CHAPTER 95: INTERROGATION - BLOOD PRISON
XENON WINGATE
PRESENT DAY - INTERROGATION
I wheezed heavily as I try to regain my strength that has been drained by the Memory Flasher Device. Having so many flashbacks could only put my brain into its limit, and it's stressing me out. My headaches as my old memories inject itself directly into my mind.
But even with unbearable pain, I can still smile. Remembering the past where I killed the second person on my list gave joy to me. I may be a sitting potato here in this electric chair, but my laugh can be heard echoing in this dark interrogation room.
"Hahaha! Hahaha! Trystgade is dead! Trystgade is dead! Next is Eldritch!" I made a devilish smile.
[You are right. But for what cost, Xenon? For what cost? Alterra's throne was seized by Eldritch, and that made him the one and only world leader who controls all the four empires.]
Suddenly, a screen flashed to me that contains a press conference five months ago. It appeared to be in the central throne room of Alterra in which Michael Eldritch is now acting like a god-king. This particular event is the inauguration of the first and only emperor of the world. With this opportunity to talk to everyone using mass media, he made an amusingly shocking announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, people of the whole world. I am truly grateful that you have come to hear my words. My name is Emperor Michael Eldritch, your one, and only leader. As for my lovely subjects, I would like to tell you the truth. Right here in this very inauguration, I will answer one of the most asked questions in my rulership, and I will approach these allegations head-on."
Eldritch leaned forward the podium to have an eye-to-eye contact with the broadcast watchers through the camera.
"Am I developing a mind-control device? …No, we are not."
The media men and the dukes and duchesses can be heard clapping and applauding behind the scenes. They are truly grateful that the one and only emperor of the whole world can be trusted until he continued to answer the allegations.
"...Because we have already developed it." Eldritch smirked like the devil. Suddenly, the curtains behind him opened, revealing a small tower with endlessly rotating gears and some metallic rods.
The dukes and duchesses on the audiences started to mumble and silently panic. They did not know what to do at this moment as the Psychic Amplifier can activate its pulse any second.
"Let me be clear to you, ladies and gentlemen. Politicians make this world a worse place. I am the one and the only answer to the world's problems. Corruption, famine, slavery. I will eradicate all of it. All you have to do is to surrender your fealty to me. I am Emperor Michael Eldritch, your one true God."
As the Psychic Amplifier released its psychic radiation, the broadcast was cut. I was left on the darkness as the hologram screen faded, and I only uttered a chuckle. I never have thought that Michael Eldritch has the talent to put up a show.
[Emperor Michael Eldritch spent four months eradicating rebellions that opposed his authority. He used the Psychic Amplifier to make everyone obey his words. It was a one-sided fight. It was one of the darkest days of the planet.]
"That's what he does best," I muttered. "Eldritch never fights a war he can't win. Now that he's certain to win, he is conquering everything."
Suddenly, the interrogator jumped to another question.
[After that raid on Elysia's capital, you sacrificed yourself for your allies to escape. You faced the mind-controlled Alphonse Faradeiss and he captured you. Serena Maizono, Danielle Keine, and the other allies you had were also held in custody but they were immediately released. Why is that?]
"Eldritch…" I muttered. "Michael fucking Eldritch let them go. He needed him for his ultimate plan. He needed Serena and Danielle."
[What is this ultimate plan you're talking about? Isn't that world domination? He attained the title of the world's only leader. His dream of taking rules all over the world has come to fruition. He succeeded. Why does he need to let your friends go? What does Eldritch want with Serena and Danielle?]
I bowed down. I don't want to answer just because I don't feel like it. The bastards who are interrogating me can learn whatever they want by reading my memories, and I am not obliged to answer the question.
"That damn bastard is nobler than most people thought. But that doesn't matter. He needs to die."
The interrogator gave up on asking me about Eldritch's true plan after world domination. Instead, he moved on and asked questions that focused on me.
[When you were captured, what happened to you next?]
"I was sent to the Blood Prison Island, where all terrorists, traitors, and heinous criminals serve their life-long sentences. I've known that horrible place ever since back then when I was a White Ghost serving Elysia. Blood Prison Island is a hell in this planet where all worthless humans and dragonoids are treated as slaves and are forced to mine mana crystals underground."
Suddenly, the hologram globe in front of me flashed my recent picture, on an orange striped prisoner suit. I am holding cardboard on my mugshot with my number tag on it. Prisoner 626.
[You are Prisoner 626, the man who is convicted of the murder of the empress of Elysia. You served a capital punishment of life-long imprisonment, to serve as a slave until you die. Your status from being a Dragon Knight Commander immediately fell into the abyss as you were acknowledged as a person lower than dragonoid slaves. Blood Prison Island is mainly used to convict dragonoid criminals, and only a few humans made it to the most horrible prison in history. The prison guards treat you worse than animals, as torture and forced labor are promoted inside. It's hard to think that you survived that, considering that most heinous dragonoids hate humans like you.]
"Heh." I let out a single laugh. "I thought I would be alone, but that wasn't the case. I never thought I could meet him in such a place."
[Who did you meet in the Blood Prison, Xenon? Who?]
"Lothar Pendragon," I said.
[Lothar Pendragon is dead. Eldritch killed him the moment Lothar killed his son.]
"No. That's what everybody knows, but that's a lie. Only I know the whole truth. Lothar Pendragon is very much alive, serving his life-long prison sentence as a slave to the prison island itself. Eldritch knew that death does not matter to Lothar, so Eldritch sent him to the Blood Prison to suffer and rot."
[You said that you met Lothar Pendragon in the Blood Prison. How did he treat you inside as former enemies?]
"You're wrong." I smiled at the hologram globe. "Lothar was never my enemy. He's my friend. He's my family. He's my brother inside the prison. For five months, we took care of each other, plotting for our uprising. He became my middle man in order to enjoin the prisoner dragonoids to my ultimate plan of prison break."
[How did you include the prisoners under your command? Do they trust a human like you?]
"They don't. The oppressed dragonoids hated humans for a very long time. There's no way they would listen to me. But Lothar is different. He's a hero figure to all humans and dragonoids alike. He convinced every dragonoid in the prison that we are all brothers and allies, sharing one common enemy. We all seek revenge against the nation of Elysia and more particularly, to Michael Eldritch."
There was a long pause after I explained my whole plan to this unknown man. The interrogator himself seemed to be checking some papers and also, he talked to his crew that is responsible for locking me up. Right as of this moment, even though I have almost completed the retrieval of my memories, I still don't have any idea on who's on the other side of this room. I don't know the thing about the Psychic Amplifier either.
I think it's worth a try to ask the interrogator a question. I might be able to filter out and learn the personality of the interrogator depending on his answer.
"Hey! What is this Psychic Amplifier you're talking about? Was it the thing that controlled the dragon knights of Alterra?"
Surprisingly, the interrogator answered.
[No, it was not the thing we're looking for. We are looking for the Global Psychic Amplifier that has the power to control all living things in the world. And you are the only one who could point that out for us.]
Cold sweat ran through the nape of my neck as I was engulfed with fear. Global Psychic Amplifier? What is this madman talking about? If there is such a thing that can control all living things on this planet, then it will be the absolute end. Not even Michael Eldritch can stop such a thing. But then again, he is the one who implemented such a weapon. Just the mere thought of the Global Psychic Amplifier scares me to the bone.
[Let's go back to your friends at the surface. Answer my questions briefly and concise. What does Eldritch want with Danielle Keine?]
Since some of the clouds about the Psychic Amplifier became a little bit clearer, now I feel obliged to answer the question. They're going to learn the truth anyway, so I might as well get to the interrogator's good side.
"Eldritch wanted her for her wits, charisma, and power. With Danielle, Eldritch can get support from the people of Alterra."
[How about Serena Maizono? What does Eldritch want with her?]
I clenched my fists so hard and I gritted my teeth until my gums bleed as wrath engulfed my heart and soul. Just recalling Eldritch's purpose makes me want to destroy the whole world down.
"...Eldritch wants to marry the Dragonoid Queen." I said. "That damn bastard… wanted to steal the love of my life again."
[And why is that, Xenon? Why does Michael Eldritch want to marry Serena Maizono?]
Suddenly, the hologram globe started spinning. Light sparks all over the area as I recover the last fragment of my memory.
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