Phoenix
Atlas suddenly asked, "You want a hug or something?"
I stopped in my tracks, turning around to look at him like he'd just grown a second head. "What?"
He shrugged, not looking the least bit embarrassed. "You just look like you could use one. Figured I'd offer."
I scoffed, trying to cover up how caught off guard I was. "What are you, some kind of therapist now?"
Atlas grinned, that stupid cocky smirk back on his face. "Nah. Just a guy who knows when someone's carrying too much crap on their shoulders."
I rolled my eyes and kept walking, not bothering to respond to that. He really had some nerve—acting all carefree and smug like he didn't just offer me something so... weirdly comforting. Who the hell just offers hugs like that?
But the truth was... I kinda wanted to take him up on it. It was stupid, right? Letting my guard down just because he offered something as simple as a hug. But after everything, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just... let myself lean on someone for a second.
Not that I was about to admit that. He didn't get to know how much his words actually got to me. So, I just shrugged it off, keeping my tone casual. "I'm fine. Save your hugs for someone who actually needs 'em."
Atlas didn't push it, just kept that infuriatingly understanding smile on his face. "Whatever you say, Little Nixy."
I shot him a glare. "Don't call me that."
He just laughed, and we fell into a more comfortable silence as we kept walking. I wasn't about to say it out loud, but... maybe having him around wasn't the worst thing in the world. Even if he did get on my nerves 90% of the time.
Even after I refused his offer, Atlas didn't seem to care much for my answer. Before I could take another step forward, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back—right into his chest. My head ended up pressed against his shoulder, and his arms wrapped around me, firm but gentle.
I stiffened immediately, my brain short-circuiting as I tried to process what the hell was happening. "W-What the—"
"Shh," he murmured, resting his chin on top of my head. "You look like you're about to fall apart. Just... let it out if you need to."
I froze, completely caught off guard. His grip was warm and secure, and I could feel his heartbeat—steady and calm—against my cheek. It was... annoyingly comforting.
For a second, I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to push him away, yell at him for doing something so damn uncalled for. But another part of me—the one that was tired of holding everything in—just... gave up resisting.
My shoulders sagged, and I let myself relax into the embrace, just for a moment. I didn't cry or anything—I wasn't that weak. But I did feel something inside me loosen, like a knot that had been pulled too tight for too long.
Atlas didn't say anything, didn't make any more jokes or comments. He just stood there, holding me like it was the most natural thing in the world. Eventually, I muttered, "You're an idiot."
He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. "Maybe. But I'm your idiot now, aren't I?"
I pulled back just enough to glare at him, but he didn't let go. "I never said that."
"Eh, close enough," he teased, still not releasing me. "Just take a second. You're allowed to feel stuff, you know."
I hated how those words almost made me tear up, but I swallowed it down and just let him hold me for a bit longer. Maybe... just this once, I could let someone else carry the weight.
I scoffed, trying to mask the way my cheeks heated up. "Are you planning to hug me forever or what?"
Atlas smirked, clearly not bothered by my attitude. "Tempting offer, honestly."
I rolled my eyes, but I didn't pull away just yet. "You're such an idiot."
He just chuckled, finally loosening his grip but not entirely letting go. "If being an idiot means getting to hold you like this, I'll take it."
I gave him a flat look, but I couldn't help the slight twitch of a smile on my lips. "You're seriously hopeless."
"Hopelessly into you? Yeah, pretty much," he shot back without missing a beat.
I groaned, shoving him lightly, and he finally let me go, though his hand lingered on my shoulder. "You're gonna regret that line someday," I muttered.
"Nah," he replied with a grin. "I think it worked just fine."
I didn't bother responding, just turned away to hide the faint blush still dusting my cheeks. Why did he have to make things so... complicated?
"Such a player," I muttered, crossing my arms and giving him a skeptical look.
Atlas just grinned, not even fazed. "Only for you, Little Nixy."
I shot him a glare. "Stop calling me that."
He chuckled, clearly finding amusement in my annoyance. "Why? It suits you. Plus, it's kinda cute."
I scoffed. "I'm not cute."
Atlas raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Sure you aren't. Keep telling yourself that."
I huffed and started walking again, not bothering to look back at him. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
"Nope," he replied, easily catching up and matching my pace. "Besides, I've got all the time in the world to win you over."
I glanced at him, half-annoyed and half-amused. "You're impossible."
Atlas just shrugged, his smirk never fading. "Get used to it."
"What do you even want, Mr. Flirt?" I shot at him, rolling my eyes.
Atlas put a hand to his chest like he was offended. "Ouch. You wound me, Nixy."
I raised an eyebrow. "Don't dodge the question."
He gave me a lazy grin, hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked beside me. "What do I want? Hmm... tough one. Maybe your attention. Or, better yet, your heart."
I scoffed, trying to ignore the way my cheeks heated up. "You're ridiculous."
Atlas just laughed. "Maybe. But I'm persistent too. Gotta give me points for that."
"Or lose points for being annoying," I shot back.
He chuckled again. "That's okay. I'll just keep collecting points until you finally give in."
I shook my head, deciding it was pointless arguing with him. "You really are impossible," I muttered.
He just hummed in response, looking way too pleased with himself. "Guess I'll just have to keep proving myself, huh?"
I was about to snap back at Atlas when my eyes caught sight of someone familiar—a face I'd seen in the newspaper while digging up information at the library. He looked exactly like the detective who had investigated the mansion case. My heart skipped a beat.
Without thinking, I grabbed Atlas's hand and pulled him along toward the nearby café where the guy was seated.
"What's up, Nixy?" Atlas asked, clearly confused but not resisting my grip.
I didn't bother answering, too focused on the man sipping his coffee. We slipped inside the café, and I guided Atlas to a table close enough to overhear the detective without drawing attention.
Atlas gave me a curious look, his voice lowered. "Care to explain why we're suddenly playing detective ourselves?"
I glanced at him briefly before turning my gaze back to the man. "That guy... he's the detective who worked on the mansion case. The one where they found the bodies."
Atlas's playful expression shifted to something more serious. "You're sure?"
I nodded. "Positive. I remember his face from the articles. We need to know what he found out—maybe he knows something that wasn't made public."
Atlas gave me a thoughtful look before leaning back in his chair, one hand still linked with mine under the table. "Alright, detective Nixy. I'll follow your lead. Just... don't get us in trouble."
I ignored his teasing tone, too focused on the man across from us. If I could just catch a hint of what he knew, it might make a huge difference in figuring out what really happened in that mansion.
At first, the detective gave us a cold, uninterested look. He didn't seem like the type to entertain curious teenagers, especially when it came to a case as grim as that mansion.
"Sorry, kid. Not discussing a closed case with random strangers," Detective Lee muttered, taking another sip of his coffee.
Atlas didn't seem fazed. He just flashed one of his signature charming smiles and leaned forward slightly. "Detective Lee, right? I'm Atlas Ryker. You might've heard of me—CEO of Lunar. And this here is Phoenix Anderson—one of the Anderson brothers. You might've heard about their... unique line of work."
Detective Lee's eyes widened a fraction, and he put his cup down, clearly recognizing the names. "Anderson brothers... the shamans?"
I nodded, giving him a serious look. "We're investigating the mansion, but it's not what it seems. We found some things that don't add up. We were hoping you might shed some light on it."
Lee hesitated, clearly weighing his options. His eyes darted between me and Atlas—who, I realized with a jolt, was still holding my hand. I hadn't noticed until now, and it was way too late to awkwardly pull away. So I just let it be, hoping my face wasn't giving away how flustered I felt.
Finally, Detective Lee sighed. "Fine. But only because the case still bugs me too. It never sat right, the way it was wrapped up so fast."
Atlas squeezed my hand a little, as if silently telling me to keep calm and follow his lead.
"What exactly didn't sit right?" I asked, leaning in.
Lee looked thoughtful, lowering his voice. "The initial report said it was a domestic dispute gone wrong—father went crazy, killed his family, and then vanished. But there was something off about the crime scene. No blood trail leading out of the house, no sign of forced entry... It was as if the father just disappeared into thin air after killing them."
I frowned, trying to piece it together. "So you're saying... he might not have been the real killer?"
Lee looked at me sharply. "That's just it. There were inconsistencies—footprints that didn't match his shoe size, and signs that the bodies were moved. But before I could investigate further, higher-ups shut it down. Told me to close the case and move on."
Atlas hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds like someone was covering it up."
"Exactly," Lee agreed. "Someone powerful enough to silence a case like that."
Atlas and I shared a glance, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing—this was way deeper than we thought. I hadn't even noticed how tense I was until Atlas brushed his thumb over my knuckles, reminding me that we were still holding hands.
"Thanks for sharing this with us," I said, giving Lee a sincere nod. "We'll look into it from our end too. If you remember anything else, please let us know."
Lee gave me a long look, then nodded. "Be careful, kid. You're messing with something dangerous."
"We know," Atlas replied smoothly, giving a confident smile. "But danger's just part of the deal."
As we left the café, I couldn't help but glance down at our still-intertwined hands. Atlas smirked at me when he noticed.
"Comfortable?" he teased.
I scoffed, finally letting go and shoving my hands into my pockets. "Shut up."
He just laughed, and somehow, despite the heaviness of the information we just got, his presence made it feel a little less suffocating.
As we walked out of the café, I couldn't help but replay everything Detective Lee had told us. There was definitely something fishy going on with the case, and whoever was behind the cover-up clearly didn't want the truth to come out.
Atlas seemed lost in thought too, but of course, he didn't stay quiet for long. "So, Little Nixy, any brilliant ideas on how to dig deeper without getting ourselves killed?"
I rolled my eyes at the nickname. "First of all, don't call me that. Second, we need to dig into the mansion's history and see if there's any connection to powerful people. If someone covered up the case, there must be a reason. Maybe the father wasn't the real culprit, or maybe he was being controlled."
Atlas nodded, his usual playful demeanor shifting to something more serious. "Mind control, possession... Could be. But why silence it? What's so special about that mansion that someone would go to such lengths?"
I hesitated before replying. "Maybe it's not the mansion itself... but what's hidden inside. Or who's involved. Spirits usually don't linger unless they're bound or they have unfinished business. And those spirits... they aren't just restless. They're angry."
Atlas raised a brow, clearly intrigued. "Revenge? Against whom, though? If it was the father, wouldn't they have moved on after his disappearance?"
"That's what doesn't make sense," I muttered, more to myself. "It's almost like... they're trapped in their pain. They're stuck reliving the worst moments of their lives. We need more information about the victims—their connections, backgrounds, and anything that might hint at why someone would want them dead."
Atlas hummed thoughtfully. "Alright. We'll regroup with Ace and Xavier. See what they've dug up. But hey," he paused, glancing at me with a small, almost
uncharacteristically soft smile, "you did good back there. You know, with the detective and all. You didn't even stutter."
I shot him a glare. "I don't always stutter."
He chuckled, ruffling my hair before I could swat his hand away. "Sure you don't. Come on, let's get back to the library before Ace thinks you got kidnapped."
We walked back in comfortable silence, and I couldn't help but feel a weird warmth despite everything. Atlas was annoying as hell, but at least he made the tension bearable.
When we reached the library, Ace and Xavier were huddled over a stack of old newspapers and documents, deep in discussion. Kuro was curled up on one of the chairs, watching over them like a sleepy guardian.
Ace glanced up when we walked in, his gaze immediately flicking to me, checking for any signs of trouble. I gave him a reassuring nod, and he seemed to relax a little.
"What did you find out?" he asked, pushing the papers aside.
Atlas stepped forward, crossing his arms. "Talked to Detective Lee. Turns out, the case was covered up. The official report blames the father for killing his family, but there are inconsistencies—like footprints that don't match and bodies being moved. Someone shut down the investigation before he could dig deeper."
Xavier frowned, his expression darkening. "Sounds like someone powerful didn't want the truth getting out."
Ace leaned back, his hand instinctively moving to pet Kuro. "If someone's manipulating the truth, that means the spirits are probably still connected to the real culprit. We need to figure out who had the motive and means to pull off something like that."
I spoke up, my mind still processing. "Maybe the spirits are bound by their hatred. They can't move on because they're still seeking justice. Or... revenge."
Atlas leaned against the wall, looking thoughtful. "But why trap them there? Wouldn't it be easier to just cleanse the place and get rid of any evidence?"
Ace gave a low hum. "Unless... someone needs them to stay there. Like they're protecting something."
Xavier looked between us, his expression serious. "If that's the case, we're dealing with something more sinister than just a haunting. We'll need to be prepared for anything. No reckless moves."
Atlas shot him a lazy grin. "What, worried about me now?"
Xavier just rolled his eyes. "More like worried you'll get Phoenix killed with your recklessness."
Atlas feigned offense. "Hey, I'd die before letting anything happen to him."
I shot him a glare. "Don't talk about dying so casually, idiot."
Atlas just winked, and Ace sighed, clearly used to our banter by now.
"Let's focus on gathering more intel. We'll check public records, news articles, and anything that might hint at who would want to cover up a massacre. Phoenix and I will take the library archives. Xavier and Atlas, see if you can get any confidential files from your contacts."
Xavier nodded, already pulling out his phone. Atlas gave me a quick smirk before following him out, and I couldn't help but feel oddly at ease despite the heavy atmosphere.
Ace glanced at me as we started sorting through old newspapers. "You good?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Just... tired, I guess."
He gave me a small smile. "We'll get to the bottom of this. Just stick close, alright?"
I smiled back, feeling more determined than before. Whatever was keeping those spirits trapped, we'd find it and put an end to their suffering. We had to.