Chương 52: Interrogation

Ch 52 - Interrogation Reid left the apartment at an unhurried pace before hailing another taxi to Sunset Inn. As the city drifted past the window, his thoughts lingered on the information he had just learned. The Human Salvation Church... It was a name he knew well. The organization had existed long before the apocalypse, surviving countless crackdowns and purges over the years. He never expected it to still be operating in this era.

Unfortunately, the practitioner of Demonic Arts he had captured was little more than a low-ranking grunt who knew almost nothing. Even so, Reid had managed to uncover one useful lead. The taxi pulled up in front of Sunset Inn, an aging budget hotel squeezed between a convenience store and an office building. Its faded sign buzzed overhead, while the glass entrance reflected the passing headlights.

After renting a room overlooking the parking lot, Reid struck up a casual conversation with the elderly woman manning the reception desk.

"There have been a lot more visitors lately, haven't there?" Reid asked with a gentle smile.

"Oh, certainly!" The elderly woman, her silver hair tied into a bun, let out a wistful sigh.

"So many people came to watch the performance at the stadium. Even my little rundown inn was almost fully booked." Her smile faded.

"It's such a shame everything ended the way it did."

"Yeah... it really is," Reid agreed.

"Were you there for the performance too, young man?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"Or did you come here to meet those young ladies?" Reid chuckled.

"One can dream." His attention shifted to the 24-Hour Reception notice taped to the glass entrance, its corner curling away from the glass. He wandered over, absentmindedly running a finger along its edge before asking, "Are you the only one working today, ma'am?"

"Oh, no, no. There are others," the elderly woman replied with a laugh.

"The youngsters are busy running around. They can't exactly let the old lady catch them slacking, can they?" She shook her head before noticing the peeling notice.

"Though maybe I should tell them to do a better job. They've been letting that sign peel for weeks." Reid laughed along as he smoothed the notice back into place. Hidden beneath its loose corner, a small paper charm disappeared from sight. Satisfied, he exchanged a few more pleasantries before heading upstairs to his room. The armchair beside the window offered a clear view of the parking lot below. Reid settled into it and prepared for a long night of waiting.

The paper charm tucked behind the entrance notice would alert him if anyone carrying poorly concealed demonic energy entered the inn. Hours passed in silence, yet no one carrying demonic energy entered the inn. The paper charm remained still, showing no reaction. Reid frowned. Perhaps they had already realized their operative was dead. More likely, they had expected Kolten to report in before the meeting, and when that call never came, they had abandoned the rendezvous.

The problem was, Reid had reduced the man's phone to ashes along with the rest of his body. He sighed. Even after all these years, he had allowed his anger to get the better of him. With nothing to show for the night's surveillance, Reid checked out as dawn broke over the city. He hailed another taxi and returned to the hospital, heading straight for Evan's private ward. Inside, he found his brother still asleep in bed.

Although Evan had been fully healed, the doctors insisted on keeping him under observation for a while longer. There had been cases where healing abilities caused delayed side effects, though Reid doubted anything like that would happen under his own care. Taking the chair beside the bed, Reid gazed at Evan's sleeping figure. After a moment, he reached out and took hold of his brother's right arm, the same arm that had been severed during the battle.

Even now, he could still picture that moment clearly, the sight of Evan's hand being thrown into the air as Victor's explosion tore it away from his body. Reid's fingers tightened around the arm before he quickly loosened his grip when Evan shifted and let out a protesting sound. A part of him still wanted to scold his brother for his recklessness. Had Evan always been the type to throw himself headfirst into danger? The answer was no.

Evan had once been an obedient child who always wore a smile and rarely, if ever, showed anger. He listened to Reid so readily that even their parents began passing certain requests through him, knowing Evan would always heed his older brother. So what had changed? Was it simply the stubbornness that came with growing older? Or perhaps… Reid's thoughts drifted back to Evan's Mindscape. That cramped, tiny apartment room.

A person's Mindscape reflected the state of their mind, and Evan's had been a bleak, suffocating place. It was not the kind of mental world someone should have, a reflection of a troubled and damaged psyche. And yet, for Evan, it had been an improvement. Reid remembered the first time he had attempted to enter his brother's Mindscape years ago. He had sent his astral body into Evan's inner world, only to find nothing but darkness. An endless, empty darkness. What did it mean for someone to have no Mindscape?

The answer was never a good one. In essence, one's Mindscape was a manifestation of their thoughts, memories, emotions, and sense of self. Without one, it suggested that something was fundamentally wrong with their existence. Yet despite that, Evan had continued living like any other child, or at least as normally as someone with such an abnormal condition could. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Back then, Reid had assumed it was connected to their mother's condition, that perhaps Evan had been born this way because of it. He had promised himself he would watch over his little brother closely, making sure nothing happened to him. And then everything changed. Perhaps Evan's Awakening had somehow improved his condition. Perhaps gaining his own power had finally allowed his mind to develop properly. But that same Awakening had also exposed him to something far more dangerous: demonic energy.

"You're such a handful, little brother," Reid murmured quietly.

"What would I tell Father and Mother if something happened to you?" Evan continued sleeping peacefully, unaware of the worries weighing on his brother's heart.

Victor sat in the interrogation chamber, restrained far more thoroughly than any ordinary prisoner. Mana-suppressing cuffs locked his wrists to the reinforced table, while additional bindings kept his legs firmly in place. The chamber was bare, containing nothing more than the metal table, two chairs, and a camera mounted in the corner. Sitting across from him was Ryusei, glaring at him with such intensity that it seemed as though he wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart.

"You truly are an irredeemable monster, Osborn. A stain on humanity itself," Ryusei said. Victor merely smirked.

"I've been called that and worse."

"It seems not enough people have told you that." Victor tilted his head slightly.

"Why? What's wrong with me having some fun? Don't you know even animals need some form of enrichment?"

"Perhaps you wouldn't be locked away if you weren't a psychopath who believed killing civilians and lower-rank Awakeners was acceptable."

"I'm not wrong, though," Victor replied.

"The strong have always ruled the weak. That's how it has always been, and that's how it always will be."

"And look where that belief has gotten you." Ryusei leaned forward, his expression cold.

"But enough with this pointless conversation. The Human Salvation Church. What connection do you have with them?"

"Didn't I tell you already?" Victor said with a shrug.

"Nothing much beyond a mutual interest. They wanted me to go wild, so I went wild."

"Don't mess around with me. I know they're the ones who broke you out of prison. Why would they go through all that trouble and risk so much just to have you cause some destruction?" Victor laughed.

"Oh, little mad dog. You have such tunnel vision." His grin widened.

"My havoc isn't the end goal. It's a seed. A seed that will sprout and create something far bigger. Don't you think that's going to be fun?"

"What fun?" Ryusei asked. Before Victor could answer, a knock sounded at the door. It opened a moment later, revealing Catherine.

"Forgive me, Chief, but the Civil Chancellor is requesting to speak with you."

"Chancellor Christensen?" Ryusei asked, frowning.

"Ooh, look at that. Your master is calling you back." Victor grinned.

"Bark, bark." Ryusei ignored him and stood, exiting the interrogation room without another word. The door clicked shut behind him, and Victor found himself alone once more. He stared up at the bright lights on the ceiling, wondering whether he would spend years trapped in a boring prison cell again or if they would finally decide to execute him. Honestly, he almost preferred the latter. At least it would be less boring. Now that he thought about it... what would his final meal even be? Zzrrrt!

A dark portal appeared in front of him, and a figure cloaked in a black robe stepped through. Their face was hidden behind an elaborate mask adorned with dark markings beneath the eyes, giving the impression that the figure was perpetually weeping. Victor's eyes narrowed with interest as he leaned forward, testing the limits of his restraints.

"Hey, are you from the Church?" he asked.

"Didn't expect one of you guys to show up so soon. Are you here to break me out again, or..." He tilted his head, studying the masked figure.

"... are you here because they've decided I'm no longer useful?" The cloaked figure circled the table and stopped beside Victor before raising a gloved hand. With a single finger, they traced a strange symbol in the air, its twisted lines and curves unfamiliar to Victor. Once complete, it glowed with an eerie red light before the figure pressed it against Victor's forehead. The moment it touched him, a chill ran down his spine. Deep down, something told Victor that this was wrong.

"What the hell did you do?!" he shouted. The cloaked figure stepped back and disappeared into the dark portal, leaving Victor in the interrogation chamber. For several moments, Victor remained still. Then a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He didn't understand why, but an uneasy feeling had settled over him. Something stirred deep within him, restless and growing more pronounced with every passing second. He knew that sensation.

He had felt it when facing the Thunder Wolf, and again when standing before Ryusei's shadow. It was the unmistakable feeling of death.

Marching back toward the interrogation chamber, Ryusei schooled his expression. He reminded himself to remain calm and betray no emotion for the rest of the interrogation. Victor thrived on provoking people, savoring every crack in their composure before turning it against them. Ryusei refused to give him that satisfaction. Opening the door, Ryusei stepped inside and sat back down across from Victor. His brows furrowed when he noticed the criminal looking around uneasily.

"What's wrong with you now?" Ryusei asked.

"Don't try to escape. You won't be able to. This entire facility is under maximum security. Not even an ant can get inside." Victor burst into laughter.

"Not even an ant? How funny, because just now—" SPLAT! Ryusei's shadow surged forward, wrapping around him and shielding his body. When the darkness receded, he saw what had nearly struck him: a torrent of blood and flesh. His shadow had kept him untouched, but the interrogation chamber had not been so fortunate. The once-clean space was now stained red, and across from him sat not the confident criminal he had been questioning, but a lifeless corpse. Victor Osborn's head had been blown apart.