The macabre art display burned quietly in the crisp air, eventually bringing with it the smell of ash and boiling blood. Cash sniffled once, clearly detecting it, but made no change in his expression as he looked over the group.

"That's what I'd initially considered as well, Runner, but I'd had a hunch it wasn't so simple. When my informants had given me the whole kit and caboodle of what happened at the Himura place, it didn't add up." Cash looked over to Diva and nodded before rolling up his sleeves, as if preparing for contemplation.

"Of course, it [i]seems[/i] like a rune. Drawn symbol, instant effect. But what it truly does is far too complex to be any rune someone can just throw around. After all just look at it," he said, pulling out a personal device to display before the gathered Cleaners. Indeed, the rune was far too simple to be something 'complex', if they were to take Cash's word for it. A few circles, a line here and there... Compared to most runes which took hours to complete, this one had apparently been crafted by glancing at a reference over a few seconds.

Stuffing the phone back inside his coat, he continued. "It might look like a rune from our perspective here, but [i]inside[/i] the box is where the action's at. While 20 died at the Himura place, two survived. Nothing notable about them. No reason to suspect they were 'exempt' from the targeted attack. The only thing different about them..." he trailed off, lifting two fingers and wiggling them, "Was that they were the only people in the same room when it happened. Everyone else was alone when they died."

Cash turned around to face the still-burning remains of the poor chicken. "Tested this with two chickens in a box and they died all the same, so I was confused once more. Then I tried putting them in a box with some light, and what do you know, they survived! So my conclusion changed, but only more mysteries cropped up... Because the chickens both died within a few seconds anyways. But! But, they did survive longer," he mused. Gesturing all the while, he continued.

"So what we know is, if you're together with someone else, in the light, you can survive for a short period of time. But then why only a short time? My hypothesis?" Cash pointed to his eyes, "Blinking. I say, what kept them alive was that they could see one another. The moment you're not visible to someone else, you're dead. You might ask, 'Why would a spell have a loophole like that if it's meant to kill?' Well that's where the nightmare theory comes in." Cash pulled out a notebook and threw towards the group's general direction. Inside were notes accumulated from multiple sources.

"Turns out I was right. This symbol's been around for a long while, but it got lost in the underground for some time, surfacing again now. The symbol isn't so much as a rune as it is a unique [i]calling card[/i]. A summoning spell, if you will, but without the magic we're familiar with. Indeed, even Sanction couldn't recognize any underlying functions hidden in it. It's not a reality-intrinsic rune, thank god, but it seems to have a latent nature to it... Which is why I'm convinced the symbol is a [i]nightmare itself[/i]." He gestured with a thumb to the plastic mat, as the final embers dwindled away.

"Whatever it is, it's something that appears only inside closed spaces with that symbol printed upon it. Indeed, the Himura house is completely barred off and fatal to anyone entering. The Agency is trying to deal with it as we speak."