Back in Romania, the sky had turned really dark as Kai began to move toward Constanta with Liliana. His Spirit Power was fully replenished in mere minutes as the lingering energy from Jack-o'-lantern was still around.
Kai purified that lingering energy and turned it into a pure one to replenish his Spirit Power using Amber's technique.
Naturally, such a thing meant there was also impure energy left behind, and it gave birth to a meter-tall Malice, which was destroyed immediately by Liliana with her fist.
Vampires had higher physical abilities than humans, though they were still a league weaker than Oni races. And even though the barrier around Romania kept them from being burned by the sun, their abilities were still only 50% of their usual.
Destroying Malice with a single punch was hard, even for a normal vampire. That was why Kai was a bit impressed when Liliana did that, and he also understood that although she was way weaker than Amber and Ibaraki, she was still the descendant of the Mythical creature.
They went to Constanta to run. Their running speed was faster than a car, and they settled at the speed of 60 KM/h so they could also scout the area.
Fortunately, they didn't find another Jack-o'-lantern or any enemies. Unfortunately, they also didn't find a sign of Boogeymen even when they walked around Constanta and asked the local Supernatural World resident in that place.
On a side note, he changed his clothes over there as his black shirt was ripped here and there from Jack-o'-lantern's attack.
Their search ended in vain, and they returned to Bucharest right after. The sky was still dark. The smell of dirt had gotten stronger, a sign that rain would pour down sooner or later. So he hurried back to his hotel while Liliana returned to her home.
It was his best decision today, as the rain started pouring down once he arrived at his hotel as if waiting for him to take cover.
"That was close."
Kai muttered to himself as he let out a sigh. Then he noticed some stares from the people in the lobby, looking at his figure. He looked down and smiled wryly.
The clothes he got were a white shirt with the words 'I love Romania,' which was sold for a tourist. It was cheap and the only thing he could afford with the money he got in his pants. The store he got it from didn't take cards, unfortunately.
He hurriedly went upstairs toward his room at the top of the hotel and changed his clothes again. His choice was a plain black t-shirt and short black pants that ended around his knees.
While he loved long pants, sometimes he also wore short ones when he was a bit tired so his legs had room to move freely.
Amber and Ibaraki had yet to return, and he could feel their presence staying in one place.
'Maybe they take shelter from the rain or something?'
As he thought that, Amber's voice rang inside his head.
[We're sorry, Kai. The rain keeps us from returning to the hotel.]
'Talk about a coincidence.' He smiled and sat on the bed.
Kai knew that they could bulldoze through the rain and use Amber's Phoenix fire to keep them from getting wet, but that would attract some unwanted attention from normal people.
Umbrella was a choice too, but maybe they were at a place where they couldn't secure it.
'Don't worry, Amber. Where are you, by the way?' He replied to the girl using telepathy through their connection.
[We're in the old town area, just a few Kilometers away from the hotel. We will return shortly after the rain has calmed down.]
[Master, please forgive us.] Ibaraki chimed in. [We also didn't find any clue about the Boogeymen, but we found something else. Once we return, we will share our findings.]
'Really? That's great because I don't find anything at all. Well, if you ignore my meeting with a Jack-o'-lantern, then there is nothing unusual in Constanta.'
[Jack-o'-lantern? Hmm…] Amber hummed. [Let's share our findings later, Kai. It seems like something or someone moved behind the shadow to keep us away from the Boogeymen.]
'I think so too.' He nodded.
Someone's figure flashed in his mind. A masked figure who stood above a billboard in time square, someone he had never forgotten even once.
'It might be the Alchemist or someone in his group. If he's the 5th seat in Memento Mori, then at least this group has 4 other members besides him. Maybe they are responsible for whatever it is that you found out?'
[I won't deny that, as I want to keep the possibility open.] Amber replied. [Well, Kai. We should talk about the important matter directly. Even if we are talking in our mind through our connection from the contract, we don't know whether there is someone capable of hearing us.]
'Yeah. I will wait for you girls to return.'
[Yes. Rest well, Kai.]
[Master, have a good rest.]
'Thanks, both of you.'
They cut off their telepathic connection afterward. Kai lay down on the bed, looking at the ceiling and remembering his meeting with the Jack-o'-lantern.
"I am sure that someone sent the Jack-o'-lantern to us and hypnotized or brainwashed our taxi driver earlier."
Whoever it was, they must be someone skilled for him not to notice their presence. It happened similarly to when 3 giant ghosts attacked him and Ibaraki. At first, he couldn't notice the Alchemist's presence until he defeated the ghosts.
Could the one who sent the Jack-o'-lantern be the Alchemist? Or was it the Boogeymen? For all he knew and found out, Jack-o'-lantern was actually similar to a combination of a ghost and Malice.
It had a physical body, but it was also just a soul that got trapped inside the burning coal that acted as its core. It was such a strange creature.
"Liliana said many Jack-o'-lanterns were spotted in Romania, even more so on Halloween. October is still far, so there should be no Jack-o'-lantern at times like this. The only possibility is…"
No house was also detected in that mountain where he was attacked. And Jack-o'-lantern only attacked someone who trespassed into someone else's house without an invitation.
"Someone created the Jack-o'-lantern purposely to attack Liliana or me."
If they wanted to attack Liliana, then they could just use a silver bullet, which was also lethal for a vampire. They didn't need to go into trouble to create a Jack-o'-lantern to kill her.
"So the target is me. But for what reason?"
Jack-o'-lantern was indeed strong, but it wasn't strong enough to beat him. At most, it only made him a little serious about finding out its trick. Once he discovered the way to defeat the creature, the rest was rather easy.
"I don't know anything… Shit, I hate this kind of situation." He jumped up from the bed, walking toward the window while ruffling his head.
Leaning on the window's frame, he looked out of the room. The rain fell harder, and there was no sign of it stopping soon. His expression turned solemn as he gazed into the cracking sky, lit by the thunder that began to ring loudly above the cloud.
A rain like this reminded him of what happened 10 years ago, about the death of his parents. A wry smile appeared on his face.
"Now that I know about Supernatural World, I don't believe my parents died in an incident anymore." He muttered to himself.
Two incidents at the same time in a different country were too much of a coincidence.
"They must've died because of some Supernatural stuff. I should look at it once I am back from this country."
If they died in an incident, he would grieve again and feel the sadness that attacked him. But… if by chance they died due to someone else's work… then…
"I will find whoever is responsible and make them pay for it."