Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds of the Gray Hawk Detective Agency, casting fragmented patterns across the floor. Ryan sat at his desk, carefully reading through the trainee paranormal detective handbook Old Gray had given him. His finger paused on the section titled Guidelines for Handling Supernatural Incidents, repeatedly reviewing one key rule:
When dealing with non-combat supernatural cases, conceal all supernatural elements as a top priority to avoid public panic.
"Ring—ring—ring—"
The sudden sound of the old landline phone shattered the quiet. Ryan set the handbook aside and picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Gray Hawk Detective Agency—"
Before he could finish, an anxious female voice rushed through the line. "Is this Detective Ryan? The Balance Council said you could handle… certain special pet-related problems?"
Ryan's heart stirred. This was his first official assignment since becoming a trainee paranormal detective.
"Yes, this is Ryan," he replied calmly. "Please don't panic. Tell me exactly what's going on."
The woman took a deep breath, her voice steadying slightly. "My name is Suna. I live in Apartment 202, Building 3, Starlight Residence. My Ragdoll cat, Snowball, has been acting very strangely. During the day, it sleeps nonstop and won't wake up no matter how much I call. But at night, it goes completely berserk—scratching at doors and windows, hissing at empty corners of the wall, eyes full of terror."
She sounded close to tears. "I took Snowball to the vet. They said it's perfectly healthy. There's nothing wrong physically. Last night, it even tried to jump out the window. If I hadn't stopped it in time…"
"My neighbor said it might be something supernatural and told me to seek help. The Balance Council gave me your contact and said you could definitely help."
After hanging up, Ryan opened the Shadow Pawn System. A new prompt appeared immediately:
Side Quest: Resolve the Illusion-Afflicted Pet CaseObjective: Identify the source of the anomaly and remove the illusion.Reward: 50 Shadow Points, Beginner Illusion Analysis Manual
"Illusion affliction…" Ryan murmured, recalling the handbook's note: Low-level illusions often affect animals, triggering fear, agitation, and abnormal behavior.
Just as he stood up, Old Gray walked out of the break room holding a steaming cup of coffee. He tossed Ryan a palm-sized black device.
"An illusion detector," Old Gray said casually. "It'll help you locate the source. Remember—trainee missions prioritize discretion. Don't expose supernatural abilities in front of civilians."
"Got it." Ryan slipped the device into his bag, checked the status of his True Sight, and headed out.
Starlight Residence was a well-maintained mid-range complex filled with greenery and clean hallways. Ryan rang the doorbell of Apartment 202. The door opened quickly, revealing a young woman in casual homewear, eyes red from lack of sleep.
"Detective Ryan, thank goodness you're here!" Suna said anxiously, stepping aside to let him in.
The living room felt strangely oppressive despite its warm decor. Everything was arranged too neatly, as if the owner had lost all energy for normal life. "Snowball is in the bedroom," Suna whispered. "It's sleeping right now."
She led Ryan inside. A pure white Ragdoll cat lay curled on the bay window, its posture unnaturally tense. Its ears were flattened, limbs twitching slightly, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Ryan activated True Sight. In his vision, a faint lavender mist wrapped tightly around Snowball, writhing gently and emitting weak illusionary energy.
"As expected," Ryan thought. He turned on the illusion detector. Green light lit the screen as the needle trembled slightly, accompanied by a soft beeping sound. The illusion strength was low—but the source was nearby.
"How long has this been happening?" Ryan asked.
"About a week," Suna replied softly, stroking Snowball's back. "It used to be so playful. Every night we'd play with the feather wand. I tried changing food, litter, even took it to a grooming salon. Nothing worked."
"Did anything unusual happen a week ago?" Ryan asked. "New visitors? New neighbors?"
Suna frowned as she thought. "No visitors… but the neighbor in 201 moved in around that time. A young man with glasses. He rarely goes out. At night, his room glows with strange purple light, and there's this faint humming sound."
"Purple light?" Ryan's eyes narrowed. The lavender illusion energy matched perfectly.
He walked to the window. Apartment 201 was directly across, less than ten meters away. Heavy blackout curtains covered the window, but under True Sight, faint energy fluctuations leaked through—identical to Snowball's.
"The source is most likely next door," Ryan said. "Snowball is affected by a low-level illusion. It won't harm its body, but it causes extreme fear. I need to confirm the source before removing it."
"Is it dangerous?" Suna asked nervously.
"Probably not," Ryan reassured her. "The illusion user shouldn't be very strong. I'll talk to him as a neighbor first."
Ryan knocked on Apartment 201.
After several rings, a hoarse voice answered. "Who is it?"
"I'm your neighbor from 202," Ryan said calmly. "My cat's been noisy lately. Just wanted to apologize if it disturbed you."
After a pause, the door opened slightly. A pale young man with black-rimmed glasses peered out. His hair was messy, eyes bloodshot, gray hoodie stained with grime.
"I didn't hear anything," he said flatly.
Ryan noticed a simple silver bracelet on his wrist, engraved with the same symbol his True Sight had detected earlier—the illusion's signature.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking," Ryan smiled, casually glancing inside.
Before he could say more, the man shut the door abruptly.
Ryan frowned. Through True Sight, he had seen rune-carved stones scattered across the desk and a censer in the corner emitting lavender smoke.
An illusion beginner… or something more?
Back in Suna's apartment, Ryan explained briefly. "The neighbor is practicing illusion magic. The energy leaked and affected Snowball. I can remove the illusion, but he must stop leaking energy."
Suna hesitated, then nodded. "I'll talk to him."
Ryan stayed behind and opened his basic magic manual, flipping to illusion removal. Low-level illusions required only gentle energy guidance.
He focused, channeling magic into Snowball. The lavender mist thinned and dissipated. Snowball's trembling eased, ears relaxing, breathing steady.
Then—
A scream echoed from the hallway.
"Don't come any closer! Help!"
Ryan dashed out. Suna had fallen to the floor, face drained of color. The neighbor stood in the doorway, eyes glowing purple, illusion energy surging violently.
"You dared interrupt my training!" the man snarled. "Since you've seen too much, you won't be leaving!"
Ryan activated True Sight. The silver bracelet shattered, releasing a massive wave of purple energy. The illusion detector screamed red.
This was no longer a simple case.
The man raised his hand. "Drown in fear!"
Illusion energy tore through the air. Ryan shoved Suna aside and dodged. The attack struck the wall, forming a grotesque screaming face.
Ryan clenched his fists—and sensed something wrong.
Mixed within the illusion energy was a trace of dark magic.
"You're not just an illusionist," Ryan said coldly.
The man laughed. "Then you must die."
Purple fog flooded the hallway. Ryan's vision blurred as he realized—
His first trainee mission had spiraled far beyond expectations.
And the real danger had only just begun.