SEEMINGLY SIMPLE MYSTERY

Emilia rushed to the door without needing Adrian's prompt this time. To their surprise, there it lay: another mysterious box.

"Adrian, we must take action. There's something off about her, even if she's just a human. I don't want to open it; I already have a hunch about its contents," Emilia protested, her weariness evident in her voice.

Adrian listened in silence, simultaneously dialing Katharine's number once more and still receiving no response. Opening the box, he found another piece of the mirror. Frustration welled up within him, and Adrian picked up the mirror. As if his phone was waiting for this exact moment, it rang. 

Emilie had an uncanny feeling that it had to be Katharine due to the strange occurrences, and she was proven right when Katharine's name appeared on the caller ID. Without hesitation, Adrian answered the call, his silence interrupted only by the sound of static emanating from the phone.

Adrian remained silent, waiting patiently as the call abruptly ended. "Why didn't you say anything to her? You've been trying to reach her for days," Emilie couldn't help but question, bewildered by the unusual turn of events.

"It wasn't Katharine," Adrian declared as he carefully placed the broken piece of mirror back in the box. He retrieved his cane, left the house, and departed in haste. Emilie remained rooted in place, contemplating whether something had occurred to him upon handling the mirror. She chose to remain silent, for he was already gone.

"Hey, Alan, I need you to trace a phone number. It's connected to a case I'm currently working on. I'm sending you the number now, and I need the information as soon as possible," Adrian requested during the call. After ending the conversation, he arrived at the bar, hopeful that he might find Chris there.

"Well, hello, it's my favorite customer. I know I haven't been in touch, but believe me, I'm doing my best," Chris admitted, a genuine hint of guilt in his voice. Adrian understood the challenges of contacting someone of their kind.

"I'm not here for that," Adrian replied. "I need you to take me to some place shortly, but put it under my name." With that, he took a seat and tightly gripped his cane. Adrian was well aware that if this was related to her actions, something was bound to go awry.

Abruptly, Adrian's phone rang, and Alan's name appeared on the caller ID. "This had better be good news, Alan. I've been wrestling with this case for days now," Adrian remarked, but as he paused, he heard that familiar static on the other end of the line. He glanced at the caller ID once more, confirming that it was indeed Alan's number, yet the same eerie static was present, reminiscent of Katharine's call.

Observing the distressing expression on Adrian's face, Chris immediately sensed that something was awry. He understood Adrian well enough to recognize that not just anything could elicit such a fearful look. In an attempt to alleviate the tension, Chris commented, "The good thing is, you didn't forget to bring your cane today." He concluded with a forced chuckle but, noticing Adrian's piercing gaze, wisely chose to remain silent.

Adrian remained seated, grappling with a sense of helplessness and uncertainty about his next course of action. This was far from normal, and he couldn't allow the situation to persist. He felt a nagging urge to rise and check on Alan, but deep down, he harbored the conviction that if he did, something else would inevitably arise, adding to the mounting mysteries.

'This is my first encounter with an adversary of this caliber. I may not have explored much of the world, but this feels like a sudden leap in difficulty,' Adrian acknowledged.

'Alright, let's review my encounter with Katharine. It was an ordinary day; nothing seemed amiss. I didn't touch her, she didn't offer me anything unusual, and I had my cane with me, so any strange activity would have been noticed. She couldn't have known I'd begin working on the case right away, so how could she have committed the murder?' Adrian contemplated.

'Let's entertain the idea that she somehow knew I'd be there. But how did she manage it? There's no trace of any superpowers being employed, and it's improbable that the level of power involved would escape my notice. A relic of such magnitude would have set off my cane's sensors. This is all incredibly perplexing,' Adrian mused.

Coincidentally, Adrian forgot that he didn't have his cane with him at that time.

While Adrian was deeply engrossed in his thoughts, in room 2304, Katharine sat on the bed with her eyes closed. "How long will it take?" she inquired, seemingly addressing the empty room. To her surprise, an answer emerged from the very air itself. "He has touched the mirror, so we can anticipate that it will happen soon. We need him for this to succeed. If you desire these powers, you must go through with it," the voice materialized out of thin air, leaving Katharine both intrigued and apprehensive.

"Taking the life of my husband was a necessary sacrifice, as we required his heart. However, I'm still puzzled about why we need Adrian for this plan to succeed," Katharine inquired, her confusion evident in her voice.

"You need not concern yourself with the specifics. We require him, and you require the powers to rise above mere humans. Our mutual benefit hinges on this," the voice replied, tinged with a hint of annoyance.

"Why aren't you doing it yourselves if you possess such power?" Katharine questioned, her doubts growing with each passing moment.

"We possess the capacity to do as we please in this world, but why should we when we have simple and gullible humans like you to carry out our bidding?" The voice retorted, its anger apparent.

Katharine didn't dwell on the matter, for her primary focus was acquiring the powers. She couldn't help but envision the life that lay ahead, one where she could wield such immense abilities and reshape the world to her liking, all while remaining oblivious to the doom she was unwittingly bringing upon herself.