It was my brother Julian’s birthday gala, but he turned me away at the door. He smashed the carved pendant I had made for him with my own hands.
Anything you touch is filthy to me.
Heartbroken, I wandered aimlessly, only to be brutally tortured, murdered, and dismembered. While I drew my last, ragged breath, Julian was busy composing a poem for our cousin Celeste at his birthday celebration.
Three days later, Commissioner Hayes was handed a particularly gruesome cold case.
Two hundred ninety-nine body parts of a woman were discovered in an abandoned outbuilding in the city’s East End. Her skin had been completely peeled off, making identification impossible.
He had no choice but to call Julian, hoping his unique ability to reconstruct the past by touching the remains would help unravel the crime.
Each time Julian cleaned and restored a body part, a fragment of the victim’s memories would surface.
Through these fragmented memories, he pieced together the crime. He found the murder weapon, understood the killer’s motive, and even sketched every horrific moment of the victim’s torture.
The only frustrating thing was that the victim’s face remained a blur.
All he could hear was a faint melody, a blurry tune she hummed in her dying moments.
Perhaps his hatred for me had festered for so long that he didn’t recognize it. That little tune was the lullaby he used to sing me to sleep every single night when I was a child…
The air in the morgue was chillingly damp.
Even as a spirit, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
The slab was piled high with body parts. The stench of decay mixed with the filth of the outbuilding made me want to retch.
I’ve always been a coward. Alive, I would have fainted from sheer terror. But now, as a ghost, I felt nothing but a chilling numbness.
Julian’s brows were tightly furrowed as he stared at the gruesome remains.
He had seen countless horrific bodies, but nothing as utterly brutal as this. It was a first.
Yet, he was always professional. No matter how challenging the case, he gave it his all.
He put on his gloves and bowed deeply to my body.
It was his custom, a sign of respect for the deceased.
I wondered, if he knew that the body before him was his own sister, the one he deemed too ‘unclean’ to even glance at, would he still be so calm?
Commissioner Hayes, who had just returned after throwing up, walked past me, clamping a hand over his nose and mouth. “Julian, the coroner already did a preliminary examination before you arrived.”
“Her entire skin has been peeled off, and the body parts were scalded with boiling water. Not a single lead.”
“Now, it’s all up to you to reconstruct the body and piece together the victim’s memories.”
Julian didn’t speak, only nodded gravely. He picked up a piece of ankle bone, no bigger than a palm.
He closed his eyes, and a blurry image flashed in his mind.
He saw a rusty axe strike a woman’s slender ankle, the sound of tearing flesh and cracking bone sending shivers down one’s spine.
I instinctively gasped, as if I were reliving the living hell I had endured.
Julian’s brows furrowed even deeper.
Did he feel my dying pain?
I suddenly found myself hoping, hoping he would see my face.
But also, I was afraid. Afraid that if he knew it was me, he would simply abandon the case.
Just like two years ago, when Celeste invited me out of the city to admire the snow. We were robbed and left in the snow, barely clothed.
Julian arrived and immediately rushed to Celeste.
He wrapped her in his heavy cloak, blowing warm air onto her hands.
Celeste feigned concern, “Julian, Elara is cold too. You should check on her.”
Julian shot me a look of pure disgust and sneered, “A murderer like her doesn’t deserve my concern.”
He got into the carriage without looking back, where a heater warmed the interior.
I could only hug myself, stumbling and struggling to follow the carriage.
After falling for the ninth time, the carriage vanished from sight.
That time, Julian still didn’t wait for me.
Lost in thought, Julian picked up another of my severed hands.
My memories invaded his mind once more.
He saw my fingers brutally crushed, one by one. The killer seemed curious about the appearance of broken finger bones, so they plunged my hand into scalding boiling water.
Then, they used a metal scraper to peel off the boiled, festering flesh, examining the exposed bones meticulously.
Julian, who had seen his fair share of horrors, couldn’t help but dry-heave.
But to see the killer and my face, he still gripped my severed hand tightly.
Alas, the killer wore a mask, their face completely hidden.
Julian looked back, seemingly wanting to know who this poor victim was.
Strangely, despite nothing obscuring my face, he simply couldn’t see it.
He only saw my throat moving, a fragmented melody drifting from my blood-soaked lips.
Julian froze for a long moment. Then, his eyes snapped open. He flung the severed hand away as if it had burned him.
He turned urgently to Commissioner Hayes. “Send someone to the West End villa! Tell Celeste to come see me!”
I finally felt a flicker of happiness.
It seemed Julian recognized me.
He must have realized the little tune was the clue I left for him…
I couldn’t help but drift closer, staring blankly at his furrowed brow and slightly pale face.
It had been so long since I’d seen him show any emotion because of me.
Whenever he looked at me, his face was always etched with disgust and annoyance.
I thought this time he would finally look at me properly, but fate once again shattered my last hope.
A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the morgue.
The first to rush in was Celeste.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, her hair disheveled, with an officer who had been looking for me following behind her.
Ignoring the grim surroundings, she flung herself into Julian’s arms, sobbing anxiously, “Julian, I heard you’re on a difficult case. Are you alright?”
Julian hugged her tightly, instinctively shifting half a step to shield her from the body parts.
“Celeste, why are you here? This place is… unclean.”
Watching their display of sibling affection, I felt such intense envy.
Julian truly doted on Celeste. He allowed her to be by his side at any time. Even when he was working, he never scolded her for interrupting.
Unlike me, just calling his name was a grave offense.
Celeste lifted her head, her voice firm. “Anywhere you are, Julian, I don’t find unclean.”
“Oh, Julian, on my way here, I met this officer. I heard you were looking for Elara, right?”
“I actually intended to bring her some winter clothes today, but she wasn’t home.”
Julian’s face darkened. “Not home? She has no family or friends. Where could she go?”
The officer saluted and replied, “Master Julian, Miss Elara’s house is indeed locked up. Neighbors say they haven’t seen her leave or enter for several days.”
Julian subconsciously glanced at the pile of body parts, a flicker of complicated emotion crossing his eyes.
Seeing this, Celeste quickly pulled out a broken pendant. “Julian, don’t worry.”
“I found this at Elara’s house. It looks like the gift she gave you on your birthday.”
“It seems Elara must still be angry about what happened that day and is deliberately hiding from you.”
“You know how stubborn she can be. Last time, after our argument, didn’t she also run off in a fit of pique and hadn’t returned for half a month?”
I was so afraid Julian would misunderstand, I frantically floated in front of him, waving my hands.
“Julian, I wasn’t throwing a tantrum.”
“I clutched that pendant until my last breath. I don’t know how it broke…”
Unfortunately, Julian couldn’t hear a word.
His eyes, once flickering with a complex emotion, turned cold as ice again. He disdainfully brushed away the half-broken pendant.
“Unreasonable! Let her throw her tantrums if she wants!”
“It’d be best if she just died out there, save me the trouble of burying her!”
He finished, then shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh, murmuring, “It seems… I misheard.”
“There are countless similar tunes in this world. How could it possibly be *that* one…?”
Yes, how could he believe it so easily?
My heart had alienated him when I was seven. He never sang that lullaby to me again after that.
And at that age, I couldn’t even sing the simplest tune correctly, let alone such a complex melody.
But Julian didn’t know that I was indeed not musically inclined.
Yet I held onto that lullaby, every note etched into my memory, because I knew it represented his brief but profound love for me.
After discovering the killer’s true identity, that lullaby was the only clue I could think of.
I knew Julian’s abilities; I was certain he would understand and get me justice.
Unfortunately, I didn’t expect him to refuse to believe me.
As my thoughts drifted, another officer rushed in, breathless. “Commissioner, we have a lead!”
Everyone held their breath.
“My subordinates cross-referenced recent case files and found that the method used in this murder is strikingly similar to several cold cases from the past three years in the southern regions. The killer specifically targets young women from prominent families, torturing, flaying, and dismembering them. It’s incredibly brutal!”
“We suspect the killer may have moved to the capital.”
Commissioner Hayes gasped, then urged Julian, “Julian, you’re the city’s most respected rising star. You’re exactly the kind of target this killer goes after.”
“You must keep a close eye on your sister!”
Julian nodded, his hand on Celeste’s shoulder tightening.
“Thank you for the warning, Commissioner. I’ll make sure to take good care of Celeste!”
Commissioner Hayes paused, a little embarrassed. “I was talking about Elara.”
“She’s living alone in a detached house now, making her particularly vulnerable…”
Julian’s body stiffened.
But quickly, a look of impatience and annoyance returned to his face.
“Commissioner, you worry too much. A cold-blooded, heartless person like Elara has nine lives. I don’t need to worry about her.”
My heart ached with bitterness.
Julian, my life… it’s over.
Commissioner Hayes still wanted to persuade him.
“Julian, it’s been so many years. You should let it go.”
“Elara is your own sister, after all…”
“My own sister?”
The words seemed to sting Julian. He cut off the Commissioner abruptly, his voice even colder.
“I, Julian Blackwood, have only one sister, and that’s Celeste!”
“As for that murderer, she doesn’t deserve the title!”
Julian, you’ve called me a murderer for so many years. Even in death, you won’t believe me?
I truly didn’t know what happened back then.
Why won’t you forgive me?
But Julian couldn’t hear me.
He scoffed mockingly, “She’s practically indestructible. She fell into a freezing hole and didn’t die. She caught the plague last year and still survived. This is just another one of her tantrums. What could possibly happen?”
“Who knows, if the killer met her, they might even lose a few years off their own life. It’s what they call ‘evil meeting its match’!”
No.
Julian, it’s not like that.
I wanted to tell him that I also feel fear, and pain.
When I fell into the freezing hole, I begged a passing woodcutter to save me. When I caught the plague, I pestered old Mr. Jenkins next door for medicine.
Every time I miraculously survived, it wasn’t because I was ‘indestructible,’ but because I wanted to stay with Julian a little longer.
I wanted to live long enough for him to forgive me.
But I never got that chance.
Celeste, at just the right moment, gently tugged Julian’s sleeve, softly urging, “Julian, don’t say such things about Elara. Commissioner Hayes has a point; perhaps you should go and look for her…”
Celeste always did this, pretending to be kind and urging Julian to be good to me.
But the moment Julian actually considered it, she’d suddenly feel unwell, conveniently keeping him by her side.
I had long seen through her true nature, but Julian, having formed his initial prejudice, always believed she was good and I was evil.
Whenever I tried to expose her, Julian would indiscriminately blame me.
This time was no exception. He shook his head disdainfully. “Celeste, you’re just too kind.”
“Her initial intention might very well be to exploit your kindness and make me go looking for her!”
Julian didn’t want to talk about me anymore and raised a hand to silence everyone.
“Let’s finish up quickly. Once we’re done, I want to go back to the estate and spend a few days with Celeste, just to be safe.”
With that, he turned back to the slab, diligently reconstructing the body parts, meticulously sketching every memory onto paper.
With his masterful artistry, he rendered my torment with such vivid detail it was as if he had witnessed it firsthand.
Only the victim’s face remained elusive. He tried countless times, but he simply couldn’t draw it.
He finally gave up, laying down his pen.
“Commissioner, this drawing contains all the weapons and methods used, along with some of the killer’s rambling, which sounds like they harbor resentment towards prominent families.”
“You can use these to investigate.”
Commissioner Hayes looked at the drawing, both amazed and worried. “Julian, the victim’s face… perhaps try again?”
“No need to try.”
Julian cut him off, his voice tinged with helplessness. “Perhaps the victim’s lingering resentment is too strong, unwilling to move on.”
“I can do nothing more. This is as far as my abilities go.”
He took Celeste’s hand, ready to leave.
Just before departing, he remembered something and added, “I also wrote down that incomplete tune from the memories. Commissioner, you can investigate that too. It might be a clue left by the victim.”
Julian, you’re so brilliant, you think of everything.
But why don’t you ever consider me?
Was it an oversight, or was prejudice at play in your heart?
Julian left the morgue without looking back, abandoning me once more.
I uncontrollably followed Julian back to his estate.
For so many years, Julian never allowed me to step foot inside.
Now that I was dead, I could finally return and see it.
Perhaps this was the only thing that made my death feel worthwhile.
But the next two days were the most heart-wrenching.
I knew Julian cared deeply for Celeste, but I didn’t realize just *how* deeply.
At dinner, he would meticulously pick out the ginger she disliked from her food.
When she coughed, he would personally cook her a soothing pear and honey soup.
When she awoke from nightmares, he would sit by her bed all night, reading stories and singing calming tunes.
I finally understood. All of Julian’s tenderness had abruptly ended when I was seven years old…
On the third morning, Commissioner Hayes’s shouts broke the estate’s tranquility.
“Julian, has Elara contacted you these past two days?”
Julian was personally fastening a jewel-encrusted hair clip in Celeste’s hair. His movements froze at the question, and his brows furrowed in annoyance.
“Commissioner, I’ve already told you, her whereabouts are no concern of mine.”
“Even if she did contact me, I wouldn’t see her.”
Commissioner Hayes stomped his foot in exasperation.
“I know you wouldn’t see her. I just want to ask about her whereabouts.”
“After you left that day, I was truly uneasy, so I sent people to search everywhere. The city gate guards checked the entry and exit records and confirmed she never left the city.”
“But my men have turned the capital upside down, and we haven’t found a single trace of her!”
“How can a living, breathing person just vanish into thin air?”
Julian’s hand, holding the hair clip, froze in mid-air.
He understood what Commissioner Hayes meant.
While the capital wasn’t small, with the authorities’ full efforts, finding someone shouldn’t be difficult.
Celeste, seeing Julian lost in thought, seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. “Commissioner, don’t worry. If someone is determined to hide, they naturally won’t be found easily.”
“In my opinion, it’s best to let Elara be. Once she comes to her senses, she’ll reappear.”
Celeste’s words dispelled Julian’s already meager doubts.
His voice turned cold and rigid again.
“Commissioner, Celeste is right.”
“Since Elara enjoys playing these hide-and-seek games, let her play to her heart’s content.”
“When she realizes no one is paying her any mind, she’ll eventually return, tail between her legs. You don’t need to waste any more manpower or resources on her.”
“Julian, you… you’re not afraid she’s truly in danger?”
“By then, it might be too late for regrets!”
Commissioner Hayes’s beard trembled with anger.
But Julian’s stubborn demeanor left him helpless. He finally let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine, if she comes to harm, it’s your regret, why am I even bothering!”
Just as Commissioner Hayes was about to leave, an officer rushed in, panting.
He didn’t bother to salute, blurting out, “Commissioner, Master Kaelen, the composer, has restored that melody Master Julian wrote!”
Commissioner Hayes spun around. “Where did Master Kaelen say it came from? What’s its name?”
The officer shook his head. “Master Kaelen said he didn’t know. It seems to be an unreleased tune.”
“The only reason he could restore it was because he heard Master Julian hum it once while drunk, during a drinking session.”
“He said if you want to know the specifics, I should ask Master Julian himself…”
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