A figure stood at the top of a building. He wore a black coat, a crisp dark blue shirt, black pants and black shoes. He also had a black hat. This was the phantom Thief Aeries there was a black monocle in his left eye and white gloves in his hands. "Time for a show." He said in an excited voice, a smirk appearing on his face.
8:32 pm Friday October 7th London, a police outpost close to the St. Argon Museum recived a letter from The Phantom Thief Aeries. The contents were the following.
"Seven days from now at 9:00 pm I shall steal The Red Ouroboros gem, protected in the St. Argon Museum.
- Yours sincerely Aeries." The letter bore his signature masquerade mark undeniably Aeries.
....
Saturday 9:30 am October 8th London, SDB main office
In the meeting room there were many police officers there including Edmund, Luke, John and even Rodrick.
The lead officer slammed his palm on the table. "We're the laughingstock of London, and if we can't guard a gem with top-tier security, we may as well pack up.'"
Edmund leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed. "Finally something interesting."
"Outer vault's time-locked. Inner display's pressure-sensitive, infrared-netted, rotating pedestal. Analog CCTV, 3-second delay, guards rotate every two hours. Anyone gets in without the code—boom, lockdown."
'He hasn't even stolen it yet,' Edmund thought, 'and already, the room smells like failure.'
...
The day of the theft. Edmund and Luke were checking the security systems. They could also go to a special control room due to their statuses as detectives.
Luke squinted at the monitor. "Three-second delay on analog CCTV"
Edmund tapped the camera casing. "Enough for a skilled actor to vanish."
Luke snorted. "You really think this Aeries bloke's the real deal?"
Edmund shrugged. "Never seen him work live. But if half the reports are true he doesn't need to be a magician. Just smarter than the police."
Luke, smirking "So... Mark-tier then?"
Edmund cracked a rare grin. "No one tops Mark. Criminal genius of the century."
They both chuckled.
Luke said, "Filed the theft report and was the thief. Dumbest bastard alive."
Edmund replied "We solved that case before we finished our tea."
After checking everything Edmund and Luke went to the special control room. The room was guarded inside out. "Oh Edmund and Luke, come on in this is the Museum Owner mr Owens Peter, this is the Gem Owner Mr Victor Hern and this is the officer in charge Mr Dorian Chris."
Everyone exchanged greetings. The time was only 8:40 pm and the museum was already covered by people and medias on the outside. The Museum's entrance were locked and guards were at every corner.
8:59 pm
The reporter lady said "There's only a minute till the time of the heist, Will Aeries be able to steal this? Let us see." And soon the time reached 9:00 pm. A huge smoke blast occured and a figure suddenly appeared. The Phantom Thief Aeries. He was wearing his classic outfit, black and blue.
"My my, this many people just to witness my tricks? I'm honoured." Aeries said in a delightful voice. He stood like a maestro before his grand symphony
"Will you really be able to steal the Red Ouroboros tonight?" The reporter asked
"Steal? That's such a vulgar word. Let's say… relocate."
"Count with me, won't you? One… two… three" Said Aeries as a big grin appeard in his face.
"Hmph, who does he think he is. We'll catch him once him enters the building." Dorian Chris said in an angry tone. Soon a message from a guard arrived, Dorian quickly looked at the cameras to see the gem disappeared without a trace. Everyone in the room even Edmund was shocked, John wasn't as shocked as others. 'Might be because he has already seen Aeries in action. Making a gem disappear without a trace under this security what trick did he use?' Edmund thought
Outside the Museum
When Aeries counted till three a gem suddenly appeared in his hands, It was The Red Ouroboros. The entire crowd was shocked at this sight. Aeries laughed and raised the gem high — the unmistakable Red Ouroboros gleaming under the floodlights. "Now… here's your game, gentlemen." He dropped a folded note with the gem to the ground. "Solve it before midnight. Or let the world call you fools." Another smoke bomb exploded—Aeries vanished into the haze, laughing like the showman he was.
The police, Media, people everyone was shocked. The guards soon covered the area and quickly took back the gem and confirmed it was the real one. Edmund and others also rushed to scene. They were informed that a common gem from a nearby store as stolen.
Edmund took the note "It seems like he's challenging us to solve his trick." Said Edmund in a nervous tone. "What's it say?" Luke asked, tension crackling in his voice.
"You raised your walls and lit your halls, But I had danced through silent calls. A craftsman's guise, a wire's bend. The tale began, not at the end.
You chased the clock, the vault, the screen. But missed the moment in between. Fear made fools of men who stared. You watched the vault. I watched your pride."
Edmund narrowed his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched—not quite a smile, not yet. But the thrill had begun. "He's not taunting," Edmund muttered. "He's daring us to keep up."
"You raised your walls and lit your halls." Luke echoed. His eyes widened. "Edmund are you thinking what I am thinking."
"Exactly." Edmund turned to the museum owner. "Did you call for electrical fixes recently?"
The man hesitated. "Yes. After we received his first letter… I had electricians check everything."
Edmund looked at Luke. No words were needed. He turned to the others.
"He didn't steal it tonight."
A pause. Dead silence.
"He stole it days ago."