Autumn

The tissue that Miles pressed firmly against his nose seemed to provide no defense against the smell of the morgue. The overwhelming odor was difficult to describe in one word. It contained something bitter and a bitter taste, with a metallic note that could even be sensed in the throat. It was the smell of death, but also the smell of work, the smell of people who deal with bodies every day, removing traces of life from them. The boy remained close to the entrance, holding the door ajar with his foot to be able to breathe a bit of fresher air. From this spot, he observed the body of the girl lying on the table. Although it had been thoroughly cleansed of any traces of blood and dirt and now resembled a pale porcelain doll, he could still see from here swollen marks around the cuts on her skin.

The pathologist paced behind the window of his office, preparing a copy of the entire documentation, while Grant had been leaning over the corpse for several minutes, carefully analyzing each of the symbols carved on the brunette's skin. The sturdy man in a suit glanced towards the window before finally pulling his hands out of his pockets and slowly running them over the girl's head and chest, opened after the autopsy.

"Do you sense anything?" Miles asked, glancing over his shoulder at the empty corridor behind the door. He didn't like hospitals. The cold fluorescent lights, the sharp scent of disinfectant, and the human dramas permeated these walls. They reminded him of helplessness, as if they were an expression of failure in themselves.

"Not really," Grant muttered softly, disappointment evident in his voice. He furrowed his brows, still staring at the symbol carved in the middle of Abigail O'Malley's forehead. He reached for the phone in the inner pocket of his jacket and swiftly took several photos of the girl's body, trying to capture as many details as possible.

"Wouldn't this be included in the report?"

"We don't want to miss anything. Once the news starts spreading, it won't be so easy to access this place anymore," Grant explained, briefly lifting his gaze to the boy.

Charming a policeman or a pathologist was not a problem. Certainly not for Grant. If necessary, cash could settle matters with more stubborn minds. That's why Miles wondered why the man had called him here at dawn, not revealing too many details about the murder that would soon shake Hillcrest. Did he expect more security? Or did he specifically want Miles to see the body with his own eyes, or perhaps he didn't feel so confident to go alone anymore?

Abigail was supposed to turn twenty in a few months and had just started her second year of linguistics studies. The semester had barely begun, and her dorm mates hadn't even reported her disappearance yet. She didn't return from her evening lectures, or maybe she went out to meet friends after a long summer break. Soon they would notice her absence, or one of the officers would boast about an unusual crime that had put the entire Hillcrest police station on high alert. Before dinner, the whole town would be gossiping.

The pathologist emerged from his office and silently handed Grant a copy of the autopsy report. King quickly skimmed through the file, then pocketed the documents and nodded to Miles, signaling to leave the room. They swiftly traversed the empty corridors of the hospital basement and headed towards a side exit near the parking lot.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" Miles asked only when they were outside, on an almost empty square.

"Unfortunately not. Some of these symbols seem familiar, but the rest... I'm seeing them for the first time," the man leaned against the façade and momentarily retrieved the documents to look at the attached photos.

"But... There's no one in Hillcrest apart from us."

"There are new students, passers-by. We can't exclude anything for now, Miles."

"And maybe... someone came back...?" After the boy's question, a moment of silence fell between them as they exchanged uncertain glances.

"Let's first rule out any random layperson. Different things come to people's minds. Some symbols can be found in books or on the Internet. The rest might be complete nonsense. Maybe someone wanted to show off during the murder to gain publicity," Grant looked ahead, at the nearest alley. A delivery person was taking a cigarette break while unloading packages into a store. Further down the street, a young woman was sweeping the sidewalk in front of a bakery. But apart from them, there was no one in sight. The town was slowly starting to come to life.

"But we can't take any risks, right? What if it really is someone... from among us?" Miles leaned against the hospital façade and reached into his coat pocket for a pack of cigarettes. He put one in his mouth and searched his pockets for a lighter. Grant anticipated him, taking the end between two fingers until it began to smolder.

"I'll take care of it," he assured him. "You have more important things on your mind right now. Did the old man ask you to come to work today?" he asked, glancing from top to bottom at the boy's formal outfit.

"He wanted me to come and help with the reports," Miles sighed heavily and scratched his stubble. "The first thing I'll do is have a strong cup of coffee."

Grant shook his head.

"Go home. Get some rest if you need to. There's no room for mistakes today. I'll talk to your father if necessary."

Miles nodded and flicked off the excess burnt tobacco.

"You're not coming today?"

"No. It's better if you handle it among your peers. The case is delicate, but I trust you can handle it."

Miles felt the familiar, growing tightness in his throat. To say that the case was delicate was a considerable understatement. Months of preparation, and still they faced a great unknown. They only had one chance for the evening to go perfectly. To fix that what could still be saved.

"And Harvey?"

Grant shook his head again.

"We can't afford any mistakes," he emphasized, looking at his watch. "I think it'll be easier for you if you don't have to keep an eye on him to prevent him from saying something foolish."

"Grant," Miles began and swiftly extinguished his cigarette near a nearby bin, stepping closer to the man. "You're bleeding."

"Damn it," Grant muttered, pressing his hand to his nose. A trickle of blood lazily seeped from his nostril. He reached into his jacket pocket for a tissue and pressed it to his face.

"Are you feeling alright?" the concerned boy asked.

"Yea, it's probably all the chemicals," Grant sniffed lightly and straightened up.

Miles also felt a slight irritation in his nose after being in the morgue, but not enough to cause bleeding. He nodded and took a step back, without questioning his words aloud.

"You should rest too."

"You can see there's no time for that," Grant smiled gently and wiped the remaining blood from his face before tossing the tissue in the bin. "Get going already." The boy only had time to bid a short farewell before Grant decided to stop him. "Miles."

"Yes?"

"You got this," he reassured him and briefly placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks..." Miles mumbled, then reached into his pocket for his keys, not wanting to prolong the conversation. He bid another polite farewell and headed towards his car.

Even if everything went according to plan that evening, nothing could bring them back to how it once was.

     [Hi everyone!
     Maybe I missed a bit of a personal greeting earlier, so I'm making up for it now. The first chapter was a bit short, but that may be because it was supposed to be a prologue at some point before the idea for the current prologue came to mind, and it made the most sense to end it here.
    I'm wrapping up my exams; I still have work to do, but I hope to regularly upload chapters. The Dark Seal is a story that has been with me for years, although it has changed multiple times during that time. But I hope to seriously commit to writing it and share the fates of my babies with you.
      I would be incredibly grateful for comments, both pointing out any errors I missed during proofreading and how you find it to read. I'm not a fan of the idea of a main character, and Dark Seal is a story about the history of the whole group, so there will be quite a few characters. Let me know if you start to get lost somewhere (although at the beginning, it's clear that there has to be a certain element of mystery).
      I'm also happy to answer any questions, and I invite you to check out my TikTok, where I post various content related to both Dark Seal, books and writing in general. I also have videos prepared for each of the main characters and their aesthetics, but would you like to see something like that?
    Thank you in advance for your help and any feedback <3]