We entered the car.

Since it was an elite school for youngsters, I didn't get surprised to see a black limousine waiting for us.

The doctor entered first and then I took my place by his side in the rear seat. Dr Rochard made a gesture with his hand to the driver that could see it by the rear view mirror. The driver nodded and started the engine.

The car roared alive and we started our small trip to the hospital.

I was still very bothered about Voluptia. My heart was aching because i was very worried about her.

I knew that there were nothing that they could do to help her in a hospital. Specially, if the seal weakened enough to not be able to hold Grotheske inside Vol.

The taste of failure was still very alive in my mouth...

Of course, that was not the first time that Grotheske had weakened the seal. Normally, it is I that summon her to help in a case. By binding her to my command, she has to obey me. But, there been some times in which she attempted to get out, by herself.

The last time happened a few months before going to Jordan's Fields. We were also luck. Because, like in the forest, she had not completed her transformation.

Only Voluptia's behaviour was affected. It happened because of my fault. I got drunk and lost my control. Since I couldn't resist her charms, I provoked her enough to make out.

And then the forest..., and it was my fault, again: that time for forgetting the basics of spell counter measures.

I clenched my fists. I was angry, but that won't help at all.

So, I decided to let those thoughts go for the moment.

The doctor and I had a lot to talk about the case so I tried to get more calm...

There was a divider between the driver seat and the rear seats. That way, we could talk safely without worrying that the driver would hear us.

I am the kind of detective that hates to brag about a case, before it is closed. If I do not have all the pieces of the puzzle that I am dealing with, I avoid to reveal what I am thinking or share my theories.

But, i needed the doctor help and he needed an explanation. He was probably the only one that could help me prevent anyone else to get hurt. And to find the person behind all the horrible scene in the forest.

I talked in a very low and paused voice:

"Doctor you have your questions and I am not sure if I can answer them all. But I will tell you what I know, so far. Still, there is a thing that is worrying me since I got the telephone call in São Paulo. Did you tell anyone that Voluptia is not human?"

He seemed surprised by my question, but he answered with firm conviction in his voice:

"Roger, how could I talk in a place like here about things that even I do not understand?" ,I felt some relief and he continued, "Voluptia is important to you. I saw that when you helped me. To talk about her here would be, at least, unwise. She never showed any sign that she was a danger to me or anyone. On the contrary, she was always graceful and helpful.

"Thank you doctor, that means a lot to me. Now that I know that I can trust you I must shed some light on this case. But, first I need to be honest with you. Voluptia is, indeed, a marvelous and kind creature. But, that came with a price. Do you remember a grey hair demon, that was fighting the Baital two years ago, when you almost got consumed by it?"

"Yes a female figure with tendrils coming out of her chest, how could I forget. She was fearsome."

"Well doctor, that was also her. I am sorry for not having told this to you before. She has an inside persona. She wanted to be more human. So, she went to her father and asked for a way to seal her hunger. What we could not expect, was that she was also creating a more dangerous creature. All her evil took form inside her and changed her mind. She developed a split personality. One kind and gracious; one hideous and angry."

"My god Roger, that was what happened with her in the forest?", even being in a trance in the forest he sensed that something was not right.

"Yes, she has a very distinctive way of reshape herself. And she is very powerful too. No man can resist her charm and that can be dangerous. We thought that everything was in control with the seal. But there was a spell in the clearing. And that affected her. I had to use a confinement spell to put both her and her other self to sleep. So, that i could reinforce the spell that seals that persona and deal with the interference."

"That is very serious. What about now? Is the hospital safe?"

Yes doctor, I believe so; if she changes again i will be able to sense it. Still, i am worried about her. She was very sad, and feeling bad for letting Grotheske get out."

We will deal with this as soon as we arrive to the hospital. Now, let's talk about the case. You see, Doctor, that tree is a Millennium Oak. That is a kind of tree that does not grows in Brazil. When I saw the picture I was not sure about that; but when I examined the splinters I had the proof. That is an European tree. So, I ask you my dear doctor: How can an enourmous old tree like that suddenly appear in the middle of a pinewood? "

The doctor mouth opened to say something, but he decided to wait an answer from me; instead.

"Well that I won't be able to tell you yet. My real concern is not about the identity of the man. But, how powerful can be someone to summon an entire tree? No one that i know can do that. So, i imagine that tree was already close to the clearing.

I said that in a very natural tone. I was absolutely sure that was the case there.

"About the man now. As i said he is not human. That man is a homunculus."

The doctor looked like he was even more confused than before:

"As soon as you examine it, you will see that you will not find any organs inside. It is just a mass of flesh around a skeleton animated by magic."

"Homunculus? Is that some kind of magic clone?"

"It is more related to a Golem, in fact..."

"And how can you be so certain about that?"

I could perceive that, even having being targeted by the supernatural before, he was not convinced.

"I have my methods", i answered," That corpse emanates too much vibration of the wrong kind. Instead of emanating natural matter vibration, like you and me; it vibrates according to the spectrum of mana."

Of course, he could not understand what I was saying about the spectral signature of the body.

"I will explain that to you. But I need you to forget about everything that you learned in Physics, be less skeptical. Can you do that, for a moment?"

He nodded. So, I started my small lecture on the subject:

"Contrary to what is told in our schools, the light is not the only spectrum. Everything that exists Is part of a Cosmic Plane. It compresses all the dimensions and even time. There are a lot of things that are not from this world. Yet, every single thing in a plane of existence is composed of vibrational patterns. Those patterns create waves. Waves that travels towards everything. This is called the Cosmic Vibrational Plane. Light spectrum is only a part of what we can perceive of the Natural Spectrum. The Cosmic Vibration's Spectra are five: Nature, Mana, Ether, Spirit and Divine. Nature spectrum are: light waves, material vibrations and emotional vibes. I will give you some examples: Telekinesis and Clairvoyance are manifestations of the emotional vibes; Mana spectrum is the source of all magic, those mana waves are absorbed and emitted by magicians and sorcerers to do magic; Necromancy is the actual use of spiritual waves..."

He was looking to me with a very amazed look in his face:

"Ether spectra is used to do teleport, conjuring and transfiguration. Ether waves can be transformed in any other kind of vibration, but divine, and it are not bounded to space and time. About the Divine spectrum: a few is known about it. It is the only spectrum that cannot be seen or accessed by any kind of magic known to man. It is said that only Gods and Superior Demons, like the archdemons, can deal with it. Still, its presence can cause ripple effects or alterations on all the other four spectra."

I made a pause to see if he was still paying attention to what I was saying:

"Well, that can be too much information, for the moment. So, let's get to the point here. What you need to understand is that that corpse is not made of any real matter. It is made of mana that mimics matter and it was animated by emotional vibes. So the owner of the homunculus must be close. Because, the homunculus feed on that person emotional vibes to mimic life. I am also pretty sure that it must have been very painful to this conjuror when the link with the homunculus was so violently severed. What makes me think that it was on purpose: to make him suffer."

The doctor seemed to have followed my thinking a lot easier in this part. His eyes widened and he said:

"That would make two magicians acting here in the school!"

"Indeed that is what i imagine. Remember, the body was found in a very elaborated position. He was held in the tree, were it could be easily found and it was resembling a crucifixion. That is the actual case here. We are dealing with a message that only the conjuror of the homunculus would understand. This conjuror must be hidden in the staff of the school. The crucifixion chosen to make clear that the killer knows about that fact. It is a religious symbol to expose a religious member of the staff: a nun, a priest or even a novice. I m afraid that your school is the a stage of a war between two very powerful magic users. The owner of the homunculus and another one that has a grudge with the first."

"That is quite a theory, Roger. And I must say it is one that is very worrisome for the school."

"Well my good doctor at least we are almost entering winter recess. That will be in the day after tomorrow if I am not wrong. Right?"

"Yes, that was another reason why we wanted to solve this very quick. Imagine the parents coming to get their kids and the school dealing with a murder."

"About that we can be less worried. We need to tell mother Ana that this was just an elaborate prank. That the man was some sort of doll with animal blood and a fake tree. I hate lying to mother, but she needs to keep the school running without any kind of disturbance. That will help with the case, if they think that we are only after a few kids and their pranks. That way we do not arouse any suspicion or shame to the school name."

I told him everything that he needed to know. I could not tell him about the nuances and the patterns left in the pictures that i took of the body. Things that I was told by my old mentor: the one that introduced me to the magic arts.

Patterns that only those that studied the occult, like i did, could perceive. The place around the tree smelled like rotten eggs. That was a sign of sulphur present. There were some small traces of mana in the photos of the body. Patterns so tiny and hidden that could only be seen by a trained eye; when using infrared light source. My special hand scanner could do that. Also, I had a software installed that could search those patterns. A software that I created myself.

I showed the doctor, some of the aerial photos that the drone took. Pointed to one in particular were we could see the summoning circle.

"You see doctor, that circle was the spell that maddened Voluptia, for a while."

"So that is why you burnt the tree. I think that the tree is not important anymore to the case, only who summoned it, right?"

"That's is were you are wrong, that tree is the assassin, it was a trap", I said.

"The tree is the killer? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that the tree held the man up with its own branches and died by the effort. Think about it, an Oak appears in the only clearing in the forest that people can visit"

"What?", he was almost shouting.

"I explain about that later, you don't think I took a nap bellow the corpse do you?", I winked. I was feeling a bit more relaxed after the chat.

"I need a lot of things when we get back to the school, my good doctor. I will give my report to mother Ana and i suggest you do, as i say. We need to hide our true investigation. I also need a place where I can work. And yes, of course, I need to interview the students one by one. I need you to prepare a schedule for this afternoon. You or whoever are in charge of those matters.

Also, I need information about every big source of potable water close to the school."

The doctor looked to me with a confused expression in his face.

"What? What water has to do with all this?"

"Everything my good doctor, everything", i answered.

But, we were finally arriving to my dorm and from there we would go to the hospital. I was too worried about Voluptia and anxious to see her, to continue the talk.