arrangements, the tension in the room thickened, the Mayor\'s earlier excitement now tempered by a growing sense of unease.

There was something, something that he could not make complete sense of.

Something that was in his gaze sent shivers down the Mayor\'s spine.

As for Astron, he was just standing there without saying anything.

Not long after the Mayor sent the summons, the door to his office creaked open once more. Maria entered first, her steps slow and measured. The signs of her illness were more apparent in the daylight; her skin was pale, and her movements were slightly unsteady. Despite this, she carried herself with a quiet dignity, though her tired eyes betrayed her fatigue.

Behind her followed Damian, his expression fierce and protective. The young man\'s eyes immediately locked onto Astron, his glare sharp with suspicion and anger. The fact that his mother, clearly unwell, had been called to the Mayor\'s office without explanation only fueled his ire.

"Why did you call us here?" Damian demanded, his voice hard as he stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of Maria as if to shield her. "My mother is sick. She shouldn\'t be dragged into whatever this is."

Astron met Damian\'s glare with calm indifference, his expression unchanging. He simply raised a hand in a gesture of patience. "Please, just wait a little," he said, his tone even and composed. "You will soon see the reason why."

Damian\'s eyes narrowed, his frustration evident. He wasn\'t satisfied with the vague response, and the tension in the room spiked as he clenched his fists. "This better be good," he muttered, clearly ready to argue further, but before he could, Maria placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Damian, please," Maria said softly, her voice carrying a soothing calm despite her weariness. She looked up at her son with a tired smile, trying to ease his temper. "Let\'s hear what Mr. Natusalune has to say."

Damian glanced at his mother, the protective anger in his eyes softening slightly at her touch. He hesitated, clearly torn between his desire to shield her and her request to stay calm. After a moment, he let out a quiet sigh, stepping back slightly but keeping a wary eye on Astron.

Maria nodded in gratitude to her son before turning her attention back to Astron. Her expression was one of quiet patience, though her eyes held a hint of curiosity, wondering what had brought them here.

Astron acknowledged her with a small nod, his demeanor remaining steady. The room fell into a tense silence as they waited for the final person to arrive, the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone present.

The tension in the room thickened, and just as the silence began to settle, the door to the office swung open with a loud creak. Celia burst into the room, her entrance accompanied by a shout.

"What\'s the meaning of this? I was just woken up! Why am I being dragged here so early?" Her voice was sharp, tinged with annoyance, and she stormed into the room with her usual haughty demeanor.

Celia\'s appearance was slightly disheveled, her hair not yet fully tamed, and her attire hastily thrown on, clearly indicating that she had been roused from sleep. She looked around the room, her eyes narrowing in confusion and irritation as she noticed the others gathered.

The Mayor\'s face tightened with a mix of embarrassment and frustration at his daughter\'s behavior. He quickly stepped forward, his tone firm as he addressed her. "Celia, this is not the time for your outbursts. You will be polite and respectful. This is a serious matter."

Celia rolled her eyes, clearly displeased with the reprimand. "Fine, fine," she grumbled, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall with a huff. Her gaze flicked to Astron, a trace of that earlier surprise and curiosity from their first meeting still present in her eyes, though now overshadowed by her irritation.

Astron remained unperturbed by her entrance, his expression as calm and controlled as ever. He allowed a moment for the tension in the room to settle before speaking again. "Thank you all for coming. Now that everyone is here, we can proceed."

Celia, still looking somewhat out of place, gave a small, reluctant nod, though her posture remained stiff and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The Mayor, clearly trying to maintain some semblance of control over the situation, gestured for everyone to take a seat.

Maria, with a gentle nod of gratitude to the Mayor, slowly took a seat, her son Damian standing close by, still glaring at Astron. Celia, after a moment of hesitation, begrudgingly followed suit, though she chose a seat that allowed her to keep a close watch on everyone in the room.

Astron stood in the center of the room, his gaze steady as he looked at each of the assembled individuals. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, each person waiting for him to explain why they had been summoned. But instead of diving straight into the matter at hand, Astron began with an unexpected question.

"What do you think of death?"

His words hung in the air, causing a ripple of confusion to pass through the room. The Mayor furrowed his brow, Maria looked perplexed, and Damian\'s fierce expression faltered slightly as he tried to make sense of the question. Celia, sitting with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face shot Astron a look of disbelief.

"What are you talking about?" Celia snapped, her tone impatient. "Why are you asking us about death?"

Astron, unfazed by her outburst, continued without acknowledging her complaint. "Most of the time, death is associated with the cessation of bodily functions. The heart stops beating, the lungs cease to breathe, and the brain halts its activity. Medically, it\'s defined as the irreversible loss of consciousness and the permanent absence of vital signs."

He paused, allowing his words to settle before he continued, his voice calm and almost reflective. "But is death really just about the body? Is it only about the organs shutting down, the blood ceasing to flow, the breath leaving the lungs?"

The room was silent, the occupants clearly bewildered by the sudden turn in the conversation. The Mayor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glancing at the others as if searching for an explanation in their faces. Maria\'s tired eyes held a hint of curiosity, while Damian continued to glare, though now with a mix of confusion. Celia, on the other hand, looked thoroughly irritated.

"This is ridiculous," Celia muttered, shaking her head. "What does any of this have to do with—"

Astron cut her off, his tone firm but not unkind. "Please, just bear with me a moment longer."

Celia huffed but said nothing more, clearly unhappy but willing to wait—if only to see where this strange line of questioning was leading.

Astron let a moment of silence pass before answering his own question. "Of course not," he said, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Death is not just about the body. It\'s also about the soul, the spirit—whatever you choose to call the essence of life. When that essence is drained or corrupted, it doesn\'t matter if the body still functions for a time. The person is effectively gone. Death can come long before the heart stops beating."

He looked around the room, his eyes lingering on each of them in turn. "And the same can happen for the inverse. The things that we consider dead, from a medical perspective, might still be alive. Still in this world, attached to something else."

Astron allowed the silence to stretch for a moment, letting his previous words sink in before he continued. The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with anticipation. He took a measured breath and then spoke again, his tone calm but carrying an undercurrent of gravity.

"There is a phenomenon known as Lingering Resonance," he began, his eyes scanning the faces of those gathered. "It occurs when a person dies an unfair or tragic death, and in their final moments, they experience overwhelming emotions—anger, sorrow, fear. These emotions can be so powerful that they leave an imprint, a piece of that person\'s essence, still attached to this world."

He paused, watching as the others absorbed his words. The Mayor\'s discomfort grew, his fingers fidgeting nervously on the edge of his desk, and the same could be said for the other three.

"When a person\'s spirit is unable to move on because of these unresolved emotions," Astron continued, "they become trapped, tethered to the physical world by the intensity of their feelings. This attachment to the world of the living doesn\'t manifest as a peaceful presence but rather as something far more sinister."

He let his gaze sweep the room, ensuring that each person was following. "These spirits, unable to find peace, begin to haunt the living. They are driven by the very emotions that bound them to this world."

The tension in the room thickened as Astron spoke, his words weighing heavily on those present. The Mayor, already uncomfortable, now seemed increasingly unsettled. His fingers tapped nervously against the edge of his desk, his eyes darting from Astron to the others in the room as if seeking some kind of reassurance.

But as Astron continued, the Mayor\'s anxiety grew too much to contain. He suddenly interrupted, his voice tinged with frustration and desperation. "What does any of this have to do with what\'s happening in Shange Town? There are no spirits or hauntings here! The people are living well enough despite the blight. This is a farming town, not some place haunted by ghost stories."

His words came out in a rush, almost as if he were trying to convince himself as much as those around him. But his body language betrayed him—his hands trembled slightly, and a faint sheen of sweat glistened on his brow. It was clear that the Mayor was far more disturbed by Astron\'s words than he was letting on.

Astron met the Mayor\'s gaze calmly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked deeply into the older man\'s eyes. The room fell into an uneasy silence, everyone waiting to see how Astron would respond to the Mayor\'s outburst.

"Really?" Astron said, his voice low and deliberate. He didn\'t look away, holding the Mayor\'s gaze with an intensity that seemed to pierce through any facade. "What about the family named \'Carpenter?\'"

It was at that moment a chill fell down to the whole room.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om