Enjoy this second deleted scene from Bobby Ether and the Jade Academy... and stay tuned for the next installment soon!

The stairwell was steep and narrow, with steps so worn they had to brace against the walls to avoid slipping. They descended in single file, emerging before a squat, grey structure. Bobby walked over for a closer look. “My god, it’s a mausoleum,” he said softly.

Jacob opened the shutter of his lantern to reveal row upon row of shadowy crypts. “Ancient tombs within a giant underground cavern?” he said. “Even I think that’s creepy.”

“There must be hundreds of them. Checking them all could take forever,” said Bobby.

“That’s ok. We can just use the Chronenberg Technique again, right?” said Lily. “Now that we’re close, it shouldn’t be too hard to find what we’re looking for.”

“I don’t think so,” said Jinx, pointing to a row of glossy decorations running along the inner edge of the recessed door.

“What is it?” said Lily.

“Jade,” said Jacob, kneeling down next to the doorframe and gently rubbing one of the stones with his fingers.

“Yes, but do you know what it means?” asked Jinx.

Trevor answered for him. “It means that the Chronenberg Technique can’t help us anymore.”

“That’s right,” said Jinx.

“I don’t understand,” said Bobby. “Why does the presence of jade make any difference?”

“It has something to do with jade’s special properties, right?” asked Lily.

“That’s right,” said Jinx. “In ancient Chinese civilization, they believed that jade contained magical properties; specifically, the ability to preserve the body. The wealthiest aristocrats and noblemen were buried in suits made from hundreds of jade tiles woven together with metal wire or silk.”

“Get to the point” said Jacob.

“The reality,” said Jinx, “is that jade does have special properties, albeit not magical. Jade absorbs anima; acting like a sponge, or vessel, for any spiritual energy directed towards it.’

“Hence the belief in its magical properties,” said Lily excited. “It literally helps retain the spirit of the deceased person after they die.”

“Exactly,” said Jinx. “Methods which use spiritual energy, such as the Chronenberg Technique, are unable to penetrate the interiors of these buildings since the jade will just absorb whatever you throw at it. Looks like we’re gonna have to search from here on in the old fashioned way.”

“Well that’s just fantastic,” said Jacob. “There could be hundreds of mausoleums down here.”