LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 77: Riem
Most of the photos David and Rove discovered appeared to be taken secretly. The unsettling images showed horrifying scenes of magical animals suffering terrible fates.
One of the photos captured a group of individuals standing around a table, cutting into the body of a lifeless creature. The low angle of the camera didn't reveal the animal clearly, but blood streamed down the sides of the table, pooling on the ground, while pieces of flesh were carelessly discarded. Even through the photograph, the gruesome scene seemed to radiate a strong, metallic stench of blood.
In another picture, several people were carrying the lifeless body of a cystic leopard. A chilling detail caught their attention—a circular hole, two fingers wide, in the center of the leopard's head.
But the most horrifying image was at the bottom of the stack. It depicted a massive, two-meter-long snake trapped in an iron cage. The snake's body was horrifyingly altered: at its midsection, near its vulnerable "seven-inch" spot, the creature had been split into three sections. From these wounds, three separate heads had emerged unnaturally.
The snake's skin, marked by orange and black stripes, was covered in scars and dripping blood. Despite its grievous injuries, it repeatedly slammed its heads and body against the bars of the cage in a desperate attempt to escape.
Suddenly, the snake's three heads began to turn on each other. Within moments, the left and middle heads lay lifeless, limp from self-inflicted bites. The lone head on the right seemed to lose its sanity. It slammed repeatedly into the iron bars until its skull was entirely deformed, the bones exposed. Moments later, the snake collapsed, twitching violently. Its death seemed inevitable.
"Is that a rune snake?" David asked, his face twisted with disbelief.
Rove nodded grimly. "It is, but this behavior is completely unnatural. Rune snakes are known to fight among their three heads, but they would never do this—especially not to the point of killing themselves."
David recalled what he had learned about rune snakes. Each of their three heads served a distinct purpose. The left head acted as the planner, making decisions about where the snake should go or what it should do. The middle head, often idle, spent its time lost in daydreams. The right head was aggressive and combative, equipped with fangs and prone to insults—but it relied on the other two to keep it in check.
Under normal circumstances, the heads would work together to deal with danger. This sort of self-destruction was unprecedented.
Rove then pointed out a disturbing detail. "Have you noticed that most of the animals in these photos have a hole in their heads? Like the cystic leopard and that snake."
David quickly flipped through the photos again and saw that Rove was right. Every creature, whether alive or dead, had a small, circular wound in the middle of its head.
"What if that hole is the cause of their madness?" David speculated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Rove was silent for a moment, processing the idea. Then he looked over at David, his face pale with realization. "That hole—it might be where something was implanted to control them. Maybe these animals were being experimented on."
David's stomach churned as anger bubbled inside him. He grabbed one of the letters they had found earlier and began scanning through it, flipping rapidly to a specific page.
"Here!" he exclaimed, pointing to a line.
Rove leaned in to read aloud: "The undercover team infiltrating the R organization discovered a newly-formed division conducting biological experiments. They seem to be studying animal brains, possibly to find ways to control magical creatures."
Rove's face hardened. "So, that hole... It's where they're implanting something to manipulate the animals. These monsters are experimenting on them!"
David clenched his fists, his breathing heavy as he tried to suppress his anger. The pictures, the letters—everything painted a horrifying picture of the R organization's cruelty.
"They're heartless," Rove said through gritted teeth, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the photos.
David took a deep breath, trying to calm his rage. He glanced at the animal treatment manuscripts on the table and then made a decision. "Rove, come with me."
He led Rove through an arc-shaped door, entering a magical space filled with lush green grass and bathed in sunlight.
"What are we doing here?" Rove asked, puzzled.
David motioned for him to stay quiet. He sniffed the air, catching a faint scent of grass mingled with something strange. He knew exactly what he was looking for.
"Moo!" David suddenly bellowed, amplifying his voice with a spell. The sound echoed across the meadow.
Moments later, the ground trembled faintly, and a large figure appeared in the distance. As it approached, its majestic form became clear.
The creature was a Riem cow—a magnificent animal standing nearly three meters tall. Its dark, spiral-patterned horns gleamed in the sunlight, and its golden fur shimmered like liquid sunlight.
The Riem cow seemed wary, pacing nervously and snorting as it observed David and Rove.
"Do you even know how to calm it down?" Rove whispered.
David grinned. "Of course. Grandpa taught me this."
He placed his wand back into his robe and knelt on the ground, performing a peculiar set of movements. He patted the ground with his hands, nudged it with his head, and kicked the dirt with his feet—all while making low, rumbling sounds.
Rove watched in disbelief. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen."
But the Riem cow responded. It stopped pacing and began approaching David cautiously, its massive form moving gracefully.
When the Riem cow was close enough, David stood up slowly, raising his hand in a gesture of trust.
"See? Grandpa's methods work every time," David said smugly.
Rove rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his amazement. "Okay, fine. But your moves were still embarrassing."
David smirked. "Embarrassing or not, it worked. Now, let's see if we can find out what's been going on with these magical creatures."