His frown of concentration deepened. He opened his eyes and

stared down at the blood-soaked, tattered swatch of garment before

him, all that was left of a girl’s blouse. He dropped his left arm to

his side and bent over the table, holding his right hand, palm

cupped and facing downward, over the garment. He spread his

fingers out slightly and his lips moved, though he didn’t say

anything out loud. He slowly raised his hand… and something came

floating up from the piece of blood-soaked cloth.

Akiro could not even see what it was at first. He strained,

squinting, but there didn’t seem to be anything there. And then,

something floating in the air before Kanno caught the light and

shimmered faintly.

“Tweezers, please, ” said Kanno.

The attendant went over to the drawer and took out a pair of

tweezers. He handed them to the sorcerer. Kanno took them in his

left hand and gently plucked something very small out of the air.

“What is it?” Akiro asked.

Kanno held it up to the light. It seemed to be a thin flake of some

sort, no larger than a fingernail, iridescent and almost translucent.

“A scale, ” Kanno said.

“A scale? You mean, like on a fish?”

“No. A reptile.”

The attendant handed him a small plastic bag. Kanno deposited

the scale inside.

“You mean a snake?” asked Akiro with a frown.

“No. A serpent.”

“A serpent? What’s the difference?”

“In this case, the difference is considerable, ” said Kanno. “I had

already suspected it from the wounds on the bodies. The punctures

were inflicted by large fangs and the serrated wounds by multiple

rows of teeth, such as those of a shark. There were also clawmarks,

where it seized its victims. The shark fastens onto its prey, then

shakes it, tearing the flesh. However, unlike a shark, this creature

possesses small, powerful arms with sharp claws, which it sinks